Four reasons veterinary clients avoid regular checkups for their cats—and what you can do about itAugust 17, 2017In a recent survey, 92 percent of cat owners say their cat’s health is important to them, but why are only half of all American cats taken to the veterinarian by their caretakers on a regular basis.
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The amazing grace of senior petsAugust 17, 2017I think the dilemma for a lot of veterinarians is the healthy pet,” said Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVIM, but he wasn’t trying to be humorous in his assessment.
How to Help Clients say Goodbye to Dying PetsJanuary 23, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Saying goodbye to beloved pets is an emotional and difficult decision for owners. Your team’s compassion and kindness can bring comfort to grieving clients. Remember, half of what you care for is on the other end of the leash—people. Here are ways to create comforting goodbyes: Offer a quality-of-life consultation. If the client is unsure about euthanasia, schedule a 30-minute consultation. The veterinarian will perform a comprehensive assessment of the patient, including its ability to move comfortably, eat, drink, urinate and defecate. Getting expert medical advice helps clients make rational, rather than emotional, decisions. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (www.aplb.org) offers resources, including a quality of life scale. Wendy S. Myers Make clients more comfortable through the use of cushy seating, soft lighting, relaxing sounds and tissues. Also allow them ample time for last moments with their pets. Schedule enough time. For attended euthanasias, conduct procedures during low-traffic times, such as the beginning or end of the day. Allow at least 40 minutes, giving clients ample time to say goodbye. If a client prefers not to be present, plan for 30 minutes to admit …
A Whole Lot Of Thanking Going On!October 22, 2012 My husband, Ira Lifland, and I suddenly have become parents of sorts. The news came by text message on Aug. 2, 2012. I was to drive to San Diego to celebrate Dr. R.K. Anderson’s 90th birthday with the Behavior Academy before the AVMA Convention. R.K. invented the Promise Collar, also known as the Gentle Leader and halti head collar. For the past five years, we have been the supportive family for a Chinese mother and daughter. This is our second Chinese family. Our first family settled in Vancouver, Canada, and their daughter graduates from medical school this year. The text message from mother and daughter said that they both agreed it would be best if 14-year-old Cindy came to live with us and go to high school. So for the first time in 30 years of marriage, we have a two-footed child! Dr. Villalobos, in white, with Cindy, holding bottle, two Japanese exchange students and husband Ira Lifand. We welcomed Cindy into our household of four-footed pets. We have Fern, a lame Peter Zippi Fund rescue cat; Neo, an Old English bulldog; …
‘Speaking For Spot,’ Dr. Nancy Kay And Dr. Leo BustadAugust 1, 2012 Since 1999, the human-animal bond sessions at the American Veterinary Medical Association convention open with the the Bustad Memorial Lecture. What a wonderful legacy! Nancy Kay, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is the 2011 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian winner. She was invited to present the Bustad Memorial lecture but informed the Board of the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians (AAH-ABV) that she had a schedule conflict. I offered to present for Dr. Kay. We were faculty for the VSIPP conference at Del Coronado last year where I attended her excellent keynote lecture. Since I had read her book and was also the 1999 Bustad recipient, Dr. Kay and Dr. Robin Downing, president of the AAH-ABV, took me up on the offer. It’s truly an honor and requires double duty because I want to highlight Dr. Bustad’s brilliant life and feature Dr. Nancy Kay’s bestselling book, “Speaking for Spot.” Leo K. Bustad, DVM, Ph.D., 1920-1999 Leo Bustad started veterinary school after serving in the infantry and being a prisoner of war during WWII. He was a newlywed and a new WSU graduate at boot camp. On the ship to Africa, Leo was swept overboard during …
The Facts About Non-Communicable Diseases And One HealthJune 25, 2012 Posted: June 25, 2012, 7:00 p.m. EDT The human-animal bond connects veterinarians to millions of families, communities and organizations worldwide. Each of us can play a more active role in the One Health movement. The One Health movement calls for greater cooperation and integration of human health, animal health and ecosystem health sciences. It fosters collaboration at the local, national and global levels to achieve optimal health for people, domestic and free-living animals, plants and the environment. If or when properly implemented, it will help protect and save untold millions of lives in present and future generations. You can help promote the One Health concept from your exam room, home or community. If you know the common factors that cause disease in people, companion animals, livestock and free-living animals, you can inform your clients, communities and organizations. Infectious Disease At least 60 to 75 percent of human infectious disease agents and emerging human pathogens can be acquired from other animal species. The list includes SARS, mad cow disease, Nipha virus, West Nile virus, avian influenza, Lyme disease and Bartonella (cat scratch disease), which was recently found to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The U.N. …
Keeping Hospice In Veterinary HandsMay 2, 2012 Our focus with this article is on people who compulsively collect old or sick animals and proclaim themselves operators of pet hospice homes or sanctuaries. Unfortunately, most of these self-proclaimed hospice workers use little to no veterinary medical supervision. Their collected animals suffer to death without proper pain management, comfort care or the human-animal bond. They might have started out as good Samaritans, working alone or with a group, rescuing animals and keeping a few, then a few more. Over time, they develop a strong urge to “save” more old and sick animals that were “abandoned.” That urge develops into a compulsive disorder. They collect more and more old, sick and special-needs animals. When their animals die, they exhibit tearful distress, blind denial or experience a pathological enlightenment. Their compulsiveness to collect more animals winds up harming their animals, themselves, their neighbors and their communities. A certain percentage of compulsive collectors of sick and old animals can maintain their operations for a time. But eventually many find themselves overworked, in debt, depressed and overwhelmed. The tipping point is when they acquire more animals than they can properly care for and house. Another tipping point into …
Bond And Beyond Bonus Content: A Brief History Of The Veterinary Hospice MovementApril 30, 2012 EDITORS' NOTE: This is special bonus content for Alice Villalobos' May 2012 column, Keeping Hospice in Veterinary Hands. The veterinary literature advocating for pet hospice as a professional service has been evolving since the 1990s. Two main groups have organized the pet/animal/veterinary hospice movement. Historically, the first group is the Nikki Hospice Foundation, founded in 1996 by thanatologist Kathy Marrachino, Ph.D. Nikki organized the first and second veterinary hospice symposiums in 2008 with some veterinary faculty and in 2009 with almost no veterinary faculty. I was an invited speaker at the 2008 event and Dr. Dani McVety attended the 2009 event. Our thoughts are recorded below. As of Jan. 17, none of the veterinarians listed on the website as part of Nikki’s Board of Directors are still serving. An official statement of the University of California, Davis, Veterinary School says it has severed its relationship with the Nikki group and has nothing to do with the symposiums even though they will be on the Davis campus. This begs the question: Is there any veterinary oversight for organizing the third Veterinary Hospice Symposium scheduled for July? We …
Palliative And Hospice Care Come Of AgeApril 23, 2012 Palliative care and pet hospice are emerging as viable professional options that every practitioner can and should offer the owners of terminally ill pets. Veterinary practices will encounter more issues with terminal diseases, especially cancer, because pets are living longer as family members in very caring homes. High-tech facilities can maintain seriously injured or ill animals for long periods. Modern technology forces pet owners into the dilemma of pulling the plug or enduring costly and potentially futile life support. Instead of offering only this either/or model, veterinarians should give clients the option to take terminal pets home on palliative care to die in the comfort and support of the hospice setting, or as I refer to it, Pawspice. Minimalist Medicine Patriarchal veterinarians relate to their clients authoritatively. They generally tell pet owners what to think and what to do rather than help them decide. They direct, persuade or control clients to elect either aggressive care or euthanasia. This dictatorial approach sends the message, “I am practicing ‘My way or the highway’ medicine.” Many pet owners flee this style of practice, which patriarchal veterinarians might claim is down to earth and practical. On the other …
Reflections On The International Symposium On Veterinary Hospice CareApril 23, 2012 Reflections on the International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice CareReflections on the International Symposium on Veterinary Hospice CarebondbeyondPosted: April 28, 2008By Alice Villalobos, DVM The first pet hospice conference’s purpose was to merge the medical aspects of end-of-life care with the psychosocial and spiritual aspects. According to Kathryn D. Marocchino, Ph.D., president and founder of the Nikki Hospice Foundation, this collaborative meeting was the first of its kind and brought together a diverse group of health care workers. Marocchino organized the symposium at the University of California, Davis. Hospice professionals like Dr. Marrochino, hospice volunteers, nursing and medical staff, psychologists, grief counselors, social workers, bereavement facilitators, death educators, veterinary chaplains, pastoral counselors, animal-health care workers, shelter and SPCA staff, animal communicators, pet cemetery personnel, pet massage therapists and pet-sitters including interested lay people assembled to discuss the medical and emotional aspects of hospice care. This unusual group of human-animal bond oriented people sat side by side with general practitioners, specialists, holistic veterinarians, registered technicians, animal nurses, students, practice managers and philanthropists who maintain private or non-profit pet hospice facilities. Marrochino’s goal was to develop a comprehensive, broad-based approach to veterinary hospice care. This may not …
