If your pet is sick, naturally you want to take him or her to the vet right away. But before you grab the leash or kitty kennel and head off to the nearest clinic, there are some things you may want to consider. Before you head in, you will want to gather the file with all of your pet’s records in it. It is very important that you keep these papers in an organized and easily locatable place because you will need to show them to your vet. He or she will want to know the last time that your animal was given various immunizations.

If you always visit the same veterinarian, they may have this record on file. Yet if you need to go to a new, 24-hour clinic, or have recently moved, then you will want to present the information in your file to the office so that they can log it in online. Your pet’s drug allergies, anesthetic sensitivities, and baseline blood values are probably within these very important records. Also, before you head to the vet make sure you have some sort of leash for your dog or a kennel for your cat. Animal’s often are scared at the vet, or will get excited when they see other animal’s in the waiting room. If you don’t have some sort of restraint, you can end up chasing your dog all over the office. In some circumstances, dogs have darted at the vet doors and gotten lost.

You should probably call your veterinarian before you make your way to the clinic, just to make sure that there is availability. If you don’t then you may end up waiting for hours with an anxious animal. Call your local vet to ask about an appointment. Some veterinarian clinics prefer e-mail to phone calls, and may get back to you faster this way. If you are in a real emergency then you can head to an emergency animal clinic in your area. You should always have the contact information and address of an emergency clinic on hand or logged into your phone just in case a disaster occurs with your pet. Like an emergency room, these clinics don’t need any notice before you arrive, but you may have to wait if pets with pressing wounds are rushed in.

When calling your vet, you may want to mention the situation you are dealing with briefly to make sure that the illness is not something you can cure at home. Sometimes people will misinterpret a dog’s behavior or physical appearance as an ailment. Certain actions that you may think are symptoms of sickness such as eating grass or having a dry nose are actually not symptoms of disease at all. When you come to the vet, bring a list of the various foods that your dog has been eating and medications he or she has been taking.

You may also want to look on the Food and Drug Administration website to make sure that your pet’s food as not been recalled recently. Pet food recalls are actually quite common, and this may be the reason that your dog or cat isn’t feeling well. Pay attention to your animal’s bathroom issues, as the vet will probably ask about these things. If your vet asks for a stool sample than you will want to bring this along with you in a plastic bag.

Even if you have an appointment, contact your vet before taking off to make sure that he or she is on schedule and will be ready for you when you arrive. Also, honor your appointment time and don’t bring extra pets for check-ups. When you schedule for one animal, make sure that you honor that by only bringing that pet in for treatment. If you have questions, make your list ahead of time. That way you won’t head home and remember inquiries that you failed to make.

Also, ask for estimates before agreeing to treatments. Sometimes vet bills can be astronomical, and you will want to know what your costs are going to be before you choose to let your pet undergo X-rays, MRIs, or other tests. If you have medication at home that will treat the illness, then don’t ask for another prescription. For example, if your cat has an ear infection and you have medicine from her previous era infection at home, then there’s no need to dispense more. By following these tips you can make your trip to the vet one that is worthwhile and effective.