An Ounce of Prevention......

I have been besieged with car problems recently. My Suburban has served me well, but now that its age is in the double digits, I have had to visit the town mechanics shop a little more often than I would like. The owner of the shop is very kind, every time I pick up the Red Bus, he reminds me of the regular maintenance and daily care that would help the old car run a little better and keep the parts from wearing out so quickly. I have to admit, I am not good at preventative car maintenance. Of course, this personality flaw is what makes me one of his better customers.

I think that we understand that an ounce of prevention, early intervention, and preventative maintenance are all excellent philosophies for keeping mechanical as well as living organisms happy and healthy. But, we all have so much going on in our lives that it can be hard to put them into practice. Top this challenge off with our current economy, every one being short on funds, life can become a little over whelming. My recent experiences with the Red Bus have led me to think a little about some of my recent conversations with my clients.

Last week our surgeon and I, sat down with a client with a geriatric pet. She had two masses, or tumors, that needed to be removed. They were both most likely benign. They were also still small enough that they could be removed easily. However, it would not be long before they would be large, most likely infected, and much more difficult and costly to remove. The owner listened to our well reasoned arguments and went home to consider her options. Often I see patients through the emergency service that have pets with slow growing masses that, for what ever reason, the owners have chosen to wait on removing. Quietly it grew until its removal seemed too complicated, then it broke open and became necrotic. Next there came the struggle of what to do, since now the problem was far more complex.

Recently, we performed a dental on a patient that had such severe disease, that only a few teeth were salvaged. The dog had been ill and not eating well. He had been lethargic and inactive. As any one with a cavity or a broken tooth can tell you, dental disease can be painful. Fortunately he had been spared the serious infections and damage of the kidney and heart that can occur as a result of such a remarkable bacterial infection. He came back to visit us this morning. He was a new man! Tail wagging, head held high. The owner mentioned she was amazed at the difference in his demeanor since the dental.

The first step towards the successful management of all of these patients was a wellness examination. Not an appointment just for vaccines or flea control products, but a visit to the veterinarians with the goal of discussing and evaluating the health of your pet. This could also be the time, if a few problems are identified, when treatments and diagnostics could be prioritized and procedures could be planned so the financial burden would be less severe. My proposal to any of these clients, if I had the benefit of seeing them months before, would have been the following: 1.Age is not a disease, otherwise healthy, older pets can have surgeries and other procedures. 2. Small tumors, moderate dental disease, mild kidney dysfunction are all much easier to treat than large, infected masses, severe, necrotic dental disease or kidney failure. 3. Taking care of these problems early is much less expensive than when the diseases are advanced.

I will be picking up my car tomorrow from Brian’s auto repair shop and I have learned my lesson. More frequent oil changes and don’t run the gas tank to empty. Hopefully, I won’t have to see him for awhile, except for the Red Bus’ regular check ups!