September serves as both Emergency Preparedness Month and National Pet Insurance Month, so what better time to discuss how best to prepare for the possibility of your dog or cat experiencing a medical emergency?
The Meowing Vet is joined by contributing guest author, licensed veterinary technician Amber LaRock, who skillfully uses her years of experience in veterinary emergency hospitals to provide pet owners with handy tips to help prepare for a potential pet emergency, including financial planning.
Discover more below…
More pet emergency tips are available in our article on “How to Prepare for a Pet Emergency,” a collaboration with GREAT PET CARE.
Our pets hold a special place in our hearts and effortlessly become a member of our families. We have every intention of giving them our very best throughout their time spent in our lives. Just like us, our pets can experience medical emergencies. Life happens, and it can become difficult to provide for them in an unexpected medical situation. Luckily, there are tools to help us in these events and ways to educate yourself to your beloved companion’s advantage.
Accidents Happen
No matter how careful we are with our animals, things can happen. While prevention isn’t always possible, it often is. The vast majority of the cases I’ve seen working at an animal emergency hospital could have been prevented with education, preventative care, or implementing precautions. I’ll discuss a few of the most common medical emergencies we see in emergency medicine and ways to help prevent their occurrence.
Gastrointestinal Upset: You may not think that vomiting and diarrhea can have a devastating impact on your pet, but these two symptoms can be serious. I don’t think that I have made it through even one ER shift without seeing a case of gastrointestinal upset. It’s extremely common but does not necessarily have to wreak havoc on your or your pet’s lives. Whether it’s due to dietary changes, infectious illness, stress, or any of the above, quick action saves lives! It’s extremely common for most pet owners to want to wait out their animals’ GI upset and see if they can improve on their own at home. It’s understandable because one “harmless” round of diarrhea doesn’t seem that scary. What starts off as a simple round of soft stool can quickly lead to dehydration if left untreated. Almost all of the animals hospitalized due to GI upset start off this way and could have avoided severe dehydration if they were treated a bit sooner. If your pet is having any changes in appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea, have them seen ASAP. No matter the cause, prompt treatment will benefit your furry friend and prevent a potentially expensive hospital stay.
- Preventative illnesses: Preventative care such as vaccines, heartworm prevention, and wellness exams are in place for a reason. Providing your pet with preventative care can help protect them against serious illness and alert you to any medical conditions of which you may need to be aware. So often we see infectious disease, undiagnosed medical conditions, and illness that could be prevented with standard care and education about its potential threat. Here are a few things that we often see that could have been avoided with preventative care.
Vaccines: Vaccines can help to prevent against a number of infectious illnesses such as Parvovirus, Distemper, Rabies, Leptospirosis, Panleukopenia, Feline Leukemia (FeLV), and more. Each of these conditions can be deadly and require intensive hospitalization.- Wellness Exams: Regular wellness exams are important as they can keep you informed of your furry family member’s overall health. Your veterinarian can help catch health threats as they develop, helping to avoid emergency care for progression of illnesses.
- Heartworm Prevention: Heartworm disease is a serious threat to your pet and can require a lengthy and expensive treatment process if it is contracted. Monthly heartworm prevention can save your pet from these dangerous complications.
- Allergic Reaction Complications: You’ve probably seen the pictures of the cute animals with the poofy faces after getting stung by an insect. What you may not know is how often these reactions become life threatening. Just like us, animals can have serious anaphylactic reactions to vaccines, bug bites, and any other allergen to which they are exposed. These serious reactions can result in respiratory distress, shock, bleeding disorders, and several other serious conditions. If you ever notice facial swelling, hives, or other signs of allergic reaction, contact your vet immediately before trying to treat them at home.
Dog Fight Wounds: Another extremely common ER visit involves dog fight wounds. Whether it’s a fight with the grumpy dog next door or a fight amongst life-long animal friends, these things happen. In many of the cases, the fight was started by an unleashed dog, a fight over a bone, or an introduction that wasn’t taken slowly. While this is not always the case, it’s important to remember that dogs can be dangerous in any given moment. Exercising precaution is always best when living in a home with pets.
- Always keep your pet on a leash when you leave the house together. This can prevent your pet from escaping you and help to control your pet in any unexpected event.
- Be cautious when your animals are eating in close proximity. When it comes to food and treats, tension can quickly build between animals, resulting in fights.
- Take any introduction to a new animal slowly. We never know how our pet will react to a new animal in their space, so having full control over the situation is essential for everyone’s safety.
Why does emergency care cost more?
If you’ve ever had to pay your local emergency veterinary hospital a visit, you probably noticed their higher prices. Understandably, this causes clients to get upset. While these higher prices can add to your stress in an already scary time, there are reasons behind these charges.
- 24/7 care comes with a price. In the event of a medical emergency, your pet may need around the clock care at a veterinary ER. This means there are always professional eyes on your pet as well as frequent treatment and care throughout the day. This specialized care is a service you would not receive at an animal clinic with daytime hours and will come with a higher price tag because of it.
A highly trained staff will be involved in every step of your animal’s care during his or her stay at an ER. This specialty trained staff has worked for years to train, educate, and acquire the knowledge needed to care for your beloved pet in this crucial time.- High quality equipment is used in the event of a veterinary medical emergency. You can rest assured that your pet is receiving the gold standard when they are being treated and diagnosed at the vast majority of ER clinics.
How can I financially prepare for an emergency?
Medical emergencies are expensive, whether it’s for us or our furry companions. In human medicine, we have the comfort of knowing that with our medical insurance in hand, we can often worry about the bulk of the cost later. In veterinary medicine, this is not the case. In almost every veterinary ER, cost is due at the time of service. Not everyone has money set aside for these situations, but luckily there are tools available for this exact dilemma.
- Pet Insurance: We are no longer the only ones who get to benefit from medical insurance. Our pets now have several options in terms of insurance based on their specific needs. Investing in the right insurance for your beloved pet can help to give you the comfort you need when facing a costly bill at the animal clinic. Speak with your vet about reasonable options for you to consider based on your animal and your financial needs.
Veterinary credit cards and loans: There are now options for veterinary loans and credit cards in the event of a medical emergency. This treats your veterinary bill like any other credit card purchase and allows you to pay off the charges each month. I recommend calling your local animal ER and asking what forms of veterinary credit cards they accept so you can always be prepared if needed.- Savings: Emergencies are unexpected, but they don’t always have to take a major financial toll on your bank account. When possible, it’s recommended to create a savings account for your pet and give recurring contributions when you have the ability. Even a small contribution each paycheck can add up to a huge difference if your pet is in dire need.
Summary
No matter the cause of the emergency, quick action is the key to saving your pet’s life and keeping down the costs of your veterinary visit. No matter how hard we try, unexpected events with our fur babies will happen. All we can do is try our best to prevent the things that we can and help to prepare for the things that we can’t! Educate yourself on the ways to keep your pet healthy and the tools that we have available to ensure your financial security when an emergency strikes!
– Amber LaRock, LVT
About our guest writer: Meet Amber LaRock, LVT
“I’m a Licensed Vet Tech with a passion to spread awareness for animals far and wide!”
Learn more about the incredible work that Amber does for animals around the world by visiting her website (www.allassistva.com) and Instagram profile (@vettechandtravel)!
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