Soon to be Africa Bound! What you need to know about Wildlife Volunteering

Volunteering with Wildlife: The Do’s and Do Not’s

Hey Guys! I am writing today about a subject you all already know is very close to my heart. Volunteering with wild animals! Today I am going to write specifically about Africa, and what to look out for if you want to plan a volunteering trip!

If you’re anything like me, you want to do what is best for animals. Looking deeply into projects before you book your trip is incredibly important to make sure you aren’t accidently supporting a front for canned hunting (3). Businesses that make profits on their animals prey on the naivety of foreign volunteers, as it is easy to hide what is really going on. I have almost fallen victim to this trap myself, and urge you to book your trip only after thorough research and be confident in where you are going.

Accredited rehabilitation centres and sanctuaries have very specific rules:

1.     Minimal person-animal contact unless strictly necessary.

2.     No animal is kept there without cause.

3.     No breeding for anything other than conservation purposes (i.e. white lions).

4.     No “cub cuddling” or photos with “trained adult animals.” (1)

5.     No exploiting animals.

This is an example of partnering with a breeding program to repopulate endangered lappet faced vultures. They are external body cavity vultures, meaning they break the skin and muscle and bones away so smaller vultures and other scavengers can eat from the carcasses. They are critical to wildlife in Africa. 

Number 1:

In a rehabilitation centre, there is more lee-way in this than at a sanctuary. As many of you have seen my photos with the animals I have cared for, I will explain the difference between a necessary contact and an unnecessary contact.

The rehab centre I visit is largely made up of orphaned wild animals. If you have been keeping up on our blogs, you may have read my first one about Africa, and how the choice is often to euthanize the orphan, or raise them with as much human contact as possible to ensure they don’t go into a camp (2) for as long as possible. For animals that need to be taken care of continuously, it is impossible to rehabilitate them to release, so they are often housed in sanctuaries.  Animals that are rehabilitated but unable to be released are often relinquished to species specific sanctuaries after their rehabilitation stint is finished.

People should have little to no contact with any animals that do not strictly require human intervention.

Number 2:

The point of a rehabilitation centre is ensuring that any animal with a fighting chance is given one. The purpose of a sanctuary is to make sure that animals who cannot survive in the wild are properly cared for. This being said, these are not zoos where a perfectly healthy animal is brought in and kept. If an animal can be released or relocated, they are.

Animals should not be at a true rehab centre permanently unless there are extenuating circumstances.

The oldest lions at the rehab in their HUGE enclosure. Matimba & Tamu

Number 3:

This one is a big one. If there are more than a couple babies at any time at a rehab centre, the likelihood that it isn’t a breeding operation is small. Animal sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres are occasionally asked to partner with repopulation projects (Rhino911, The Cheetah Sisters) and this is done in a manner where babies are born and raised with their mothers, with no human intervention, and released into the wild when they are old enough. Projects like The Cheetah Sisters are important because the wild cheetah population is disastrously low. However, breeding cubs to be cuddled does not allow them to develop into adults who can be released. In a place that is not a rehab or sanctuary, you may be told that white lions are endangered, and this is untrue. White lions are just lions with a genetic defect that does not occur in nature. Volunteering at a business where there are tons of babies taken away from their mothers, or there are several pregnant mothers is most likely a tourist trap with a back operation in canned hunting (3).

Always research where you’re going, animals should not be taken from their mothers and raised by humans.

Number 4:

Establishments who offer cub petting, cuddling, or bottle feeding are NOT rehab centres or sanctuaries. If at any given time there are several babies needing to be cared for who are not orphans, the practice is preparing for canned hunting. Any true rehab centre or sanctuary will not have new cubs unless there is a fluke pregnancy in a rescued female, or an orphan. Any place with white lion cubs is not a true rehab centre unless there is an extenuating circumstance. White lion cubs are a genetic mutation and are NOT natural, they do not occur in the wild as the gene is recessive. Every white lion cub will have genetic defects. Sanctuaries like Big Cat Rescue (4) and Black Jaguar White Tiger (5) will give examples of these genetic mutations, and how they are not naturally occurring. Another red flag to look out for is if there is advertising for a “liger,” as these are entirely man made creatures, and have never been recorded to occur naturally in the wild.

Be sure to look out for red flags, anything that makes you think twice about booking it, is most likely shady.

Saturn, one of the breeding cheetahs/ambassadors for both Moholoholo and the cheetah sisters project! 

Number 5:

Exploiting animals (6) is a confusing subject to talk about. If you see the bottom of this page, you will see what the definition of this is considered in wildlife standards, as well as see the opposing, ambassador animals (7). Examples of red flags on this subject are: using specific animals as attractions, i.e. baby animals who are not trained but are small enough to not do anything, animals who have learned tricks, or are used in shows, animals you have to pay extra to see or have an experience with, the list goes on.  Once again using your common sense in these situations is so important, if something makes you think “maybe I shouldn’t do that,” you are probably right.

If you think an animal is being mistreated, abused, or taken advantage of-stay as far away as possible and report it if there is an option to.

Woody the blind spotted owl. 

A business that is NOT a rehab or a sanctuary would most likely have:

·    Several babies of any given species

·    Small enclosures, with more than one animal

·    Offer “bottle feeding baby ____”

·    Anyone able to pet the animals, feed the animals

·    Pregnant animals

·    Perfectly healthy non-human imprinted animals

·       Several species all in view

·       Experiences you can pay extra for

·       Animals exotic to the area, (i.e. in Africa, tigers are not a native species)

Some good sites to go through if you are looking to book a true conservation/rehabilitation/sanctuary trip:

1.     ACE: African Conservation Experience. Based out of England, very helpful and knowledgeable of every project they work with.  Accredited.

2.     Go Eco: A little more expensive, but helpful when planning an incredibly eco-friendly trip. Accredited.

These are 5 important points I wanted to talk about, in anticipation of my leaving for Africa in exactly one month! I am headed back to my one true love, Moholoholo, for one month over Christmas. I am currently accepting donations for medical supplies on my GoFundMe page listed below! Let me know if there are any questions you have, or if you are curious about volunteering! Send us a note on our facebook or email! Thanks for reading guys. <3

Megan

https://www.gofundme.com/back-to-africa-supplies-cost

Layla, an orphaned leopard cub, getting some human interaction before she heads to a leopard specialized sanctuary where she will no longer interact with humans at all. 

(1) Trained Adult Animals: Animals who are not used for education but for personal gain.

(2) Camp: Large, spacious enclosure with no human contact

(3) Canned hunting: a type of hunting where the animal is raised captive, and trapped within an area, normally partially sedated, and is hunted and killed for sport.

(4) Big Cat Rescue: A Tampa, Florida cat rescue that takes on all kinds of “domesticated” wild animals and allows them to live out their lives with minimal human contact. www.bigcatrescue.org

(5) Black Jaguar White Tiger: A Mexico and USA based cat rescue that also rescues all kinds of domesticated wild animals, from circuses or shows, and allows them to live out their lives with minimal human contact. www.blackjaguarwhitetiger.org

(6) Exploiting animals: using an animal for personal gain, usually involves abuse or mistreatment.

(7) Ambassador animals: Animals without choice, human imprinted from babies. Used for education purposes, only trained using positive reinforcement. They cannot do tricks, or shows. Used only as examples for people.

At Home Pet Care- Number 1! Thera Paws Animal Massage

Hey all! We are doing a new segment on other at-home pet services that we think can benefit our clients who love their house calls! The first in the series is Thera Paws Animal Massage, run by RMT and Certified Animal Massage Therapist, Josh Fry! I did an interview with him, and got the rundown on his business!

Megan: Explain your business to our clients:
Josh: I work with animals that need therapeutic help-recovery, arthritis, age care, etc.  I work on animals the same way as I work on people. I find out where they are ailing, and help to get them back to as normal as possible.

M: What made you interested in this field?
J: I have been a RMT for the last 5 years. 1.5 years ago a human client I was working on suggested I start working on animals. Looked into it, and thought it was a good idea. There is a market for this business, because animals are family, and being able to help them is incredibly important to their people. Being able to help both people and animals when I come into their house is nice.

 
M: What about your business benefits those seeking at home care for their pets?
J: First and foremost, decrease in stress in the animal. Going to a strange place and having a random person massaging them is stressful. Seeing the animal in their natural habitat is also important for proper treatment. It is good to be able to see how they are sitting, walking, and moving about in their own environment. Watching them move around in their home helps create their treatment plan for both myself and their owners.

M: What can a client expect from a general appointment with you?
J: First I have the owner fill out a health history form-pertinent health information, pain, past surgery, infections, temperament, activity level, etc. Next, we schedule a time to meet owner and meet the animal. At this appointment I ask more thorough questions. Find out what the goals are, for example a dog may have a limp from a past injury, but it isn’t the focus of the owner if there is something more critical for them. Once the animal is comfortable with me, I do an exam with manual palpation, to find sore spots.  I use an app to slow video time and see gait changes, compensating, stepping only on certain spots on paws, etc. I figure out where they are uncomfortable. I try to get them used to being touched in an area that may be tender or sore, and that they may not like. Once I do an exam and a session working with the animal, I make up a home care plan to give homework for owners between treatments with me. Basically I do an assessment and see if anything needs to change at home-for instance sleeping position, long walks. It can be easier for owners to work on massaging a place that an animal is uncomfortable with me touching.

5. Can clients come to you/are you solely mobile? (like us!)
Clients can come to me, I have a space I can use in SJ-must be booked ahead of time. Ideally see them in their own environment to see how they are behaving normally!

M: Tell me about yourself, and how your personality helps forward your business:
J: All I really want to do is help people, and now that I am able to do what I want with my life and help animals as well. People's animals are so important to them that helping them is forwarding happiness in their people. I think this helps me in my business because I truly love what I am doing, and spreading the happiness!

M: Tell me your favorite part about working in this field:
J: It is new experience for me because of the anatomy of each animal. Each new animal is eye opening, as they all move differently. I grow a new appreciation for how tissues move and how each animal moves differently.

M: Tell me your favorite part about being mobile:
J: I get to travel! I get to see different places, and see the seasons change across the problem. I get to meet a lot of different animals.

M: What is your range:
J: Within NB honestly. If I can make it work I will. Travelling further obviously means a higher cost, but if there is time to plan it I would go anywhere to help. The travel cost is split between groups of people who may be far away. Like if you get a group of people and animals together, and my travel time to your location is an hour, the cost is discounted.  

M: Do you think being mobile sets you apart/explain:
J: Yes, not just because I am mobile, but because the business is different and unlike anything we have in the area. There are spas and the like for animals, which is nice, but I wanted to get more into the anatomy and movement to relieve pain and help in recovery.

M: How can clients get in contact with you, and get more info?

J:

Website: www.thera-paws.com (Click the name to go to the website)

Phone: 1-506-650-6443

E-mail: info@thera-paws.com

Anything additional you might like to say:
One of the main questions I get is “Why would I pay you to "pet" my pet?”
To this I would say, although it is uncommon, doesn't mean it isn't effective. Everything was once uncommon! If you’re skeptical, give it a try!

We love working with Josh, and think that his business can help immensely with some animals and their pain. Use any of the info above to get in contact with Josh and learn more about how he can help your furry friends!

Megan

Being a Momtrepreneurian (A Mom-Entrepreneur-Veterinarian)

With a new baby on the way for my family, so many different things about this subject are always running through my mind. This post is a little less animal and veterinary focused, and a bit more personal, so feel free to skip this one if that is not your cup of tea!

The Current Fam (minus the kitties!)

My husband, and your soon to be local house call vet extraordinaire, will tell you that I always have said that, for some reason, I really wanted to be an entrepreneur. My biggest issue was that I did not know exactly what I meant by that, as owning a full size veterinary clinic did not feel like the path I was looking for.  I am not the most patient person when it comes to waiting to figure things out, so I spent countless hours thinking both in and outside of the veterinary field for an idea that would feel right.  And just like “they” always tell you it will happen, one fateful day it finally dawned on me – my favourite appointments to see are house calls…what if ALL I did was house calls?!

With a lot of support and encouragement from more people than I can count, the birth of that idea got me started on this entrepreneurial journey that I would not trade for the world.

But back to the real subject of this post – how has this helped, or hindered, my ability to try to be a good mom, a good vet, and a good business owner? I am going to try to make it simple by breaking it down into each category.

How can I be a good business owner?

It is surprisingly true how somehow owning your own business feels a little bit like having another dependent. Without you, it can’t run. If you don’t continuously nurture it, its development will be affected. If you don’t continuously pour resources, both financial and emotional, into it, it will suffer noticeably. 

Trying to be a good business owner is doing your darnedest, always, to not just stick with the status quo. To take those spare moments, when maybe you’d like to be taking a breather, to brainstorm things you can improve, or new things you can do to spread the word, or even to catch up with accounting…haha.  The bonus about all of this work, though, when you’d like to probably be playing, is: if you have chosen to build a business that you truly care about, you want to do these things! You should, of course, sometimes choose to play instead, but at least some of the time you won’t feel like you are doing these things because they are your job. You will be doing them because you’ll be excited to see the ways that it pays off, and you will take pride in seeing your dependent flourish as a result of your concerted efforts!

Probably one of the hardest lessons to learn is: no matter how successful your business is, sometimes your efforts do not pay off immediately. Sometimes you are struggling to keep up with bills, and doing something that is costly, but you truly believe is worthwhile, and it will seem like its not working for a long time before you can see the benefits.  If you truly believe in what you are doing, don’t give up when there are not immediate results, but also try to look at things as objectively as possible (ask for opinions!) and be willing to adapt and change to things that may work better! Being open to change and growth makes all the difference!

Repping my business with a hat knit by my wonderful mother-in-law!

How can I be a good veterinarian? (or whatever your primary role is outside of “business owner”)

For me the answer to this is simple: I am so much happier being a vet in this particular way, that I know it is making me the best veterinarian I can be.  When I used to work exclusively in a clinic, that particular environment did not allow me to use my strengths in the profession as much as I think I needed.  What I love about house call practice is getting to spend lots of time with my clients, getting to know them and my patients. I love seeing pets in their own environment. I love helping people who would otherwise have difficulty getting their pets into a clinic.  This is not to say that vets who work in clinics wouldn’t value these things as well, but it truly feels to me like the environment where I get to engage in one of my favourite things: getting to know people.

This is just one small part of being a professional and a business owner at the same time, however. The real question is, how do you find the time to do both?

This comes down to a couple of big things: good time management, and GOOD HELP!!

I don’t think I can stress either of these things enough. Time management is not an easy thing for everyone (including myself), but it is integral to work very hard on this. In order to essentially have two full time jobs, and still have work-life balance, you need to establish boundaries for your time, and structure for the time you have dedicated to work.  Make lists, get good software or calendars that remind you of the important things you need to do, keep track of everything you do get done, and establish routines and protocols for how things work so you’re not always scrambling to figure these things out. And again: ADAPT. If something isn’t working, find a better way to do it. If you notice the same issue coming up repeatedly, take the time to figure out why, and fix it! This kind of problem solving can seem time consuming, but the time it saves you to fix the problem makes it MORE than worth it.

Some of my GREAT help - Megan!!

Good help is probably one of the most important things across the board. It does not save anyone time, money, or sanity to try to do everything yourself.  It is hard, when I already compared your business to another child, to hand off responsibilities to other people when you have ideas about exactly how you want things to work.  But that’s why you need to be really specific/choosey/smart about who you get to help you! And once you find that person, TRUST them. If you give them responsibility and trust, when you have the right person, this will help them grow as well and they will love your business like their own.  The investment is well beyond worth its weight in gold to have someone do the things that can be delegated so that you can focus on the things that you need to be doing. This helps me to be a better veterinarian as well, because if I can delegate other important tasks to someone I trust, then I can put more time into growing as a vet and making sure to do that aspect of my job to my full potential. 

And most importantly to me – How can I be a good mom?

This one is probably the hardest for me to qualify because I think, like any mother, I always feel like I could be doing better. My daughter, Maria, is my deepest pride and love and joy. I am so happy to have a job that I enjoy, but there is always a large part of me wishing I could spend every waking moment that I have with her.  Alas, I must work, and so this is more about finding the best way to be the best mother I can be while doing so!

Interestingly, time management and good help are two of the mainstays for this advice as well. A third that I’ll add though that is equal parts incredibly difficult and incredibly important, that I still have not perfected, is establishing boundaries. 

The advice about the first two points here is similar to the previous section, as both are meant to make sure you use the time that you are actually working as efficiently as possible (leaving as much time as possible free for your family). If you have good systems in place to try to finish work on time, within working hours, and you are able to delegate tasks that don’t need to be done by you, then you can take those spare moments to steal time with your family when possible. Meaning, for example: if I have a random afternoon where I don’t have any appointments booked, I can choose to assign some tasks to my wonderful assistant, and spend the afternoon with my girl. Take advantage of unexpected freedoms! As I mentioned before, some of these moments should be for business focus, but some of them should be for “play” and family time as well!

Now, on to boundaries.  It is a major struggle, when you own your own business, to not worry about hurting your growth and success by having to say “no” sometimes.  If I tell this client that we are too booked to see them today, will they just go somewhere else and never try me again? If I don’t reduce my prices for this person, does that mean I don’t care? Does it mean I’ll lose this client, and I won’t find any others? If I’m not available outside of working hours to help people, will they not see my service as valuable?

I could go on all day with the things that run through my mind on this subject. But it comes down to this: the most important thing in my life is my family. I started this business so that my quality of life and the time I spent with my family would be improved. This mentality has helped me so much to make decisions in terms of boundaries. Every day I work harder and harder towards making sure that when I’m home, I’m home. When my working hours are over and the phone is off for the night, I’m present with my family.  I do not receive notifications from my Facebook page, my e-mail, or the work phone once we are “closed”. I do not want to look back at my babies’ childhoods and feel like it was a blur of trying to work and focus on them at the same time.  There are exceptions to this, as sometimes I have so much work piling up that I do have to work into the night, but this has improved as time has gone on. It’s a work in progress.

The final motherhood point I’ll make kind of seems like the opposite of what I just said, but if I am lucky enough to steal an afternoon with my baby, I do have to repeatedly remind myself that even if I do have to have some work distractions during this extra time, it is still better than not having the freedom to seize those opportunities to get that extra time with her.  My time off needs to be my time off, but my bonus moments during the workday are just that – bonuses, and I’ll take them, and cherish them, however I can get them!

Being a Momtrepreneurian has been a major learning experience for me, and I think has allowed me to be the best Mom, Vet, and Business Owner I can be, but I am always trying to improve! I frequently have times where I feel like a failure, but I haven’t doubted this path since I started on it. Being a mother of two and handing over some of the reigns to my wonderful husband will be a whole new adventure for me though, so we’ll see how well I do putting some of these things into practice when I am a bit more on the sidelines! 

I’d love to hear any tips and tricks any other business owners have or any input on any of it, for that matter J Hopefully this different type of blog post is some food for thought for those interested! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Safe Home Remedies For Your Pet - *READ DISCLAIMER*

A pretty reasonable question that I know most of us have asked ourselves at one time or another is: if I was having a mild allergic reaction, I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor, so do I need to every time my dog or cat has something like that happen?

Phrased another way: are there any general remedies that I can administer myself for my pet before going into the vet?

The simple answer is: yes, of course!

*DISCLAIMER*: But I would caution you, that since we can’t communicate with our animals quite the same as we can with people, if you have any doubts at all, you should still consult with your veterinarian. Your vet has spent a lot of time developing the skills to pick up on things in our non-communicating patients, so we are there to help when you’re not quite sure! When in doubt: have it checked out!

In a second we will get to some options that you can often consider in certain situations when you’re confident a vet visit might not be necessary! But first, a quick note on dosing medications:

IMPORTANT: You must make sure to weigh your pet in order to get the proper dose. If you only know your pets weight in pounds: in order to get the weight in kilograms, simply divide the weight in pounds by 2.2 and this will give you the weight in kg!

You wanna give me what? Just because I ate that bumble bee?!

Diphenhydramine (aka: Benadryl) – both for dogs and cats:

            Dose: 2-4 milligrams per kilogram as often as every 8 hours (3 times per day)

            Reasons for its use: Mild relaxation, Mild allergic reactions (ie: bug bites or stings, itching,               hives)

            Explanation: this medication is quite safe to use, with the main possible side effect being               drowsiness. Drowsiness also happens to be one of the reasons some people use this                       medication for their pets.  In some cases, the slight sedation that results from a dose of                 diphenhydramine is enough to help them relax in the car if they tend to be anxious!

Dimenhydrinate (aka: Gravol) – for both dogs and cats:

            Dose: 4-8 milligrams per kilogram as often as every 8 hours (3 times per day)

            Reasons for its use: Mild relaxation, motion sickness/nausea (ie: for long car rides)

            Explanation: this medication is quite safe to use, with the main possible side effect being               drowsiness. This, again, is a medication that people will sometimes use just for the                           sedative effects to help make car rides and stressful situations more tolerable. It has the                 added benefit of being an anti-nauseant, which can be helpful if that is playing into an                   anxiety related to car and/or boat rides.

Triple Antibiotic Ointment (aka: Polysporin ointment) – for both dogs and cats:

            Dose/Reasons: ointment can be spread on well cleaned superficial wounds

            Explanation: triple antibiotic ointment should never be used as the mainstay for a serious               wound or injury to your pet, but it can serve a small purpose with mild superficial injuries.               Much like for ourselves, if your pet has a small superficial wound, the most important thing             to do is to keep it very clean (by rinsing with water and a gentle soap), and triple                             antibiotic ointment can then be spread on the clean wound in order to help it heal. These               ointments do not tend to rapidly change the healing process, but do also serve as                           somewhat of a barrier to debris getting into the wound. They also do not pose major risks             if your pet happens to try to lick them off.

Famotidine (aka: Pepcid) – for both dogs and cats:

           Dose: 0.5 – 1 mg/kg every 12 – 24 hours, rounding to nearest 5 mg amount (ie: it is okay to              give 5 mg to your average sized cat even if the calculated dose is 4 mg)

           Reasons for its use: famotidine is an antacid that can benefit animals that have an issue                  with acid reflux

           Explanation: this medication is NOT where you should turn if you have a pet that is all of a              sudden vomiting regularly, or several times in a day, etc. However, it can be very beneficial              for dogs that tend to get sick in the morning because of having an empty stomach                          overnight, or when they are recovering from a bout with a gastrointestinal drug. For this                medication, it is probably still best to consult with your veterinarian before starting it, but              it can be very helpful in some cases where mild acid reflux is the only culprit for signs your            pet may be experiencing J

Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM – for both dogs and cats:

            Dose: approximately 15 mg/mg of the CHONDROITIN component (the amounts of the                   other medications mixed in are okay as long as the chondroitin is dosed correctly) – given             once daily

            Reasons for its use: to promote joint health and help prevent progression of already                       present joint disease

            Explanation: this remedy is more of a supplement than a medication, but can make a very             big difference for animals in terms of preventing and easing joint discomfort.  Of course it             is not always adequate when joint disease has progressed, but it is not harmful to your pet             and can be a great way to help them be comfortable for longer! It is safe to use, and can               be purchased from a veterinarian, at a regular pharmacy, and at some reputable pet stores             as well. If your pet does not like pills, it can be obtained through your veterinarian as a                   powder or liquid as well!

Excellent, I'll just stay right here then.

That is a little list of some things you can do for your pets that often won’t require bringing them into a clinic if the issues are minor, but as mentioned before, it is VERY important that if you have any doubts at all in your mind you should still contact your vet! Oftentimes, your questions can be answered by the techs and receptionists working at the clinic, so the option to call is ALWAYS there!

Please trust us that we aren’t trying to make things difficult for you by suggesting a visit with your vet when it comes to giving them medications, as their body systems don’t work the same as ours so we are just trying to make sure that we are keeping them safe! It will always be easier (and less expensive) to have proper assessment and treatment than it will be to deal with the consequences of giving them something they shouldn’t receive!

One of the biggest examples of this is pain medication – NEVER administer a pain medication of any type to your pet without consulting with a veterinarian! They do not process many of these medications the same way that we do, and this can result in very severe illness, and even death.

Please don’t hesitate to give us, or your own vet, a call if you have any questions at all about any of these options, or others you have come across. We are happy to help educate people so that they can take the very best care of their pets possible!

The top 10 things you want to know but won't ask your vet!

Hi Guys! Today I want to dip into something that makes everyone a little uncomfortable on both sides of the table. As someone who has been a client of a vet clinic for 5 years before going into the field, there were a lot of questions I had that I didn’t really want to ask, but felt the answers would be important. Now that I am also on the other side of this equation, I say to you all: if you have a question… ASK US! There are no stupid questions, there are no offensive questions, and we are more than happy to answer any question you may have! (About your animal that is 😉 )

All that being said, send us a message or leave a comment on our Facebook post on this page letting us know if you have any other questions 😊

Without any more rambling: The top 10 questions I feel need to be answered!

 Q: Why did you muzzle my dog?

 A: This question, like many I will list, has many answers. If I were to sum it up, it is because chances are your dog is scared and we want to minimize (at least) 3 things: 1. The chances of them hurting themselves 2. The chances of them reacting and hurting us or, god forbid, you, and 3. The handling time.

Chances are, if your dog is reactive, a muzzle may be put on from the very start to make the entire process faster and more efficient. Putting a muzzle on your dog is actually more likely to make them less stressed, since the amount of time they will have to be restrained will be lessened. The most important thing to remember is that we don’t think that your dog is mean. We just want the best possible outcome from a situation. When people are scared they can communicate this through speaking to one another. We will employ fight or flight in a situation where we are afraid. You have to think of your dog in the same way… some will run away when facing what they perceive as a threat, and some will fight. It is nothing more than a defence mechanism! A muzzle can help prevent accidents from happening! 😊

*If you have a particularly fractious dog, please let your vet know beforehand to minimize restraint time 😊

Q: Why did you take my pet out of the exam room?

A: If the vet or tech takes your animal out of the exam room, they usually do it either because they require assistance, or the procedure is more efficiently performed in a specific setting (ie. Bloodwork, urine collection, x-rays, anal gland expression). Sometimes a pet may feel calmed by the presence of their owner, but occasionally if their owner is nervous they may feed on this anxiety and feel more nervous themselves, and this is another reason being in a different room can sometimes reduce stress for your pet. Always ask your vet or tech, and they will happily fill you in on anything you miss while in the exam room.

Q: Why did you get the tech to hold my pet?

A: Once again, a couple of reasons. The top reason being that techs and assistants are trained to restrain your pet properly, ensuring once again that any procedure is done safely (for your pet and for us) and in a timely fashion! On occasion there are pets who are better being held by their owners, but usually having the trained professional do the holding is the best idea to keep everyone safe and to keep handling and restraint to a minimum. 😊

Q: My pet cries when they get their vaccines, are they in pain?

A: About as much pain as you would be in if you were being vaccinated, but weren’t aware of the situation. If I’m being honest, there is the small pin-prick you would feel, but very, very few pets actually react to being “poked”! Most of the complaining your pet does when getting vaccinated or having anything done for that matter is because of being restrained. Animals like to be in control, so when that is taken away from them in the form of restraint… they are primarily reacting to that!

Q: Is the restraint painful?

A: No! Definitely not, although the way some animals (BOTH of my cats included) react to restraint makes it look like torture for some of them. As previously mentioned, we are trained to hold them in a comfortable yet immobilizing position. We are definitely not hurting your pet no matter what they try to tell you! 😉

Q: When I call in, why do I have to request a callback to speak to a doctor?

A: I know this is common practice at most clinics, and as a cat mom for 5 years before being in this field I could NEVER understand why I had to wait to talk to my kitty’s doctor! Now that I am in the field, I see why other people answer the phone haha! At any given moment your vet is taking care of another animal. They may be in appointments or surgery, corresponding with another client, filling out paperwork for another patient, doing research on a difficult case (the list goes on) but either way, if they dropped everything every time someone wanted to talk to them, they wouldn’t get anything done! This is in no way to say that your call is not of importance to them. On the contrary! They want to be able to focus properly when they speak with you and give you the same attention they are giving to those other things keeping them busy! But chances are, if your situation is controlled enough to be handled in a phone call, someone else’s problem in the clinic may be more time sensitive. Please try to bear with the veterinarians, they will get back to you. 😊

Q: Can I trust the advice of people at the front desk?

A: Absolutely.

I was just going to leave it at that, but I will elaborate. Anyone in this field is educated enough and understands the medicine enough that if they don’t know the answer to something, they will find someone that does. They will never give you a guess, they will ensure that you are comfortable with the information you are given. Always trust those who man the front desk!

Q: My friend said to try _____, should I?

A: Not to discredit your friend, because most people who own pets are very knowledgeable of their requirements, but you should always contact your vet before trying anything your friend recommends or you find on the internet. ESPECIALLY in regards to medications! There are so many differences between people and animals! Make sure to consult the right doctors!

Q: Why did you scruff/use gloves while handling my cat?

A: In most cases, not all, cats can have a pretty big opinion when it comes to being handled at the vet. If your kitty is particularly fractious, gloves may be used to prevent those little kitty claws from making purchase in a lovely tech’s arms or legs, and to help prevent kitty from making the great escape! Cats are more likely to lash out when not in their own environment than dogs, and being much smaller and squirmier, they are better at escaping! Gloves make sure they stay still by preventing the knee jerk reaction to let go when you get a bit of a clip with a claw! A scruff is rarely used, but it is just a tactic to immobilize your kitty (often to just safely reposition them) and make the handling time minimal! It is not done in a way that is painful or harmful to them at all, and only when necessary. We cannot stress enough how much of a difference it makes to cats for handling time to be as short as possible (in most cases).

*If you have a particularly fractious cat, please let your vet know beforehand to minimize restraint time and so they can be prepared beforehand

Q: Are there natural alternatives to vet grade flea prevention?

A: Ah, I am really sorry guys but no, there are not. It has been researched extensively, and there is no natural alternative that is guaranteed to be effective. The flea and tick preventatives we have are tried and tested and the companies guarantee their effectiveness. You have to be careful buying preventatives from a pet store or Walmart, as they are not regulated and many can be toxic to cats and children. Please seek veterinary help for flea and tick prevention!

Okay that is all for today guys! Like I said, let me know if you have any questions of your own! I would love to do a little Q&A on here or maybe live on the road some day! Stay tuned! As always, have a wonderful day!

- Megan