Fear and Anxiety

This is the time of year dogs and other animals really experience fear and anxiety. Thunder and lightning are not an animal’s best friend. Many of our animals exhibit fear during storms. There are medications that can help your animal with this fear. They work best when give prior to the storms. They work even better when behavior modifications are also incorporated.   

Fireworks, on any occasion, but especially with July 4^th coming up, are a time to be prepared with medications to help your pet. There is also a very important need to have a form of identification for your pet (microchips, collars with tags, tattoos, etc.) that assists in getting your pet back to you should they run away in fear. Also, people need to realize that not all animals are “dumped” this time of year. Some run away in fear. So, just because you find a pet that appears a little “unkempt”, they may have been missing for a period of time. Please have them scanned for a microchip. Animals can also escape the vehicle during wrecks or at a gas station, so please realize the pet may be someone’s beloved family pet that went missing. 

Separation anxiety is observed very frequently during the summer. People are outside enjoying the weather, sports, cutting grass, gardening, etc. Their pets cannot always be with them. They also may go on vacation, which may result in boarding, a pet sitter, or taking them with you to a new place. All of these can result in anxiety and fear for our pets. Pay attention to your pet during these events. If they exhibit fear or anxiety there are things that can help them. 

There are also pets that are very fearful of coming to the veterinary office. Many people have embraced providing support with medication for their animals. However, there is still some stigma around addressing these anxieties and fears with medications. 

For humans, if you have a fear of getting into an MRI machine, your doctor will provide you with meds to help you deal with this. As a human you have the ability of having someone discuss the procedure with you, tell you what is happening at each stage, and you can ask questions as well. 

Our patients do not have this advantage. There are ways we can help them. I hope to one day erase the stigma of “just drugging your pet” to realizing that fear and anxiety are true medical problems for some of our patients. Please be willing to help them. If we ask you to give your pet medications before their visit it is to help calm them and keep everyone safe.   

Comer Vet Holiday Hours:

• Friday, July 3: Closing at 1 p.m.

• Saturday, July 4: Closed

It’s Exotic Pet Wellness Month at Comer Vet!

July 1 through 31, bring your exotic pets in for a BOGO special: Buy one exotic wellness exam, get one half-off! This means you can bring your bunnies, cavies, birds, rodents, reptiles, and amphibians to Comer Vet for their yearly check-up exams and SAVE. The special is good to mix-and-match species, for example, if you have both a rabbit and a ball python that need their annual wellness visit.

A wellness exam is similar to yearly physicals for humans. It allows our vet team to do an overall health check on your pet to establish a baseline for vital signs, weight, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. With our exotic patients, this is also a great time for Dr. Russell to check in with you about husbandry, habitats, and other specialty areas of concern.

Please note the BOGO special is for the exam fee only during a wellness visit! Sick visits, recheck exams, emergencies, diagnostic testing, medications, vaccinations, and all other procedures are not included in this special. The Comer Vet team is happy to provide estimates before your appointment!

Don’t Forget About These Ongoing Savings!

Meet the Staff: Cori, vet assistant

there with her border collie, Echo, who tags along with her as many places as he can. His cat siblings are more likely to stay home, though! And in winter, catch her ice skating at the public rink in downtown Athens.

She’s been a huge asset to the Comer Vet team, and we are grateful for her sweet spirit and her cat-whisperer nature. 

This month on the Comer Vet Blog …

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