Quite
often I run across strange situations where people are not well informed about
pet care and medicine. There is a great deal of confusion regarding various
sources of "expertise" and pet care advice.
Many people seek medical advice from neighbors, relatives, pet stores,
grooming technicians, and increasingly, the internet; sources that may be
helpful on occasion, but are largely unqualified and confusing.
Some
people lack information and knowledge about the difference between veterinarians
and other pet related services. We get phone calls about pets for sale,
grooming, boarding and even human care. The confusion is worsened by market
trends which offer mixed services. Some pet stores, for example, offer
vaccinations and some limited veterinary care; grooming establishments may offer
pets for adoption and some minor care such as ear cleaning, teeth brushing and
anal sac treatment. Last but not least, there are veterinarians who offer
grooming, boarding and pet retail products.
Veterinarians
are doctors of veterinary medicine. Not pet resellers, groomers or physicians.
They have extensive education in virtually all animal science disciplines,
comparative multi-species medicine, and public health and agriculture. For pet
owners, veterinarians are doctors who care for the health of the pet, offer
advice about pet husbandry and preventative medicine and serve as ultimate
points of references to many reliable sources.
Veterinary
medicine today is very advanced. We have specialists in areas such as
cardiology, dermatology, internal medicine, surgery and many more medical areas.
Pets have access to sophisticated diagnosis (like ultrasounds, CAT scans, MRI
etc.) and treatment such as cancer therapy, microscopic surgery, physical and
hydrotherapy and much more. Research is constantly being conducted around the
world with the results applied in the field, helping more and more animals each
and every day.
So,
the next time you have any question about animal care, call your veterinarian.
After all, he/she is the top expert in animal science and can help you with any
animal problem you might have.