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Pet owner informative Handouts

Emergency Resources
Cats
Dogs
Health Issues
Parasites
Post-Surgical Instructions
How-To Guides

Emergency Resources

Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661 If you suspect your pet has ingested something potentially poisonous, call the Pet Poison Helpline on your way to your veterinarian. They will likely give you a reference number; keep this number handy, as your veterinarian will need it.

Local Emergency Veterinary Hospitals:

  1. West Park Animal Hospital:
    • Hours: 8 am – 1 am
    • Address: 4117 Rocky River Dr, Cleveland, OH 44135
    • Phone: (216) 252-4500
  2. Med Vet Toledo:
    • Hours: Open 24 hours
    • Address: 2921 Douglas Rd, Toledo, OH 43606
    • Phone: (419) 473-0328
  3. Med Vet Columbus:
    • Hours: Open 24 hours
    • Address: 300 E Wilson Bridge Rd, Worthington, OH 43085
    • Phone: (614) 846-5800
  4. Animal Clinic Northview:
    • Hours: Open 24 hours
    • Address: 36400 Center Ridge Rd, North Ridgeville, OH 44039
    • Phone: (440) 327-8282

Emergencies requiring immediate veterinary attention:

  1. Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop within five minutes.
  2. Choking, difficulty breathing, or nonstop coughing and gagging.
  3. Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine.
  4. Inability to urinate or pass feces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool.
  5. Injuries to your pet's eye(s).
  6. You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, ibuprofen, etc.).
    • Lists of common poisons in your house: ASPCA Poison Control
  7. Seizures and/or staggering.
  8. Fractured bones, severe lameness, or inability to move leg(s).
  9. Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety.
  10. Heat stress or heatstroke.
  11. Severe vomiting or diarrhea – more than two episodes in a 24-hour period, or either of these combined with obvious illness or any of the other problems listed here.
  12. Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more.
  13. Unconsciousness.

The bottom line is that ANY concern about your pet's health warrants, at minimum, a call to your veterinarian.

Have you ever been in a situation where your pet has been involved in an accident, whether at home or on a walk, and you weren’t sure what to do? While we hope it is never the case, there may be times where we need to provide first aid to our pets. But in order to do so, it’s important to know how to effectively administer first aid treatment before you arrive at the vet. To help, we’ve put together a list of common pet emergencies and how to respond to them if you are ever faced with one.

Sourced from: Animal Emergency Service

First Aid Treatment at Home:

While most emergencies will require veterinary attention, in some cases, you will need to know how to stabilize your pet before you arrive at your vet. It is important to note that any first aid treatment you administer to your pet at home should always be followed immediately by veterinary care. First aid is by no means a substitute for veterinary care, but it may just save your pet’s life until veterinary treatment can be given.

We recommend preparing a pet first aid kit with basic essentials and keeping it in a safe, easily accessible place in the home. Another kept in the car is also useful for when you are out and about. Caravans and boats are also places where a pet first aid kit can come in handy if your pet is regularly traveling in them.

Pet first aid courses are a great way to further your knowledge and practice your skills so you are prepared for a real-life situation. There are many pet first aid courses available, including the Australia Red Cross veterinary approved online course.

And remember, if you are ever unsure what to do in a pet emergency, call your vet, and they will be able to provide advice and direction over the phone.

Common pet emergencies and what you can do at home to help:

There are many types of accidents our pets can get into. But the most common pet emergencies we see in our hospitals, and will discuss how to assist your furry friend until you can get to a vet, are:

  • Bleeding, cuts, and wounds.
  • Breathing difficulties.
  • Eating something poisonous.
  • Broken bones and fractures.
  • Hit by a car.
  • Seizures.
  • Burns.
  • Heat Stroke.

Bleeding, cuts, and wounds:

Wounds can be incisions, punctures, or abrasions, all of which can lead to bleeding. Luckily, first aid treatment is very similar to how you would stop bleeding for a human. If your pet is bleeding, follow these steps:

  1. If your pet allows it, using saline or water, gently wash the area to remove any debris.
  2. Use a sterile wound dressing or cotton pad and apply direct pressure to the wound to restrict blood flow for at least three minutes (until the blood starts to clot).
  3. Secure the dressing or pad with a bandage (or a clean t-shirt or sock if you have none). Take care that the bandage isn’t too tight.
  4. If possible, elevate the injured limb to slow blood flow and to further encourage clotting.
  5. If bleeding continues, leave the first dressing or pad in place and put a second pad over the top and secure with another bandage.
  6. Transport your pet to the vet.

Breathing difficulties:

Breathing difficulties can be caused by a number of things such as heart failure, asthma, allergic reactions, foreign objects becoming stuck in their airways, poisonings, aspiration pneumonia, paralysis of the chest wall, and brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome just to name a few. Regardless of the underlying cause of your pet’s breathing difficulties, it is always a life-threatening condition that requires immediate veterinary care. Should your pet start to experience difficulties breathing:

  1. Keep them as quiet and calm as possible.
  2. Transport them immediately to the vet.
  3. If your pet suddenly stops breathing, start to administer CPR. Follow our instructions on our CPR blog to learn how to perform it on pets.

Eating something poisonous:

Our pets are curious creatures who can’t always resist the temptation to eat things they really shouldn’t. If you think your pet has eaten something poisonous:

  1. If possible, try to remove it from their mouths. Don’t try to make your pet vomit at home, as this is fraught with danger.
  2. Try to determine how much your pet has eaten and contact your vet.
  3. If your vet recommends immediate treatment at their clinic, take the packaging of what your pet has eaten with you, as this will help your vet in their treatment.

Broken bones and fractures:

There are many different types of accidents that can cause broken bones and fractures in our pets, such as suffering from a fall or being hit by a car. If you suspect your pet has a broken bone or has a fracture, follow these steps:

  1. If it is an open fracture where the bone is exposed, attempt to cover the bone with a moist bandage if your pet allows you to.
  2. Avoid attempting to set the bone or making a splint. Without pain relief, touching the area may cause your pet to lash out.
  3. Try to move the affected area as little as possible to avoid further damage by placing your pet on a flat surface, and transport them to the vet.

Hit by a car:

Unfortunately, car accidents are a very common cause for pets to be taken to an emergency hospital. These accidents are extremely painful, and the injuries pets can sustain include broken bones, bleeding, and internal injuries (even if they seem normal after the accident). Directly following the accident:

  1. Ensuring you don’t put yourself in danger, secure the area by appointing people to redirect cars if needed.
  2. If your pet is unconscious, check for breathing and heartbeat. Should you not be able to detect breathing or have a heartbeat, start CPR and continue until you reach veterinary help.
  3. If your pet is bleeding, apply bandages with firm pressure to stem the bleeding.
  4. Transport your pet to the vet immediately. If your pet is unable to move by themselves, place them on a flat board for support and to avoid causing further injury.

Seizures:

Witnessing your pet having a seizure for the first time is very scary. Stay calm and help your pet with these few steps:

  1. Remove any objects away from your pet that may hurt them. Just like us humans, our pets may not be aware of their surroundings during their seizure. Don’t try to restrain your pet.
  2. Time your pet’s seizure. Usually, seizures last between two to three minutes.
  3. After the seizure has stopped, keep your pet as quiet, calm, and warm as possible and contact your vet. However, if the seizure appears to be lasting longer than two minutes, don’t wait for it to stop before transporting them to the vet.

Burns:

It’s not uncommon for cats and dogs to suffer burns, especially for those with a habit of following you around the kitchen. Burns can be caused by fire, corrosive chemicals, electricity, and hot oil or water. If your pet has a burn:

  1. Cool the affected area by running cool water or placing a cool compress over it immediately for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Apply a cool compress to the area and take your pet to the vet for further treatment.

Heat stroke:

Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition and requires urgent medical attention. If you believe your pet is suffering from heat stroke, follow these steps and see a vet immediately:

  1. Remove your pet from the hot environment.
  2. Lower their body temperature by wetting them down using a hose or bucket, but avoid their face. A fan blowing over their damp skin will help in evaporative cooling. Don’t wrap a wet towel around them as this will trap any heat from escaping.
  3. Don’t use ice baths, as these can cool them too rapidly as well as constrict blood vessels.
  4. Wetting down the areas around your pet will help in lowering the ambient temperature.
  5. Offer water.

Cat Information

New Kitten

Congratulations on your new fluffy bundle of joy! Kittens are great companions and a lot of fun. It can be overwhelming having a new pet to give them the best care possible to keep them happy and healthy. Here is your guide to hopefully make it a bit easier.

Food: Proper diet is essential for good digestion and a shiny coat. Kittens have different nutritional needs than adult cats so it’s important to keep them on a kitten diet for the first year of life. The maker of your food will also have a chart on how much to feed your kitten based on their current weight located on the back or side of the bag.

Here are links to food we recommend:

Purina® Pro Plan® Kitten Chicken & Rice Formula Dry | Kitten Chicken & Rice | MFG_63 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Hill's® Science Diet® Kitten Dry | 15.5lb Bag | MFG_324 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Heartworm Disease and Fleas: Heartworms are parasites that live in the heart. They are transmitted from an infected animal to a mosquito to another animal. We recommend prevention year round due to our changing climate with warm winters. There are a few different preventions that also include flea and heartworm prevention for an all in one monthly prevention. Fleas are a common parasite animals get and can be irritating. It makes their skin itchy and sometimes causes an allergic reaction. It takes 3 months to get rid of fleas due to the length of the life cycle from egg to adult.

Here is a link to flea, tick, and heartworm medication we recommend:
Revolution® Plus Topical Solution for Cats | Orange 5.6-11lbs | MFG_314 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Insurance: Emergencies can happen at any time. Insurance offers peace of mind as a backup. Pet insurance works differently than our human health insurance does. Payment is still required at time of service but then you submit a claim to insurance for them to reimburse you. Care Credit is also a great tool to help in times of need. It is a health credit card that depending on the total amount may have 6, 12, or 18 months same as cash financing.

Here is a link to an insurance broker for best price and coverage:
Pawlicy Advisor - Compare and Buy Pet Insurance Today

Here is a link to Care Credit:
Health and Wellness Credit Card - CareCredit

Microchipping: Microchipping can be an easy way to permanently identify your cat. While it does not work like a GPS it can be scanned by most veterinary clinics or shelters. When scanned, it will show a number that can be searched and as long as the number is registered, it will bring up your information.

Here is a link for more info:
Microchipping Could Save your Pet's Life - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Spay or Neuter: Spaying (females) and neutering (males) is an important part of keeping your cat healthy for years to come. Not only does keeping female cats unaltered can put them at risk for various life threatening diseases such as pyometra and mammary cancer but they can start having kittens as young as 4-6 months. For males it helps with marking (spraying) and reducing the risk of fighting and roaming.

Here is a link to more information on spaying:
Spaying your Female Cat - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Here is a link to more information on neutering:
Neutering your Male Cat - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Intestinal Parasites: Kittens and adult cats can be exposed to various parasites in their environment. We highly recommend running a fecal sample for kittens due to their likelihood of having worms that came from their mother, littermates, or fecal matter in shared litterboxes. Our laboratory looks for roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm eggs with highly sensitive equipment to provide a more accurate result for treatment. Alternatives to declawing: Trying alternatives to declawing is always recommended to try first before considering surgery. Adding scratching posts around their favorite places to scratch is a good way to encourage cats to scratch on appropriate surfaces. Adding double sided tape to unwanted places is another way to curb the behavior. Regular nail trims are another great way to keep cat nails under control to help take the sharpness of cat nails away. We do offer nail trim appointments as long as the cat is up to date on rabies and has been seen with us within 1 year. Blunt acrylic nail caps can also be added.

Here is a link to more ideas:
Declawing and Alternatives for Cats - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Here is a link to an article on how to trim nails:
Clip Those Claws! Tips on Trimming Your Cat's Nails | Fear Free Happy Homes

Dog Information

New Puppy Information

Behavior

New Puppy

Congratulations on your new member of the family! This is such a fun, and exciting but potentially stressful time. We hope these tips will help prepare you to keep your pup healthy and happy as well as making things a little easier. This article will cover common questions and recommendations but if you have more questions please feel free to reach out to us.

Housetraining and crate training: Housetraining is an important skill for every puppy. Using a crate can also be a helpful tool to achieve potty training. Consistency, attentiveness and patience are key points to stick to for success. Crate training helps set boundaries as well as prevent them from having accidents elsewhere. Dogs and puppies naturally try to avoid relieving themselves in the same place they sleep.

Here is a link for more helpful hints:
Housetraining and Crate Training: What Every Owner Needs to Know - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Diet: Proper diet is essential for good digestion and a shiny coat. Puppies require more calcium and phosphorus than adult dogs for bone growth. Puppies burn more calories therefore requiring more calories coming in. Large breed pups that will grow to be over 60 pounds will require a more specialized diet that contains more calcium to support their joints. The maker of your food will also have a chart on how much to feed your puppy based on their current weight located on the back or side of the bag.

Here are links for foods we would recommend:
Purina® Pro Plan® Puppy Chicken and Rice Formula Dry | Focus Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula | MFG_63 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Purina® Pro Plan® Puppy Large Breed Dry | Focus Puppy Large Breed | MFG_63 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Hill's® Science Diet® Puppy Dry | 15.5lb Bag | MFG_324 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Hill's® Science Diet® Puppy Large Breed Dry | 15.5lb Bag | MFG_324 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Vaccines: Puppies need a few sets of vaccines to help their body’s immune system to remember the diseases it is supposed to fight against. Generally they have vaccines at 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Vaccines are highly important to get from your veterinarian due to the guarantees behind our manufacturers vs farm store vaccines’ storage cannot be guaranteed therefore compromising the vaccine’s effectiveness. At 6 weeks puppies get DHPP or the distemper combo which contains Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus. All are diseases that they are exposed to frequently from other dogs. At 8 weeks the same vaccine is administered to remind the immune system. At 12 weeks we introduce DHLPP which is the same distemper combo as previously discussed but adding in Lepto which is a bacterial disease caught from wildlife’s urine and commonly lives in standing water. This vaccine is important due to its ability to affect humans. We also introduce Bordetella (kennel cough) at this age which isn’t just for boarding, it's for any nose to nose contact with other dogs. At 16 weeks the DHLPP is repeated as well as a Rabies vaccine. Rabies is incredibly important being a fatal disease that comes from many other wild animals and can be passed to humans. Two other vaccines that not every dog needs are Canine Influenza and Lyme. Canine Influenza is an upper respiratory disease that commonly comes from high volume areas like boarding facilities and dog parks. Most boarding facilities do require the influenza vaccine. Lyme vaccine is an extra protection against the tick borne disease. Dogs that spend a lot of time in woods and tall grass that hike or hunt are good candidates.

Heartworm Disease: Heartworms are parasites that live in the heart. They are transmitted from an infected dog to a mosquito to another dog. We recommend prevention year round due to our changing climate with warm winters. Puppies will need to be weighed monthly until they are a consistent weight to ensure proper dosing. There are a few different preventions that also include flea and tick prevention for an all in one monthly prevention.

Here is a link for more information about heartworm:
Preventing Heartworm Infection in Dogs - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Here is a link to a flea, tick, and heartworm all in one we recommend:
Simparica TRIO™ Chewable Tablets for Dogs | Green 44.1-88.0lbs | MFG_314 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Here is a link to a heartworm prevention we recommend:
Interceptor® Plus Dog Chewable Tablets | Yellow 25.1-50lbs | MFG_32 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Fleas and Ticks: Fleas are a common parasite animals get and can be irritating. It makes their skin itchy and sometimes causes an allergic reaction. It takes 3 months to get rid of fleas due to the length of the life cycle from egg to adult. Ticks are another parasite that is a rising problem for our area. However they transmit more diseases than fleas- making prevention that much more important. Most of their diseases are transmitted in 24 hours of attachment and can give humans disease as well. Checking your dog after walks is so important to check for parasites.

Here is a link to a flea tick medication we recommend:
Credelio™ Chewable Tablets for Dogs | Green 450mg for Dogs 25.1-50lbs | MFG_32 (covetruspharmacy.com)

Intestinal Parasites: Puppies and adult dogs are frequently exposed to various parasites in their environment. We highly recommend running a fecal sample for puppies due to their likelihood of having worms that came from their mother, littermates, or the ground outside. Our laboratory looks for roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm eggs with highly sensitive equipment to provide a more accurate result for treatment.

Insurance: Emergencies can happen at any time. Insurance offers peace of mind as a backup. Pet insurance works differently than our human health insurance does. Payment is still required at time of service but then you submit a claim to insurance for them to reimburse you. Care Credit is also a great tool to help in times of need. It is a health credit card that depending on the total amount may have 6, 12, or 18 months same as cash financing.

Here is a link to an insurance broker for best price and coverage:
Pawlicy Advisor - Compare and Buy Pet Insurance Today

Here is a link to Care Credit:
Health and Wellness Credit Card - CareCredit

Toxins: Puppies are like toddlers and can find anything within reach. They also can ingest unexpected items such as chemicals or inedible items. Common household toxins can be anything from cleaners to grapes.

Here is link to some common hazards:
Poisonous Household Products | ASPCA

Microchipping: Microchipping can be an easy way to permanently identify your dog. While it does not work like a GPS it can be scanned by most veterinary clinics or shelters. It will show a number that can be searched and as long as the number is registered, it will bring up your information.

Here is a link for more info:
Microchipping Could Save your Pet's Life - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Spay or Neuter: Spaying (females) and neutering (Males) is an important part of keeping your dog healthy for years to come. Keeping dogs unaltered can put them at risk for various life threatening diseases such as pyometra, mammary cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate problems.

Here is a link to more information on spaying:
Spaying Your Female Dog - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Here is a link to more information on neutering:
Neutering Your Male Dog - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Training: Giving your dog a foundation of training is a key part of having not only a good relationship with your dog but also helping them to be a good canine citizen. It helps them with confidence to trust you in scary situations and makes it less stressful for everyone.

Here is a link to trainers we recommend:
Dog training and pet supplies in Fremont, Ohio (caninebliss.com) Erie Shores K9 Academy | Making Every Day a Good Dog Day

Useful skills at home: Nail trims can be a tricky skill for dog owners to master at home. But with practice and patience it can be done. Ear cleaning is also a good tool to help keep ear infections at bay after baths or swims.

Here is a link to how to trim nails:
How To Trim Puppy Nails Without a Fuss | Fear Free Happy Homes

Here is a link to how to clean ears:
Fear Free Ear Cleaning | Fear Free Happy Homes

Health Issues

Dogs:

Cats:

Multi-Species:

Parasite Information

Post-Surgical Instructions

How-To Guides

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Visit the Fear Free portal or the Better Pet portal for step-by-step instructions for many common training and behavioral questions! If you have additional or more specific questions, don't hesitate to call the clinic and our staff will happily help you find answers!