It’s official. Zima is two years old — give or take a few weeks. Of course this means she is in her terrible twos. So of course she has turned into a little troublemaker.
Among other things, she loves to play with anything shiny. She also loves to play with pens, pencils or just about anything else she can get her little paws on — especially while you are using it. On Sunday morning, she was trying to play with an old paintbrush. Of course I wasn’t about to let her do that. Unfortunately, my hand was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So instead of biting the paint brush, she bit my finger!
For the record, it did not break the skin. But boy did it hurt. So under the circumstances, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t end up at the emergency room…. and she didn’t end up at the vet.
Vets seeing lots of pets during COVID-19 pandemic
Apparently lots of pets are ending up at the vet these days. Experts say this is happening for two reasons.
First, pet parents are spending more time at home because of COVID-19 restrictions. This means they are spending more time with their pets. This also means they are more likely to notice when something about their pet or its behavior doesn’t seem quite right.
Secondly with the change in routine, pets are finding more ways to get into mischief. Veterinarians say some pets are getting hurt while they’re playing and some are getting hurt while they’re fighting.
Fluffy and Fido are stressed, too
Yes, our pets are stressed, too. And while some of them are taking it out on each other, some are taking it out on us.
Randy Cross is both the medical director and a neurologist at VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center. As he recently told USA Today:
“There is anxiety in animals because you are changing their entire schedule and environment. They’re used to you going to work and you being away and not being there, but now they’re sharing (the house) all day.”
That can disrupt their sleep patterns and cause unusual behavior. In some cases, our pets will make their displeasure known by ignoring the litter box or misbehaving in other ways.
Adapting to vet visits during life in lockdown
As we all know, taking our pets to the vet is seldom easy and never fun — for us or them. Given the circumstances it was probably even tougher than usual in the last couple of months. With lockdown and social distancing in place, veterinarians have resorted to remote consultations and curbside car visits. They have also been forced to separate pets and owners during exams or treatment.
At some practices, owners are asked to bring their animals to a certain point, where someone on staff comes to take the pet inside. After the examination, the veterinarian will call the owner, , who stays in their car, to discuss any treatment warranted.
“The biggest change and disappointment in some ways is our lack of interaction with the clients,” said Cross. “We still get the patient interaction, but it’s amazing we forget just how much personal interaction occurs by seeing someone and watching them.”
Hopefully the restrictions will be lifted soon, and life for pets and their human companions will return to some semblance of normalcy. Not for nothing, but Zima’s due for a checkup next month! In the meantime, I sure hope she stays out of trouble.
In Brief Legal Writing Services 