www.facebook.com/1509841196/posts/10219329888987198/
A repost from Dr Katie Lackey, an animal chiropractor.
Know what bothers me?
A reactive approach to health.
What bothers me more than that?
People who treat veterinarians like crap for trying their best to take care of their sickly animal.
If we take a backseat approach to healthcare (our own, or our animal’s), we will eventually find ourselves in a hyper-emotional and reactive state. Waiting for health problems is like letting weeds and brush grow in a forest.
We can wait for a fire to start and then REACT in a panic…
Or we can PROACTIVELY and ROUTINELY clear the brush and diminish future risk in a calm fashion.
Emergencies can and do happen, but they could happen much less. Through quality diet, routine exercise, and regular maintenance care… your pet could live a great, full, and healthy life.
It is NOT okay to assume that when you continually neglect your animal’s health, that you can suddenly one day offload your panic onto the good Samaritan vet, trying to do all they can to put out fires of a chronic disease process. Not all fires can be put out.
Veterinarians, who have hundreds of thousands dollars of student loan debt and who are expected to work for next to nothing… are committing suicide. And it can be prevented.
How do you avoid reactive care and save our vets?
1. Take your animal in 2x/year for routine WELLNESS check ups
2. Ask and LISTEN to your vet about their best recommendations for preventative care (fecals, heartworms, dentals, etc)
3. Do routine diagnostics 1x/year (blood work, urinalysis, etc)
4. Consider integrative options (acupuncture, massage, laser, chiropractic, physiotherapy) now instead of waiting until the pain meds “are no longer working”
5. Keep a diary or thorough record of your pet’s prior medical records. Make note of surgeries, meds, and other things that may help your vet with future case management.
6. Consider detoxifying at home: update water filters, ditch the plug ins / candles, and use soaps/detergents with no added dye or perfume
7. If you don’t agree with your vet’s recommendations or their costs, thank them for their time and simply seek out another opinion. Do NOT accuse them of being heartless for charging an arm and a leg. You do not know their overhead or their circumstances.
8. Consider a visit with a veterinary nutritionist or holistic vet (in addition to your GP vet) to figure out a well rounded diet for your animal
9. Keep an emergency fund tucked away for your pets. I recommend $5-10K per animal. When the need arises, you won’t have to max out credit cards.
Dr Vet Sonya 