Many hospitals and urgent care clinics can be found across the United States, and for the pets that Americans keep, many veterinary services may be found in any city or town, and such a vet clinic may be just a phone call away. A vet hospital may be offer services and emergency care for pet dogs or cats that have suffered serious injury or illness, and a vet clinic can be visited for more ordinary checkups and care, such as picking up medicine to deal with parasitic worms, ticks, or fleas. What can a pet owner expect when they visit the vet clinic for their dog, cat, or other pet, and how can an animal hospital be found?
A Vet Clinic
For non life-threatening problems or checkups, a pet owner may bring their pet, most often a dog or a cat, to a local vet clinic and have their pet looked over or given medicine or other treatment, and veterinarians can offer care suggestions to the owner for anything ranging from a pet’s illness to arthritis to its diet. A dog or cat’s skin, fur, gums, teeth, tongue, eyes, ears, and other body parts may be checked for signs of irritation, illness, or parasites. The gums and tongue should be pink, and eyes should be alert and clear and have no strange discharge or irritation. The fur should be soft and shiny, especially for cats, and the pet should not have any sudden behavioral problems. The vet can also weigh the pet and note its measurements and age, and this gives the vet a good metric for the pet’s condition and what the owner should do, if anything, to care for it.
What might go wrong for a cat or dog that necessitates a visit to the vet clinic? Some cats and dogs develop similar problems as their human owners, such as arthritis, which may be common among older cats and dogs, and such pets may also suffer from a stroke due to obesity or extreme heat, or they may even become diabetic. A cat or dog can be looked over for early warning signs of these issues, and if a pet suffers a major incident, taking it to an animal hospital may be the only route to saving its life. More regular and treatable issues that can be diagnosed and treated at a vet clinic may include a minor cold, ingesting something they should not have, ticks, fleas, ear mites, or parasitic worms, such as heartworms. Pets can be given medicine and other treatment to help prevent such insects, worms, and arachnids from afflicting the pet, and if such pests or parasites are found, other treatments can be used to kill them or drive them away. If a cat or dog has suffered a sprained limb or paw, or a bad back, therapeutic items such as sleeves or back padding can be used to help the pet avoid stressing the afflicted muscles or joints.
A new pet owner can look up local vet clinics sites to know where to take their cat or dog or other pet for checkups or medicine, and they can also look up whether these clinics may treat other pet species such as birds, rabbits, hamsters, and even lizards or snakes. Some clinics may be better equipped for some species than others, so this is something that pet owners may have to check for if their pet is not a dog or cat. The pet owner can find the address, name, and hours of business for local clinics, and a search such as “dog and cat clinic Boston MA” or “where to help a sick parrot San Francisco CA” can help a pet owner find the right vet clinic for their pet. Going to the vet clinic may also involve accounting for the animal’s behavior. Unlike children, they cannot be simply told to behave, and dogs or cats that become frightened or aggressive around people or other animals may have to be kept in a kennel in the car until they get their turn from the veterinarians. If well behaved, cats and dogs can be held in kennels or even on a leash in the office waiting room.
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