Sometimes being prepared is not fun.
Prime example is getting a phone call at 7am from a friend who NEVER calls me at that time of day. We also happen to be on the search team together so I thought he was calling me for a deployment but it turns out, he needed the after hours contact for our vet, he also has dogs. This was not a usual question for him and on the way to my fridge (yes the fridge) I asked him what had happened. Turns out his retired search dog had fallen and hurt herself.
I keep two (yes two) magnets with the office and after hours office numbers for my vet on my fridge. They have been in the same location for the past 5 years. I don’t move them, not even when I clean. You see, in a panic, people don’t think, they just do. I’m sure my friend could have easily looked up our vets number in the phone book, or maybe he had magnets on the fridge and was sitting with his dog and didn’t want to leave. For him in that moment, it was his first thought to call someone who could find the number for him. I was that person.
I’ve had to use those magnets myself when one of my search dogs went down with a seizure 4 months after moving into the house. The magnet was in that same spot then as it is now. Every person who I might have watch my pets knows where those magnets are, I show them in person when they come in to pet sit.
Those magnets or contact numbers are as important to your pet as the poison control hot line is to your small child. Make sure the family knows where the numbers are and that they don’t move. I also have my vet’s information programed into my ‘in case of emergency’ function on my phone. Under “other” it lists: In case of a car accident please look for my search dogs. The number of their vet is…..
Many of us view our pets as a part of the family, make sure you treat preparing for an emergency your pet might have the same way. You also should have a pet preparedness kit that you can use to treat minor injuries.
Unfortunately, the injury that my friends’ dog sustained would not allow her to make a full recovery. That day he had to make the decision to end her pain. My thoughts are with him and his family.
Robin and K9 Dunder
Paws of Life Foundation