ANIMAL DOC CHANNEL-NUMBER FOUR-BE PROACTIVE~SCREENING DIAGNOSTICS~ FOR THE PET YOU LOVE~JAN 2020~NUMBER FOUR

Donald H DeForge, VMD
Silver Sands Veterinary
17 Seemans Lane-Milford, CT 06460
P-203-877-3221
F-203-877-8301
www.SilverSandsVeterinary.com
DonDeForge100@gmail.com
January 2020 Number Four

ANIMAL DOC CHANNEL
PROACTIVE PREVENTIVE CARE
Consider Screening Diagnostics 
FOR THE PET YOU LOVE



Do not rely on: Reactive Care~
Become a Proactive Pet Advocate

Approaching chronic conditions reactively does patients a disservice on two main fronts. 

#1 Reactive care does not work to stop our pets from getting sick or experiencing unpleasant symptoms in the first place. 

#2 Reactive care is typically more expensive than what preventive care would have cost. 

What is Proactive Healthcare?

The antithesis of “reactive health” is proactive health care!

In proactive care, the pet owner and advocate takes responsibility to proactively manage THEIR own pet's health – moving away from the veterinarian “treating an ailment or disease”..... well past the early intervention of preventive diagnostics. 

You work as a partner with your veterinarian to control co-morbidities such as obesity in your pet with activities such as exercising, nutrition,  watching your pet's weight, eating healthy, scheduling annual exams etc.  

Prevention decreases the need for reactive care when the unnoticed problem becomes a serious life threatening condition.

Proactive Healthcare: A Commitment Between Veterinarian & Pet Advocate

For a proactive healthcare model to work, a pet advocate must be compliant and commit to the self-care of the pet they love. The veterinarian also has a responsibility to proactively manage the patient’s health – prevent disease, detect disease early, and improve healthcare results.

The [Pet-Vet-Pet Advocate] 

Triad is THE ANSWER

What you must consider:

1] Bring your veterinarian a fecal and urine sample at the time of your yearly Physical Exam.  Do not wait for the Animal Doc to recommend this to you.

2] Ask your Animal Doc to complete a Full Blood Panel--i.e. Chemistry Profile and CBC every year as part of your health care check-up.[Screening Diagnostics]  

Be sure to have them include screening tests for Heartworm and tick borne diseases in your dog.

3] Check to see your pet is vaccinated against the major diseases found in your area of the country.  Keep up to date on Rabies Vaccine which is a life threatening zoonosis.

4]  Ask your Vet to perform a Bartonella test on your cat or kitten at the National Veterinary Lab! Bartonella is a zoonosis!

5] Inquire from you vet about their deworming program for your dog and cat.  Remember: Roundworm-[Toxocariasis]- is a serious zoonosis...See Companion Animal Parasite Council on the Internet.  

Also ask for them to familiarize you with prescription products they recommend for flea and tick control.

6] In young pets, a Diagnostic Screening Panel can find problems well before they become serious illnesses.

7] In older pets, a Diagnostic Screening Panel can rule out liver disease, kidney disease, pancreatic disease, thyroid disease, anemia, and diabetes et al.

8] Ask your vet to perform an ECG on your pet-this is for the young and the old to pick up congenital or acquired heart problems.

9] Talk to your Animal Doc about an Echocardiogram to rule out a fatal heart problem-Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in cats. [This disease is common in young cats] 

In dogs, an Echocardiogram is a great screening tool to rule our EARLY heart disease.  Much heart disease is very treatable in our pets if diagnosed early.

10] Don't wait for your vet.  Ask for X-rays of the heart and lungs in pets over 7 years of age or in pets with heart murmurs and/or exercise intolerance-[coughing-lethary-gagging-difficult breathing-after exercise]  This is very important in all breeds and especially the aging Pugs and Bulldogs-i.e. Brachycephalic Breeds. 

Have these x-rays reviewed by a radiologist and re-checked yearly in dogs with diagnosed heart problems and especially in normal dogs over ten years of age!

11] Is your pet young, middle aged, or a senior and having trouble walking.  Talk to your animal doc about some scanning x-rays to rule out orthopedic problem and/or pain problems associated with the spine, hips, knees, elbows, or  other joints.

12] Do not be unhappy if your screening tests are normal!

The testing is important because it produces a pool of long term data that can be very important in the outcome of future problems in your pet.

Questions about this blog?

Write to DonDeForge100@gmail.com