Lost your pet?
This can happen to anyone, including you! No matter how careful you are, your pet may just stray, run, or slowly walk away from home..and then what?? Panic sets in, wild thoughts of your pet being lost forever, getting hit by a car, moving in with another family with better treats.. enter your mind. So how can you prevent this and what should you do if the unfortunate happens to you? The first step in prevention is to pet proof your home and surroundings to prevent the possibility of escape.
Remember, as good as your pet has it at your home, they are still animals and sometimes they don’t read the book and think the grass may be greener, or they might just be chasing a squirrel (especially relevant to Jack Russel owners~;) Make sure your male dogs are neutered to prevent that female hypnotic scent that causes many males to stray and usually the only target they hit is a moving car. Keep a name tag with your CURRENT phone number on it, or even the Rabies tag that you have been provided can be used to contact your fantastic PetFixer Veterinaian (shameless plug) who can get in touch with you. Keep your pet on a leash, or keep your yard secure with a physical fence that you check regularly for any defects or an electric fence making sure the batteries in the electric collar are checked and changed regularly.
Consider a microchip which is a permanent identification for your pet just in case the collar was not on or the tag was lost, this is a good means of identification. Keep in mind this is not a Lo Jack and whom ever finds your pet must take the pet to the vet or animal shelter to have the microchip scanned. If you do loose your pet call and physically check all local veterinary clinics, shelters, and animal humane and animal control facilities everyday! They may have websites with pictures but do not depend on this as an updated source.
The pet in the picture was found by a very kind gentleman who stopped traffic to prevent him from getting hit by a car. He was just a passerby, so he went into a local neighborhood where the dog was found and asked around to find my kind hearted client who took him into her home for safe keeping. She called The Pet Fixer over because she was concerned about a limp that the dog had and she wanted him scanned for a microchip. Well on the way to her house, there was a sign outside the subdivision next to hers with a very familiar picture. That brings me to my next point, signage and mass communication even through the Internet is an excellent means of communicating a lost or found pet.
There are many websites dedicated to lost and found pets, the shelters have websites and pictures of lost or found pets. Once the number on the sign was dialed, the owner was over to retrieve his lost pet in a matter of minutes! What a great reunion. This pet was getting older and had lost his way. Be mindful of older pets as they loose their sight, hearing, or even suffer from dementia, all of which can cause a dog in familiar surrounding to become disoriented. We must adapt to the needs of our geriatric pets and be mindful that what used to be the normal is now a bit abnormal. The worst thing that can happen to a geriatric pet who may have compromised sight or hearing is a change of environment.
I hope you never loose your pet, but if you do, I hope I have helped to prepare you to get him or her home safely!
Good Luck
Dr. Dani