A physical exam of your pet is essential to maintain your pet’s health. Veterinarians play an indispensable role in the lives of our pets. They examine and assess your pet and advise how to manage and treat the health issues your pet might be facing. Without visiting an animal clinic, it gets difficult to examine your pet correctly, but COVID-19 has changed it to some extent. Post COVID-19, we as pet parents feel scared to take our pet to the animal clinic. Things have changed over time, and hospital and veterinary clinics have taken extra precautions to ensure the well-being of their patients.

As dogs and cats age much more quickly than humans, it’s essential to detect the problem at an early stage to ensure your pet’s long and healthy life. You can expect your vet to answer all the questions and doubts regarding your pet’s feeding, training, exercising, and hygiene. Continue reading to know more about what you can expect from a vet visit.

  1. Consultation

A veterinary will examine your pet and perform a full-body physical exam of your pet. Vet will make you understand the condition and let you know if your pet needs a regular consultation or an emergency facility. You will get a medical plan consisting of a complete diagnosis; treatment options will be given if your pet faces any severe disease and estimated cost. Due to post-COVID-19 guidelines, all this will be done over the phone or digitally through e-mails.

Importance of consulting a vet

  • Early detection of signs and symptoms: A key benefit of regular consultation and health check-ups is that you can detect the signs and symptoms of any illness at an early stage. There may be some changes in your pet’s behavior and body shape, which you may not consider, but your vet picks up these as a warning sign of a dreadful disease. If your pet has been diagnosed with any disease, the earlier the treatment starts, the better it will be for its long and healthy life. The treatment could involve anything from consultation, medication, change in diet, or surgery.

 

  • Preventative treatment: Many animal diseases can be easily prevented with medications and therapy. Young pets need vaccines to combat diseases along with medicines to put off parasites and worms. Every pet parent care and is protective of their pet. You can expect your vet to provide you with a healthcare plan with scheduled routine check-ups, vaccine schedules, and treatments. Ask your vet to examine your pet’s weight and body shape to ensure your dog is not overweight.

 

  • Bi-annual health check: During any annual or bi-annual health check-up, the vet performs a complete head-to-toe exam of your pet. They check the ears for infection and mites, eyes for an eye infection, and diseases like cherry eye, cataracts, and glaucoma. Internal organs are checked through various tests, x-rays, and ultrasound to ensure their proper functioning.

 

Being a pet parent, your pet’s health and well-being should be your primary concern. To give your pet a long and healthy life, make sure you visit a vet clinic regularly and consult your vet for healthcare and advice.

 

  1. Outpatient and Inpatients services for pets

A veterinary hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services for pets. For those who don’t know the term, inpatient means that a patient must stay in the hospital for the treatment, and outpatient means the patient is physically fit to return home. Many pets are treated the same day to return home and continue with their care at home.

 

  • 24*7 Inpatient care

An inpatient pet requires 24*7 vet care and supervision. The treatment requires tests that cannot be done at home, and the pet cannot be treated by prescribing medicines. You can expect 24*7 vet care and the best treatment for your pet to recover quickly. All the staff treats the inpatient pets as their own as they grow a bond with them during the stay.

 

  • Inpatient Diagnoses and treatment for pets

Inpatient pets have access to patient-side diagnostics. Various tests, including a blood test to internal organ scanning, can be done in minutes, all from their comfortable bed. Inpatient pets are treated with an infusion of medicine directly into your pet’s bloodstream or through feeding if they can’t eat or don’t feel like eating. The facilities provided to an inpatient pet allow the vet to treat your pet in a better way.

 

  • Inpatient pet recovery

Similar to humans, animals too want to get back to their family & surroundings asap post-recovery period. Veterinary care is provided in the hospital during the recovery period to ensure a safe and healthy recovery. Your pet needs medication, constant observation, and continuous care during recovery, which you cannot provide at home. If the duration is long, you can visit the hospital and encourage your pet to get better.

 

  • Outpatient pets

Most of the pets are treated the same day and are allowed to return home. You can expect your hospital staff to communicate with you regarding any advice on medication and diet. The 24*7 pharmacy is also available at your convenience for any prescription needs. Outpatient care can be provided in a hospital, a vet’s clinic, or even at the doctor’s office.

 

  1. Progress report and medical record

As a pet parent, it is your responsibility to ask for the diagnosis report, medical test reports, and medical notes regarding your pet’s health. It is crucial to keep the documents related to your pet’s medical history with you. You may get the reports through an online portal or ask for the hard copy from your primary care veterinary. Your primary care veterinary has all the reports of the advanced treatment your pet is getting at the hospital.

 

Why do you need to keep your pet’s medical records?

It is essential to store your pet’s medical records, as, without them, you may struggle to get health care in if you need to switch the vet or the city you live in. Several times, you need your pet’s medical history and records for your pet’s health care.

Here are some reasons why keeping the medical records of your pet should be your priority.

  • Emergency vet visits: In case of a medical emergency, when your primary care veterinary is unavailable, and you need to take your pet to some other vet clinic, you must have your vet’s medical history and records to save time and start the treatment. The medical records are essential for the new vet to recommend the medication based on the previous health records or any allergic reaction to the medicines in the past.

 

  • Legal requirements: Some states have stringent laws when it comes to the vaccination of pet animals. Rabies is one of the most concerning diseases, so vaccines are made mandatory for pet animals. Keeping medical records and vaccination certificates in an accessible place is essential if you need to present the documents if required.

 

 

  • Travel check: It may be a legal requirement to present your pet’s medical records and vaccination certificates when traveling interstate or during international travels. Many states and countries require a health certificate showing that your pet is vaccinated while traveling with your pets.

 

  • Routine services: If you decide to leave your pet alone at home while traveling, you require a pet sitter or dog professional to take care of your pet. They require proof of vaccinations to protect themselves and their pets.

Just like you keep the medical records of yourselves and your child safe with you, as a pet parent, it becomes your responsibility to keep the medical records of your pet safe so that you can use them whenever necessary.

 

  1. Healthcare plan and discussion

Discuss the medical condition of your pet with the veterinarian. Talk about the treatments and medications your pet needs to overcome the disease. Make a healthcare plan together for the long and healthy life of your pet. Your pet healthcare plan will include blood tests, x-rays, urine tests, and many more. You can discuss with the veterinarian if you have any additional questions related to your pet’s diet changes, exercise, and training.

Benefits of a Healthcare plan

As pet parents, we all want our furry companions to get the best healthcare, but at the same time, it may be expensive. By enrolling in the healthcare plan of the hospital, you can become eligible for several benefits.

  • Monthly fees: When you register for any healthcare plan, you need to pay the monthly payments. In most hospitals, the monthly health check-up and tests expense will include in your monthly fees.

 

  • Medications: Your pet should be treated against fleas, ticks, and worms. We tend to forget that we are about to run out of monthly household expenses in our busy day-to-day life. Do not worry, as your monthly healthcare plan includes the medication dosage to fight against fleas and worms.

 

 

  • Vaccinations: Vaccinations and annual boosters are essential to protect your pet from severe diseases that can be life-threatening. With the healthcare plan, you do not need to worry about the expense of vaccination and annual boosters. Annual vaccination and supporters will be included in your monthly healthcare plan. This will save you money, and you do not need to choose between household expenses and your pet’s medical expenses.

 

  • Additional discounts: The primary medical treatment is already included in your healthcare plan, but you can also get extra discounts on surgery and other treatments.

 

You can also combine pet insurance with the healthcare plan and claim benefits.

 

  1. Online booking of appointments

After the global pandemic COVID-19, the demand for online booking of an appointment has grown. Booking a flight online, a movie ticket, or online shopping is not new; booking an appointment to meet a veterinary is something new. There are many hospitals and clinics online portals through which you can book an appointment online.

 

You can also use a 3rd party website for online booking. Nextinline.io is one such website that helps in veterinary appointment scheduling. Next in line improves the pet parents’ experience and provides them with many options to choose a veterinary hospital. You can book your appointment anytime anywhere 24*7 through Next in Line.

 

Benefits of Online booking

  • Time-saving: Online booking is time-saving for sure. You can save a lot of time that you might have wasted calling the clinic, checking for an appointment, and sometimes visiting the clinic. With online booking, all of the tasks can be done with a click at the comfort of your home.

 

  • Easy cancellation: Cancellation is easy if you have booked an online appointment to visit the vet. You can cancel your work before the specific time and ask for refunds if the conditions are applicable. It is also possible that the hospital could cancel the booking. In that case, you may get the refund or can adjust the amount in your next appointment as per the hospital policy.

 

  • Decreased chance of infections: Being at a crowded vet clinic or vet hospital is like inviting diseases. Even if the area is sanitized correctly, it becomes difficult to protect your pet against fleas, ticks, and worms. Online booking decreases the probability of infection for both you and your pets.

 

Next time you visit a veterinary, you can expect all of the above from the vet visits. If you have any complaints about the services received, raise the concern and directly with the hospital. You may also contact the veterinary registration board and register your complaint with them. Our pets are just like our kids, and we have to make sure they get the best of everything from medical treatment to food to good surroundings.

Consider the above tips and know what you must expect when you visit a vet. It’s essential to find a good veterinary hospital that establishes a good relationship and gives the best treatment to your pet. Pets get scared to go for vet visits, so choose an experienced and friendly vet to handle your pet.