Most likely. Veterinarians typically provide well-written instructions or at least labeled medications with the proper instructions. If instructions are not provided, do not hesitate to ask for them. In emergency situations, it can be hard to remember everything that was discussed due to stress or emotions. Written instructions can be very useful in these situations. Never feel bad about having to call for clarification. It's always important.

I think the best questions would be to make sure you understand the information on how to take care of your pet once leaving the hospital, especially if we're sending your pet home. A lot of veterinarians will provide written instructions because we understand that you may be a little emotional or may not remember everything that we say. You can always ask for written instructions. Read your labels because almost every medication should go home with instructions. So even though you may have thought you heard to give it one way, whatever is written on that bottle should be the way that you administer it. You can also call back and clarify. You may want to ask about the activity level recommended for your cat. If your cat is outdoors or indoor-outdoor, you may want to ask when they are allowed to go back outside again. Should they be around your other pets or your non-furry kids at home? You may want to keep them isolated or secluded because they might heal faster if they're not stressed out with other animals or people.

That's determined with the diagnostic testing, including x-rays, ultrasounds, and physical exam. We will also consider your pet’s history, and the physical exam and test results gives us what we need to do.

Blood work, x-rays, and ultrasound, depending on the condition. With blood work, we may want to look at whether any of the organs are affected, if your cat is anemic, if their red cell count is low, or if they are experiencing a diabetic crisis. There are various problems we can diagnose with blood work, and imaging, such as x-rays or ultrasound help us look internally at what we can't see from the outside, whether that's a trauma that they had that may indicate they have an emergency, such as a broken bone or an issue with their breathing, where they may have something going on in their chest that needs to be addressed immediately.

If they are hurting or they're bleeding, it might involve some type of sedation. They’ll need blood work if we feel like your pet has ingested something or is having an emergency due to internal concerns. There may also be imaging like x-rays or ultrasound. That's kind of a vague question, but normally, after the initial physical exam, we'll give you what we call a treatment plan to assess what's most important diagnostics that will give us the most information to know how to best treat your pet. That treatment plan doesn't mean that's all there is. That gets you started and may lead you in different directions.