Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (5)

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Finding The Right Veterinarian – The Conclusion

There is no such thing as getting the perfect “estimate” from a veterinarian in terms of what it will cost to fix a medical problem. Although these doctors try to give estimates, the likelihood of the outcome equaling the price of the guesswork is slim-to-none.

If you want those types of estimates and warranties, toasters make a nice alternative to pets, and they don’t need walking in the winter!

Seriously though, if you have concerns about the treatment or procedure going above the estimate, talk about it with your veterinarian:

“What if my dog needs a second transfusion?”
“In your experience, Doctor, how many blood tests are required per year?”
“Is there a less expensive way to get this done?”

These questions are all part of the informed consent process. At the core of the matter, and central to the idea of a good veterinarian relationship, is the concept of informed consent.

Patient advocates on the human side of medicine like to remind us, wisely, that informed consent is not intended to protect the practitioner. It is a process wherein your veterinarian informs you of the risks, benefits and consequences of treatment; tells you about alternative treatments; lets you know when there are practitioners better qualified to treat your dog; and answers questions that you might not have enough information or presence of mind to ask.

Informed consent is for the client/patient, not the practitioner. It is not, as a veterinarian’s lawyer may have indicated, a document primarily used to cover his posterior in the event a case heads south.

When Research a Veterinarian – Do Your Homework

You can’t be a partner with your veterinarian if you don’t know anything about veterinary medicine. If a person you cared for had cancer, you would most likely research treatments, survival times and how the disease affects the body. Whether the individual has two legs or four, the response should be the same. Your dog is your family, remember that.

Information can be acquired from numerous sources. Your veterinarian is the first (remember that you did your research in choosing your current vet, and you trust this person). Then there’s your library, bookstore and medical publications, if you are so inclined.

There is also, of course, the Internet. But be warned – besides being a good forum for quality information, the Internet is also a good forum for any quack who wants to publish medical advise that they know nothing about. So keep this in mind when you are researching your veterinary medicine information online.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home veterinarian health remedies, Click Here.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (4)

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The Right Veterinarian -Part 4

A Veterinarian cares only about the money, right? Sure they have to, but you’d be surprised at how they really feel.

Money matters have a lot to do with feelings and ego. In general, a veterinarian doesn’t want to talk about money, though if you want to work effectively with your veterinarian, having the dollar discussion may be inevitable.

The unfortunate truth is that veterinary medicine is expensive. But it is not overpriced. “Expensive” means numerous dollars are required, while “overpriced” is a label that requires placing a value judgement on something that is essentially a value-free, market-determined issue.

If you think that your veterinarian is overpriced, don’t punish him or your pet with resentment. Take the market solution and look for a new veterinarian instead.

Because most people, veterinarians included, don’t want to talk about money, increasingly doctors discuss only medical matters and let practice managers or others in the office deal with the issue of money and costs. Most veterinarians feel the same way about the issue: They feel bad when clients cannot afford what needs to be done to fix the pet in question.

And although most vets prefer not to talk about money, I am not sure that a blanket policy of avoiding money talk is feasible, or wise, for the doctors. Unless there is no shortage of money, it is impossible to make medical decisions without putting a price tag on them.

What is important, especially now that compensation schemes – particularly in large and corporate practices – are often “production-based,” is that veterinarians disclose their financial interest in the case.

It has been well established that doctors are often unable to completely divorce their financial interests from their medical recommendations. This is not because doctors are evil, this is because they are human. Skepticism is always a healthy thing, especially when it is about oneself. Veterinarians should make a practice of questioning their motivations, and welcome the help they can get from their clients.

As the person paying the bill, it’s your responsibility to ask for an estimate. Be aware, however, that an estimate is a dual-edged sword. On the one hand, it tells you what to expect. On the other hand, dogs – like any other biological system – have a way of defying the odds on occasion.

The goal of your veterinarian is not to have the treatment come in at exactly the price on the estimate (though that would be pleasant); rather to use the precise treatment necessary to ensure that your dog is fixed up and is out of  harm’s way with whatever disease, ailment, or problem that is happening at the time.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home veterinarian health remedies, Click Here.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (3)

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The Right Veterinarian – Part 3

You may have heard that finding the best veterinarian means you may have to work a little. I’m not talking about hard work, rather, I mean putting in a little effort to get to know the doctor and to start asking the right questions, both for the veterinarian and yourself.

You can, of course, pick the closest veterinarian that has an office in your area, do whatever he or she tells you to do after taking your dog or puppy for visits, and just hope for the best (which is the case with most dog owners who fail to realize the importance of changing their roles with the typical doctor/patient expectations).

Part of this partnership-building process requires you to be clear about what matters most to you. Let’s look at a hypothetical self-analysis, which might go something like this (ask yourself the following questions):

1) Is my dog an important companion and an essential part of my life, or does he occupy a different role (wedged somewhere in between raising the children, working hard to pay the mortgage, and the other animals that are running around the house)?

2) Do I have a negative opinion about annual vaccinations for my dog, that they are a waste of time and money? Do I feel the same about yearly heartworm testing? Veterinarians differ in their degree of “belief” regarding matters of necessary and appropriate care – be sure that your own beliefs and your veterinarian are in perfect harmony.

3) Do I need lots of time with my veterinarian? Does the clinic have 15-minute appointments or 20-minute appointments? Will I be able to see the same vet each time I bring my pet in?Does the office staff schedule the veterinarian to spend all of that time with me, or will a technician conduct the bulk of the visit?

(Cultivating a relationship with a good technician is a great idea. Technicians can be better communicators and educators than veterinarians, and clients are more often comfortable voicing their concerns to the technician than the veterinarian.

4) If and when I have an old or infirm dog, will I feel that any suggestion to diagnose or treat is guilt-inducing pressure to do so? What do I consider “heroic” medicine, and how do I feel about it?

All of these questions are designed to help you really start thinking about what you need to consider when forming a relationship with the right veterinarian. They are just guides, and more can be added to the list, but all are important so that you can better understand how to communicate with your veterinarian while at the same time helping the vet communicate better with you as well.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home veterinarian health remedies, Click Here.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (2)

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 The Right Veterinarian -Part 2

Knowing your veterinarian, trusting him or her, and having a deeper knowledge from their point of view and work ethic can really make taking your dog to the doctor more meaningful (and hopefully more often for the check-ups that so desperately go undone for pets most homes today because there is a lack of trust on the dog owner’s part).

To help you better understand the core of a licensed veterinarian out there, take a look at the following ideas. For starters, there is a good chance that your veterinarian feels exactly the following in their practice:

1) Cares about your animals, cares about you – whether for the sake of your dog, you or the business – wants to see successful outcomes, healthy pets and satisfied clients. The only way business can be continued and clients be made happy is for the well-being of everyone involved.

2) Worries about getting sued, or being brought before the state regulatory board. This worry is disproportionate to the actual chance that this will happen, but that doesn’t change your veterinarian’s awareness of the possibility, which may make some vets better doctors, and in other cases, more paranoid and less willing to take chances.

3) Feels that he or she doesn’t have an income commensurate with the amount of time and education that it took to become a veterinarian. And paradoxically, it is also true that many (although certainly far from all) veterinarians suspect they charge too much, and feel guilty about it.

4) Fails at mind reading. In other words, the doctor has no way of knowing any information, feelings, or opinions you may have on an issue unless voiced. And without your willingness to share, a relationship can fail to bond, which may have negative repercussions for your dog down the road.

5) Harbors a zero tolerance for mistakes (and most likely, you do too). And guess what? All doctors make mistakes.

Your veterinarian tries to do his or her best under the circumstances that present themselves, but what must be kept in mind (by both parties) is that it is your dog. If that concept is too difficult for your veterinarian, find a new one.

And on the flip-side, if you can look deep inside your own attitude, perhaps you are not giving your veterinarian enough trust, communication and open-mindedness.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Veterinarian Issues At Home

————————————————————–

To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (1)

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Finding The Right Veterinarian

There is only one person responsible for your dog’s health: You. And a major part of this responsibility is getting the appropriate veterinary care and attention, which can only be accomplished by forming an honest, open relationship with the vet of your choice.

However most dog owners (of which you may also be guilty of doing) only look to the veterinarian as a solution to a health problem, never for prevention. But your responsibility is to take things one step further and understand your vet’s role with your role, and to form a successful relationship.

What Then Is The Job Of A Veterinarian?

It is to be your partner, to assist you in keeping your dog as healthy as possible for as long as possible. And your job is to remind the veterinarian of what you need and to be the best partner you can.

Ideally, you and your veterinarian will see to it that you are educated, that you seek assistance when and where needed, that you help your dog be a good patient, and that you are given all the information you need to make wise decisions. In the end, however, the final responsibility rests with you, and you have the more difficult task.

Keep in mind that this is a change from the way doctors, be they physicians or a veterinarian, have traditionally viewed their role. The old ways had veterinarians stand on authority, but a pedestal is a very narrow base on which to build a partnership.

What veterinary schools should now be most interested in teaching their future veterinarians is in actually teaching us dog owners, the real caretakers, to do the best with what we have in order to achieve the goal of maximum health for our companion animals.

There are still a lot of doctors who, despite being kind and sympathetic people, believe that what they think about your dog is more important than what you think. These sage are relics of the old model, one in which doctors reigned supreme. However, led by human medicine, things are changing.

Clients are increasingly less accepting of that old model, and a veterinarias can come along willingly or be dragged into the new world. It is in both parties’ interests that the change goes smoothly. As in any relationship, being understanding and sympathetic of the other party’s strengths and failings enhances the possibility of forging and maintaining a strong relationship with your veterinarian.

————————————————————–

Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

————————————————————–

To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

Dog Food & Supplements: An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (7)

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Dog Food & Supplements

According to the canine nutritional experts, a ninety pound adult German Shepherd can require up to seven cans of dog food per day. A sixty pound Collie can require five cans per day.

For the average household, this can become an expensive choice.

Dry dog foods, on the other hand, contain only about ten percent moisture – the other sixty five percent having been removed intentionally during the dehydration process.

The dog owner is expected to replace the moisture either by providing the dog with ample amounts of water alongside the feeding dish, or by adding it directly to the dry food. Feeding directions on labels of dry dog food are very explicit about this.

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The drawback in feeding dry dog food usually has been caused by the dog owner having allowed the family pooch to enjoy table scraps. Eating people-food accomplishes absolutely nothing for Sparky’s nutritional needs, and simply creates the problem of the finicky eater.

Under the mistaken belief that he’s doing the dog a favor, the dog owner is really robbing the animal of nutrients that are rightfully his – taking food right out of his mouth, so to speak.

In the middle of the scale are the “soft-moist” products which contain more moisture content than dry foods, but considerably less than the canned foods. They are the easiest of all three types to prepare, but are far and away the most expensive. Probably, they are economically most suitable for the small dog.

A compromise solution for the family with the finicky eater as well as the family with a limited dog food budget might be a combination of both canned and dry. Mixing two types – each balanced nutritionally – does nothing to upset the interrelationships of the nutrients.

It’s much easier to control the weight of the family dog when this combination is used. Rather than cut down on the volume intake of the obese dog, a decrease in the amount of dry food, with corresponding increase in canned food will accomplish this without having a constantly hungry dog begging for handouts.

On the other hand, increasing the amount of dry food, with a corresponding decrease in canned, may help to bring the weight up on the dog that has a tendency to be skinny.

The diet of today’s pet dog has come quite a long way from the old days of being fed whale blubber, potatoes and cornbread. Now if manufacturers would take just as much interest in human foods… but for now, if your dog’s choice between caviar or a commercially prepared, balanced dog food, he’d be wise to select the dog food.

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