Fall Planning! Be Sure Your Pet Has A Safe Trip to the Vet

Visiting the Vet!

5 Tips to Have A Great Trip

By Georgia Barbush, RVT., 

Laguna Niguel, CA

Visiting the veterinarian can be a stressful experience for pets and owners alike, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 5 easy tips to get the most out of a trip to the vet.

1.  Don’t Be a Stranger

Dog owners can easily teach their pups to love the vet. Take a few minutes once or twice a month bring your dog in for a quick treat and some affection from the staff. Lots of stress free trips to the clinic will make your dog much more relaxed and cooperative when the vet needs to look in his ears or check his temperature.

2. Write It Down

Keep an ongoing written list of concerns. Your veterinarian will appreciate the effort and you will be sure to get all of your questions answered.

3. Speak Up!

Unless you have a medical background, many terms used in the vet’s office can seem like a foreign language. If anything is unclear to you, just ask for more explanation. A good veterinarian wants you to understand what is going with your pet and what the treatment plan is all about; they should be more than happy to break things down into lay terms.

4. Be Honest

Because pets can’t talk, veterinarians rely on owners to provide accurate information. It may be embarrassing to admit that you forgot to apply Fido’s flea control or that Fluffy gets a can of food whenever she sits at the cupboard, but honesty is critical for an accurate assessment of your pet’s health. Vets are not there to judge you; they want to keep your pets healthy and help you to do the same.

5. Mark Your Calendar

Animals are very good at hiding signs of disease. The trained senses of a veterinarian can often pick up on abnormalities that you’ve not noticed. The earlier a condition is diagnosed, the better the chances of successful treatment. Treatment options are often more affordable in early stages as well. Put a reminder on your calendar to take your pets in at least once each year.

Georgia Barbush, RVT,  is a Registered Veterinary Technician and freelance writer. She lives with her husband and four rescued pets: a rabbit, two cats, and a dog.

Reno's Red Rock Hounds Opens for Fox Hunting Nevada-Style!

September 29-30 

Opening Weekend 

for the Red Rock Hounds of Reno  775.969.3243

 

Saturday, September 29 --

 

Hunter Pace

(10 am) Our Hunter Pace is a ride-as-you-like event; from a casual trail ride to a blistering race through Ross Creek ranch over jumps. Whatever pace you choose, we’ll guarantee you a sensational day of fun.

 

Entry Fee - $50 per horse/rider combination or a large bag of dog food 
Course - 8 miles and 30+ jumping efforts (all are optional)
Divisions - (Teams of 2)
Ideal Time - Guess what the predetermined time is (shhhh….it’s a secret!) for completing the course would be at a hunting pace.
Fastest Time - It’s just that. Pedal your horse as fast as you can!
Leisure Pace – For those that just want to enjoy the day
Costume – We dare you to go crazy and dress up... or down!
Prizes to the first place finishers of each division
Cash prize for the best poker hand

A hunter pace is a low-key competitive event inspired by and intended to simulate foxhunting. Teams of two or three riders follow an approximately 8 mile outdoor course laid out similarly to what we encounter when hunting with Red Rock Hounds. It is a beautiful course that winds around the hills and meadows surrounding Ross Creek Ranch.

There are over 30 jumping efforts but you don’t have to jump if you don’t want to. Or just jump the ones that look like fun! 

The Red Rock Hunter Pace is for all riders; English, Western, bareback – we even have some “non-riders” who walk or run the course (why would anyone walk or run when they can ride a horse?!). This is an event for all skill levels. The course is safe and easy for beginner riders.
It is up to each team to guess what the organizers of the pace have decided is an ideal time to complete the course and to adjust its progress accordingly. The ideal time is determined by sending out one or more test teams to ride the course before the event. On the day of the event, the team which completes the course in a time closest to the ideal is placed first. 

Even though there is a competitive aspect to a hunter pace, most riders simply regard it as an enjoyable way to spend a day with their horses.

Red Rock Hounds hosts two hunter paces each year, one on the opening weekend of the hunt season and one on closing weekend. 
Non-riding volunteers are always needed to help with the hunter pace. If you'd like to volunteer at our next hunter pace,

email Angela at: angela@redrockhounds.com

 

Saturday evening festivities

(7:00 pm) Join us as we toast the opening of the 2012-13 Hunt Season with a casual Pot Luck Dinner in the beautiful club house overlooking the pastures at Ross Creek Ranch. Bring a favorite dish to share, something to barbeque and your best beverage to share – or not!

Sunday, September 30

 

Opening Day

(10 am) Opening Day! - All summer we anticipate this day; the official opening of the 2012-13 season! We cordially invite you to share this special day with us, starting with the traditional Stirrup Cup and Blessing of the Hounds right here at Ross Creek Ranch. 

Capping Fees Waived (Usually $100)

Excitement abounds and we want you to be part of it! Red Rock Hounds Opening Day for our 33rd season will give you an experience unlike any other. With our unique blend of traditional fox-hunting and old west riding the range we offer an exhilarating day with your horse.

We will provide a day of hunting for riders of all experience levels; you can ride with First Field for long gallops with jumps, Second Field for a more medium pace with no jumps or the Leisure Field for a slow, ambling stroll through the desert. If you are new to Fox Hunting we will match you up with an experienced Red Rock member to personally to guide you every hoofstep of the way through your day. 

PS: Guests don’t have to wear hunt attire! Just dress comfortably in dark colored clothing (no Red or White please) and wear a helmet.

 redrockhounds.com