Thursday 23 February 2017

Bridging the Gap Between Veterinary Hospitals and Pet Owners

Many pet owners have found themselves in a situation where their dog or cat required veterinary hospital care. Later, when being discharged from the hospital, medications and nursing instructions are discussed and then the owner and their recovering pet are sent on their way. The owner gets home and realizes they don't quite understand the nursing care needed or are not comfortable providing the nursing care their dog or cat needs. At this point the owner calls their veterinary hospital to clarify nursing instructions or asks friends or family to help them. If the owner is still not comfortable providing the care their pet needs then they may decide that it is too much for them and bring their pet back to board at the veterinary hospital for the duration of recovery.
Wouldn't it be a huge relief if there were a service that provided in-home veterinary nursing care? In-home pet care isn't a new idea, many pet owners have pet sitters or dog walkers, but in-home veterinary nursing care is a newer idea and such services are relatively rare, but they can be found.
There are many advantages of in-home pet care. Pets are often afraid in unfamiliar environments. The sounds and smells are unfamiliar and can be frightening, especially to cats. With in-home services pets can stay in the comfort of their own homes. This also means that pet's, and owner's, routines and schedules are not interrupted. Also, owners do not have to worry about having to transport their cat or dog for boarding or veterinary appointments. Many boarding facilities now offer cage free boarding and group play. This greatly increases the cat or dogs chances of acquiring an illness. This also greatly increases their chance of being injured by another cat or dog.
If veterinary professionals were being honest, especially those working in emergency hospitals, they would tell every pet owner they come across not to take their pets anywhere cage free or with open play. This is because they have seen first hand the horrors that have occurred at such places. These illnesses and injuries can result in death of a pet and severe heart ache for their owners. Lengthy legal battles between owners and boarding facilities have also occurred in these situations. I recommend finding an in-home pet care service the next time a pet owner is in need of a boarding facility or pet care. In-home care will result in a much more comfortable and happy pet and will be much less stress for the owners too.