New Resource for Pet Emergency Preparedness.

As anyone with a pet will attest to, emergencies involving a pet usually occur at the most inopportune times; usually during hours that the majority of vet hospitals are closed. Knowing how to respond to an emergency can not only save money, but potentially the life of a pet. Unfortunately, many pet owners only think of how to deal with an emergency after it has occurred or wish that they would had a pet first aid kit while in the process of handling an emergency.
As a veterinarian, I can personally testify that many pet owners are not prepared to deal with an emergency involving their pet. Some of this is due to the panic factor that occurs upon the discovery that a four legged member of the family is potentially sick or injured. The other part is the simple fact that most animals live many years without being sick or injured, effectively placing the thought of an emergency out of the consciousness of a pet owner. In my opinion, it is always better to be proactive than reactive in any given situation. To help educate pet owners on emergency preparedness, I have created the website, www.pawzfirstaid.com . On the site, I have included a library of videos discussing common emergency situations as well as an online store offering first aid kits and associated supplies created with pets in mind.
In addition to learning how to handle various emergencies, you should also know who to call when something happens. The short answer is to call your regular veterinarian; however, many practices do not handle after hours emergencies. Hopefully if you see a vet that does not see after hours emergencies, they will leave the number of a hospital that will. I would encourage everyone to discuss this subject with your vet and determine what their policy is, as this will help avoid confusion at 3 o’clock in the morning! It is also a good idea to program the number to an emergency clinic into your cell phone. For those of you without a regular vet- there is a useful search engine on my other site- www.askdoctorpawz.com that will locate a pet hospital based on where you live.
I hope that everyone will find this resource helpful! Go on the site, look around, and pass it around to your friends. If there are products or subjects that you would like to discuss, let me know.

Thanks!
Dr. Zadina (AKA Dr. Pawz!)