Is There A Limit To Medical Treatment For Pets?
A reader recently pointed me toward a story regarding the spiraling medical costs for pet owners.
According to Nancy Keats, a writer for SmartMoney.com, there appears to be no limit for medical treatment for pets.
She wrote:
"Dogs and cats can have pacemakers implanted at a cost of $1,000 to $1,500, while pets with kidney failure can get a kidney-clearing procedure that runs $20,000 to $25,000 for just the first few weeks. Not long ago a vet would most likely have recommended euthanasia for a cat or dog diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness. Today high-tech procedures and equipment, such as chemotherapy and MRIs — and yes, CAT scans — allow for better diagnosis and more-advanced treatment."
Is there such a thing as too much treatment for pets?
Read the full story here, and let us know your thoughts.
Be a Medical Advocate For Your Pet
I recently discovered a new blog by Dr. Nancy Kay, called Speakingforspot.com.
Her book, Speaking for Spot, was a labor of love for Dr. Kay, fueled by her passion to teach people how to be effective medical advocates for their four-legged best friends
In her website notes, Dr. Kay states that she is a board certified specialist in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and has been published in several professional journals and textbooks. She lectures professionally to regional and national audiences, and one of her favorite lecture topics is communication between veterinarians and their clients.
The book is designed to, “help dog lovers become more involved, savvy consumers of veterinary medicine.”
Dr. Kay said that writing it was truly a labor of love, fueled by her passion to help dog lovers become more involved, savvy consumers of veterinary medicine.
In my home, medical treatment for our dog is always an issue; we want to use the minimal amount of drugs that are necessary to keep her in good health.
The less treatment, the better.
I suggest you visit her site and see if her book is for our and your pets.
You might find some useful information.
Full Moon Drive Your Pets Crazy?
We have all heard the anecdotal stories from hospitals, news outlets and police reports stating that a full moon always brings the “crazies and loonies’ out of the woodwork.
We have even personally observed bizarre behavior and said, “Must be a full moon.”
Well, I recently came across a study completed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Although the report was originally published last year, I found it to be very interesting.
The study was completed by Raegan J. Wells, DVM; Juliet R. Gionfriddo, DVM, MS, DACVO; Timothy B. Hackett, DVM, MS, DACVECC; Steven V. Radecki, PhD Veterinary Medical Center, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
The purpose of the study was to determine the frequency of canine and feline emergency visits with respect to the lunar cycle.
The study was based upon the clinical records of 11,940 dogs and cats that were evaluated on an emergency basis during an 11-year period.
The emergency types were categorized as animal bite, cardiac arrest, epilepsy, ophthalmic, gastric dilatation-volvulus (a twisting of the digestive tract that leads to partial or complete obstruction and a reduction in blood supply), trauma, multiple diseases, neoplasia (the formation or existence of tumors) or toxicosis (the harmful effects of a poison, including any disease).
The results were…
“Of 11,940 cases, 9,407 were canine and 2,533 were feline. Relative risk calculations identified a significant increase in emergencies for dogs and cats on fuller moon days (waxing gibbous to waning gibbous), compared with all other days.”
The study went on to report…
“The results suggested that more emergency room visits occurred on fuller moon days for dogs and cats. It is unlikely that an attending clinician would notice the fractional increase in visits (0.59 and 0.13 more canine and feline visits, respectively) observed in this study at a facility with a low caseload. If the study is repeated at a facility with a robust emergency caseload, these results may lead to reorganization of staffing on fuller moon dates.”
So the next time that your dog howls, without any obvious reason, at the full moon, maybe it is more than a coincidence.
Lunar cycle effects causing injury or illness to your pets?
Who knew?
Maybe we need to watch our pets a little more carefully during a full moon.
I dunno…can’t hurt, can it?
Why Don't You Love Your Cat?
Arca Max Publishing recently reported a story that stated that cats do not receive the same affection that dogs do and as a result, cats do not get as much medical care as dogs.
Citing a study, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the report found,
…that U.S. pet owners generally have stronger bonds with their dogs than their cats and are therefore more attached to dogs and thus more attentive to their needs. Cats are substantially underserved medically, which presents problems not only in terms of their health, but in terms of public health, the researchers said.
Even cats sharing living quarters with the family dog are seen by veterinarians significantly less than dogs from the same household. One-third of the cats from these households did not visit a veterinarian annually, compared with 13 percent of dogs in the same household.
The study said many owners think their dogs are in need of more routine medical care because they are outside more often than cats and many cat owners are under the misconception that cats "do not get sick and ... can take care of themselves."
However, cats can hide sickness, so often cats don't see a veterinarian until they're profoundly ill.
Do not forget to take care of all of your pets…dogs…cats…birds…turtles…fish… rabbits…whatever your pet.
You assumed that responsibility when you took them into your home and domesticated them.
Planning for the well being of your pets is a ongoing comprehensive process. Medical care and estate planning are both essential aspects of that plan.
