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We all dread thinking
about it, but sometimes crisis occurs. I have learned that one’s
definition of crisis is quite broad, so I wanted to put some thoughts down
on paper for my clients to read prior to a crisis occurring.
A medical crisis is
defined as a life threatening occurrence requiring immediate and continued
specialized, sometimes aggressive medical treatment to stabilize the life
threatening injury or condition. This article was prompted because
recently an Emergency Medical Technician told me her dog skipped dinner
and she was “forced to seek emergency care” because her dog always ate
dinner and the very fact her dog skipped a meal meant something terrible
was brewing. A panicked trip to the ER revealed he had a non-life
threatening fever, which she was told to watch and follow up with me in a
few days if it didn’t resolve. It didn’t. She made an appointment with me
4 days later and was annoyed, actually mad, that I didn’t view the skipped
meal as a medical emergency….hence this article.
To make a long story
short, I diagnosed her dog with lyme’s disease, treatment was 100%
successful and he’s fine, but it took a lot of discussion for her, a
medical professional, to understand the difference between urgent care,
emergency care, maintenance care and proactive care. If she didn’t
understand the difference, chances were that many pet owners also were
upset or confused about when to know when to panic about their pet’s
medical issues (as a side note, we have excellent lectures you can attend
and DVD’s you may purchase covering how to navigate the ER, Animal 911,
etc. You can visit the “Lectures and upcoming events” section of the
website to reserve your seat at the next Roundtable Discussion or visit
the Apawthecary to purchase DVD’s).
If your pet does not have life threatening symptoms but is exhibiting
concerning symptoms; sudden fever, lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, these are
urgent (not emergency) symptoms you need to address with your local
veterinarian or their support staff. You should be concerned, but not
panicked. You should monitor the situation and take good notes until your
scheduled appointment so can report what has transpired since you began
monitoring your companion. Your local vet may give you specific
instructions, such as monitoring the temperature every so often,
administer medication or change the diet and report back in a certain
timeframe. It’s important you follow your vet’s instructions closely and
monitor your pet for signs of deterioration which could prompt a visit to
the emergency clinic. In these situations, your pet could be scheduled for
an appointment in a few days, you may be asked to drop your pet off to be
monitored at the hospital for the day, or your vet may recommend you bring
your pet in for blood work or further tests or procedures (fluid
administration, antibiotics, etc.) prior to your scheduled appointment. At
some point you may decide you would feel more comfortable seeking
immediate care at an Emergency Clinic, just to put your mind to rest. I
always tell my clients that if you are unable to think about anything
else, it's worth a trip to the emergency room just to ease your fears. Why
an immediate trip to the ER vs. stopping by your local vet? Your local vet
is probably not staffed or equipped to handle walk in urgent care
situations, where emergency clinics are ready and waiting for these
situations. Keep in mind that vets (holistic or traditional) will handle
urgent care scenarios the same (there is no such thing as "natural
emergency medicine").
If your pet has been hit by a car or sustained other major trauma, is blue
or not breathing well, seizing, unresponsive, suddenly unable to walk, has
excruciating pain, is unconscious or bleeding profusely, this is
considered a medical crisis (emergency) and medical intervention must be
swift, sustained and aggressive to save the patients’ life. In these
situations, vets refer these life threatening cases to other vets that are
trained and equipped to handle these emergencies. It’s not that your local
vet doesn’t want to see your pet; they are probably not equipped to
provide the very best care to these animals as trauma medicine is probably
not their specialty. Who’s best equipped to care for these animals? An
emergency hospital with emergency doctors and staff trained to handle
these situations. Would you prefer to go to your local vet, who you know
and love? Of course. But just as you don’t show up at your gynecologist or
family practitioner after being hit by a bus, your local vet is most
likely not equipped to handle these life-threatening emergencies. There
are doctors that are not only trained and waiting for these unfortunate
circumstances to unfold, they have the appropriate support staff to help
them, as well as the correct blood types for transfusions, if necessary,
and a doctor on staff over night to monitor every breath and heart beat of
your companion. And really, your pet deserves nothing less. Why would you
risk showing up at your local vet, where they’re unprepared, understaffed
and unable to competently cope with the medical needs of your very ill
pet? Not to mention the fact that most vets leave at night. Would you
allow your pet to be left alone, in a critical medical state, unattended
overnight? I certainly hope not. This is unacceptable for me and it should
be for you, too. Your pet deserves the best medical care. This means
taking him or her to a facility that can offer you the best medicine
available to trauma or critically ill pets. A place where there is a
doctor on staff 24 hours a day. If your pet is having a true emergency,
it’s a waste of precious time to visit your local vet first, only to be
examined and told, “you need to go to a facility that can care for your
companion overnight and provide hospitalization, supervision, medication
and further diagnostics this evening or tonight,” which cannot be
completed at 9-5 clinics.
No doctor can be great at
everything. It’s impossible. If you meet a vet that says he or she can
replace an ACL, perform acupuncture, give emergency 24 hour care, do
dialysis, nutritional consultation and in vitro fertilization in one
office with one doctor, be afraid, be very afraid. There is no way one
doctor can master every medical art, modality and specialty. That’s why
it’s your responsibility to piece together a healthcare team for your
companion…a great board certified surgeon (if you need one), an excellent
veterinary homeopath, a talented nutritionist, a skilled internist and an
emergency doctor, just to name a few that should be on your team. One
doctor can’t (and shouldn’t be expected) to do all of these things….at
least not well.
I am a proactive veterinarian. My goal is to help you identify lifestyle
obstacles in your pet’s life and formulate a proactive plan to remove
them. I treat chronic diseases; cancer, allergies, organ degeneration,
degenerative joint diseases. This is my forte. I was put on this earth to
treat these lifestyle issues. My practice is designed to treat these
issues. I don’t have a blood bank at my practice. I don’t need one…that’s
not my area of focus nor my forte. Until people panic. Then stress causes
people to yell terrible things at my staff… “Why can’t she be there 24
hours a day???? Why can’t she see my pet RIGHT NOW??” “Why can’t I come in
on the weekend?” Because emergency medicine is not the medicine I
specialize in and there are other doctors that could do a much better job
(because that’s the modality they specialize in). I will only do excellent
medicine and medicine that I am talented and gifted at…trying to be a
jack-of-all-trades is NOT what doctors should focus on. I know my scope of
practice and will refer when I know to refer….emergency medicine not my
forte…not what I’m good at. We can refer you to excellent doctors in every
realm of medicine. I want you to have the number of an emergency
practitioner ready in your pet’s file in case you ever need it. Your pet
deserves nothing less. |
