I just came home from my dog Jaisy’s annual veterinary appointment.
I realized last night that I put much more into my dogs vet appointments being successful than I do for my own medical visits. Sitting on the floor with her, surrounded by last year’s notes for comparisons of change, drawing diagrams of every lump and bump, highlighter in hand to help me not forget to ask specific questions. I should start doing this for my own doctor visits, I thought to myself.
In people doctor appointments, we know that we have the capacity to express what hurts, what feels different, and what we’re interested in finding out more about. But since our pets can’t communicate such semantic complexities, they depend on us to navigate their healthcare and well-being for them. They assume we’ve got it all covered – and I don’t think any of us want to let them down.
From being an anxious pet owner whose pets are my best friends and children, the experience of going through vet tech school and learning from professors and internships what information our vet staff needs to be able to care for our pets to the best of their ability, and really listening to the questions my own vets and vet techs ask, over the years I have concocted my own system for preparing for my dogs appointments.
They are probably things everyone does, but just in case anything here helps someone else, I decided to share it.
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1) Keep a running list during the year.
It’s hard to remember every concern you’ve had over an entire year, so leave yourself notes. It doesn’t have to be fancy – a sheet of paper that you keep in one place so it’s always easy to find to jot things down as they pop up. Don’t worry about deciding if it’s worth asking, just write it. You can edit the list later to prioritize what still seems important just before you go.
That being said, if ever something seems urgent, or too important to wait, call your vet office right away. Better to have called and not needed to, than the other way around.
2) Create a list of important information and questions the day before you go.
Include the following sections:
Food
What brand, type/flavor, and amount per day?
Supplements
Do you give a vitamin, omega-3, or something to support joints?
Medications
What do you give:
daily
intermittently
preventatives (like heartworm & flea/tick)
Treats
Really track it for a while, you may be surprised at how many your pet gets when accounting for each person in your house. Be honest about it, since your vet can only help if they truly have the full picture.
Appetite
Has it changed at all? Do they always finish their food? Do they consume it quickly all at once? Or do they pick at it here and there over the day? Do they ever regurgitate it back up right after eating?
Thirst
Has it changed at all? Do they consume a lot at once? Or is it only a small amount across an entire day?
Bathroom habits
Have you noticed any changes? Do they have constipation or diarrhea? Are they urinating more or less frequently? Have they begun having accidents?
Physical Changes
Give your dog an all-over body check to see if anything feels different. You have probably already added these things to your running list as you pet them and give belly rubs, but it will help you find them faster at the appointment if you review it all the night before.
Drawing a diagram can be very helpful! I’m a horrible artist, but my vet is understanding of that short-coming and it helps us all be efficient with the appointment time if we can systematically go step by step with the picture.
Activity Level
Has it changed at all? Is getting on/off the couch and bed still the same? Up and down the stairs? In and out of the car? Has it started taking them more time to do any of those things? When you stop to think about it, have they stopped doing any of them?
Do they sleep through most of the night or are they up pacing, itching, licking, or whimpering? Are they still as interested in play the way they usually are?
Behavior
Any changes? Anxiety or aggression around other people or animals? Reactions to sounds like thunder, fireworks, or certain songs? (My dog Meg will actually wake up from a nap and start howling like a fire engine if she hears the theme song from “Big Bang Theory” on the t.v. or “Roar” by Katy Perry from the radio. I’m sorry to say she’s not a fan of the national anthem either.)
Questions
Look through your running list and see if any of the things you wrote down are still concerns. Brainstorm for a minute with your family or whoever else listens to you talk about your dog. Sometimes discussing it out loud can help you remember something you almost would have forgotten.
Interventions Needed?
Are they due for any vaccines? Would you like them to be titer-tested first to check their current immunity levels in case they don’t need to be re-vaccinated this time around? Do they need blood tests to check tolerance of any medications? Do they need to be tested for heartworm before re-starting their preventative if you’ve taken the winter off from giving it?
Need refills on any medications?
This is a great time to stock up on preventatives for heartworm, fleas & ticks. It may be expensive, but less so than treating the diseases an infection can lead to. And you’re more likely to give them on schedule if you have the entire year’s worth right at home. Interested in more natural alternative repellant methods? This is a chance to talk to your vet about that too.
Don’t wait until the last minute to write your comprehensive list, since that will make it more likely you’ll leave something out that you don’t remember until you’re back home after the appointment is over. This annual visit is a great opportunity and if you prepare ahead of time it pays off in the end.
3) Fill in your calendar.
While it’s still fresh in your head, write any future appointments that may have been made on your calendar. And while you’re there, take the calendar stickers from your heartworm and flea & tick preventatives and put them up for the whole year in one shot.
Doing them on the first day of each month is an easy way to remember. Or split them up like I do and give one on the first and the other half way through the month on the 15th, so that they aren’t getting too much medicine at one time. They key is to pick a schedule that you can remember, and get in the habit of checking your calendar each morning when you get up.
4) Make yourself a follow-up checklist.
Were tests done?
Urinalysis?
Fecal Test?
Blood Test for Heartworm, Lyme, etc?
Blood Test for Titers?
Keep that list out where you can see it so you can write down the results when your vet calls with them. This will help you keep a running baseline for future comparisons as time goes on.
5) Write down notes for your own records.
As soon as you get home, write down all the feedback and suggestions your vet shared while they are all still fresh in your head. It’s hard to remember that much detail once too much time goes by, and it’s helpful information to remind yourself of throughout the year. Keep it all in a folder so it’s all together in one place if you ever need to go back and review it.
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In summary, your pet’s annual vet visit is a great opportunity and if you prepare ahead of time it pays off in the end. Don’t just wing it, and don’t wait until the last minute to write your list, since that will make it more likely you’ll leave something out that you don’t remember until you’re back home after the appointment is over. (I say this from learning from the experience of my own moments of realization during my drives home.)
The most important thing to remember is that you have one limited block of time, so to get through your whole list, it helps to be organized and stay on topic to be time efficient. It’s a lot to get through in one visit, so the older your pet gets and the longer that list gets, it might be a good idea to see if they offer an extended-visit time option. I’ve been doing that it it’s helpful for both sides. A vet office is a very busy place and they need to be able to give all their patients the same amount of attention they are giving you – without being there until midnight. A well-prepared owner equals a win-win successful visit.
The second most important thing is to remember that if you do forget something, you can always call back and leave them a message about it. So don’t put it off until next year if it feels important.
After their relationship with you, your pet’s connection with their vet is their most important relationship – you’ll always be glad you made your best effort to get the most out of it that you can.