As an owner of a pet business, there’s always the risk that a pet in your care could become injured, either as a result of their actions or accidentally. If this happens, it’s vital to establish the best way to deal with this scenario.
Plan Ahead
Rather than panicking in stressful situations, it’s a good idea to have a plan set in stone in anticipation of a pet becoming injured. This is for the benefit of yourself, your customers, and of course the pets in your care.
It’s essential to make your customers aware in the event their pet becomes unwell or injured. You’ll need to consider the following:
- What to do with other pets in your care if you’re alone.
- When to contact your customers and how to carefully inform them of the situation.
- How to decipher whether the injury needs immediate veterinary attention or if you’re able to resolve the issue with first aid, which leads on to the next point.
First Aid
The first port of call if a pet in your care becomes injured, is to assess the severity of the injury. It’s a legal requirement that you have a first aid kit accessible in your establishment, so you can temporarily fix the pets injury until they’re checked over by a veterinarian, if required.
Keep Calm
Some instances can be quite alarming depending on how badly the pet has been injured and whether they’re in distress. It’s very important to keep as calm as possible when dealing with an injured pet. Pets in your care are highly receptive to your body language and emotions, so you need to be mindful of how you’re acting to avoid causing further stress to the injured pet, and the others under your supervision.
Keeping calm also helps you think clearly and prevents you from becoming overwhelmed, so you can act appropriately. When updating customers about their pet, it will help them to hear that you’re calm and things are under control, as they’ll feel more reassured that their pets are in safe and capable hands.
Insurance
If you haven’t already done so, it’s crucial to take out insurance for your pet business. Having pet business insurance is necessary for protecting your customers and business in case a pet is injured or becomes unwell in your care, allowing you to claim for any accidents, potentially saving you thousands of pounds in veterinary bills. Read more about why having pet insurance is an absolute must for your pet business here.