Does Your Veterinarian Speak In Terms You Don't Understand, But Feel Silly Asking?
The parking lot of your apartment building is covered in leaves swept up by your clothing, you're late by 7 minutes, and your dog just threw up in the car. Now, the veterinarian is tossing words around in a big salad, and you think you might be the next one sick. Welcome to your pet's annual appointment!
I'm always baffled by a vet who disregards the fact that the average person doesn't understand medical terminology. I wish more vets would explain and advise more during an initial visit with a pet, rather than spewing out a bunch of random, large words their clients don't know or comprehend.
I want you to be as prepared for your next vet visit as possible, so here are some common words, abbreviations, and phrases commonly heard in veterinary clinics. I've also provided a small medication reference for commonly used medications in veterinary medicine near the end.
Basic Veterinary Terminology
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Many pet parents often wonder why their pets need bloodwork done every single year, as well as before procedures. The reason blood is taken annually for testing is to rule out any parasites, abnormal blood count, or other issues commonly found in bloodwork.
Starting with the very basics - Food & Medication Dosage
You've got your abbreviations for the number of times the pet eats per day:
⁕SID - once per day ⁕BID - twice per day ⁕TID - thrice per day ⁕FF - free feed
These are helpful to write on any pre-packaging you may do for boarding facilities or the vet staff, if you board with them.
If your dog needs to be fed with a slow feeder, many places will label them as SF, which simply stands for slow feeder, meaning they will require that specific type of bowl during their stay. Most parents go ahead and pack their own for boarding.
