Top Tips for Vet Visits

How to get the most from your visit to the vets with minimal stress for your pet.

1. Plan - get your pet carrier out a few days before and anything else you might need, like vaccination cards. Keep your cat indoors if they have a habit of doing a disappearing act and try to keep the rest of your pet’s day as stress free as possible.

2. Communicate - if you have concerns about your pet’s behaviour in the vets then let them know beforehand. Believe me, we have seen it all before, and there are a lot of adjustments that we can make to help make your visit easier for you and your animal. If we know that your dog hates having his feet touched, or your cat bit the last vet, then we can plan for this and the whole experience will be less stressful for everyone involved.

3. Avoid the waiting room - the vets waiting room is full of things that our pets find stressful. Strange people, other animals, weird smells, loud noises, the list goes on. It helps to keep your pet calm if you have the option of waiting outside or in your car and asking staff to let you know when the vet is ready for you.

4. Prepare for the consult - appointments are often only 15 minutes long so it helps to write down all your concerns beforehand so that you can make the most of this time and nothing is missed that may be important for your vet to know. If your pet really struggles to cope in the vets you could even ask if you could give this information before they are examined, minimising the amount of time they are in the consult room.

5. Muzzle train your dog - many dogs are scared in the veterinary environment, and with good reason. A scared dog that is being poked and prodded is a bite risk, add pain into the mix and even the most placid of dogs can be pushed to use their teeth. If your dog is muzzle trained already then this is one less thing for them to worry about, should one be needed. It could also save the need for costly (and sometimes risky) sedation if something has to be done. https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/outdoors/muzzle-training