Supporting our Veterinarians

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Jen & Squeak, Oct 10, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Jen & Squeak

    Jen & Squeak Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    hi all
    Some of you may recognize me, it has been awhile. Sorry to pop in like this but I came across something recently and felt I needed to post it here.

    With the caveat that I've not been a regular participant in years, it used to be that people were relatively quick to be negative towards the veterinary community at large, blaming them for not understanding advances in FD treatment, etc. I was not a fan of what we used to call vet bashing...that said, there were a few SPECIFIC vets whom I had no issue with saying they were dangerous.

    Fast forward, there have been two very public examples of vets committing suicide. I know my vet has had a tough time with vet bashing at times as well and I completely sympathize. So, I'm posting something in the hopes that people read it and give our vets a bit more respect and recognition for what they do for us and for our pets.

    http://thunderjump.wordpress.com/2014/1 ... once-more/

    Cheers and TGIF

    Jen
     
  2. Jen & Squeak

    Jen & Squeak Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    bump bump
     
  3. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    A good thing to remember, Jen.

    I think one of the problems here is that we tend to get posts from new people who don't have FD friendly vets or even ones who are open to new ideas - ones who haven't explained hypos or diet, who haven't presecribed a good insulin or who have prescribed too much or who sometimes even "forbid" hometesting. People who have good vets are much less likely to post, until they happen to find our site and are just posting for a community of like minded people. I do really make an effort not to slam the vet, but just to offer alternatives, but sometimes it is an effort.. :D
     
  4. Jen & Squeak

    Jen & Squeak Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    :)

    I think that the one thing that tends to get forgotten is that vets are typically GPs. Expected to know about all body systems in many different species.

    Some of the people on FDMB spend their lives figuring out things like tight regulation. Vets seldom have such a luxury nor should they be expected to.

    With the exceptions of bad vets, people need to learn how to work with their vet. Find a vet who is willing to accept that you are going to do some side research, respect your vet's knowledge and training and their desire to help your cat.

    Because trust me, some of the stuff on the internet is wrong. Some of the people who have frequented here in the past have been...well...misinformed at best, negligent and trouble at their worst. And that doesn't stack up well for our reputation. Mantras get repeated without the basic knowledge to back them up.
     
  5. Laura & Heffernan

    Laura & Heffernan Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2013
    Great post! Dr Yin's suicide was devastating. I read about the other prominent vet's suicide as well--so very sad. Dr Yin was so ground breaking in her field and inspiring with behavior training and practices.

    I love my vet. I don't always agree with him and I'm quite sure he thinks I'm a bit nutty sometimes, but the bottom line is we both care deeply about our animals. It's like any other doctor, there are some that are GREAT and some not so much! It's a relationship you need to build and work on.
     
  6. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    There are many vets that do not have a thorough knowledge of treating feline diabetes. However, most are open to new information, especially if it is presented in a way that is not questionining their professional qualifications. I have helped educate several of my vets by demonstrating that I am knowledgable in hometesting and insulins. Some were skeptical about taking advice from an internet message board, but after I was able to demonstrate what I have learned with including positive results and also invited them to join or view the messages on our board, they agree this site is a valuable resource for helping members care for their diabetic cats.
     
  7. tylertheragdoll

    tylertheragdoll Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2014
    Sorry to hear about the vet suicides. That is very sad and I would never wish that on anyone!!!

    My previous cat-only vet where I used to live was incredibly, amazingly super specialized in cat conditions of all kinds - I swear, he would describe a symptom, run back to get his old text book and flip to a page, point exactly at what I was trying to describe (feline asthma) and would go into such amazing detail on the condition. Explaining complex radiographs so it made sense to me, educating me w/ current evidence-based practices, describe all the treatment options, the pros/cons, short term/long term, etc. He was an EXCEPTIONAL cat vet who surgically removed Tyler's large struvite crystals with such precision and competency that even the new vet looked amazed when they saw the tiny little surgical scar (my awesome vet at the time sent me images of the crystals and how large they were in comparison to a fingerpoint for scale). They never pushed products on me, had no issues writing scripts, and yet it was $10 cheaper for the canned rx food at this vet than the cheapest online food store.

    I guess I expected the same level of expertise when I went to the current cat-only vet. They literally did not know what to tell me when I told them about Tyler's asthma, prescription diet for crystals, and what to do about his diabetes given those circumstances. The good thing is that they were friendly, were willing to admit that they didn't know enough to offer the right course of action, so referred me and my cat to an internist. However, it did leave a bad taste in my mouth when the cat-only vet tried to sell me the AlphaTrak Meter and that it would be a little more expensive than the internet but the strips would be guaranteed fresh (which I later found out from the internist that it shouldn't be an issue so long as it was from a reputable website). I don't think it comes across in a cat's best interest when a vet tries to sell products. So even when I would ask her for scripts, the receptionist/front office person gave me a hard time about ordering external to the office and would make a big deal that she would have to ask the vet if it was allowed...

    With that said, the internist was mostly great in that they were all for internet research (almost expected it which was great). They also knew that my cat had to get off the oral steroids and was very understanding w/ the added overwhelming thought of having to put Tyler on a mask/inhaler. But he was stumped as to why I needed to see him (he kept saying that he normally sees comorbid cats when they are far along into diabetes treatment that continue to struggle w/ being properly regulated). He was awesome in that he stressed that I needed to get a glucometer right away and do hometesting (as he said it was expensive to do in the office, unnecessary when you could do a full curve at home, etc). He also encouraged utilizing the internet/Canadian pharmacies to make cheaper purchases and kept saying he doesn't sell products (refreshing compared to what I experienced w/ the GP). The part that was very perplexing though, was that I knew I needed to get Tyler on insulin ASAP and if anything I needed a script. But in his discharge instructions, he wrote that Tyler should get "2-4 units of insulin every 12 hours" based on weight. It also showed Tyler at "0.0 lbs." OKAY - huge mix up. So I insisted that I see the vet again while I was still in his office and pointed out the discrepancies but he still gave me the same range on dosage........

    If I went w/ the 4 units of insulin every 12 hours, the chances of tyler going into hypo would have been very likely as he was already going into hypo #s w/ 2 units every 12 hrs. While one GP cat-only vet thought Tyler was too tough to determine how much insulin he would need (delaying treatment as a result)..despite the fact that they are the ones who gave back the blood work results w/ his BG over 500....the other board certified internist thought Tyler was too easy for him to look at yet gave a dosing range, w/ the high end being dangerously too much insulin. So I feel very strongly that when it comes to feline diabetes, the two vets I went to: 1.) delayed treatment due to lack of knowledge and 2.) gave dangerous dosing recommendations. I work in the hospital setting and attend patient safety huddles every single morning. If this were a human patient, both instances would have been identified as safety issues w/ a non-punitive course of action so it can be prevented in the future. My expectation about going to a feline only vet or a board certified internist with a cat that had over 500 BG was that they would get a safe dose of insulin...from at least 1 of the 2 vets.

    If it weren't for the dedicated, patient, kind and understanding advisors here at FDMB, Tyler would not be heading into remission.
     
  8. Maggies Mom Debby

    Maggies Mom Debby Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    What a great post. And needed. Bullying is a problem everywhere these days. What a shame that people's lives are ruined because of some bullies.

    Yes, we want our vets to be PERFECT and to know EVERYTHING. But it's really not possible, is it? Bashing vets (except in severe cases) is not fair. Trying to work with a vet you like otherwise is the best thing. Just like for my own doctors, I prefer a vet who listens to me, explains things, and is willing to say "I don't know. I'll research it/or refer you elsewhere."

    My vet is a large and small animal GP. She started Maggie on Humulin U in 1999 and Maggie did so well she went off the juice. When she relapsed in 2007, Humulin was off the market and my vet didn't like the insulins designed for pets. I had done some research here and printed out information about Levemir and Lantus. She read it, did some research and choose Lev for Maggie. She even gave me an old human glucometer to try when I asked about home testing. The vet was open to other ideas.

    One day I thanked her. I told her many people at FDMB complained of vets refusing to consider the information they read here. She said "I don't know everything and I'm always happy to learn something new." I could have kissed her! There were times she would suggest something I didn't agree with, like an increase in dose. I would just say "I'm not comfortable with that. How about x? Can we try that first?" And she would be ok most of the time with the decision or compromise.
     
  9. Trish & Harley (GA)

    Trish & Harley (GA) Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2009
    Good post

    "Hi Jen!!!"
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page