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Problems Dropping Off
At times we can have a pretty busy practice. Appointments can get booked like in any doctor's office, especially on weekends. I don't like turning clients away as I know what it's like to not be able to get to see a doctor when you really need to, so I try to get everyone in the same day if possible. However, we can't put every pet into an appointment slot and still get to see the scheduled patients in a reasonable amount of time. To get around that we will have clients drop their pets off with us and we will see them between appointments or during brief lulls. In this way we can see the most number of pets possible and still stay on schedule.However, some clients aren't satisfied with this plan. In the last couple of days I've had a couple of people...
Non-Surgical Sterilization?
There are a ton of good reasons to spay or neuter your pet. Not only do you help reduce the unwanted pet population, but you lower the risks of certain kinds of cancer and help control some kinds of behavior. Spayed/neutered pets live longer on average than intact ones. But what if someone is afraid of having surgery done on their pets? What about the costs and time involved in "fixing" stray dogs and cats?Believe it or not, there are other options.Researchers have been investigating non-surgical options for sterilization, and some are on or close to being on the market. Some are injections and others are implants (similar to certain kinds of human birth-control). Here's a look at a few.Neutersol--This came on the US market in 2003, but left the market two...
300 Posts!
When I started this blog back in September 2008 I wasn't entirely sure where it would go. I didn't know if I'd have enough material to talk about and if I could keep the motivation up. Now I find myself writing my 300th post, looking back at where I've come with this site. Sure, 300 is a bit of an arbitrary number, but we humans like anniversaries, milestones, and celebrations. And 300 seemed like a good number to mark the occasion.At first I didn't think about tracking my readers, and didn't start that until July 2009. Since that time seven months ago I've had over 16,000 hits on the site, which honestly is more than I expected and averages out to over 2000 per month. Wow! For a small, growing blog I consider that a big accomplishment.One of the most amazing...
Veterinarians On TV?
A random thought occurred to me today. There have been so many shows on television that center around the medical profession. As I write this I'm watching House. Another popular show is Gray's Anatomy. When I was in vet school I was fairly addicted to ER. Numerous soap operas involve doctors and hospitals (General Hospital anyone?). Obviously characters and stories in these settings are interesting to people. So why not veterinarians?I know there have been some shows on Animal Planet about vets, but those are reality shows. Why not a drama centered around a major specialty veterinary clinic? What about a small-town vet as the main character in a "dramedy"? Heck, I'd be happy with a single recurring character on some other show.So...
Changes In the Wind
Veterinary medicine is full of changes on a regular basis. Products come and go, current medical viewpoints shift, and we have to keep up with it all. Recently we have had changes in the type of insulin we have available for pets due to some manufacturers not making some kinds and others picking up the slack. We sometimes have to change our medical practice because of a pharmaceutical company deciding to make or stop making a given product.This week I found out that Bayer is going to officially sell it's line of flea and tick products over-the-counter. Here in the US they have chosen to sell only through veterinarians. Now, that's their official position, as I know it's easily available online and through certain pet stores. But Bayer is going to start making...
Early exposure
It is not uncommon for me to hear from a client, "I haven't taken him out yet." This refers to a puppy that hasn't been outside for the first 3-4 months of its life. It would be like having a newborn and taking her for her first stroll at six months of age.Dogs need to be exposed to the outdoors, and all of its sounds and sights, at a very early age. In so doing, the risks of poor behavior (behavioral problems being the single greatest reason for which a pet is euthanized), is greatly reduced. Try to do this at 4, 5, 6 months of age, or older - forget about it: you'd be setting the dog up for a life of phobias and anxiety (devastating for both...
Let It Snow?
Here in the Southeast US we don't get much snow. So when we do, it completely disrupts things. It's a joke among notherners how everything shuts down for less than an inch of snow. Earlier this year the schools closed because of the threat of snow. When snow is expected everyone runs to the store to buy bread and milk, even though it will likely melt in a day or two and the chances of being snowed in are highly unlikely. Even the extreme snow in the Northeast is highly unusual, being the worst in more than a generation. So what does all of this snow mean to a vet in this part of the country? First, I'm grateful that I don't work on farm animals, and I don't have to go out in this stuff. As much as I love snow and winter, I'm glad for the controlled...
Variety In Veterinary Medicine
One of the things that amazes me the most about being in veterinary medicine is the wide variety of things you can do with the degree. I think when most people think about being a vet they think about the typical small-animal doctor that they take their dog or cat to. Some may think about large animal vets who work on their horses or livestock. And truthfully, the majority of vets fall into one of these two categories. However, veterinary medicine is far from limited to this practice. Here are some examples:Specialty Practice--It's possible to be specialized in one area of veterinary medicine, similar to the divisions in humans. Certifications include dermatology, dentistry, ophthalmology, internal medicine, neurology, surgery, behavior, avian medicine,...
Broken Kitty's Paw
New reader Kirsten sends in this question from Italy...I stumbled across your blog while researching how to help our cat who has the same exact fracture as the boxer puppy in your entry from June 2, 2009. We live in Italy where they still use old 1950s style radiators for heating - a favorite winter hang-out spot for our cats. 11 days ago, I hear our 6 year old cat screaming from the kitchen and ran in to find him hanging from the top of radiator by his back left paw which had somehow gotten caught in a hole on the top of the radiator. Since it was Sunday at 10pm, I immediately called the vet, gave him a tranquilizer (Acepromazine - vet's advice) and waited until the morning to take him in. An x-ray showed that all four of his metacarpals were broken with one really displaced. The vet casted...
Lameness/limping in dogs and cats
Lameness, or limping, is one reason a pet owner would seek a veterinary consultation. The causes are myriad, though some conditions are certainly over-represented. A partial or complete tear of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), called the anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) in humans, is one of the commonest clinical conditions seen in dogs with lameness involving a hindlimb. The cranial cruciate ligament (from the Latin crux, meaning to cross) and the caudal cruciate ligament cross each other in the knee or stifle joint (see image below). Basically, they provide major stability to the joint. In humans, the ACL is often torn acutely from...
Never Too Late To Be A Vet
Karen asks this question, and I actually need some help from my readers...I have a non medical related question. I am 34 years old and I wish to study veterinary medicine. I was unable to study directly after school due to family issues and not having science from school.I have just completed a one year BTEC First Diploma in Equine Nursing (level 2) and I now wish to apply to vet school. Would this be sufficient for entry requirements or should I continue with the BTEC on the advanced level, which will be the BTEC National Certificate in Equine Nursing (level 3).Or I could go back to school and complete science and re-do maths as a refresher. I really don’t know which route to take and I am now at a point in my life where I am able to take 6 years out and study.Am I too old to want to do this?...
Staying Sane In Vet School
Here's a great question sent in from Jaime...I have just been accepted for an undergraduate Veterinary Science course in Australia. I was just wondering what your advise would be to keep vet school student sane during their studies.I have often said that it's a good thing they don't require psychological evaluations to enter vet school, as we would likely find that the majority of veterinary students are actually quite insane. You pretty much have to be to spend that much time in school and work as hard as we do for the comparatively small salaries we make. Now, I say all of this tongue-in-cheek, but there is probably a grain of truth to it.My four years in veterinary school are the hardest, most stressful time in my entire life, before or after. Nothing compares to those...
A Veterinarian's Reponsibility
Let's say that I'm presented with a very sick dog that needs extensive lab tests and hospitalization. However, the client has just been laid off and will have difficulty affording the needed tests and treatment. In a situation like that, do I focus on the needs of the pet, or do I try to protect the client's pocketbook?This is a common situation that all vets are faced with. It can create problems as the clients argue that they don't have the money and we argue that the pet really needs these services. Since we can't force the client to do what we recommend, the pet may end up going without the care it should have. Yes, there are subtleties in many of these situations, and you can't pigeon-hole all of them. But in the end the dilemma is who should the veterinarian...
