Excellent article on pet care (“Plan ahead for your pet” March 4 issue of the Pathfinder) if the owner dies or is otherwise incapacitated. The article should apply to all pet owners, not just the elderly.
Additional considerations:
• I always carry a small laminated card on me and will permanently attach one to my canine kid’s halter that gives the name and phone number of where she is to go if something happens to me. Plus I’ll update that card with contact information of the person who will be responsible for getting her there. One is on my person and one is in my vehicle kept next to her leash. When I am home one is hanging on my outside doorknob if emergency personal are needed at my home.
I will be adding to the laminated cards and placing a large patch on her halter that her hearing is almost 90% gone, she is basically deaf. I’ll also be including that she has a breathing condition and that her lower back and a rear leg are weakened (though we still get out every day for a three mile or so hike and her energy is still quite high).
• I also am outlining her feeding regime: what she eats, when she eats and how her food is put together since she eats raw meat twice a day with kibble, and has supplements.
• I’ll add her behavior quirks and characteristics.
• I also am outlining her medical and health considerations with explicit instructions to maintain her care with the same veterinarian and vet clinic, where she has been cared for since a puppy. These outlines will be in a notebook kept in a prominent place in my home, plus sent to the person who will be assuming care for her.
Yes, our canine and feline kids and other critters, are our responsibility.
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