Nothing stops your heart quite like the terror that your pet has gone missing. If your pet goes missing, it’s vital to take immediate action – the longer you wait, the harder it can be to locate your precious furbaby. Getting word out as soon as possible will help ensure that your pet is found sooner rather than later. In the event that your pet goes missing, you don’t want to wait to see if they will find their way back before you start searching. Here are some of the things that you can do if your pet goes missing. 

#1. Help Them Find Their Way Back

Your dog or cat has a very good sense of smell. In the event that they get lost, they can smell their way home. Put something that has your scent outside of your door, i.e. a blanket, and they can smell it and find their way home. You can put out a cat’s litter box for them to smell. Especially if your pet is new or if you just moved, your pet may just need a little help finding their way back to you, which this can help with.

#2. Sweep The Neighborhood

If your pet escaped your home, they may not have gone far. You can sweep your neighborhood and the surrounding area, calling out their name with a tasty treat in hand that will lure them to come to you. Searching your neighborhood a few times daily until your pet is found may help you find them if your pet goes missing. 

This depends on your pet’s personality, too. If your indoor cat sneaked out, chances are that they are frightened and will be hiding within a radius of a few houses away. If your furbaby is outgoing, they could have made friends and traveled much further away. 

#3. Contact Local Animal Shelters And Animal Control

It’s not uncommon for someone to report a missing animal for animal control to come pick up, or to take your pet to a local animal shelter or animal hospital. As such, it’s important to ensure that your pet is microchipped, so that it’s easier to find them. You can alert your microchip company if your pet goes missing so that they can flag them as lost. You can search for your local shelters and check on their sites to see if they’ve posted any pictures of a lost pet that looks like yours.

You can also control your local animal control and give them a description of your pet. If you fear that your pet has been stolen rather than gone missing, you can contact the police.

#4. Involve Your Community

One of the most effective things to do if your pet goes missing to find them faster is to involve your community. Many sets of eyes are better than one. You can post on social media with a notice of your missing pet, including local lost and found groups in addition to your personal accounts. You can also go on national databases such as Petco Love Lost, your homeowner’s association, and lost and found sections of sites like NextDoor to post a notice of your lost pet and see if anyone has found yours.

You can also put flyers around town, such as your neighborhood, on telephone poles, in stores, in community centers, and other locations. Your fliers should have a clear, big, accurate picture of your pet in color, they name, sex, age, breed, color, weight, and identifying characteristics, as well as a phone number. If your pet needs special medication or you are offering a reward, these are important to include. Keep it simple, and post your flyers where it’s easy for people to see them.

You’ll want to leave out at least one defining characteristic, as there are pet recovery scams who will demand you give them money before they give you your pet. If someone claims to have found your pet, ask them to describe them, and listen for that characteristic you left out. Ask for a picture if they don’t mention it, and if they refuse to, know they might not really have your pet.

#4. Be Persistent

While the first few hours after your pet goes missing are vital, pets have been reunited with their owners months after having gone missing. Continually check in with your shelters and humane societies, repost online, and don’t give up. With how connected the world is, it increases the chances that your pet will be returned to you.

What Helps If Your Pet Goes Missing

There are things you can do to make it easier to find them again if your pet goes missing. Microchipping them, using a GPS collar, and ensuring that your pet has a collar with a tag that has your information on it will all help increase your chances of finding your pet. Training can prevent any escapes, as well as help your pet return to you. 

Skyline Animal Hospital wants to help you find your pet if they go missing. Contact us for more information on what you can do if your pet goes missing.

The same as humans, sometimes your pet needs medication in order to manage a condition, whether it be pain or anxiety or heart disease or what have you. You may be tempted to use unprescribed medication for your pet to help them feel better. In some cases, such as with arthritis, pets can have similar conditions to humans, which can make the impulse to use unprescribed medication for your pet all the more tempting, while in others, like heartworm disease, they are more pet-specific. 

No one likes seeing their pet hurting, especially not if there are medications out there which should be able to help. One of the most common questions we here at Skyline Animal Hospital receive is whether or not it is safe to use unprescribed medication for your pet or if you really do need to take them in before they can get meds that can help. Here are some of the most common questions we get about medication for your pet. Spoiler alert: the answer to if you can use unprescribed medication for your pet is a resounding no. Here’s why.

Can You Use Unprescribed Medication For Pets?

Many people speculate that you don’t actually need a prescription for pet meds and that it’s perfectly fine to just get pet meds online, use over-the-counter human medications for your pets, or to share medications with your pet. You absolutely can not do this, not if you want to help your pet! Many human meds can seriously hurt your pet, such as Tylenol and other such human pain killers. You never know how a drug will affect your pet, so getting any unprescribed medication for your pet exponentially raises your risk for disaster and hurting your furbaby. 

There are some pet-specific over-the-counter medications that you can get at vet pharmacies which you don’t need a prescription for that you can purchase, such as for worms and parasites. These are okay, because they do not require a prescription anyway and have been verified to be safe. However, when it comes to more serious conditions, you should always schedule a vet appointment. 

There may be sites that claim to sell prescription medications for your pet that you don’t actually need a prescription for, but these are extremely untrustworthy. It’s always better to be safe and take your pet to the vet if you think they need medication than to use unprescribed medication for your pet and be the worst kind of sorry later.

Is It Safe To Share Medication With Your Pet?

If you have a similar condition to your pet, you may be tempted to just share your medication with this. This is bad for multiple reasons.

1. Your medication is for you. If you share it, you won’t have what you need to manage your own condition properly.
2. Human medications are often very toxic for pets. Your pet will need their own medication for their condition.
3. It’s illegal to share medication with anyone, including your pets.

Why Do You Need A Prescription For Pet Meds?

You need a prescription for pet meds for the same reason why you need a prescription for your own meds. Just like humans, there are medications that you can get for your pet that are over-the-counter at vet pharmacies because they have a low dosage and are generally safe. You need a prescription for pet meds for meds that have high potency and potential for side effects. Some examples of pet meds that you need prescriptions for include: antidepressants, antibiotics, anti-seizure drugs, pain killers, sedatives, and more.

Another reason why you can’t use unprescribed medication for your pets but must obtain a prescription is because dosage varies a great deal based on your pet’s weight and species. Your pet may not react well to a medication, or medications may interact negatively with each other. Your vet will be able to determine what kind of prescription is best for your pet, specifically, and their specific symptoms and circumstances. 

What About Vitamins Or CBD?

The same as you should consult with your doctor about vitamins or CBD, so should you do so in regards to these things for you pet. The same goes for antibiotics. The type of antibiotic used will depend on what kind of bacteria is causing your pet’s infection, something your vet will be able to determine. 

Can You Use Old Prescriptions For Your Pet?

Again, just like you, your pet shouldn’t have old prescriptions. It can be tempting to consider, if you have an old prescription lying around, to just use it instead of going to the vet to get a new one. However, old prescriptions aren’t as effective, and can even become toxic and cause severe side-effects. It’s always best to discard medication once it’s expired. Your vet will be able to advise you on this.

What Can I Do If My Pet Needs Medication?

If your pet needs medication, don’t give unprescribed medication to them! Come to Skyline Animal Hospital so that we can diagnose your pet’s condition and determine what medication would be best for them, specifically. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!

We cherish our pets and want to ensure that they live the healthiest, happiest life possible. It isn’t always easy to tell when your pet needs to see a vet, though, which presents a challenge to this. Your pet can’t tell you when they’re hurting, so you need to keep an eye out for warning signs that they are hurt or feeling unwell and potentially need professional care. How can you tell when your pet needs to see a vet, or worse, needs emergency care? 

Here are some of the warning signs that indicate it’s time to take your pet to see a vet. Your vet will know your pet best, so when you take them to their routine check-ups, you’ll want to have a conversation with them about the particular needs and risk factors and conditions that your furry friend has. 

When Your Pet Needs To See A Vet

There are some things that make you wonder if your pet needs to see a vet or if they’re not really a problem, such as bad breath. It’s always good to go with your gut. If you suspect your pet needs to see a vet, it’s always best to be safe and have it be nothing rather than miss a serious issue and be sorry and have to worry about medical issues later. 

Here are some of the top issues that you should take your pet into the vet’s office for as soon as you notice them. 

• Infections: Eye, ear, yeast. For these, you’ll need to see a vet in-office. They’ll give your vet a type of antibiotic given to treat the infection, which will depend on what type of bacteria is causing it (just like in humans).
• Lumps. These could be nothing, or they could be an indicator of more serious underlying problems, such as cancer.
• Bites, such as from getting into a fight with another animal, will need to be checked in office.
• If they vomit/have diarrhea, you’ll need to have them get checked after 3 days and watch for dehydration.
• Eye appearance – red or cloudy eyes or unusual discharge can be signs or injury or infection or allergies or diseases. If one eye is affected, this could indicate infection or injury. If both are, this could be allergies or other health problems. 
• Abnormal thirst. Sometimes, your pet will drink more than usual due to simple heat or from having exercised. However, if this lasts longer than a day, it could be a sign of diabetes or kidney diseases. 
• Change in eating habits. Either not eating or being unusually hungry are both signs that there could be an underlying health issue and that your pet needs to see a vet. 
• Changes in breathing – panting after physical exertion is normal. Continuous panting is not, and a sure sign your pet needs to see a vet.
• Bad patches or tufts of loose fur can be signs of fleas, ticks, thyroid disease, and other such problems that will need a diagnosis to uncover the cause of and obtain treatment for. 
• They seem more tired than usual or listless, which can be signs of disease, pain, infections, and more.
• Visible signs of pain such as whining are sure signs your pet needs to see a vet as soon as possible. 
• They have a cough that lasts for over a day which can result from any number of factors, from infection to defects in the larynx.
• Noticeable changes in behavior are among the easiest signs to recognize that your pet needs to see a vet, as there could be a medical reason for this. 
• Scooting may be a silly trick in some cases, but in others, it can indicate bowel movement issues, anal gland problems, worms, and urinary tract infections. 

There are a plethora of other instances where your pet will need to see a vet. If you’re ever uncertain, it’s always a good idea to either give your vet a call or take your pet into the office to have them checked out. 

Signs Of Emergencies

If your pet is exhibiting any of the following symptoms, the answer to ‘does my pet need to see a vet?’ is an instantaneous yes, and you absolutely need to contact your vet immediately or take them into emergency care.

• Open wounds
• Bleeding from the eyes, nose or mouth
• Potential poisoning
• A hard and swollen abdomen
• An inability to pee
• Being unable to stand
• Eating toxins, such as chocolate for dogs
• Seizures
• Traumas, such as from getting hit by a car or falling
• Pale gums
• Attempting to vomit without anything coming up 
• Unconsciousness or stopped breathing
• Disorientation
• Inability to deliver puppies
• Sudden collapse
• Labored breathing
• Vomiting blood
• Sudden shaking or whining 

Does Your Pet Need To See A Vet?

Skyline Animal Hospital offers professional veterinary services to keep your furbaby in the best possible health. If you’re wondering if your pet needs to see a vet, please contact us or bring them in. We will help you uncover the cause of your pet’s abnormal behavior and treat it to get them back to their normal selves as soon as possible.