Maximizing Pet Care: Communicating with Your Veterinarian
Caring for your pet is a two-way street, and when it comes to maximizing your pet care experience, Mobile Vet M.D. wants our clients to know all the tips and tricks of making the most of a vet visit. Communicating with your veterinarian doesn’t have to be hard. Read on to learn how to do it well.
Keys to Communicating with Your Veterinarian
Making sure that you get what you need from your interaction with Dr. Mary starts with doing your part to ensure that you maximize your experience. Consider the following pro tips for getting the most from your vet visit:
- Be ready to go at your scheduled appointment time. That ensures that we can utilize every minute allotted to you and your pet.
- Ensure that someone knowledgeable about your pet’s care and daily habits is present for the exam. We have a lot of questions!
- Know what medications and/or supplements your pet is taking and when the last doses were administered (having the bottles handy is helpful).
- Administer any anti-anxiety or sedative medications we have recommended so that we can provide the care we need to.
- Write down your questions and concerns so that we don’t forget anything.
- If we haven’t seen your pet before, have copies of previous records and test results handy.
- Don’t let your pet potty right before our examination, especially if we need to assess urine for potential problems.
- Have some of your pet’s favorite treats handy. Even better if they are a little hungry prior to our arrival!
Don’t Forget to Share
While we will have lots of things to ask you, communicating with your veterinarian is a two-way street. You know your pet best, and you probably have a lot of helpful information to share.
Be sure to let us know:
- If there are changes in your pet’s bathroom or litter box habits
- About any behavioral changes or concerns
- If your pet’s appetite has changed
- When there are concerning behaviors that might indicate cognitive dysfunction
- If you are having trouble maintaining a healthy weight for your pet
- If you have trouble giving your pet medications
- If you feel that your pet is in pain
- Any potential medication or vaccination side effects
- If you don’t understand something that we are saying–we want you to feel comfortable with the information we are providing
Please contact us right away if you have questions or concerns about your four-legged friend. We are there to assist with their care, but you are your pet’s best advocate. Speak up when you think something is wrong, because they can’t.