The holidays are here! Hooray! Say hello to sleeping in, beach days, and afternoon naps. Many of us are lucky enough to go on holiday with our precious pets. But what happens when our pet gets really sick and we don’t have access to pet emergency care? Here’s what to do when the vet is closed.
The festive season is packed with fun, family, memories, and lots of foods. But as we get busier, we often tend to overlook our pet’s health. We might have put off a routine care check-up before going on holiday in our rush to get everything done and tied up in time.
If you are a pet owner who is lucky enough to go on holiday with your pet, then you might be on holiday in a small town where the vet is closed during the holidays, you might be far away from your local vet, or there might not even be a vet near your holiday destination.
Do you know what to do when something goes wrong? How do you handle an emergency healthy situation regarding your pet? We’ve got the answers you need.
Our Guide to Pet Emergency Care Over The Holidays
My pet looks sick… What should I do?
Of course, it’s obvious to tell when your pet is in need of emergency vet care, but it can sometimes be tricky to know when your pet is sick without any obvious symptoms such as bleeding or injury.
So, what should you do when you think your pet is sick? Do you wait until you get back home and can see you vet then?
Most vets will advise that you should never wait if you think something is wrong as this might allow for the condition to get progressively worse. If you are away, then try and phone your vet’s office and describe the symptoms. If this is not easy to do, then chat to your vet about any vets he or she might know of near you.
Your vet will be able to give you advice as to whether or not you need to make an appointment. But rather be safe than sorry and try and find a vet clinic in your area.
What should I do if the vet’s office is closed?
In South Africa, during the festive season, many vets will close for a few days (trust us, they need and deserve the break). However, regardless of the time of day, the local vet will have an emergency line or answering service.
Some vets will tend to the emergencies themselves; others might refer you to another emergency vet near you. Regardless, you should never choose not to call your vet in an emergency situation because you think the vet might be closed. Rather phone and find out what you can do, and which professionals can take care of your pet.
What if the local emergency vet clinic is too expensive?
It’s true that emergency care is expensive. This is because employing staff to work during holidays and during all hours of the night is not an easy task. When it comes to the health of your pet, you need to ensure your finances allow for what could be an expensive treatment.
This is where pet insurance comes in. Have a look at this blog on the price of not having pet insurance to get an idea of how much money pet insurance can save you, especially in emergency situations.
Pet insurance helps cover the costs of vet care (both routine care and accidental care and surgery). You can find out more about how Oneplan Pet Insurance (that’s us) will give you peace of mind that you’ll never be stuck with expensive vet bills by getting a quick & easy online quote.
What to do before you go on holiday
The expenses of emergency care are why we always suggest you ensure your pet is regularly looked after with annual visits to your vet. It might also be a good idea for you to have your vet conduct a physical exam of your pet before going on holiday. Especially if you notice any strange behaviour exhibited by your pet, then you should definitely get your pet checked out.
For example, let’s say that before you went on holiday you noticed that your cat is urinating outside of her litter box. There are a number of causes for this kind of behaviour. When taking your pet to the vet, you find out that your cat has a urinary infection. Which your vet then promptly treats.
If you had left these symptoms to go untreated, the infection could have gotten worse when on holiday. This could have led to a blockage in your cat’s urinary tract. To treat this, a vet will need to unblock it using catheterisation and fluid therapy, which are more expensive to administer. Untreated infections can also be fatal.
Why do health problems with my pet happen during the holidays?
This is usually the result of a number of things. Our hectic schedules might lead us to miss small signs and symptoms such as changes in behaviour and appetite. This is why it is especially important for you to pay close attention to the health of your pet before going on holiday.
Read also: 3 tips to finding the pawfect pet sitter for the festive season
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