Recently we had the opportunity to interview Lori, a pet expert, and writer who has extensive knowledge of pet care and well-being. Besides, Lori is a pet advocate and an animal lover who supports animal rescue and pet re-homing programs. She also wrote several quality content pieces on pet care, where she shared many crucial angles for a pet’s healthy and comfortable life. We approached her for an interview, and she agreed to share her incredible journey with her pet Lizzy. Lori has an astonishing adoption story with Lizzy. While giving a sneak-peak into Lizzy’s daily life, she shared how two reliable vets helped her save Lizzy from an emergency. The Interview with Lori is the narrative of a great bond between a pet owner, a pet, and the veterinarians. In the interview, Lori has also shared many real experiences with her pet and expert comments that can guide many pet parents.
Q: How did your pet(s) become part of your family?
A: When my partner Allen and I moved to our new home, we just looked into the vast backyard in the new home & we decided to adopt a pet. Initially, we were in a dilemma about what kind of pet we should adopt.
There was an opinion difference between my partner and me regarding choosing pet types. I am more of a cat person & Allen is far away affectionate towards dogs.
After going through different articles, discussing with our friends who already are pet parents, and doing lots of discussions, we concluded that we would adopt a pup. And Allen was quite enthusiastic about it, and we initiated searching online for a puppy.
Allen & I both are affectionate towards animals; while we were searching for our pet, we got to know about Lizzy. She was in a rescue center in Pennsylvania, as she was abandoned & had difficult circumstances.
When we saw Lizzy, we knew she was the one we were looking for, and we felt that she needed more care & love. Without any further delay, we did all the documentation work and & brought her to our home. Now she is the most pampered member of our family.
Q: How many pets do you have, and what are their names?
A: We now have one pet, one dog named Lizzy. However, we are planning to adopt another pup; the search is in process.
Q: What does a typical day with your pets look like?
A: Our typical days with the pet are fun, but we follow a routine to ensure Lizzy stays healthy & well-mannered. Things are smooth with her.
Lizzy’s day starts at 7 AM. After waking up, we take her outside for a stroll & after that, it’s her potty time. Her training on using the toilet is going on. On some days, going to the potty & taking the stroll are combined with a 30 minutes frame.
We have a habit of sneaking in 5 to 10 minutes of training in the morning once we come back from walking. Training sessions are usually short, & someday we just squeeze it in according to our work timing.
After training, it’s breakfast time & then by 9:30, she settles for the day. If we are off to work, it’s her nap time after that & when we are around, she will follow us everywhere!
From 12:00 PM-5:00 PM, it’s mostly nap time, lunchtime, walking around, or looking out the window most of the time. Whenever we are at home, exercise is included, or it’s cuddle time!
From 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, it’s all about dinner and extensive playtime. We ensure that she really plays and burns off some of that pent-up energy. After 7:00, it’s family time. We really spend quality family time, she either jumps off the couch or watches TV with us, or we just cuddle. In between, we brush her teeth or groom her.
The schedule is also the same on the weekend; only regular check-ups are included. We have set a calendar to visit the vet periodically to ensure things are all okay with Lizzy. Besides, sometimes we take her for some hiking on the weekend.
Lizzy is such an affectionate pet; she is friendly & jolly most of the time. Whenever we come home, she will wag tail or whine or bark.
Q: What do you feed your pets?
A: We feed Lizzy Beneful Healthy Weight. Usually, we focus on providing her with a pure kibble diet. But sometimes we mix it up with some cooked or raw meat or fish with brown rice or white rice.
We don’t share our snacks with her, particularly chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, macadamia nuts, bread dough, or gum or candy.
Q: What are your pet’s favorite treats?
A: Lizzy’s favorite treat is Nutro Crunchy Treats.
But she also loves raw or cooked turkey, chicken neck & raw bones, baked chicken liver and heart, bone broth, and bone marrow.
Q: What is your one favorite thing about your pet?
A: Lizy is an affectionate cuddle-bug & stress reliever. When I’m in a high-stress situation, and I cuddle her, all stress is gone!! And I’ve not seen her misbehaving with anyone; she’s friendly with everyone.
And when she is in the crowd, she stays on her best behavior. She is expressive, outgoing & friendly. We adopted Lizzy when she was tiny; initially, she was afraid, but soon she just became a family.
Q: Can you give us a pic of your pet? If you give us permission, we would like to include the pic on our website for all our viewers
A: Yes, definitely! There are multiple. You just name it what type of picture is required. My phone is just selfies & cute moments of Lizzy! Lol.
Yes, sure, you can do that.
Q: If your pet gets hurt, what do you do? Do you contact your vet immediately or first try to address the injury yourself?
A: We keep our vet’s number handy for any unforeseen emergency. We contact our vet immediately to ensure that no further significant damage happens!
However, to understand the seriousness of the injury, we examine it by ourselves initially. And then, all we do is to reach the vet’s clinic as early as possible.
Q: Do you have a dedicated vet? If so, why did you choose this particular one?
A: Yes. We have a dedicated vet, and she has been with us since we moved to this place. The primary reason behind choosing her is that we can reach the clinic in a short duration in case of emergency as her clinic is nearby.
Besides the most crucial reason, her treating philosophy & understanding of our pet. Lizzy is comfortable with her.
We often have brief discussions with Jenna about the pet’s wellness and diseases prevention ways. Most of the time, we are on the same page. Also, her clinic is well equipped & the staff is quite friendly. The clinic premises are clean & hygienic. We found this vet through my colleague’s referral.
No, she does not cater to all our needs, but most of the requirements are covered. And she also offers her recommendation when a particular need arises regarding our pet’s health.
Q: Do you have a ‘backup vet’ in case your primary one is not available?
A: Yes, we do have one. Jenna, our primary vet, refers to the other vet. His clinic is also nearby. Just like Jenna, our pet gets along with him well, so the treatment process becomes more effortless.
He has long years of experience in vet emergency care. Besides, other specialists who are there in that clinic are also easygoing. So overall, yeah, we have two options!
Q: How many vets have you had throughout your pet ownership?
A: We changed vets when we moved from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. Now, after coming to Tennessee, we have found a vet.
After finding Jenna’s clinic, we found Marquis’s clinic through Jenna’s referral around four/five months later. To date, they are out vets.
However, when we are frequently on the road, we sometimes have to visit a vet in a strange city. We leverage online discovery platforms in such cities to find a nearby vet.
Q: Do you have a regularly scheduled check-up/care routine? Or do you schedule appointments on an ‘as-needed’ basis?
A: We follow a pre-decided regular check-up schedule. However, sometimes we have to also go with an ‘as-needed’ basis, particularly when we are on the road.
Q: Have you ever needed emergency services for your pet?
A: Yes, once since we have adopted Lizzy. It was when Lizzy ingested some poison from a bait trap. We immediately rushed to the clinic when Lizzy ingested poison.
Q: If so, were the emergency services performed by your primary vet or somewhere else, like a pet hospital?
A: They performed the emergency service in the clinic. I must add that the clinic is well-equipped to deal with the medical emergency of any pet. Besides, they have in-house X-ray and blood test laboratory facilities.
Q: How do you schedule your appointments? Phone call, online, other?
A: We schedule our appointments through phone calls. However, the very first time when we came to know about Jenna’s clinic through my colleague’s referral, Allen booked the appointment online, as she was scrolling through the website to dig more details about the clinic.
Q: If you could improve something about scheduling appointments with your vet, what would it be?
A: Over the phone, things are pretty smooth, like you can directly communicate. But while we were making an online booking, we were unsure about many things like the additional solution the vet could offer.
So while scheduling online appointments, it’ll be excellent to have a filter for the option, ‘talk to an executive,’ to get assistance from any customer support executives to give a brief about the respective vet.
Website content is good, but when you communicate with a person, it becomes clear in your mind the questions you should ask during your visit to the clinic or whether you should schedule a tour or not.
Q: Can you share a story of how your veterinarian went above and beyond to care for you and your pet(s)?
A: Lizzy accidentally ingested some poison from a bait trap, and the veterinarian arranged to open the office on a Sunday and meet us to ensure immediate treatment. They kept her in the clinic for a few days and were very attentive. She fully recovered.
When the emergency situation arose on that day, we immediately contacted Jenna, but she was out of town, but he gave us Marquis’ number. We called him and briefed him about the situation. We are so glad that even though it was Sunday, he went to the clinic & saved Lizzy.
Q: Can you share a story of how your veterinarian came up short in caring for you and your pets?
A: Like mentioned, Marquis opened the clinic on Sunday & ensured that Lizzy got immediate treatment. We panicked; Jenna was the one who gave us morale-boosting, which was indeed the need of the hour at that time.
And now we know we have two vets whom we can rely on for our pet’s wellbeing. Besides, whenever we visit their clinic, we get extensive knowledge on pet care, which is a bonus.