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Veterinary

Veterinary TV Shows – The Good, Bad, and Ugly

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Vet TV Shows
With pet care becoming one of the fastest growing industries around, it makes sense that television networks are catching on and offering many new television shows about pets and veterinary care. After the huge success of the “Dog Whisperer,” Caesar Milan, there are many others hoping to capitalize on the love we all have for our pets. However, most professionals in the veterinary industry are outraged about the quality of some of the shows popping up.

Being a huge animal lover myself, of course I love to watch these types of shows. But I also have a professional interest and so really enjoy seeing the different types of cases that occur and following the treatment plans the doctors put in place. It feels really cool to be able to tell my husband that I’ve helped with a surgery like that one, or to be able to predict what is wrong with the animal because of my own experience.

But because of this experience and knowledge, sometimes I end up really disliking some of the things I see on these shows. And I’m not the only one. Let’s take for example one of the most popular shows about a veterinarian there is; ‘The Incredible Dr. Pol.’ This show airs on Animal Planet and follows a Michigan vet in his 70’s as he treats both farm and small animals. I have been horrified on numerous occasions by some of the practices I have seen on this show, such as; almost no sterile technique for surgery, no separate operating room, no visible pain control on major surgeries, no inhaled gas anesthetic or even a breathing tube, no apparent vital sign monitoring, no apparent surgical aftercare or monitoring… and the list goes on. In fact, some of the things I have listed are not up to the standards required by the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association. I haven’t seen one single surgery on his show yet be provided with basic surgical necessities that would meet those standards.

Dr. Pol has had 2 official complaints resulting in investigations of his practices. The first one resulted in a charge of negligence (failing to provide the minimum standard of care) and he was fined, placed on probation, and required to take further education courses. The second, charges of both negligence and incompetence, ended in the same result but were later overturned in a court of appeal because the animal survived and the owners were happy with his services. Dr. Pol argues that he will “provide all the necessary treatments required by state law while respecting the financial situations in his rural community.” While I understand financial restrictions of owners means that care provided must sometimes be kept to the minimum necessary, but a dog recovering from surgery should at least get some warm blankets. That doesn’t cost Dr. Pol a cent to provide.

There are so many fantastic shows about veterinarians that we don’t need a show like that. The ones that I have seen and are great actually do provide proper standards of care to their patients. Some of them are; Dr K’s Exotic Animal ER, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet, and Vet School (all on Nat Geo Wild), as well as ER Vets on CMT. If you want to see the difference in the care provided, watch a surgery performed on a dog on both The Incredible Dr. Pol and Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER. I think it will be immediately apparent that you would prefer any dog to be in Dr. K’s hands and veterinary hospital!

There may be more shows that I haven’t seen that also provide excellent patient care so please leave a comment if there is one you think I should check out. I hope I have made you think a bit about the shows that are out there and the type of care you should be looking for when your own pet needs to see a veterinarian. Good medicine and care can still be provided at lower costs without having to put the animal’s safety at risk.

There are a lot of shows about training and animal behaviour as well, but I will tackle those shows in my next post. What do you think about this article? Have you seen any of these shows and what did you think of them?

Veterinary

What to consider when choosing a veterinarian

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puppy and vet

So, you’ve got a new pet and you’re very excited! The first step for most pet owners is to get a health check for your new addition to make sure that they are disease-free and in top shape. But how do you know where to take them?  These days, most people turn to the internet to find a veterinarian in their area. They read reviews posted by others, check out some websites and addresses, and maybe phone around to a few offices to compare prices. A place is chosen and an appointment is made likely before even setting foot in the hospital! While location, reviews, and costs are definitely factors to consider when choosing a vet clinic, I encourage you to not stop there in your search. There are so many more aspects to consider when it comes to finding the right veterinarian for your pet and your family!

My number one consideration that I recommend is to look for clinics in the area that are AAHA accredited. AAHA stands for the American Animal Hospital Association and it is a voluntary, PAID membership that veterinary clinics apply for. In order to be approved the clinics have to pass a comprehensive inspection and meet a minimum standard. Basically, a clinic that takes the effort and money to become AAHA accredited is a clinic that provides an excellent standard of care for the patients they see, and is one that I would immediately trust with my pet. However, that doesn’t mean a clinic that is not certified is a bad one. It is just a way to immediately know about the care they provide.

Next, I would look into the different services that are offered at the clinics you are considering. A hospital that has the latest technologies or is offering progressive surgeries or procedures is one that invests in education and takes an interest in new medicine. Improved technology means better results and more information for veterinarians to use in treating animals. Also, ask the clinics you are considering for a tour. See what their treatment area, surgical suite and kennels look like. There should be a separate operating room for surgery where a sterile environment can be maintained. The treatment area should be clean and tidy, and you should feel good about the state of the clinic. I would be at least wary if a clinic did not agree to a tour! Unless it is an emergency clinic or large specialty hospital, most clinics wouldn’t have a problem giving a tour.

Finally, cost. I realize that cost is an important factor for most people. Yet, I really caution that it be the main factor in this decision. It may be appealing to go the cheapest place, but there is usually a reason it is the cheapest. Exams and vaccines are often discounted to bring in new business, and that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking the real important things, like spays and neuters, dentistry, etc. These things are very important and should not have corners cut to save money. I’m not saying that you should go with the most expensive place either. But most likely a clinic that can charge low prices on everything they provide is one that does not provide the best care they possibly could.

So, my advice is to just really have a look and carefully consider a few clinics before choosing one. Take all these factors into consideration, and any others that may be important to you. And nothing says you have to stay with the first clinic you go to. If you are unsatisfied with your experience you can always go to another. But you want the best for your pet and they deserve a little consideration when you make this decision for them.

For a list of AAHA hospitals near you, use the search tool at their website.