Urgent Healthcare for Your Pet

    How many people have pets? I know I do. Are you prepared for your pets emergency healthcare? I know I'm am, but I was not prepared for an emergency until earlier today. I have three adorable cats and one very loyal dog. My first cat, Java,  I acquired when she jumped into my arms and attempted to climb into my shirt for warmth during thirty degree weather. She happened to come across me in the middle of a gang fight. My second cat, Lucifer, was given to me by my girlfriend. My third cat, Sade,  I found in the gutter during freezing rain. My dog, Hero, was brought over by my girlfriend. Needless to say I love all my pets and treat them as family and not pets. They are my friends and I am proud to have them in my family. That being said I would do anything to keep them healthy. So how prepared are you for your pets medical needs? I was sorely unprepared for the recent emergency that affected my family.
    I may have been brainwashed by society into getting my pets fixed but that's about all the vet experience that they have had. They have never been sick or needed special attention. So when my cat Lucifer gave signs of a UTI, urinary tract infection, I immediately jumped on the internet and started research. If you are fortunate enough to have a vet friend then you could skip the hours of mindless bland information that appears on the internet. If you don't have a vet friend then good luck sifting through all the information to find possible answers for your pets sudden illness.
    Within two minutes of online research I was frightened that the term "fatal" occurred frequently. How can this happen? My beloved friend and family member was going to the doctor immediately. By immediately I meant the next afternoon when I got off work. Or could it not wait that long? This is the main point that I am getting at. How many people know where the local animal emergency center is? How many people know a twenty-four hour vet? How many people know where to get fast food after midnight? If you are like me, you could only answer one of those questions and it has nothing to do with your beloved friend and pet.
    Right now even though your pet may be healthy and happy, you still need to know where to take them in case of an emergency. I live in Memphis where emergency pet centers and twenty-four hour vets are not common. Most of the vets located in Memphis do not have a website or an answering machine to give you any information on hours or prices. Of course you can never put a price on your pets health but you only have limited funds to work with. I just left my local vet's office and spent right over one hundred dollars for medicine to clear up Lucifer's UTI. But if it came down to it I would sell everything I have for his health. After I heard his painful cry meow I knew I would do everything in my power to give him the care he deserves.
    So now I ask you and all other pet owners to find your local animal emergency center and twenty-four hour vet and save their number into your phone. I currently have every auto parts store within five miles programmed into my phone. I can make room for some new important numbers. I guess it just never crossed my mind to put these numbers into my phone. That may sound immature and unprepared but I guess I was. There is no excuse for not being prepared for an emergency. Technically a UTI is not a huge emergency to most people, but my friend and pet being uncomfortable and in pain IS an emergency to me. (So why didn't I call in to work instead of taking him to the vet after work? I make cash everyday and needed to make some money to pay the vet.)
    Please consider this article when thinking of your own pets. Fear for the worst but always be prepared for it. That means owning a pet carrier too. I almost threw mine away last summer because I never needed it. Find a vet you trust and feel comfortable with. Keep in touch with the vet every six months to check on changing hours or just to say how much you appreciate them being there.