Should You Take Your Kids to Visit Your Dog in Hospital?
If your dog has to stay in an animal hospital after an operation or during treatment, then your kids will miss having their pet around. If your dog's hospital stay wasn't planned, then they may also worry about how it is doing. Your animal hospital may allow or even encourage visits during a stay, so you may be thinking about taking your kids to see your dog. Is this a good idea?
How Old Are Your Kids?
Even if your animal hospital allows owner visits, it may ask you not to bring babies and very young children with you, especially if your dog is just recovering from major surgery or is really sick. Having boisterous or overly emotional kids running around isn't good in any hospital environment.
Your kids need to be old enough to understand that they must be well-behaved and quiet when they visit your pet. Even if your dog isn't seriously ill, other patients in the hospital may be. Your kids also must understand and follow any ground rules that the hospital sets. For example, you may be told not to pet your dog on certain parts of its body if it has had surgery and not to get it too excited during a visit.
Why Is Your Dog in Hospital?
Think about why your dog has had to stay in the hospital and how this might affect your kids emotionally. If your pet is in for a routine operation or minor treatment, then it isn't likely to be that sick. It may be feeling a bit sorry for itself, but it'll probably be happy to see your kids.
However, if your dog has just had a major operation, is really ill or has been hospitalised after a serious accident, then you may want to hold off taking your kids for a visit. Your pet may not be well enough to see you; having you come in and then leave again may distress it. Plus, if your dog is in a bad way, your kids may find the visit upsetting. This may increase their worries about their pet, especially when they have to leave it to go home.
If you aren't sure whether to take your children on a visit, ask staff at the animal hospital for advice. They have the experience to know if your dog is up to seeing young visitors or whether it might be better to wait until it is feeling a bit more like its normal self.