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Can My Pet Get Sunburned?

June 15, 2015

MM-Sunburn

As the temperatures start to heat up, and we are approaching the official start of summer, it is important to keep your pet’s safety in mind when planning your outdoor activities.

Firstly, before you take your dog out for any activity in warm weather, please educate yourself on the signs of heatstroke.

Secondly, be aware that your dog can get sunburned while spending time outside.

Many of us have been there. Sunburns can be painful and are always uncomfortable. However, our main concern is that sunburn increases our pet’s risk of skin cancer.

Are some dogs more at risk than others?

Yes. Dogs who have thin or white coats are more at risk for sunburn (Nextgendog.com). Keep this in mind especially if you shave your dog for the summer.

Where are they most likely to be burned?

According to Veterinary Partner, cats and dogs are most likely to be burned on the bridge of their nose, the tips of their ears, around their lips, and their back. If you have a dog that likes to lay on their back in the sun, their abdomen, groin and inside of their legs will be susceptible as well.

Can I put sunscreen on my dog?

Yes! As a matter of fact, it is recommended. Veterinary Partner recommends using a sunscreen that is fragrance-free, non-staining and contains UVA and UVB barriers. Typically, this will be similar to SPF 15 or 30 for humans.

Are there any sunscreens I should avoid?

Yes. If the sunscreen you have has ingestion warnings, it may be due to toxic ingredients that put your dog or cat at risk if they lick some of the sunscreen. Please don’t use these sunscreens.

Please note: If you plan to put sunscreen on your cat, please make sure the labeling specifically states that the product is safe for cats.

If your pet is going to be out in the sun for a long time, please apply sunscreen and then reapply, same as you would for yourself.

Are there other alternatives to sunscreen?

Sunscreen will protect your pet. However, UV clothing and suits for pets are available, like the PlayaPup Dog Sun Protective Lightweight Shirts

Photo Courtesy of www.playapup.com

Photo Courtesy of www.playapup.com

What do you do to protect your dog from the sun? Are there certain products that you have used that work well for your pets?

AAHA: Making Veterinary Hospitals Awesome

June 11, 2015

AAHA

What makes your Veterinary Hospital awesome?

Is it the people, the staff, the customer service, the quality of medicine, or the availability? Many veterinary hospitals bring something of value to their clientele and patients. However, there are certain veterinary hospitals that even go above and beyond the standards.

Those veterinary hospitals are AAHA accredited!

What is AAHA?

AAHA is the American Animal Hospital Association. They have been around for 82 years, and they embody veterinary excellence in both the U.S. and Canada.

“We are the only organization in the United States and Canada that accredits companion animal hospitals based on standards that meet or exceed state and provincial regulations.”

AAHA’s goal is to improve the quality of veterinary medicine. Besides the current 900 standards that AAHA has in place, they are always reviewing and updating those practices so that they are on the forefront of veterinary excellence.

How do veterinary hospitals become accredited by AAHA?

Veterinary hospitals are ranked and evaluated based on 900 different veterinary standards. Additionally, to keep their accreditation, each hospital is reevaluated every 3 years.

Why do I love AAHA?

As someone who has worked for several different veterinary hospitals, I can say that standards and practice change significantly over time and from hospital to hospital. Depending on the state, many technicians and veterinarians are required to keep up with CE (continuing education). For individual state requirements, please refer to CE State requirements provided by Iams. These CE requirements are in place to make sure that veterinary professionals remain informed about new research, developments, and processes. The goal is to keep veterinary professionals educated and up to date on standards. AAHA takes this a step further by ensuring that the hospitals integrate the best new practices into their hospital.

Why aren’t all veterinarians accredited by AAHA?

That is a very good question.

The accreditation is voluntary, and can be a rigorous process. However, any hospital that is choosing to be accredited by AAHA is committing itself to meeting high-quality standards both now and in the future.

There are many great veterinary hospitals that are not currently accredited by AAHA, but I am encouraging you to ask your veterinarian if they have ever considered accreditation or if they will in the future. The more pet parents demand quality standards, the more likely we are to get them.

Is your veterinary hospital AAHA accredited?

You can use AAHA’s hospital locator to determine if your veterinary hospital is AAHA accredited.

Please keep in mind the following stats:

60% of pet parents think their veterinary hospital is accredited

Only 12-15% of veterinary hospitals choose to be accredited

Would you be alarmed to learn that your veterinary hospital is not accredited?

Should You Get Your Pet’s Medications from an Online Source?

April 5, 2015

MVMOnlinePrescriptions

Everything is available online these days. In fact, according to Business Insider, 78% of the U.S. population, age 15 and above, bought something online in the first quarter of 2014. Although online shopping is clearly hear to stay, my question is, should you buy your pet’s medications from an online source?

In the veterinary field, this is a very popular topic. Many veterinarians have it out for online pet medication sources. Why? Well, many pet parents don’t realize that there are many non-credible sources out there, looking to get the cheap sale, and these medications could potentially threaten your pets health.

Let’s break this down a bit further.

The Food & Drug Administration, or the FDA, has a regulatory entity called the Center of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). According to their website, “CVM regulates drugs, devices, and food additives for over 100 million companion animals, plus millions of poultry, cattle, swine, and minor animal species. (Minor animal species include animals other than cattle, swine, chickens, turkeys, horses, dogs, and cats)”.

So to be clear, the veterinary pharmaceutical industry is regulated by an entity within the FDA. However, just like the human pharmaceutical black market, there are unregulated vendors pedaling their medications at pet parents on a regular basis.

The FDA has even made statements acknowledging that this is a problem, and advising pet parents on how to avoid these traps.

According to the FDA, it is dangerous and risky to purchase pet prescriptions online, especially those that use claims like, “Discount Pet Drugs” and “No Prescription Required”. The FDA has indeed caught companies selling unapproved and expired pet medications.

“Pet owners who purchase drugs from these companies may think they are saving money, says Hartogensis, but in reality, they may be short-changing their pet’s health and putting its life at risk.” – Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine

The CVM wants pet parents to know that there are several reputable and honest online pet pharmaceutical companies. As a matter of fact, I have been approached by a few online pharmaceutical companies, and my very first question is, “What is your process for ensuring your medications are delivered directly from the manufacturer, and are completely up to veterinary standards?”. There are a few that have passed my interrogation, and I will be sharing those with your in future posts. However, what us veterinary professionals fear, is that many pet parents don’t know to ask these types of questions, and therefore are duped by these terrible companies because they want to save a few dollars. I completely understand wanting, and needing, to save a few dollars, but I want to give you the tools to make sure that it isn’t at the risk of your pet’s life, or health.

Tips for protecting your pet while shopping online:

I highly recommend purchasing your pet’s medications from your veterinarian, or from a reputable pharmacy recommended by your veterinarian. However, if you are going to purchase your pet’s prescriptions online, here are some things that you should be aware of.

Red Flags

Foreign online pharmacies: Although you can make purchases online from other countries, it doesn’t mean that those medications are approved here in the U.S..

Not needing a prescription: According to the FDA, there are some pharmacies that allow pet parents to fill out a form, and a “veterinarian” on staff evaluates your pet’s health and then decides if they need the medication, or not. No medications should be prescribed without a proper veterinary exam, ever.

Purchasing NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) online: Although NSAIDs are often prescribed by veterinarians, no pet parent should self-precscribe their pet with the need for NSAIDs. Why? The use of these medications can cause significant health problems if your pet’s kidneys and liver are not in perfect condition. Therefore, bloodwork should be performed before starting your pet on these medications.

Purchasing Heartworm Preventative online: If your pet has heartworm, giving them heartworm preventative can do further damage to your pet’s health. Therefore, veterinarians recommend keeping your pet on year-round heartworm preventative and testing them yearly for heartworm to ensure that the preventative is indeed working. Although these medications can be purchased online, it should not be without annual veterinary exams and heartworm testing.

No licensed pharmacist to answer questions: Every pet parent should be able to ask questions if necessary. If a professional of the industry will not put their name behind a company, it is probably not very reputable.

No physical address, phone number or contact information: Not providing legitimate contact information is a huge red flag for any website, let alone a pharmaceutical company. What if something goes wrong with your pet’s health? How will you be able to hold the company accountable?

Prices are too good: If the prices are too good to be true, they probably are! Please be aware that medications do have a cost to the manufacturer and the company, so the price will need to be above that cost at least.

Tips

NABP: Make sure the site is licensed by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Check specifically for Vet-VIPPS (Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) which are online sites that are legally selling veterinary prescription products.

Report any suspicious sites: All pet parents should look out for each other! If you notice any red flags associated with an online pharmacy, be sure to report it!

Always be in communication with your veterinarian: Nothing is more beneficial to your pet’s health than honest and open communication with your veterinarian.

In conclusion, I recommend purchasing your pet’s medications from your veterinarian or other established pharmacies. However, if you are going to purchase pet prescriptions online, please do so with caution, and significant research.

For Carol’s Mom perspective on this topic, please click here.

MedicineVsMom

If you aren’t familiar with Carol Bryant, she is a good friend and fellow pet blogger. She is the founder and CEO of Fidose of Reality. If you haven’t checked out her blog, your really should! As a seasoned blogger and writer she brings her dedicated pet parent perspective to share will all “Dog Lovers of the Highest Order”. Her posts are always a must read for me, and for any other pet parent out there. As we progress through our Medicine versus Mom series, I hope to share with your even more reasons why Carol is awesome! 

I want to thank IndyVet.com, the FDA, and the CVM for providing such excellent information.

Should You Buy Your Dog’s Food From Your Veterinarian?

March 22, 2015

MVMDogFood

There are so many options when it comes to purchasing your dog’s food. Some of you may even be able to buy your dog’s food from your veterinarian’s office, and the question may have crossed your mind; Does my dog need a prescription diet that I need to purchase from my veterinarian?

Well, let’s address the first part of this question. Does my dog need a prescription diet?

When searching for dog food, there are a plethora of options available and a myriad of locations to make your purchase. Therefore, buying dog food can quickly become a tall order, instead of a simple task.

I highly recommend on your first veterinary visit with your dog, and every subsequent visit, discussing your dog’s food requirements and any potential changes you are considering. Different stages of life can require different supplements and nutrition, therefore changing your dog’s food throughout their life may be necessary. Secondly, certain medical conditions can be improved using specific prescriptions diets.

For example, Rooney suffers from inhaled and food allergy, like many other dogs here in the Bay Area. Therefore he needs to be on certain types of diets (non-prescription). His diet is not prescription, but its made of certain ingredients that reduce allergies, and its the food my vet uses for her own dogs.

Additionally, there are prescription diets available that can improve your pet’s urinary health, skin health, oral health, weight, and allergies. I recommend never purchasing these health specific diets without a diagnosis from your veterinarian (and sometimes you can’t). If your pet requires a complete diet, you will definitely want them to have one.

Many veterinarians I have worked for, have carried prescription diets, and many people aren’t sure if they should get them at the veterinary office or not.

Firstly, I will say that many of the veterinarians I worked for, did not mark up the prescription diets by much, and therefore were a financially responsible option for purchasing your dog’s food.

Secondly, I will say that I have worked for veterinarians who honor price matches if your find the food cheaper in another location.

Lastly, I will say that many veterinary prescription diets are not available anywhere except veterinary offices (as it should be). This further reinforces my point, that no one should be giving their pet a prescription diet without a proper diagnosis from their veterinarian.

Therefore, I would highly recommend that you speak with your veterinarian about your dog’s food options, their price matching possibilities, and certainly buy your prescription dog food from your veterinarians office.

When it comes to other dog food options, i.e. non-prescription dog food, feel free to purchase these at your local pet food store. 

HOWEVER, please do not ask employees in the pet store about your dog’s medical issues in order to find the appropriate dog food to treat those issues.

One day, my best friend the veterinarian and myself were in a pet food store when we overheard the pet store employee telling pet owners that their dog was probably urinating in their home because she was angry and that she should be on a specific brand of dog food in order to prevent this issue.

Not once did this employee recommend seeing their veterinarian since their dog’s urinary issues were probably not be behavioral, but medical.

Please, under no circumstances, change your dog’s food for medical reasons without speaking to your veterinarian. I even recommend not changing your pet’s food at all without speaking to your veterinarian. It may not seem like a big deal, but think about it in terms of your nutrition. If you completely changed your diet every 3 to 4 month, this might not bode well for your health in the long term. The same is true for your dog.

In summary, if you think your dog needs a prescription diet, please seek out the advice of your veterinarian.

If your pet does need a prescription diet, please purchase it at your veterinary office, and ask about price matching.

If your pet does not need a prescription diet ask your veterinarian about dog food recommendations.

Lastly, many pet store employees are very knowledgable about pet food, but please don’t ask for medical advice, especially when no medical history is available.

MedicineVsMom

For Carol’s Mom perspective on Fidose of Reality, please click here.

The Femalization of Veterinary Medicine and Why it Matters

March 8, 2015

MVMFemalization

Some dogs see a veterinarian as an extra pair of hands to pet them, and some of course see them as imminent needles and nothing but bad news. However, in my experience, some dogs are sensitive to their veterinarian’s gender.

At the veterinary hospital, we frequently received calls from new clients stating that their dog preferred a female doctor over a male doctor.

Fortunately for these dogs, a female veterinarian is not too hard to find. In my three years working in veterinary medicine, I worked with 8 female veterinarians and 2 males veterinarians. The same was true in my Animal Science courses at UC Davis which were dominated by the female gender. My question has always been, why the trend?

According to Veterinary Practice News, as of 2010, women hold 78% of veterinary school seats. Additionally, as of 2009 female veterinarians exceeded male veterinarians for the first time.

femalevets

Photo courtesy of the AVMA.org

Why such a dramatic shift?

The theories are varied.

Many credit this long term change to the Title IX legislation of 1972 which eradicated gender discrimination in federally funded education (Veterinary Practice).

Many studies state that women are simply attending college at a higher rate than men. Since 2000, 57% of enrolled college students have been female. Additionally, females are dominating education at the graduate level (Veterinary Practice).

The next, and probably most depressing, theory is that veterinary medicine does not provide a large enough salary to attract men to the field (Veterinary Practice). My own personal choice for not attending veterinary school did relate to the very high debt:salary ratio of veterinarians, so I understand the decision making process from my (apparently male) point of view.

Lastly, some attribute the increase in female veterinarians to the caring nature of veterinarians portrayed on TV and in movies (NCBI).

An Australian study of veterinary students and recent graduates analyzed the factors that males and females used to determine their veterinary career path.

Male Decision Making Factors:

1) Desire for independence and a lack of supervision in the veterinary field.

2) Financial attractiveness (debt:salary ratios may differ in Australia, but remain high here in the U.S.)

Female Decision Making Factors:

1) Love of animals

2) Image of veterinarians portrayed on television

3) Interest as a child in living things

4) Scientific study of disease

The reason I chose to pursue an Animal Science degree, and the reasons I almost become a veterinarian included a combination of numbers 1, 3 and 4. However, my decision NOT to attend veterinary school was partially due to financial unattractiveness of the veterinary profession.

Are there any issues with the femalization of the Veterinary profession?

Interestingly enough, Food Animal Veterinarians are still 82.5% male (Veterinary Practice). Which means, that many people are concerned about the ability of female dominated veterinary schools producing the necessary number of male veterinarians needed to keep up this trend.

Sadly, some studies have concluded that female veterinary salaries are, and have been, lower than male veterinary salaries. Further, this lack of increase in female veterinary salaries mixed with the femalization of the field has led to a decrease in the  profession’s salary overall (NCBI).

Lastly, studies concluded that females have less of an interest in owning a practice which may lead to a decrease in veterinary practices in the future (NCBI). Truthfully, two of the practices I worked for were owned by the only male veterinarian that worked at the practice. That being said, one of the practices I worked for was co-owned by two women, a decision they made that give themselves the flexibility to raise their children, and be practice owners.

What is the solution for the future?

We need to encourage female veterinarians to be practice owners. How do we do that? Professor Colette Henry argues that veterinary schools need to integrate business education into their curriculum. When I was working toward veterinary school, I only wanted to be a veterinarian if I was going to a be a practice owner. However, only a handful of veterinary universities offered an integrated DVM/MBA program. I wholeheartedly agree with Colette, that in order for femalization of the veterinary profession to be a positive effect, which I KNOW it can be, we have to set women up for success from the get go.

Personally, as a female in business school, I am confident that the lack of female interest in practice ownership we see today, will not be what we observe in the future. More women are owning businesses, and slowly but surely, we are making strides in the corporate world. I truly believe that veterinary medicine won’t be far behind. The femalization of veterinary medicine will continue, and mark my words, it will be beneficial to the field.

So now that we have determined that females are indeed dominating the veterinary field, the question is, how does this affect your dog?

An article written by VetStreet, gathered some information that dogs prefer women in general, due to a variety of factors.

1) Women tend to be the primary caretaker of a dog in the home.

2) Dogs prefer people with soft voices and more calming body language, which women in general innately possess.

3) Women dominate the field of veterinary medicine.

Therefore, can a correlation be observed that dogs prefer female veterinarians because they are simply the norm in small animal medicine?

MedicineVsMom

Carol from Fidose of Reality provides more information to this question in her Mom perspective of this topic, please click here.

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