Waiting Room Etiquette for Dogs & Cats

At our Veterinary Hospital there is usually a hustle and bustle of activity, especially the waiting room. There is either a patient coming in for an appointment, or a patient being checked out from an appointment, or a client buying food, or a client here to ask questions. Whatever the reason, the waiting room is usually busy.

Here are few simple tips to help your trip to the Lomsnes Veterinary Hospital a little easier:

• Have your dog on a leash. Even if you have a well behaved friendly dog, it doesn’t guarantee every pet in the waiting room will be. There can be aggressive dogs, stressed out cats, sick pets, and even scared exotic animals all in the waiting room.
• Your dog should be controlled on a short leash and close to you. You will have more control of your pet this way and won’t risk your pet running up to a potentially aggressive dog or tripping someone with the long leash. This also helps us when we are trying to weigh your dog.
• Always bring your cat in a carrier and place the carrier on top of the counter. Cats feel safe on higher ground than on the floor. As relaxed and easy going as your cat may be, once they walk into the waiting room and there is a large dog staring at them, you may rethink your cat sitting on your shoulder as the best idea. Even if your cat is on a harness and leash, they don’t want to come face to face with a dog. Cats will look for the quickest escape route, which unfortunately is the front door, right out into the busy parking lot and the busy road.
• Even though it is a veterinary clinic, not every person is comfortable around all types of pets. Take this into consideration when you are in the waiting room with other people, especially children. Someone with a cat in a carrier might be nervous of your dog. We can’t always help what pets are in the waiting room at any given time, however, a safe and friendly area for both 2 legged and 4 legged visitors is our goal. You never know what animal or creature you might meet at Lomsnes Veterinary Hospital.

At our Vet Hospital we want all our clients and patients to feel welcome and have a stress free visit so everyone can enjoy the entire occasion.

Written by Alicia, Receptionist