I changed my veterinarian in 2004. I changed our veterinarian because the veterinarian we had been seeing misrepresented the necessity of a veterinary procedure. The veterinary procedure involved was a "routine" annual vaccination booster for Distemper, Parvovirus and Hepatitis. Within 24 hours following that procedure, my 8 year old Therapy Dog did not recognize me, she was uncoordinated, disoriented and generally had been transformed from a happy, alert and friendly dog into a physical and mental wreck. I called the veterinarian and had to insist on having the dog seen and assessed. When we returned for that appointment we were ushered into a side room without any comment and the door was closed behind us. The vet arrived more than an hour later, said she didn't know what was wrong with the dog and suggested a CT scan of her brain. I then took the dog to another (holistic) veterinarian who treated the dog for a severe adverse reaction to vaccination.
This experience started for me a steep learning curve during which I learned how most veterinarians use emotional blackmail to solicit practice turnover. I also discovered a few who take notice of what veterinary researchers have been warning about for up to 45 years and the duration of immunity studies they have more recently been reporting. It took several months, but my dog recovered. She is now almost 11 years old and her general health has improved since I started feeding totally raw (food) and giving no prophylactics at all. She's in magnificent condition and you can see her for yourself at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandeva/sets/1675917/
Our new vet (who does not call himself a "holistic" or "alternative" veterinarian) favors the kind of natural husbandry that Nikki now benefits from. Nikki is now an aged dog, but her general health has improved and even her lifelong allergies have disappeared. Please take a look at her photos and I'm sure you'll agree that she looks in magnificent condition - especially considering her age! I trust our new veterinarian and know that he is there to provide a service for us should we need it. The previous veterinarian believed we existed for her benefit. The new veterinarian reviews veterinary research to keep abreast of new findings. The former veterinarian relied on sales representatives from industry sponsors for her source of "new developments"
Surely, that's a fundamental difference between a bad vet and a good one.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in the Viewer Viewpoint are not necessarily your Guide's views and opinions.
