11/12/2026
Holiday Travel & Healthcare Planning for Your Pets
It’s time to start preparing early for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s! To ensure a smooth and stress-free holiday season for your furry family members, we encourage you to plan your visits and requests well in advance.
Please keep the following important guidelines in mind:
Medication Refills & State Prescriptions: Under Arizona veterinary guidelines, prescription refills and certain medications require an active doctor-patient relationship and proper advance review. Avoid last-minute holiday scrambles by requesting your regular medication refills and anxiety medications early.
Travel Certificates: Official health certificates and destination-specific travel documents require a thorough physical exam, often have mandated testing with varying turnaround times, and can involve complex USDA or airline requirements. Start the paperwork early to avoid any unexpected delays.
Holiday Schedules & ER Wait Times: When primary care doctors are out for the holidays, local emergency rooms and urgent care centers experience a massive surge in volume. Seeking routine care, medication updates, or non-emergency needs at the last minute can lead to exceptionally long wait times at emergency hospitals.
Plan ahead today so your pets stay safe, stocked, and ready for the holiday season!