Category: Dogs

Posted on by

5 Reasons Your Dog Needs Mental Stimulation – And What to Do

We all need mental and physical stimulation, whether that be going to work every day, going for a morning run, or doing mind teasers on Saturday mornings. As human beings, we require engaging and interactive stimulation to prevent our minds and bodies from becoming stiff and old as we age.

This same principle applies to dogs, emotional support animals in particular. Emotional support animals are not service dogs, who have been trained in certain working and medical tasks to assist their owners, but rather provide solace and comfort in emotionally difficult times or help with anxiety and depression.

Let’s get into why dogs need mental stimulation and how to provide that for them!

Reason #1: Emotional Distraction and Release

Although we may not see the strain placed on emotional support animals and dogs, there is a stress that they can receive from being in tune with their owner’s emotions. Emotional support animals, like all dogs, can sense sadness and stress in their owners and provide love and affection.

Just as humans do engaging activities to take their minds off of stress and anxiety, emotional support dogs need that too. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities can help distract and remove any type of stress in their lives.

Research has shown that mental stimulation can fend off anxiety and depression in dogs, thus can help your emotional support animal release the stress it might remove from you.

Dogs who are working breeds, like shepherds and hounds, tend to need more of this type of mental stimulation than lapdogs or lazy pups.

Setting up agility courses or taking your dog to a park or dog park can help release physical tension and engage the mind of your emotional support animal.

Agility courses and dog parks provide obstacles that require your dog to think critically and plan a course of action. This form of thinking is a great way to mentally engage your dog and stimulate their minds.

Reason #2: Get Rid of Boredom

Emotional support animals and dogs tend to get very bored, very fast. Since dogs are active creatures, especially big dogs, they need something to do to wear them out during the day.

If you leave your dog or emotional support animal at home during the day by themselves, you might sometimes come home and see a wild mess of torn curtains, broken vases, or shredded couch cushions and a very guilty-looking dog.

This often happens when your dog or emotional support animal is getting restless and bored. You can help get rid of their boredom by providing mental stimulation during the day, even if you are not home to provide it.

Dogs are intelligent animals, so they know how to entertain themselves. Sometimes, the curtains or couch cushions are what they have to entertain themselves. This type of play does not always provide the mental stimulation they need and there is no doubt that you would not like to buy new curtains once a month.

Getting rid of this boredom is as simple as getting toys that help to stimulate the mind of your dog or emotional support animal. Toys that are interactive or physical are great ways for your dog to get physical exercise during the day and get some critical thinking in.

Food puzzles, where your dog has to work to get the treat or food are fantastic methods of mental stimulation and force your dog to think spatially and critically.

Reason #3: Brain Workouts

Exercise your emotional support animal's brain

Just like mind teasers for humans that are designed to prevent the aging of the mind, increase neuroplasticity, and form new neural pathways, a brain workout is a great way for your dog or emotional support animal to slow the aging of their brain and stimulate their gray matter.

Dogs and emotional support animals cannot do the same types of mind teasers that humans do, like sudoku and Rubix cubes, but they can do the “dog version” of those mental workouts.

If your dog is a hunting or working breed that has a powerful nose, try playing hide and seek with them! Go into a room and hide in a place where they cannot see you, like behind a door or curtain, and call them into the room. Have them come find you like hide and seek!

If your dog is less interested in movement and more interested in treats, play the cup game with them! Sit your dog or emotional support animal in front of a line of three cups that are not see-through. Show them that under one cup is a treat while the others are empty.

Move the cups around in the line so the cup with the treat is in a different spot and then see if your dog or emotional support animal can find the treat. It may take them a little while to fully comprehend and learn what is happening, but once they do, you will have trained them and created several critical and spatial thinking pathways in the brain!

Reason #4: Lowered Aggression and Increased Peace

If you have a dog or emotional support dog that is very standoff-ish and aggressive, they may need some mental stimulation to help stop or curve their poor behavior.

Many dogs get aggressive because they are not getting enough attention both mentally and physically. They get bored, cranky, and then aggressive. They might spend all day barking at every bird in the bushes or at the terrified mailman.

At first, the aggression might be stemming from boredom, but it can quickly turn into a personality trait if left without any treatment. If you have other animals or dogs, an emotional support animal, or young children in your household, you might want to assess your dog’s aggression and try to lower it through mental stimulation.

In the same way that a dog might tear your living room apart simply because it is bored, a dog might try to attack others. It provides them with stimulation. To decrease this behavior, give them something to work on with their mind.

Puzzles, dog parks, wrestling, tug of war, hide and seek, and interactive toys can help to stimulate your dog or emotional support animal and keep them interested. An interested dog is not bored, so the aggressive behavior may decrease.

If your dog is mentally stimulated frequently but is still exhibiting aggressive and poor behavior, you might want to take them to the vet to check to make sure that there is not anything physically wrong with them, like an injury or illness, that is making them lash out.

Make sure that you are not rewarding aggressive and poor behavior, as that will train them into aggressive animals. It can be very hard to have an emotional support animal that is aggressive because the dog has to be able to be around others and in different environments without barking or attacking other dogs or human beings.

Reason #5: Emotional Bonding

Emotionally bond with your emotional support animal

If you can take your emotional support animal to the dog park or play with them for an hour or more each day, they are more likely to begin to create a bind with you of mutual trust.

This bond is what makes an emotional support animal what it is. The bond between an owner and their emotional support animal is strong and intense. It shows the trust and respect between the pair which is reflected by the emotional support animal supporting their owner.

This form of emotional bonding is not only for emotional support animals but is super important for rescue dogs who may have been abused or neglected in their former home. Showing them that you love them by playing with them not only increases their mental stimulation but their emotional trust of you as their owner.

They will begin to understand that you are not like the person who abused or neglected them, and an emotional bond of trust and love will be formed, not unlike the bond between an emotional support animal and their owner.

The same emotional bond is crucial to make if you adopt a puppy. Puppies need to understand love and affection from a young age so that they are not aggressive later in life. If a puppy is no longer living in the same location as it’s mother, it will need the care and love that she used to supply it.

Similar to creating an emotional bond with an abused/neglected rescue dog or with an emotional support dog, playing with your puppy will form a bond that instills a feeling of trust and love in the puppy.

When emotional bonds like these are created in puppies, they often become emotional support animals to their owner. Whether or not they are officially certified as emotional support animals, they still provide the same affectionate love.

Overall, you should make sure that your dog is getting plenty of playtime with you and on their own to help slow aging, build trust, increase mental sharpness, and keep your dog healthy! Make sure that their toys and games are challenging for them and increase the difficulty of puzzles as they get good at them!

Posted on by

How to Teach Your Dog to Come

Teaching your service dog or emotional support animal to come when called is essential to the training process. If you want to have any type of control while you are in or out of your house, you must start teaching your dog to come when called as soon as you bring them home.

To teach your service dog to come when called they will need to know the sit command first. Once they are well versed with “sit” you can move onto “come”. You will need a few supplies. A long training, leash, some toys and treats, a pet cot or bed, and some patience will get you well on your way!

Whether your dog is a brand new puppy or a full grown adult, you must approach the training with the same mindset: Consistency is key!

Step One:

Put the long training leash on your service dog. Grab a handful of treats let them get a good sniff. They should be very excited about these treats. Tell your dog to sit. Once they get into a sit, jump backward, leaning slightly forward towards them. Keep the treats at their nose level. As you move tell them to come in a very enthusiastic tone. Your service dog should be inclined to move towards you for a couple of reasons: the treat you are holding, and the movement. Dogs are very drawn to movement. This will be a big part of teaching them to come. Being bent forward is a very inviting position for dogs. This will encourage them to move to you as well.

Once your emotional support animal or service dog gets to you, reward right away. Make sure you don’t reward them if they are jumping on you or distracted. They should be looking at you expecting their reward.

Repeat this process with every meal you feed your service dog for about a week. You are building drive and focus on you so when you tell your dog to come, they are excited to do it.

Step Two

Pair ESA dog training with the command stay

Teaching your emotional support animal or service dog to come when called will pair well with teaching them to stay. Use a designated spot like a pet cot. The cots are elevated and will actually help your dog focus better. A bed will work as well. Your service dog needs to have a designated perimeter so they understand where they need to stay until you tell them to come.

Start by showing your service dog their spot. Lure them onto it with treats if needed. Do not force them onto it. Once they understand this is a nice place for them you can start actively using it for training.

When you’re ready to get to work, have treats handy but try not to let them know it. Put them on their spot and tell them to stay. When you tell your service dog to stay, stand up straight. Put your hand out like a stop sign and firmly use the “stay” command. Take one step back. Do not repeat your command. It is likely your dog will jump right off and come to you before you call them. It will take some time and repetitions for them to actually stay put. Age and attention span will have a big effect on the number of repetitions you must do. Once they are staying, start to build on the “come” command. Enthusiastically call them to you and put them into a sit when they get there. Reward them while they are in the sitting position.

While you are working on this, make sure you pause for a moment before you call them. If you step back and immediately call them, they may not be understanding the “stay” part of the command. Try to count to five before you call your dog. Then when you do, take a small step back as you give the command. You will be using that movement to draw your dog to you, but there needs to be a definitive pause between the two commands.

Put more distance between you as your emotional support animal gets better with the command. Once you are moving further away, you should be able to turn your back to walk away. A lot of people will put their hand out and back away slowly, displaying a lack of confidence. This will tell your dog you don’t believe in yourself and they shouldn’t either. Remember, worst case scenario, they hop off and you just calmly put them back onto their spot.

Before moving onto the next step, you should be able to walk across the room. When you call them, they should come right to you. If they are stopping short or getting distracted along the way use the long leash to bring them all the way to you. Then on your next attempt, start a little closer. Continue to practice the short come, sit sequence with their meals as well.

Step Three

Move to a patio or driveway to start teaching your emotional support animal or service dog to come when called outdoors. Remember to have their long leash on, and plenty of treats.

You will need to repeat the beginning process outside. To your service dog, this is basically starting at square one again. Use their food or treats and do the short come-sit sequence. If they are doing well with this, begin working on stay and come with their bed or pet cot.

As you progress, start making your service dog stay while you walk around. Put them on their spot and walk away, but don’t immediately call them to you. Walk in a circle around them. Your emotional support animal or service dog should be watching you the whole time. When you call them to you, they should come directly. If they stop short or get distracted, use your leash. The long leash will come in handy when you start working on longer distances. It gives a physical way to back up your commands if your service dog decides not to listen.

Remember, consistency is key! If your dog decides not to listen, or gets distracted, you must follow through on your command.

Step Four

Conduct the training in your yard

Work in your yard. Use your service dog or emotional support animal’s designated spot all around the yard. Make them stay for longer periods of time. Then repeat and make them come immediately. Switch it up to keep them engaged. You don’t want them to figure out the routine. If this happens you will both likely get bored very quickly.

If you have a fenced in space, this is a good time to drop the leash. Practice recall without any leash back up. You should still keep it on just in case they do not listen but do your best not to rely on it. Remember to take a small step back as you give the “come” command. This movement encourages your service dog to come to you.

Step Five

Start practicing come on your walks. Have your service dog or emotional support animal stop and sit on the sidewalk. Take a few steps ahead, turn around to face them, and give the “come” command. You should continue to use treats for this exercise.

When you are walking pay very close attention to your surroundings. If there is another dog on the other side of the street, practice at that time. Slowly introduce these types of distractions to build your service dog’s focus.

Step Six

Practice in public spaces. Training your dog to come doesn’t require a lot of space to work in. You can have your emotional support animal or service dog stop and sit anywhere. Take advantage of higher levels of distraction. Practice at the pet store or hardware store. Practice in parks and on the sidewalk. At this point, you should no longer be relying on the leash at all. This exercise is simply meant to reinforce the training in different places.

If you find your emotional support animal or service dog is struggling, take a step back, and practice in a less distracting environment. Moving too fast can make it more difficult for both of you.

Bringing your emotional support animal or service dog with you to public spaces is a vital part of their job. Having a solid recall is one of the most important things you can teach them before doing so. Even if you don’t intend to take your dog off of their leash, they should still know it. It could save your dog’s life if they accidentally get loose. Being able to let them off of their leash in parks and even just in your yard gives them more freedom. Being able to get them to come when called gives you peace of mind. It’s a win for everyone!

Posted on by

Why Do Dog Feet Smell Like Fritos?

Due to the global pandemic COVID-19, more and more people are choosing to do their everyday activities from home. Whether it’s working from home, working out at home to hair appointments and even veterinarian and doctor visits all from the comfort of our living rooms.

We are seeing a lot of things that people used to go out and do can actually be done while practicing social distancing at home. If you need to take your emotional support dog or your service dog or any other pets that you have to the vet but are worried about going into public places or maybe your dog gets stressed at the vet or you just can’t make your regular appointment, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of veterinarians that are offering online consultations from the comfort of your home. Online vet visits are also convenient when you have a question or are not sure whether you need to take your emotional support dog into the vet’s office or not. Online veterinarians are an awesome resource that pet lovers everywhere are embracing for their service dogs and emotional support dogs, their cats, birds, iguanas, hamsters and so on!

We’ve compiled a list of the best online vets to make sure your emotional support dog or service dog can get the very best care without leaving their treasured homes.

  1. VetLive.com: This website provides reasonably-priced veterinarian services 24/7- one of the few online veterinarians that offer 24/7 access. All vets on this site are licensed and have plenty of experience. Depending on what time you call the vet and the urgency of your request, VetLive consultations range from $16.95 to $59.95.

How to Visit: If you need to make an online appointment for your emotional support dog, the process is fairly simple at VetLive.com. Just create an account and then you can ask a question. Within minutes, you’ll be connected to a veterinarian and you’ll be able to have a live chat with them about your concerns and questions. Bonus: If the veterinarian at VetLive can’t answer your questions, your chat with them is free!

  1. Chewy.com: If you’re a pet owner you’re probably familiar with Chewy.com. While Chewy is not a vet, they do offer a pharmacy that we are big fans of. Chewy offers more than 1,000 brands of pet products and also has experts available 24/7 to help you make the best selection for your emotional support dog or service dog. The reason we love the pet pharmacy so much is because of its convenience. Simply enter your pet’s information and vet information and then you’ll receive your pet’s prescription in as fast as a day or two..straight to your door! How convenient is that?
  2. PetCoach: This website is actually powered by Petco. It’s a great resource for pet owners looking for non-urgent, free advice for their emotional support dogs or service dogs. The website features more than 400,000 articles and answers to questions asked by pet owners over the years. What’s more, the website allows you to easily search these questions and answers for your specific needs. If, for any reason, your question isn’t among the hundreds of thousands already on the site, there is an “Ask a Vet” button that will allow you to submit your own question. You’ll receive an answer from a licensed veterinarian within a day or two. If you need an immediate answer, there’s the option to pay $8 and get help immediately. There’s another option for $30 that offers a more in-depth consultation with a licensed veterinarian. This consultation is done over text messaging. There’s also a monthly subscription option for $9/month for access to all PetCoach services. The monthly membership also gives you discounts. For example, you can wash your emotional support dog at the self-wash station for $2. For non-members, the self-wash stations typically cost $14 per wash.
  3. Ask.Vet: This website connects with licensed vets for live chats on your computer or mobile device. These vets are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The vets at Ask.Vet are all licensed and have an average practice experience of 12 years. These veterinarians provide guidance, advice and education but they can’t diagnose, treat or prescribe medications. That’s important to note. So, if you’re in an emergency situation or you can tell your emotional support dog will need a consult or medicine, this website isn’t the best option for that. Ask.Vet is a good resource when you have questions and you’d rather have an immediate answer instead of waiting a day or two like some of the other websites. If you do choose to use Ask.Vet and the veterinarian thinks your service dog or other pet needs to be seen immediately, they will provide you with the three emergency animal hospitals that are closest to you. They can also give you referrals to local veterinarians that you can take your emotional support dog in to see. You are charged by session at Ask.Vet. Each session is $19.95 and will last between 15-20 minutes.
Veterinarian Services for your service dog
  1. VetTriage.com: This website allows you to get immediate assistance for your service dog or emotional support dog via video chat. These vets are available 24/7 to help diagnose your emotional support dog’s health concerns. You have the option to have a video consultation or a video chat if you just have questions that need to be answered.

How to Visit: Using your computer or mobile device, there’s a button on the website that says “Connect Now.” Then you will be prompted to enter your information. Next, you’ll be directed to PayPal to purchase your session. After you’ve entered your payment information, push the “Call” button and you be connected directly with a licensed veterinarian via your mobile device or computer camera. Then your video consult begins. Because of the video capabilities, the vet is able to see your pet on-screen and observe them. This helps them to be able to provide the most accurate plan of action for your emotional support dog.

  1. Banfield Pet Hospital Vet Chat: If you’re a pet owner, you are probably familiar with Banfield Pet Hospital, at the very least you’ve probably passed at Banfield Pet Hospital Clinic in your city. The VetChat offers one-on-one chat with a veterinarian anytime via the Banfield app. These vets are available 24/7 for advice and support. You do have to be a Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan member in order get access to the service. But, for the more than 2 million members across the U.S., Vet Chat is a quick and easy way to get a consult with a vet virtually for any concerns you may have about your emotional support dog.
  2. YourFuzzy.Com: YourFuzzy is another website that allows you to skip the trip to the vet and get your answers from the comfort of your home. YourFuzzy offers video calls for veterinary consultations for your service dog or emotional support dog. The website also provides home-delivery for medications that the vet prescribes, supplements and nutrition. YourFuzzy offers a subscription health program for pets for a fee of $45 per month. The monthly subscription includes two in-home wellness visits per year, annual feces test, annual heart work test, microchipping and registration, health records and reminders and course, the digital access to the veterinary team.

Veterinarians are turning to telemedicine to help meet the needs of their animal patients from anywhere, anytime. Some of the reasons vets use Telehealth, besides COVID-19 are:

Telemedicine for your service dog and ESA
  • Follow-up appointments after surgery
  • Behavioral issues or training
  • Patient has transportation issues
  • Hospice care
  • Determining whether a service dog or emotional support dog needs to actually go see a veterinarian and how urgently they should get there
  • Long-term care monitoring

Whether you’re looking to permanently switch to an online veterinarian or just temporarily due to the coronavirus, or maybe your regular vet isn’t open and you need access on a holiday or at any hour of the night, we hope this list will act as a useful resource guide for you to choose the best online vet for your service dog or emotional support dog.

Online vets can help you with prescriptions, a regular check-up, an emergency visit or question or simple questions about your emotional support dog’s behavior. It seems the future really is here as telemedicine continues to evolve. We all know how much anxiety a trip to the vet can cause for our beloved service dogs or emotional support dogs. Virtual visits to the vet can help ease the anxiety for both pet and pet owner. If you are using an emotional support dog or service dog it may be because your mobility is limited or perhaps you have social anxiety. A virtual visit to the vet is a perfect solution for you if that’s the case because you can enjoy quality healthcare from the comfort of your home and at the very least get your questions answered and provide you with peace of mind.

Posted on by

Best Online Veterinarians: Personal Consultations at Home

Due to the global pandemic COVID-19, more and more people are choosing to do their everyday activities from home. Whether it’s working from home, working out at home to hair appointments and even veterinarian and doctor visits all from the comfort of our living rooms.

We are seeing a lot of things that people used to go out and do can actually be done while practicing social distancing at home. If you need to take your emotional support dog or your service dog or any other pets that you have to the vet but are worried about going into public places or maybe your dog gets stressed at the vet or you just can’t make your regular appointment, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of veterinarians that are offering online consultations from the comfort of your home. Online vet visits are also convenient when you have a question or are not sure whether you need to take your emotional support dog into the vet’s office or not. Online veterinarians are an awesome resource that pet lovers everywhere are embracing for their service dogs and emotional support dogs, their cats, birds, iguanas, hamsters and so on!

We’ve compiled a list of the best online vets to make sure your emotional support dog or service dog can get the very best care without leaving their treasured homes.

  1. VetLive.com: This website provides reasonably-priced veterinarian services 24/7- one of the few online veterinarians that offer 24/7 access. All vets on this site are licensed and have plenty of experience. Depending on what time you call the vet and the urgency of your request, VetLive consultations range from $16.95 to $59.95.

How to Visit: If you need to make an online appointment for your emotional support dog, the process is fairly simple at VetLive.com. Just create an account and then you can ask a question. Within minutes, you’ll be connected to a veterinarian and you’ll be able to have a live chat with them about your concerns and questions. Bonus: If the veterinarian at VetLive can’t answer your questions, your chat with them is free!

  1. Chewy.com: If you’re a pet owner you’re probably familiar with Chewy.com. While Chewy is not a vet, they do offer a pharmacy that we are big fans of. Chewy offers more than 1,000 brands of pet products and also has experts available 24/7 to help you make the best selection for your emotional support dog or service dog. The reason we love the pet pharmacy so much is because of its convenience. Simply enter your pet’s information and vet information and then you’ll receive your pet’s prescription in as fast as a day or two..straight to your door! How convenient is that?
  2. PetCoach: This website is actually powered by Petco. It’s a great resource for pet owners looking for non-urgent, free advice for their emotional support dogs or service dogs. The website features more than 400,000 articles and answers to questions asked by pet owners over the years. What’s more, the website allows you to easily search these questions and answers for your specific needs. If, for any reason, your question isn’t among the hundreds of thousands already on the site, there is an “Ask a Vet” button that will allow you to submit your own question. You’ll receive an answer from a licensed veterinarian within a day or two. If you need an immediate answer, there’s the option to pay $8 and get help immediately. There’s another option for $30 that offers a more in-depth consultation with a licensed veterinarian. This consultation is done over text messaging. There’s also a monthly subscription option for $9/month for access to all PetCoach services. The monthly membership also gives you discounts. For example, you can wash your emotional support dog at the self-wash station for $2. For non-members, the self-wash stations typically cost $14 per wash.
  3. Ask.Vet: This website connects with licensed vets for live chats on your computer or mobile device. These vets are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The vets at Ask.Vet are all licensed and have an average practice experience of 12 years. These veterinarians provide guidance, advice and education but they can’t diagnose, treat or prescribe medications. That’s important to note. So, if you’re in an emergency situation or you can tell your emotional support dog will need a consult or medicine, this website isn’t the best option for that. Ask.Vet is a good resource when you have questions and you’d rather have an immediate answer instead of waiting a day or two like some of the other websites. If you do choose to use Ask.Vet and the veterinarian thinks your service dog or other pet needs to be seen immediately, they will provide you with the three emergency animal hospitals that are closest to you. They can also give you referrals to local veterinarians that you can take your emotional support dog in to see. You are charged by session at Ask.Vet. Each session is $19.95 and will last between 15-20 minutes.
Veterinarian Services for your service dog
  1. VetTriage.com: This website allows you to get immediate assistance for your service dog or emotional support dog via video chat. These vets are available 24/7 to help diagnose your emotional support dog’s health concerns. You have the option to have a video consultation or a video chat if you just have questions that need to be answered.

How to Visit: Using your computer or mobile device, there’s a button on the website that says “Connect Now.” Then you will be prompted to enter your information. Next, you’ll be directed to PayPal to purchase your session. After you’ve entered your payment information, push the “Call” button and you be connected directly with a licensed veterinarian via your mobile device or computer camera. Then your video consult begins. Because of the video capabilities, the vet is able to see your pet on-screen and observe them. This helps them to be able to provide the most accurate plan of action for your emotional support dog.

  1. Banfield Pet Hospital Vet Chat: If you’re a pet owner, you are probably familiar with Banfield Pet Hospital, at the very least you’ve probably passed at Banfield Pet Hospital Clinic in your city. The VetChat offers one-on-one chat with a veterinarian anytime via the Banfield app. These vets are available 24/7 for advice and support. You do have to be a Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan member in order get access to the service. But, for the more than 2 million members across the U.S., Vet Chat is a quick and easy way to get a consult with a vet virtually for any concerns you may have about your emotional support dog.
  2. YourFuzzy.Com: YourFuzzy is another website that allows you to skip the trip to the vet and get your answers from the comfort of your home. YourFuzzy offers video calls for veterinary consultations for your service dog or emotional support dog. The website also provides home-delivery for medications that the vet prescribes, supplements and nutrition. YourFuzzy offers a subscription health program for pets for a fee of $45 per month. The monthly subscription includes two in-home wellness visits per year, annual feces test, annual heart work test, microchipping and registration, health records and reminders and course, the digital access to the veterinary team.

Veterinarians are turning to telemedicine to help meet the needs of their animal patients from anywhere, anytime. Some of the reasons vets use Telehealth, besides COVID-19 are:

Telemedicine for your service dog and ESA
  • Follow-up appointments after surgery
  • Behavioral issues or training
  • Patient has transportation issues
  • Hospice care
  • Determining whether a service dog or emotional support dog needs to actually go see a veterinarian and how urgently they should get there
  • Long-term care monitoring

Whether you’re looking to permanently switch to an online veterinarian or just temporarily due to the coronavirus, or maybe your regular vet isn’t open and you need access on a holiday or at any hour of the night, we hope this list will act as a useful resource guide for you to choose the best online vet for your service dog or emotional support dog.

Online vets can help you with prescriptions, a regular check-up, an emergency visit or question or simple questions about your emotional support dog’s behavior. It seems the future really is here as telemedicine continues to evolve. We all know how much anxiety a trip to the vet can cause for our beloved service dogs or emotional support dogs. Virtual visits to the vet can help ease the anxiety for both pet and pet owner. If you are using an emotional support dog or service dog it may be because your mobility is limited or perhaps you have social anxiety. A virtual visit to the vet is a perfect solution for you if that’s the case because you can enjoy quality healthcare from the comfort of your home and at the very least get your questions answered and provide you with peace of mind.