Admin
September 24th, 2005, 21:30
The Phrase “Declare an Emergency” is an aviation term reserved for aircraft that are in serious, real or indicated trouble. The emergency could be anything from an on-board fire to a burned out “Gear down and locked” indicator bulb.
As an aircraft pilot, when you declare an in-flight emergency it means that you go to the head of the line for everything and all emergency personnel are placed at the ready to help deal with your problem.
Similarly, medical emergencies are treated in the same manner in emergency rooms, Doctors offices and Veterinarian hospital. The worst cases, real or perceived are taken to the front of the line and everyone else just has to wait.
Over the years, I have had a few medical related problems with my cats and given a truck driver’s unique situation, finding Veterinarian especially when your animal is sick or injured can be a challenge even for the most seasoned pet lovers. By preparing ahead of time can save you time and money if your companion becomes ill.
To start with, your pets should receive proper Veterinarian care at all times and this is a legal requirement in all states. If you have a sick animal in your possession without proof that the animal is receiving veterinarian care or at least on it’s way to the Vet right now, you could be in for legal trouble. It is also possible that an Animal Control Officer could seize your animal if the animal’s condition warrants.
Proper Vet care and keeping all of your animal’s shots up-to-date are not only a legal requirement, they are one of the most important components to insure that your pet has a long and healthy life. Proper Vet care also helps insure that your pet stays healthy because like any physician, your Veterinarian is trained to look for signs that could indicate a serious or soon-to-be serious problem is present.
However, like any living creature, sometimes-unforeseen medical problems arise, usually at the worst possible times and you need help right now.
If you have a regular route that you drive, it is a very good idea to become better acquainted with Veterinarian hospitals in these areas and if you have some time, try to establish a rapport with one or more of these Hospitals. If the need ever arises, just knowing where they are and their hours could be a very valuable piece of information to have.
If you are an over-the-road driver and never seem to visit the same place twice, perhaps using the national chains of pet hospitals might be a viable alternative.
With these types of hospitals, if your pet ever does become sick or injured, you can have them contact your “regular” clinic and all of your pet’s information can be faxed or transmitted over to the attending Vet prior to your arrival.
I carry shot records and recent Vet records for my cats and have them available should the need ever arise.
In times like these, I think we can all agree that minutes count and filling out forms is one of the worst parts of dealing with these emotionally charged times. Add to this, unlike a child, a pet can’t tell you what is wrong, many times all you have are the symptoms and for most of us, they don’t give us any indication as to the problem or how to help.
Now you want me to fill out a form?
Personally, I’d sooner bleed to death than fill out a form and indicate payment information, but a pet doesn’t have that option-your pet only has you and they’re counting on you to do the right thing.
Finding an emergency vet can be difficult depending upon what part of the country you are in, but a good resource to locate one is the local animal control agency, police department since most animal control agencies are part of the police department, pet stores or animal shelters.
Some of the major pet stores have vet hospitals right inside of them and are just as good as any you might find, they also usually have BIG parking lots that can accommodate a tractor-trailer, or two.
If your pet does have a medical emergency and you have to visit an emergency vet hospital or a new vet’s office, you should not be at all surprised if the bill is high. Remember, these services are priority and as such, can carry a premium price.
Just as it is more expensive to have your letter delivered across the country overnight as opposed to just dropping it in the mailbox with a postage stamp, emergency vet care can cost, depending upon the problem, hundreds of dollars.
When my cat took ill recently, the Vet-Tech came in to tell me that the bill would be around $170.00. The final cost was $182.00 with the medications that he required to regain his health. My response was something along the lines of “That’s nice, but when will the Doctor be in here to see him?”
On the flip side, I’ve heard of cases where people who took their pets to the Vet for a problem that was curable, rather than having the animal treated, opted to have the animal put to sleep to save money.
I just can’t understand that line of thinking.
In some of these cases, the Vet has agreed to put the animal to sleep, called a local animal rescue group to see if they would take the animal and then donated his time to save the animals life. Some of these animals are alive today because of a kind Veterinarian who saved an animal from someone who really couldn’t afford to own one or just didn’t care enough to do the right thing for their pet.
When you make a regular visit to your Veterinarian and while you are waiting, an emergency case comes in, try to be a little patient and understanding of what this pet owner is going through.
Sure, they jumped ahead of you in line, but if the tables were turned, they’d be placed behind you if your pet ever needed emergency care. People in this situation love their pets just as much as you do and like you, they want their pet to be healthy.
Owning a pet is an emotional as well as a financial investment and doing some research into the pet you want and how much this animals care over it’s lifetime is always a good idea.
However, when you’re faced with a medical emergency, it’s good to know where you can go, have a good idea that this will probably be expensive and always remember that if the tables were turned, your pet would certainly do the same for you and never ask how much it will cost.
Finally, if your pet ever does become sick or injured, don’t be ashamed if the problem turns out to be minor and you panicked. It’s perfectly acceptable to be upset, frightened and frustrated. The animal-human bond can run as deep as any and these emotional reactions are natural.
I would never fault the pet owner who rushed their puppy or kitten to the vet, making me wait another hour for nothing more than baby tooth that fell out because there was a little blood present and they didn’t know where the blood came from.
I have no sympathy for the pet owner who ignores a medical problem until it becomes a crisis.
If your pet isn’t acting normally and appears to be sick or injured, no one whose opinion comes close to counting will ever hold it against you that you wanted the best for your pet.
By Uncle Fester
As an aircraft pilot, when you declare an in-flight emergency it means that you go to the head of the line for everything and all emergency personnel are placed at the ready to help deal with your problem.
Similarly, medical emergencies are treated in the same manner in emergency rooms, Doctors offices and Veterinarian hospital. The worst cases, real or perceived are taken to the front of the line and everyone else just has to wait.
Over the years, I have had a few medical related problems with my cats and given a truck driver’s unique situation, finding Veterinarian especially when your animal is sick or injured can be a challenge even for the most seasoned pet lovers. By preparing ahead of time can save you time and money if your companion becomes ill.
To start with, your pets should receive proper Veterinarian care at all times and this is a legal requirement in all states. If you have a sick animal in your possession without proof that the animal is receiving veterinarian care or at least on it’s way to the Vet right now, you could be in for legal trouble. It is also possible that an Animal Control Officer could seize your animal if the animal’s condition warrants.
Proper Vet care and keeping all of your animal’s shots up-to-date are not only a legal requirement, they are one of the most important components to insure that your pet has a long and healthy life. Proper Vet care also helps insure that your pet stays healthy because like any physician, your Veterinarian is trained to look for signs that could indicate a serious or soon-to-be serious problem is present.
However, like any living creature, sometimes-unforeseen medical problems arise, usually at the worst possible times and you need help right now.
If you have a regular route that you drive, it is a very good idea to become better acquainted with Veterinarian hospitals in these areas and if you have some time, try to establish a rapport with one or more of these Hospitals. If the need ever arises, just knowing where they are and their hours could be a very valuable piece of information to have.
If you are an over-the-road driver and never seem to visit the same place twice, perhaps using the national chains of pet hospitals might be a viable alternative.
With these types of hospitals, if your pet ever does become sick or injured, you can have them contact your “regular” clinic and all of your pet’s information can be faxed or transmitted over to the attending Vet prior to your arrival.
I carry shot records and recent Vet records for my cats and have them available should the need ever arise.
In times like these, I think we can all agree that minutes count and filling out forms is one of the worst parts of dealing with these emotionally charged times. Add to this, unlike a child, a pet can’t tell you what is wrong, many times all you have are the symptoms and for most of us, they don’t give us any indication as to the problem or how to help.
Now you want me to fill out a form?
Personally, I’d sooner bleed to death than fill out a form and indicate payment information, but a pet doesn’t have that option-your pet only has you and they’re counting on you to do the right thing.
Finding an emergency vet can be difficult depending upon what part of the country you are in, but a good resource to locate one is the local animal control agency, police department since most animal control agencies are part of the police department, pet stores or animal shelters.
Some of the major pet stores have vet hospitals right inside of them and are just as good as any you might find, they also usually have BIG parking lots that can accommodate a tractor-trailer, or two.
If your pet does have a medical emergency and you have to visit an emergency vet hospital or a new vet’s office, you should not be at all surprised if the bill is high. Remember, these services are priority and as such, can carry a premium price.
Just as it is more expensive to have your letter delivered across the country overnight as opposed to just dropping it in the mailbox with a postage stamp, emergency vet care can cost, depending upon the problem, hundreds of dollars.
When my cat took ill recently, the Vet-Tech came in to tell me that the bill would be around $170.00. The final cost was $182.00 with the medications that he required to regain his health. My response was something along the lines of “That’s nice, but when will the Doctor be in here to see him?”
On the flip side, I’ve heard of cases where people who took their pets to the Vet for a problem that was curable, rather than having the animal treated, opted to have the animal put to sleep to save money.
I just can’t understand that line of thinking.
In some of these cases, the Vet has agreed to put the animal to sleep, called a local animal rescue group to see if they would take the animal and then donated his time to save the animals life. Some of these animals are alive today because of a kind Veterinarian who saved an animal from someone who really couldn’t afford to own one or just didn’t care enough to do the right thing for their pet.
When you make a regular visit to your Veterinarian and while you are waiting, an emergency case comes in, try to be a little patient and understanding of what this pet owner is going through.
Sure, they jumped ahead of you in line, but if the tables were turned, they’d be placed behind you if your pet ever needed emergency care. People in this situation love their pets just as much as you do and like you, they want their pet to be healthy.
Owning a pet is an emotional as well as a financial investment and doing some research into the pet you want and how much this animals care over it’s lifetime is always a good idea.
However, when you’re faced with a medical emergency, it’s good to know where you can go, have a good idea that this will probably be expensive and always remember that if the tables were turned, your pet would certainly do the same for you and never ask how much it will cost.
Finally, if your pet ever does become sick or injured, don’t be ashamed if the problem turns out to be minor and you panicked. It’s perfectly acceptable to be upset, frightened and frustrated. The animal-human bond can run as deep as any and these emotional reactions are natural.
I would never fault the pet owner who rushed their puppy or kitten to the vet, making me wait another hour for nothing more than baby tooth that fell out because there was a little blood present and they didn’t know where the blood came from.
I have no sympathy for the pet owner who ignores a medical problem until it becomes a crisis.
If your pet isn’t acting normally and appears to be sick or injured, no one whose opinion comes close to counting will ever hold it against you that you wanted the best for your pet.
By Uncle Fester