Did you know that approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter the shelters each year in the United States? Of those 6.3 million, only about 4 million of them will find a home that same year.
Unfortunately, natural disasters have become all too common. We see them on the news: earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires, and toxic chemical spills. Sometimes we even see them in our own backyard. It’s hard to think that these things could happen to us, but they can.
We love our pets so much at times! We treat them to a piece of table food because we want them to know we love them - but are we doing more harm than good? Are we potentially harming them without being aware we are doing so? Sometimes life gets in the way and we accidentally forget to put our medications and household cleaners in a safe place away from our pets. Our home contains many toxins to pets that most people are not even aware of until the inevitable happens and owners are sitting at an animal emergency hospital for a toxicity ingestion with their pet.
Any loud noise can cause a pet’s anxiety to skyrocket, especially fireworks. It doesn’t help that on July 4th, the festivities and fireworks can go on for hours and hours; usually the fireworks on New Year’s Eve are of a shorter duration. Read the tips below on how to make your pet as comfortable as possible during this stressful time.
As warm weather approaches and the days become longer, we find ourselves becoming more active and spending more time outside with our animals. While this is a welcome change, it’s important to keep in mind that the changing seasons also bring with them some situations that pet parents should be cautious of, as we haven’t had to worry about the possibility of them arising during the colder months.
We all know that the holidays are an exciting, but also stressful, part of our year. It can be stressful for our pets as well with more food around than usual, unfamiliar decorations, and new people/faces visiting their home.
It is possible to make the holiday season a happy and safe time for everyone.
There are some things you can do to prevent an unexpected trip to the animal emergency room this year. Let’s keep the holidays happy and safe.
Fall is a beautiful time of year that is always welcome after enduring long hot summer months. It comes with many seasonal changes, lots of colorful decorations, and a very popular and highly celebrated holiday. It can also come with added stress for you and your pet due to some of these changes; but that doesn’t need to be the case. Being aware of potential stressors and toxicities could save you and your companions from unnecessary stress, as well as an unplanned amount of time and money spent at the ER.
Getting the kids ready to go back to school is always a hectic and exciting process. You must buy new clothes and supplies, change up your schedule, and help the kids prepare to go on a new journey. Unfortunately, among all of this, sometimes our pets don’t get as much attention as they did during the summer months.
It can be a scary situation whenever your beloved cat or dog suddenly begins acting unusual, especially in the middle of the night. But does it warrant an immediate visit to the ER, or is it fine to wait until you're able to get an appointment at your regular vet? There are many factors to take into consideration when you're considering a trip to the emergency vet, including necessity, wait times, and cost. Here's what you should look for to make sure you aren't causing undue stress for your pet and spending your time and money with a late-night trip to the ER.