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Tips For Keeping Your Pet Calm During Its First Visit To The Animal Hospital

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When you have a young pet, you'll soon need to schedule its first checkup at your local animal hospital. This appointment will not only begin a relationship with the veterinarian who will care for the pet throughout the years ahead, but it will also ensure that your pet is as healthy as possible. For a pet that has never or seldom left your home, the idea of being put in a crate and taken to a new environment can be stressful. It's your responsible, as the pet's owner, to do all that you can to keep the pet calm and ensure that it's stress is as low as possible. Here are some ways to accomplish this goal.

Get There Early 

Rushing to an appointment at the last minute isn't just stressful for adults — it can also be upsetting to your pet. It's ideal to get to the animal hospital well in advance of your scheduled appointment, as this will allow your pet to relax a little. If you have a dog, you may wish to get it out of the car on its leash and walk it around outside for a few minutes. If you have a pet in a carrying container, you could let it out of the container and cuddle it in your lap while still seated in the car.

Limit Exposure To Other Pets

Unless your pet has been around a lot of other pets, it may be a little anxious to sit in the animal hospital's waiting room where there are a number of other pets gathered. If you know that your pet might not respond well to this environment, there's a simple solution. Upon arriving, go inside to check in for your appointment. Then, explain that you'll be waiting in the car or outside with your pet. When it's time for the vet to see your pet, you can go straight to the examination room and skip the waiting room altogether.

Treat Your Pet Accordingly

Ideally, you'll have a sense of your pet's behavior and mannerisms, even if it's young. For example, you might know that the pet likes to be cuddled when it's anxious — or that it prefers not be touched during periods of anxiety. Keep these ideas in mind when you're in the examination room waiting for the vet to arrive. If your pet loves cuddling, you can cuddle it and talk reassuringly. Conversely, for a pet that doesn't enjoy too much stimulation, leaving it in its carrying container and allowing it to relax as much as possible is the best approach.


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