Friday, May 23, 2014

• Win $50 from the AAHA!

One of the prizes I won at BlogPaws 2014 is for you! The American Animal Hospital Association asked me to give one of my readers a $50 credit toward a visit at an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital.

What is AAHA?
The acronym is easy to remember: Ah ha! The AAHA is the only organization that accredits veterinary practices in the U.S. and Canada. Unlike hospitals for humans, veterinary hospitals don't have to be reviewed by an outside regulating agency. Some veterinary hospitals, however, choose to undergo the rigorous testing process by AAHA, an unbiased, outside organization. Being accredited means the hospital is meeting, or exceeding, standards in a variety of areas. A hospital must prove to the AAHA that it provides the safest quality care.

High Standards
AAHA sets standards of quality veterinary care on many fronts, including one that interested me: preventing the spread of disease. Care is taken even before an animal arrives at the hospital, throughout its treatment, to its discharge and follow-up, to ensure the environment is sterile and to prevent the spread of disease to other pets.

To help relieve some of the risk associated with anesthesia, AAHA requires anesthesia monitoring equipment for your pet's safety. The equipment tracks a pet's vital signs and alerts to potential problems. AAHA standards also ensure pets receive the best surgical techniques and sterile practices. AAHA-accredited hospitals must follow protocols for preparations for emergencies, dental procedures, exam facilities, medical records, and much more.

How You Can Win
To be eligible to win the $50 credit toward your pet's visit to an accredited facility, comment below—that's all you need to do!

I was pleased to learn that Old Dominion Animal Health
Center, where I take my hamsters,  is AAHA accredited.
Only one comment per person will be counted. Anonymous comments will not count. You may comment to win until 11:59 pm Mountain Standard time on May 31, 2014. Winnie, my hamster, will pick a winner at random. I will announce the winner publicly in my June 4 Wordless Wednesday post.

Your comment could include feedback that the AAHA might find helpful, e.g.:
• Before you read this post, were you aware of the AAHA and what it does? (Before I researched this, I was not.)
• Did reading this post make you want to know if your veterinary hospital is accredited by AAHA? (It made me want to know.)
• Is your veterinary facilitated accredited by the AAHA? You can find out at the AAHA-accredited hospital locator. (Whew, yes, mine is accredited.)

I'd also like to encourage you to follow the AAHA on Facebook or Twitter, or to subscribe to their newsletter, Pets Matter. If you win and your veterinary practice is not accredited, you must find an AAHA vet and register with them for the appointment.
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014