From Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM,
Your Guide to Veterinary Medicine.
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Veterinarians have to be bilingual in terms of medical vocabulary. We must communicate accurately and efficiently to our colleagues, and relate that information to the pet owner in a language that is 'normal'...a.k.a. not boring, easy to understand, etc.

It is a fluid-like translation that the vet must remember -- to not to talk down to, or over the head of, the pet owner. Some vets are better at this than others. The pet owner may be afraid to ask questions, preoccupied with other thoughts, or the initial diagnosis news is so shocking that no immediate questions come to mind. The end result is the same: leaving the office not knowing what is going on with his or her pet.

Some terms are frightening, some sound like gibberish. For example, the word "tumor". This word often conjures up deep fears about cancer, malignancy, chemotherapy, and so on. But technically speaking, the word "tumor" is from the Latin, "tumere", meaning to swell. The swelling could be from inflammation or a growth of cells. It could be benign or malignant. Other terms may go in one ear and out the other, such as "Borreliosis". What is that? The common name for this tick-borne disease is much more familiar: Lyme Disease.

I receive many emails from pet owners that have a word or two in their memory from their vet's diagnosis, wanting to know more. There are many web resources for veterinary dictionaries and glossaries, both for pet owner and for veterinarian. Here are a few that stand out:

• Abbreviations & Acronyms

For more glossaries and dictionaries on everything from cats to seizures to teeth, please see the Terminology Links.

Text: Copyright © Janet Tobiassen Crosby. All rights reserved.