Meet our new Affiliate – Ask a Cat Vet!
Many of you know that my moewmy is a big “advoCAT” for pro-active pet care and pet insurance!
Today we are excited to announce that we have partnered with Ask a Vet – and you will be able to connect with a vet right here on our blog!
When you adopt a pet, there are several things you have to consider and chief among them are managing their health care and how will you pay for it.
Most important to start is managing their health care. Depending on several factors, you may or may not have a designated vet when you actually adopt a pet.
Perhaps you grew up with pets and you still live in the neighborhood, then you already have a family vet. But more likely you moved away to college and perhaps live there or someplace else with your first job, and you just adopted your first cat or dog.
Now what do you do? You find a local vet in your area who has reputable reviews, or recommendations from friends with pets in the area. We strongly encourage that all pet owners have a designated vet and schedule regular vet visits 1-2 times a year.
So why Ask a Vet? How can they help me with my pets?
Convenience – pet parents have general questions about their pets all the time and may want a quick answer online within minutes without having to contact their vet, especially if it’s a question of whether they should be worried about it or not.
You can speak with a vet online within minutes who can provide advice for the situation and guide you accordingly – whether it’s saying the pet needs immediate medical attention or if there’s an alternative solution.
Maybe you just adopted your first pet – and you don’t have a vet yet, and your new kitten or puppy is experiencing certain symptoms…who can you talk to right away?
Also pet owners who’ve never owned a pet before have a ton of questions just in general! Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to call and get those questions answered!
Even if you have a vet, it doesn’t always make sense to be calling your vet non-stop with non life-threatening matters, and many times people just need the reassurance that they’re doing the right thing for their pet.
Heaven forbid, your pet has gotten into a fight with another animal, and he has a wound, it would be helpful to ask a vet if this injury is serious enough to go to an emergency animal hospital immediately or can it wait for the next day to see your regular vet.
You have a family vet, but it’s the weekend and they are closed…And you think your pet just ate something harmful, it would be great if you could call a vet and get some direction if your pet needs to go the emergency clinic immediately or perhaps not - ultimately saving you hundreds of dollars from a unnecessary emergency vet visit.
You are thinking about adopting a pet and want to ask a vet about a certain breed‘s behavior and their health challenges. Searching the internet can be sometimes frustrating, so it would be great to speak with a vet and get some direct answers.
Money – vets charge for every visit which can be quite expensive for some people, and which doesn’t include costs of vaccines, medications or any other procedures that may need to be done. For example, our vet charges $75 just to be seen so vet bills can rack up quickly, and it can be financially hard for those who don’t have a lot of disposable income every month.
Second Opinion – pet parents’ might not agree with something their veterinarian suggests/says, and may want a second opinion on a diagnosis, general question/concern, etc. Meowmy says 2nd opinions are always important to get when confronted with any major issue with your pet involving surgery, heavy drugs, etc.
Contact Free – with the seemingly never-ending pandemic, more and more people have embraced the idea of online professional help due to concerns for their health or loved ones, strict protocols causing inconvenience, social anxiety when speaking on the phone, and many others. Pet parents can enjoy the comfort of speaking with a vet online via chat from the comfort of their own home.
Education – today pet parents are educating themselves on a particular subject or issue more than ever. Millennials are the most active generation in doing their pet research and vets tell us that they come armed to their vet appointments with strong opinions as to how they want their pets to be cared for. With Ask a Vet, they can now speak to a licensed veterinarian about whichever topic they want further info on rather than bothering their own vet when it isn’t a life-threatening situation.
It can be as simple as a behavioral or training type of question and they are searching for some guidance and direction.
Whether you have a family vet or you don’t, there are many times in a pet’s life when you would want to know that you have a source to go to with answers and suggestions to your many questions.
Knowing about Ask a Vet – is like having an expert in your back pocket. They are there when you need them!