Your Vet Visit
Introduction You got a card in the mail saying vaccines are due. Or, perhaps you are like me when I schedule my dentist appointment and procrastinate 1-3 years or so, and now you need to get caught up. Maybe something has happened to your pet, and they need to be seen immediately.
The purpose of this guide is to make you and your pet’s visit go as smooth and efficiently as possible.
Rule #1: The Chaperone
First things first: never send your husband if they don’t want to be there. Usually, they agree to either do everything or nothing (usually nothing), and they will likely not remember what we told them.
Does he know the pet's name?
Does he know why he is here?
Will he remember what we say? If the answer is 'No', please reschedule. As a guy, I get it—they don't want to be here. But no amount of handouts will save them.
Routine Visits: Preventive Medicine
There are two significant parts to preventive medicine: vaccines and parasite prevention.
Location Matters: Recommendations vary by state and region. My recommendations are specific to Southwest Michigan, so always talk to your vet about what is best for your area.
Rabies: "It would perhaps not be amiss to point out that he had always tried to be a good dog. [...] He had never wanted to kill anybody. He had been struck by something, possibly destiny, or fate, or only a degenerative nerve disease called rabies.” (Cujo, Steven King) We are seeing increasing numbers of rabies cases, even in Michigan. This is a preventable and deadly disease. Please vaccinate your pets.
Why Vaccinate? If your animal isn’t vaccinated, will they get the disease? Statstically there is a slight chance. However, the 9-week-old puppy we euthanized last week with distemper probably wished the dog that gave it to him was vaccinated.
Preparation: What to Bring
Vaccine Records: Bring a full history so we know if you need boosters now or in 3 years.
Heartworm History: We need proof of a negative test and a record of consistent monthly prevention.
Patience (For Emergencies): If you are here for an emergency, bring a book. We are triaging based on severity.
Kindness: Remember, the team is human. A little patience with the staff goes a long way!
Emergency Visits: A Changing Landscape
If you are coming in for an emergency, the first thing to do is be patient. The profession is transitioning to a model more like human medicine, with specialty emergency clinics that are better equipped for critical care.
Why the referral? If we refer you to another clinic, it is likely because you will get a better standard of care there.
"But my old vet would come in at 3 AM..." That mentality, combined with high debt-to-income ratios, has contributed to severe burnout and high suicide rates in the profession.
“So listen Linda, we love you and your pet, but we also love not going clinically insane.”
A Note on Kindness
Please remember that your vet and the staff are human.
We make mistakes: We might run late because we are worried we'll forget to explain something.
We are hardworking: The assistant holding your Chihuahua (whose main goal in life is to bite everything) likely makes less than a fast-food worker.
We are juggling triage: The secretary who missed your call may have been helping bring in a dog hit by a car.
If we make a recommendation, it is because we care about your pet.
