Veterinarian’s and Pets in RV Life

What happens if your pet needs to go to the vet while you are on the road?

This past week has not been fun in our RV Life. Sasha got sick… again. This past summer while traveling around Oregon, Sasha had diarrhea and then started vomiting. We were camping in Susan Creek Campground on Highway 138. Nothing around the area except woods and waterfalls. Nice campground I’d love to go back.

Last summer early in the morning Sasha had poked me with her wet nose at about 4:00 AM. She was whining and standing by the door. I knew this was not a “you’ll have to wait” situation. I could tell by her signs she needed to go out. Now going outside in the woods, in the dark is not what I would put on my like to do list. It is unnerving. Do you know tree branches creek on their own in the middle of the night? What lingers in the woods when darkness comes? Yeah, I don’t want to find out. It’s freaky.

Sasha was acting perfectly normal in spite of the upset tummy. Her energy and appetite were normal. She still hounded us all day to play ball. Squabbled with her sister as normal. No indications she was sick. I thought she ate something, or maybe bit by a bug. The other two babies were fine. The morning of the fourth day, there was no improvement. Even though she was eating good, she couldn’t keep anything down and I noticed she was starting to lose weight. We had to get back to the city limits, she needed to visit a vet.

What happens if they get sick? What do you do?

First off, make sure your pets are up to date on vaccines. Carry their records with you. This is not a big deal. Ask your vet for copies before you set off on your adventures. I strongly recommend paper copies. Don’t rely on a photocopy on your phone. Let your vet know you are traveling.

We live in the desert, so tick and flea meds are not needed. But when you travel you will need some type of flea and tick meds to keep the nasty critters off your pet and out of your rig. I use Bravecto. It is expensive; ugh I spend $215.00 US dollars for three doses. It lasts for 12 weeks. I know there are cheaper over the counter versions. Since we travel in different states and climates, I have mixed feelings if they are strong enough for all types of bugs. I am more comfortable getting a good dose from my vet. How do I get refills on the road? I’ll get to that later.

Back in the city we checked into a campground, and I got online to find the closest vet. I used Google Maps with my location. I saw two vets in the area. One had horrible reviews – too many to ignore. How do they stay in business? They are a county run facility set for low-income owners to spay and neuter their animals. Regardless of your reason for visiting the vet your pet will have surgery to get fixed if they are not already. Not a problem, all my pets are fixed. I think it’s great the county offers this, and I felt that was their main goal versus medical care for your pet. A majority of the bad reviews were from people expecting extra medical care for the cheap. Cheap isn’t always better.

The second vet had good reviews and they were close to our campground. I gave them a call and was informed they were not accepting new patients. I would have to go to the emergency vet twenty-five miles away in the next town. I gave them a call and you have to remember emergency vets are first come first serve by emergency needs. I was told, “There are a lot of pets waiting to be seen. We will come out and access your pet, and either take them in immediately or let you know the status of the wait. It could be about an hour. ” We understood and set off for the vets. If you travel in a big rig, I suggest using google satellite for the area to access parking. We are small so I wasn’t too concerned. This particular vet was easy to get to, but their parking lot was split up with different buildings and tight turns. The parking spaces were all full. This was a busy place.

We parked the motorhome across the road at a closed restaurant parking lot, and I walked over and checked us in. Since, I had her records it streamlined the process. This is why paper copies are easier. Instead of what’s your email and did you get it? They made their copies and handed me back the originals. They asked if my contact phone and address were the same as on the papers. “Yes.” Five minutes later. I paid my $125.00 vet visit fee and was asked what space number we were parked in? I told them I was in a small motorhome and all the spaces were full. I was instructed to go into the horse trailer parking spot and wait for someone to come out and see us. It didn’t take long, and I got a call. They wanted to do a parvo test. Parvo? She’s been vaccinated. Their reasoning was the gap between her first set of shots from the shelter and the year and half later when she came to live with us, she had missed the booster. Remember Sasha is a neglected rescue and was not kept up with her vaccinations.

They wanted to do a parvo test – and it was anal. Oh yay. Sasha does not like her behind area touched. Even brushing her backside is a task.

We knew there would be issues, so we suited her up with her Hanabal Lector muzzle. About ten minutes after the call a very nice vet tech came out with her swab. It took both of us to wrangle her in the middle of the parking lot. But we got it done. About 20 minutes later I got a call. She was positive for parvo. The doctor would be out to see me.

I am still baffled by this prognosis. I’ve dealt with parvo a couple of times. One ended with a loss and the second one my dog was in the vets for over a week. Sasha wasn’t lethargic and overall was normal. Parvo didn’t even cross my mind. But okay, positive is positive. The other two pups were fine with no issues, they are older, but still it baffled me.

The doctor came out and he wouldn’t even let Sasha out of the motorhome. He asked a few questions about her aggressiveness. Of course she was aggressive. He was a stranger and standing in her space. The motorhome is her home. We are her family and you my friend are too close to both. Because of her aggressive behavior he made it clear he did not want to treat her in the hospital. It would be too difficult to treat her safely. I said I would rather keep her with us as long as I didn’t have to give her a shot. I don’t do needles. He said keep her on a bland food diet and prescribed 14 days’ worth of meds and probiotics. She should be good after three to five days. If it doesn’t improve, then bring her back. The visit was a bit cut and dry. He wasn’t interested in chit chat. But that’s okay. We were not building a relationship for a new vet as if we were moving there. My pet was sick, she needed medical care. They were prompt and helped her. We were there maybe an hour. I’ve waited longer at my home-base vet with an appointment.

Be prepared to change plans and have emergency funds available.

This was a $700.00 visit. The cost for meds, the test and vet visit were not cheap. I am grateful I was able to cover the cost and had this “safety net” funds available for an emergency. Emergency funds can be for several things. Plan for them. They will happen.

The campground we were staying at had somewhat secluded partially fenced spots. We kept her in our area and diligently cleaned up after her. Our dogs are not friendly, towards people or other pets. It was easy to keep her on her own. We stayed ten days until all the ickies were gone. She got better and we moved on. A minor halt with our travels and it is possible to survive on the road when your pet needs to recuperate.

The extra cost for the vet and extended stay at a campground was an extra twelve hundred dollars out of the budget. But yes, you can get to a vet when you are traveling as long as you are in an area that has population. There are campgrounds and vets in almost every major city. If it’s a small town you might have to stay on the outskirts. It is possible to get care for your pet in RV life. Don’t let the concern detour your plans to travel. Your pets are happiest when they are with you. Let them enjoy your adventures. They adapt well to the new routine.

How do I replenish meds for our pets on the road?

That is the beauty of online ordering. You simply stay put for a week or so and change your delivery address to your location. Your billing and delivery address do not have to be the same. You can order meds and pet supplies from Chewy or other online pet supply companies; they get the okay from your home base vet. It’s like filling a prescription. You might not be able to get a delivery at state parks. You can check with the local post office and inquire about general delivery options. A UPS or Fed Ex store might accept delivery services as ‘hold for pick-up’. It is easiest when you are in a city or a private campground. Check in at the office and ask if they accept deliveries for campers, don’t assume it’s okay. I would be surprised to find one that doesn’t allow it, but, if they receive mail service, they receive packages. They might have different procedures for campers.

The same goes for Amazon orders. They have lockers set up around the country for deliveries if you are in an area that doesn’t allow deliveries like a state park.

***Just make sure you change your delivery address on your next order.

Keep your home base vet in the loop if you have an out-of-town visit.

Take copies for yourself and send your vet the reports or take them with you next time you are home. Vet to vet reports can sometimes not happen or take a long time to catch up. Be your own advocate and be proactive. After Sasha’s first issue, two months later we were at our home base, and I gave them a copy of the receipt from her visit. They had not received the records at this time. When I went back this last time six months later my vet had the report with the notes from the Oregon doctor. I don’t know if the Oregon vet sent them, or by me giving them a copy of the receipt prompted my vet to request the records. But again, it streamlined our process when we were at the vet this last time.

Now you have multiple vets. That is okay. Your pet’s health is worth it.

The other day I got two notifications from the Oregon vet and our vet that Sasha is due for vaccinations at the end of this month. Oregon is my happy place. I love visiting, and we plan to go back. Having a vet there is a good thing for us.

Well, not a day after the notifications, it happened again. Sasha was sick with the same symptoms. Maybe it’s a six-month thing with her? Who knows.

We didn’t wait the four days. I called my vet and set off to Las Vegas to get her checked. This time we are about an hour and a half from our home base. I could have found a vet closer to our location. I felt we are close to home let’s make the drive. We have our car with us for the winter. So, we didn’t have to disconnect the motorhome for our trek to Vegas.

Since I didn’t have an appointment, they wanted me to drop her off. I said no, I couldn’t do that, and I explained how we did this last time. They agreed and here we go for round two of the anal swab in the parking lot. I forgot her muzzle in the motorhome, but I thought she’s been here before with no aggressive issues. We should be okay. Sasha is very strong. Wrangling her is difficult. The vet tech was quick and did what she needed to do and hightailed it back inside. She shouted out, “give me eight minutes for the results.” Sasha was negative for Parvo this time.

The vet said he was surprised with the positive result before. She has been vaccinated; it didn’t make sense. I agreed and my daughter used to work in a vet’s office, and she also disputed the positive result. Regardless, the meds she was given last time stopped the two-end discharge and she back to normal in a week. The vet only wanted to change her food to a gastrointestinal diet. No meds. He feels she has digestive issues. New food, an appointment at the end of the month for vaccinations and only $165.00 this time around. We headed back home to our winter spot. A huge sigh of relief it wasn’t anything major. She just has a sensitive tummy. With changing her food, it took a few days, but she is now back to 100%.

Your pet may react differently in a strange environment.

Don’t take for granted your pet is okay with this strange visit. They don’t understand what is going on and may be reactive. My vet talked to me about the notes from the Oregon vet and he was surprised they noted her as aggressive and had to be muzzled. She had never acted like that in his office and there was nothing in their file noting aggressive behavior. That is because we are in his office, not our motorhome. Our motorhome is her space. Her job is to protect her family. She is good at her job.

Options are available.

Some full-time RVers use Banfield veterinarians. They are located inside PetSmart’s which are nationwide. I’ve never used them so I couldn’t say good or bad about them. But it would help with the same vet in different locations. There are options for pet care. Don’t feel that you cannot travel full-time because of your pet. There are veterinarian’s outside of your hometown. Remember that.

Thanks for stopping by for a read. I appreciate you!

Until next week,

Teresa from PetsLifeAdventure