Dog Identification
The dog is placed in a kennel with a pre-written neck collar and a pre-printed cage card. The clear tape for the cage cards is placed on the kennels the night before to avoid messing with tape during the exams. It may seem redundant to have multiple forms of identification for a single patient; however, it is essential to ensure that no patients are mixed up throughout the day.
The entire process should only take approximately 2 to 3 minutes per patient.
Cat Identification
Cats may be kept in their carriers or put in kennels, which should be labeled with masking tape with the cat’s first name and the owner’s last name as well as a pre-printed cage card. This provides two forms of identification in case one falls off.
Some feline patients may arrive with multiple patients in one carrier. For surgical induction or recovery, it is essential that there is one cat per carrier. Feline patients should be separated during the examination process and clinic-owned carriers should also have a label indicating that they are clinic owned. If cats are not able to be examined, it is acceptable to examine them on the surgical table, but an examination should be done nonetheless. If possible, cats should be placed in a room away from the hustle and bustle of the clinic. Ideally they would be placed on shelves so their vantage point is higher and they will feel safer.
