An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

We’ve all heard the familiar saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” yet, how many of us apply this philosophy to our own health care. How many of us go to the doctor on a regular basis just to “make sure things are ok”? I don’t! I don’t like going to the doctors. However, there is one doctor that most people see about twice a year, their dentist.

Our dentists have drilled it into us that we need to have our teeth cleaned twice a year to maintain healthy teeth and gums. We believe them. We know it’s true. And, we should apply this preventative thinking to the rest of our body’s health! Don’t wait until you’re a diabetic to start exercising. Don’t wait until your cholesterol is so high that you have a heart attack causing permanent heart damage to think about eating healthy. Make changes early when it’s easier and more rewarding. We, as veterinarians, apply these same principals to your pets’ health.

In recent years, our profession has been shifting our focus from just giving vaccines and treating sick pets to focusing on the importance your pets’ overall health. Applying preventative medicine is the best way of doing this. The following is a summary of common measures implemented in preventative medicine:

• Bloodwork screening:  Bloodwork isn’t just used to identify diseases, let’s confirm that your pet is as healthy on the inside as it looks on the outside. It is recommended every 12 months for pets less than 7 years of age and every 6 months for pets 7 and older.
• Balanced diet:  A balanced diet will provide the best opportunity for your pet to have a long and healthy life. Some foods are even designed specifically for health concerns such as healthy teeth, urinary stone prevention or skin sensitivities.
• Heartworm prevention:  Heartworm prevention is one of the most vital preventative measures that you can implement for your pets’ health, whether DOG or CAT. Heartworm disease is a potentially deadly disease that is easily prevented in dogs and cats.
• Flea and tick prevention:  Here, prevention is a lot cheaper and easier than treatment. Flea treatment involves not only treating every pet in the household, but also the house itself. Tick treatment, wow! You don’t want to have to ever go through that! It can take up to a few months to get ticks out of your home once your dog brings them in!
• Intestinal parasite prevention:  If your pet is on heartworm prevention, this is included as an additional benefit to the use of the preventative. Some intestinal parasites are transmissible to people (especially children and the immune suppressed) and are easily prevented.
• Yearly and bi-yearly physical exams:  Pets under 7 years of age should have a full physical exam every 12 months to assure the health of your pet. Pets over 7 years of age are considered senior pets. Senior pets, just like senior adults, tend to change quicker than younger pets. For this reason, it is recommended that they have a full physical exam performed every 6 months.
• Vaccines for dogs or cats:  Although they are not the center focus of veterinary medicine anymore, they are still very important. They are given on a schedule to most benefit your pets’ health. That means:  Vaccines will only be administered as often as necessary. And, only the vaccines of benefit to that specific pet will be given.

Sarasota Animal Hospital



When the Vet Becomes the Client

I recently was forced to diagnose and treat my own Pomeranian, Joey. The panic of the owner within my heart battled the sensible veterinarian in my mind. My big tough Italian husband, Guy, loved his little fluff-ball to pieces! I couldn't stand to break his heart with any bad news. I spent twice as much money on tests trying to convince myself that my dog wasn't sick, instead of just accepting the facts. I then went on to spend just as much money trying to identify the cause of the illness, when just like a lot of clients, no specific cause could be found. It was frustrating and scary. I was annoyed that my dog, the veterinarian's dog, was seriously ill.

Guy and Joey on his 1st birthday!

Joey was diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition called "immune mediated thrombocytopenia." This is where his body destroys his own platelets, the components in blood that prevent and stop bleeding. They are the main components in blood clots and scabs. Without enough platelets, a dog can bleed to death. He was only two years old at the time. I performed pre-anesthetic bloodwork to have his teeth cleaned. The platelets came back low, very low. I ran three more platelets tests with even lower numbers before I decided that the numbers were real. He didn't act sick!! He still chased the cat, had a great appetite, loved to go on walks; everything was completely normal!

The good news is, Joey has responded wonderfully to treatment and his platelet counts soared back up to normal before any complications arose. The bad news is, his medications have side effects, very noticeable side effects. For those of you with dogs with allergies or immune diseases, you've likely already had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting prednisone. I know the side effects, but I also know the benefits. It saved my dog's life! I always weigh the risks versus the benefits before prescribing or taking medications. In this case, the benefit hugely outweighed any risk or any side effect.

I have had owners tell me over and over again about how their dog is drinking more and urinating more, they won't stop panting and he seems so hungry while on prednisone! Well, yeah, those are the most common side effects of prednisone. They are pretty benign side effects medically speaking but can be very disturbing to the owner taking care of the pet. I experienced first hand what some of my clients had already shared with me. Joey was on a very high dose of prednisone. Because of that, he would wake me up 3-4 times a night to go outside. He would try to snag food out of my hands he was so hungry. He didn't want to go for walks and he didn't want to play with his cat anymore. Even though I saw him appear more sick on the medication than I saw him before the diagnosis, I had evidence in the bloodwork that the medicine was actually helping and not hurting. It was saving his life! That was worth a little interruption in my sleep and a pup that was a little less active. Medicines serve a purpose. And as long as we use them carefully within the boundaries, it's a good thing.

Granted, I have lots of patients who never experience these side effects on the low doses that are prescribed with the common allergy or inflammatory situation. But, because of Joey, I have been more emotionally conscience of the side effects of common medications rather than just medically conscience.

Joey is doing well. He's on a lower dose of prednisone for maintenance purposes. He's back to playing with is kitty, taking long walks and never asks to go out in the middle of the night anymore.  He will be on prednisone for 2 more months before I can try to take him off. Even at that, if his blood levels drop again, I'll just have to put him back on the medicine. It's a battle that we'll be fighting for a long time, but in the end, we will be victorious.


Sarasota Animal Hospital