We understand that illness and injury can strike while we are not open. Birmingham offers multiple options for emergency and after hours care.

• Veterinary Specialists of Birmingham
  Phone: 205-967-9107
• Steel City Emergency Vets
  Phone: 205-336-7542

Pet owners can contact Pet Poison helpline or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control directly 24/7. A consultation fee ($59-65) may be applied to your credit card. They will assess what your pet has ingested and provide recommendations on whether immediate care may be required. If further care is required, they will continue to serve as a resource to the veterinary care team as they treat your pet’s toxin ingestion.

• petpoisonhelpline.com/poisons
• aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

Yes! Mosquitos, fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites thrive in our warmer southern climate. They are present in Birmingham year-round! Even indoor-only cats and dogs who spend little time outside are at risk of parasitic infections related to these bugs. Double Oak Mountain Animal Hospital follows the recommendation of the American Heartworm Society and the Companion Animal Parasite Council to ensure the best preventative parasite control for your pet!

• heartwormsociety.org
• petsandparasites.org

There are many great brands out there and they all have many options. We recommend brands who formulate their diets based on years of scientific research, AAFCO feeding trials, and compliance with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines. Generally, cats may also benefit from maintaining a canned food inclusive or canned food exclusive diet.

• aafco.org/Consumers
• wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf
• wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit-English.pdf
• wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/WSAVA-Nutrition-Assessment-Guidelines-2011-JSAP.pdf

• Check the pet for a collar/tags. If none are present, feel free to come by to have the pet scanned for a microchip. Most veterinary hospitals will do this for you so feel free to find one in the area closest to where the pet was found, just incase an owner in that area calls looking. If a microchip is found, you can enter it here: petmicrochiplookup.org to look up the company and to determine if the chip was registered. If so, information will be provided by the company that may help to locate the owner.
• If no microchip is found, you can either keep the pet safe while you look for the owner, or you can take the pet to shelter for housing until the owner is found. Posters, Facebook posts to your local neighborhood pages, Craigslist, and Nextdoor may all be helpful in finding the owner.

• Tell Your Dog You’re Pregnant (An Essential Guide for  Owners Who Are Expecting A Baby) by Lewis Kirckham
• Tell Your Cat You’re Pregnant (An Essential Guide for Cat Owners Who Are Expecting A Baby) by Lewis Kirckham

We encourage all pet owners to bring their pet’s normal food whenever they stay in our kennel. This helps to encourage your pet to eat reliably during their stay and to help to minimize tummy upset that may occur due to a rapid diet change.

Please bring all medications that your pet requires in labeled pill vials and provide detailed instructions at drop off including when the medications were last administered.

We have plenty of bedding to keep your pet comfortable and do not recommend bringing personal blankets or toys from home. If you choose to do so, please label the items clearly. We will make every effort to return the item at the end of your pet’s stay.

It is very important that you give yourself enough time at drop off to fully cover your pet’s needs with our staff. We want to ensure that your pet is being fed their medications and are being given appropriately during their stay.

You can fill our boarding paperwork prior to your visit in the forms section of our website.

• d319hal1zuz1ef.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/P4C/Content_Page_Images/0059951_LOW_KittenBook_VET1942G_UPDATE_March2020.pdf
• d319hal1zuz1ef.cloudfront.net/media/wysiwyg/P4C/Content_Page_Images/0059951_LOW_PuppyBook_VET6587G_UPDATE_March2020.pdf
• We love the book “The Perfect Puppy in 7 days” by veterinarian Sophia Yin. store.lowstresshandling.com/product/perfect-puppy-in-7-days-how-to-start-your-puppy-off-right/
• You may also find the videos and information at Fear Free, Happy Homes to be helpful. You do have to register to access this content. fearfreehappyhomes.com/courses/training-and-socialization-101/
• The Family Dog offers a positive reinforcement, at-home program geared towards families that helps empower kids when training the family dog. This program is for purchase. thefamilydog.com/families/

Stop the 77 - The Family Dog