When Patricia Clifton’s service dog, a 7-year-old Standard Poodle named Carlisle, started coughing that Saturday afternoon in January, she was immediately on high alert. Still reeling from the loss of her previous service dog Bentley, a Silver Standard, a few weeks prior, Patricia kept a close eye on her “smart, sweet, boy” Carlisle, who didn’t cough very often. He didn’t seem to be in distress at first, but after about 15 minutes, she started recording him—it became clear that the cough was getting worse. She called her primary vet, but the office had just closed for the day. Luckily, the answering system gave Patricia the answer she was looking for: Airvet. The message referred patients to Airvet so Patricia called immediately and got connected with a licensed veterinarian in just three rings. The vet put Patricia at ease right away and assured her that if she gave Carlisle an over-the-counter cough medicine that he would be fine until he could see his primary vet the next morning. “He was kind, patient, understanding, and so informative,” Patricia said of her Airvet doctor.
Patricia followed up with the Airvet doctor via chat later that evening to find out if Carlisle was contagious and the doctor confirmed that it was a possibility. Thankfully, Patricia got answers right away and was able to adjust her plans with another pet parent and their dog who were scheduled to stop by for a visit.
The next morning, Carlisle’s primary vet diagnosed him with an infection and put him on antibiotics. The vet also scheduled an appointment for the flu vaccine and a follow-up booster after his medicine was finished. The infection was caught early and Carlisle made a full recovery.
More recently, Carlisle caught a squirrel and got into a bit of a tussle. Patricia screamed, “Drop it!” and he did, but he ended up chasing the critter into a bush and the squirrel scratched him on the nose.Upon seeing Carlisle’s bloody nose, Patricia sprung into action and reached out to Airvet. She connected with a vet who was able to see if any rabies cases were reported in Patricia’s Florida neighborhood. Much to Patricia’s relief, no rabies reports were found—Carlisle had his shots updated two weeks before the incident anyway.
The vet told her to wash Carlisle’s nose with an antibacterial wash and apply an antibiotic ointment. Patricia monitored the wound for a few days and it healed up nicely—there isn’t even a scar.
Two 40-minute calls and Carlisle was back to his old self. There’s no doubt in Patricia’s mind that if she had taken him to the ER, it would’ve cost her a minimum of $200, easy. Patricia is grateful for the “nonjudgmental” care she received from Airvet.
We’re so glad that we were able to help Carlisle feel better and help save Patricia from a big bill.
Download the Airvet app today—we’re here for you whenever you need us.
