Catlady711
08-29-2006, 06:06 PM
I figured I'd better post this in the 'Dog House' as it would probably end up here anyways. BTW most of these are my personal thoughts/feelings, NOT those of the hospital I work for!
*begining of rant*
Is it just me or does it bother anyone else that people come on this board with a medical question about their pet rather than calling the pet medical experts first (namely the vet)?????? :confused:
I work as a vet assistant and I see every day at work people who waited too long to come in and the once was treatable problem is now a serious, sometimes untreatable problem.
Upon asking the clients, alot of them say things like;
I thought it was just the food,
I figured maybe he just needed a bath,
thought it had to have been fleas/earmites,
neighbor said her dog did same thing and it healed by itself,
my breeder/neighbor/family said.....,
well my other dogs/cats never had a problem with this,
(and the granddaddy of them all) I thought it would go away on it's own'. GRRRRRRRRR :mad: :mad: :mad:
I have worked in the field for 6 years, and have seen countless animals that have been suffering needlessly because their owners waited, stalled, or tried home remedies (which usually made the situation worse) before they finally decided to call the people that could actually help. If your pet is not acting normally in anyway, don't wait till next month when it's due for vaccinations to bring it to the vets attention. Besides most vets won't vaccinate when a pet is sick anyways. When people are sick with the flu or something I'm sure their first thought isn't of 'gee, now is a good time to get that tetnus shot updated'!!! Same applies for pets!!!
First and formost, there are NO LAWS stating you MUST own a pet in the first place!!
Taking on a pet means a responsibility not only to provide good food, shelter and care for the dog, but also medical help as well!! Most states have laws regarding this, and why do they have laws? Because alot of people out there took on the great responsibility of getting a pet but could not or would not provide the basic needs for it, including medical attention!!!!
If a person can't afford the basic care of a pet (food, shelter, preventative and emergency medical care), then they should consider giving the pet over to someone who can. I wouldn't expect someone to just have $1,000 or more laying around for emergencies, however it is good sense to either have a credit card with the ability to charge a couple hundred for emergencies, or have a savings account set up for this purpose. Emergencies don't wait to happen until you have the money or time. If a person can barely make ends meet just providing food and a home, then they really can't afford the pet in my opinion.
If a person can afford to throw away $100 on flea/earmite/worm treatments from the pet store that don't work, or cause more problems, then why gripe at the vet because the products that DO work "cost so much" and they've 'already spent $100 on the pet'. Helloooo?? If they'd called the vet in the first place they'd have saved $100 and alot of hassles!!
Bringing up my next gripe.... HOW MUCH CAN A LOUSY PHONE CALL TO THE VET POSSIBLY COST???? :confused: People will do alot of things, and spend alot of money needlessly, and possibly cause the animal great suffering because they didn't simiply just CALL THE VET in the first place!!!!
And on that topic, the vet can't always help you over the phone. Some problems need to be seen and sometimes tested to know what the problem is your pet has and what the best treatment is. If people don't want to make 'that long trip in for an appointment' or you 'can't afford an appointment', then maybe they should reconsider why they became pet owners if they aren't willing to take the pet to the vet. They certainly wouldn't consider not taking their children to the doctor, why should the dog/cat be any different?? I mean they are, after all, our furkids!!!
I can't ever say these two at work often enough.....
ALL ITCHING IS NOT CAUSED BY FLEAS!!!!!
ALL EAR PROBLEMS ARE NOT EARMITES!!!!!!!
If the pet is not eating, don't wait 3,4,5 days, or longer to see a vet. Going that long without food starts causing organ damage!!
Arthritis is a TREATABLE thing. I get just sick everytime I see someone bring in a pet (mostly dogs for this) and the poor animal is limping something terrible, and the owner either gripes about the cost of arthritis meds that work, or they say 'gee I didn't know they made anything for that'. :mad: Agggghhhhh Calling the vet or bringing it up when they had their last 4 appointments could have saved the pet ALOT of pain and misery!!!!
NEOSPORIN IS NOT A CURE ALL FOR ALL THINGS. I can't count the number of times owners have been treating all manner of things with this product, and in some cases of certain skin problems, the salve sealed in moisture and actually made the problem MUCH WORSE!!!!
Unless your breeder is a licensed vet, they do NOT know more than your vet does! Vets go to school for years and earn a degree, and pass a board certification test, and pass the licensing board tests, and are trained specifically about how to medically care for pets, and they often attend numberous seminars to keep up with the most current information. How many years of vet school did your breeder attend or board certification tests passed, or licensing board tests has your breeder passed?
I can't tell you how many times we've told clients to do A,B,C with their dog, and they respond with 'well my breeder said..." We spend more of our time with clients rebuking MISinformation, than actually treating the animal!!!! Unless your breeder is a licensed vet, leave the medical diagnosis and treatment to your vet! If you don't trust your vet, find one you do trust.
PEOPLE FOOD CAN KILL PETS!!! As a treat now an then, in very small amounts, it's probably not all that bad. People food (especially in large amounts, or really greasy foods) can cause all sorts of problems from diabetes (from being overweight), to pancreatitis. I could tell you all horror tales of the dogs that died from being fed pizzas and cheeseburgers. When the owner sits there in either shock or tears wondering why fido isn't going to make it, and you KNOW that it was TOTALLY PREVENTABLE just makes me want to scream!!!! :mad: :mad:
Overweight pets are not cute, they are a waddling risk for all sorts of diseases; diabetes, kidney and liver failure, heart problems, pancreatitis, joint problems and many more!! People control the food for animals and the only way an animal is overweight is if people feed it too much or the wrong stuff. Love does NOT equal lots of food and treats. Brushing, petting, walks, or playtime say more to the animal about love than feeding it to death!! Yes fido loves that burger, yes fluffy loves that tuna, but feeding them so many treats, or food is the same as giving your toddler a whole cake with icing for breakfast every morning. Just because they like it doesn't mean it's good for them.
*end of rant......for now*
I think I feel better now getting that out of my system. I had a particularly bad day at work today, and just had to vent somewhere.
*begining of rant*
Is it just me or does it bother anyone else that people come on this board with a medical question about their pet rather than calling the pet medical experts first (namely the vet)?????? :confused:
I work as a vet assistant and I see every day at work people who waited too long to come in and the once was treatable problem is now a serious, sometimes untreatable problem.
Upon asking the clients, alot of them say things like;
I thought it was just the food,
I figured maybe he just needed a bath,
thought it had to have been fleas/earmites,
neighbor said her dog did same thing and it healed by itself,
my breeder/neighbor/family said.....,
well my other dogs/cats never had a problem with this,
(and the granddaddy of them all) I thought it would go away on it's own'. GRRRRRRRRR :mad: :mad: :mad:
I have worked in the field for 6 years, and have seen countless animals that have been suffering needlessly because their owners waited, stalled, or tried home remedies (which usually made the situation worse) before they finally decided to call the people that could actually help. If your pet is not acting normally in anyway, don't wait till next month when it's due for vaccinations to bring it to the vets attention. Besides most vets won't vaccinate when a pet is sick anyways. When people are sick with the flu or something I'm sure their first thought isn't of 'gee, now is a good time to get that tetnus shot updated'!!! Same applies for pets!!!
First and formost, there are NO LAWS stating you MUST own a pet in the first place!!
Taking on a pet means a responsibility not only to provide good food, shelter and care for the dog, but also medical help as well!! Most states have laws regarding this, and why do they have laws? Because alot of people out there took on the great responsibility of getting a pet but could not or would not provide the basic needs for it, including medical attention!!!!
If a person can't afford the basic care of a pet (food, shelter, preventative and emergency medical care), then they should consider giving the pet over to someone who can. I wouldn't expect someone to just have $1,000 or more laying around for emergencies, however it is good sense to either have a credit card with the ability to charge a couple hundred for emergencies, or have a savings account set up for this purpose. Emergencies don't wait to happen until you have the money or time. If a person can barely make ends meet just providing food and a home, then they really can't afford the pet in my opinion.
If a person can afford to throw away $100 on flea/earmite/worm treatments from the pet store that don't work, or cause more problems, then why gripe at the vet because the products that DO work "cost so much" and they've 'already spent $100 on the pet'. Helloooo?? If they'd called the vet in the first place they'd have saved $100 and alot of hassles!!
Bringing up my next gripe.... HOW MUCH CAN A LOUSY PHONE CALL TO THE VET POSSIBLY COST???? :confused: People will do alot of things, and spend alot of money needlessly, and possibly cause the animal great suffering because they didn't simiply just CALL THE VET in the first place!!!!
And on that topic, the vet can't always help you over the phone. Some problems need to be seen and sometimes tested to know what the problem is your pet has and what the best treatment is. If people don't want to make 'that long trip in for an appointment' or you 'can't afford an appointment', then maybe they should reconsider why they became pet owners if they aren't willing to take the pet to the vet. They certainly wouldn't consider not taking their children to the doctor, why should the dog/cat be any different?? I mean they are, after all, our furkids!!!
I can't ever say these two at work often enough.....
ALL ITCHING IS NOT CAUSED BY FLEAS!!!!!
ALL EAR PROBLEMS ARE NOT EARMITES!!!!!!!
If the pet is not eating, don't wait 3,4,5 days, or longer to see a vet. Going that long without food starts causing organ damage!!
Arthritis is a TREATABLE thing. I get just sick everytime I see someone bring in a pet (mostly dogs for this) and the poor animal is limping something terrible, and the owner either gripes about the cost of arthritis meds that work, or they say 'gee I didn't know they made anything for that'. :mad: Agggghhhhh Calling the vet or bringing it up when they had their last 4 appointments could have saved the pet ALOT of pain and misery!!!!
NEOSPORIN IS NOT A CURE ALL FOR ALL THINGS. I can't count the number of times owners have been treating all manner of things with this product, and in some cases of certain skin problems, the salve sealed in moisture and actually made the problem MUCH WORSE!!!!
Unless your breeder is a licensed vet, they do NOT know more than your vet does! Vets go to school for years and earn a degree, and pass a board certification test, and pass the licensing board tests, and are trained specifically about how to medically care for pets, and they often attend numberous seminars to keep up with the most current information. How many years of vet school did your breeder attend or board certification tests passed, or licensing board tests has your breeder passed?
I can't tell you how many times we've told clients to do A,B,C with their dog, and they respond with 'well my breeder said..." We spend more of our time with clients rebuking MISinformation, than actually treating the animal!!!! Unless your breeder is a licensed vet, leave the medical diagnosis and treatment to your vet! If you don't trust your vet, find one you do trust.
PEOPLE FOOD CAN KILL PETS!!! As a treat now an then, in very small amounts, it's probably not all that bad. People food (especially in large amounts, or really greasy foods) can cause all sorts of problems from diabetes (from being overweight), to pancreatitis. I could tell you all horror tales of the dogs that died from being fed pizzas and cheeseburgers. When the owner sits there in either shock or tears wondering why fido isn't going to make it, and you KNOW that it was TOTALLY PREVENTABLE just makes me want to scream!!!! :mad: :mad:
Overweight pets are not cute, they are a waddling risk for all sorts of diseases; diabetes, kidney and liver failure, heart problems, pancreatitis, joint problems and many more!! People control the food for animals and the only way an animal is overweight is if people feed it too much or the wrong stuff. Love does NOT equal lots of food and treats. Brushing, petting, walks, or playtime say more to the animal about love than feeding it to death!! Yes fido loves that burger, yes fluffy loves that tuna, but feeding them so many treats, or food is the same as giving your toddler a whole cake with icing for breakfast every morning. Just because they like it doesn't mean it's good for them.
*end of rant......for now*
I think I feel better now getting that out of my system. I had a particularly bad day at work today, and just had to vent somewhere.