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Here it is Sheena:
http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html
Patrice, is this something that could go on the website, since it keeps coming up?
Best wishes, Brigitte
Hi Sheena. I was wondering too, as Brigitte, if you could possibly lower the dose. But if you think there are no side effects, why bother even doing that?
Thinking back of all the great advice from you all here – incredible. And in the end decisions, it was usually my gut feeling that agreed with you all here and demanded my vet listen to me. I think I agree, if it’s not outwardly showing a negative effect, he’s up in age and there is chance for relapse (he’s done that before, right?), then stay with it.
Wow – 60PCV – Worzel boy, you are top dog!!! You take care of your mommy, daddy and Ollie, okay?!
Worzel, Sadie sends huge, mushy kisses to you and Ollie!
wow!!! sheena,
that is really great new’s. yep as Patrice said the titer test is what we do. and, the wavier’s as Patrice explained right on where the law’s are concerned… but Hayley’s vet said no way would he give any shots as long a Hayley is doing great and the titer test are in range … we will not do shots of any kind. I keep Hayley in a certain fenced area and all the girls… not even a mouse can get in and as you all know we have wild life . the reason for this so snakes can not get through the very tiny holes its the smallest rabbit wire top and bottom concert at the bottom but grass in the middle so nothing can dig through… yep I am not a brave one to trust anything from bears and birds of prey to snakes.one vet said you keep the girls in a glass case .ha! they have over a hundred feet each way in a perfect square…so I do know what you mean by gut feeling… the wild life here was my gut feeling and we took care of it.and the shots I will never give Hayley another one unless the titer test show’s it’s needed of course as many things are air borne like parvo for one .go with your gut feelings unless it is a must. in fact we are redoing our girls play are and have a crew working on it… and tunnels and hoops are being replaced for Madison she so loves to exercise on them. we do this from time to time as wear and no weak spots or anything,,, this is my gut telling me to keep them safe. but weather here is not so good and getting good days so they can finish is not good. so its patio pottie for now in the sun room…ha! ice storm tomorrow so if any of you live on the east coast please be very careful I am so happy for worzel that is just the best ever!!!!I am so pleased with hayleys at 50.2% when we get back from taking Bentley and sophie home in Maryville this weekend . Hayley has a doctor’s appointment,,, but do not think she will beat worzels number,,,, wow!!! that’s terrific. before IMHA Hayley never went past 40% in all her yearly exams she is higher than she has ever been at 50.2 .very uplifting news. my best lynn & Hayley(Hayley send puppy kisses to worzel)
We don’t have rabies thank goodness. One less worry. I was talking dog stuff to someone down the hall at work, who was berating herself because she had received a letter from her vet a little while ago about YEARLY vaccinations and she hadn’t gone in yet. She goes faithfully every year because she loves and cares about her dog.
It makes me so very angry that there are still many vets here are pushing for yearly vaccinations when the Australian Veterinary Association now states maximum of triennial core vaccinations unless here are specific reasons. I told her to check out the Association’s information. I suggested if she’s concerned have a titre test done, but don’t vaccinate this year absolutely. She’s going to ask about the test.
Infuriates me!!!
(gets off her box)
Meant to post this over the weekend. ABC is the network our station is affiliated with so I watched some of this story.
or
Some Veterinarians Sell Unnecessary Shots, Tests to Make Extra Money, Says
Former Vet
Nov. 22, 2013
By JOSEPH RHEE, GERRY WAGSCHAL and KIMBERLY LAUNIER via 20/20
For most pet owners, man’s best friend is another member of the family and
deserves the best care, but a former veterinarian says that some vets, out to
make an extra buck, will pad the bill with unnecessary shots, tests and
procedures.
Andrew Jones worked as a veterinarian for 17 years. He left the industry
after a dispute with his medical board over marketing issues, and wrote a
book called, “Veterinary Secrets: Revealed.”
“I’m clearly not making friends within the veterinarian industry, but I feel
I’m saying things that need to be said, that aren’t being said,” Jones said.
Watch the full story on “20/20” tonight at 10 p.m. ET
As a young veterinarian working at a clinic in British Columbia, Jones said
he got an early lesson about upselling after telling a pet owner whose dog
had a lump to just monitor it. At the time, Jones said he was fairly certain
the dog’s lump was a benign fatty tumor, but said the clinic owner quickly
clued him in on the effectiveness of using the dreaded “c” word: cancer.
“The practice owner… said, ‘no, that’s not how you do it… what you need
to do is get that dog back in… It’s going to be much more profitable for
the practice,'” Jones said. “He said that it might be cancer. And it’s–
usually the ‘c’ word, pet owners get really concerned and they say, ‘do
whatever you need to make sure it’s not serious.'”
Throughout his career, Jones said he discovered a dark reality about some
veterinarians in the United States and Canada, including himself.
“They feel that pressure of, ‘I’ve got these overhead costs to make,’ and
that’s where your judgment gets caught,” he said.
Jones said that, under pressure from bosses, he ordered services that were
not needed. He said “no question” he would have been fired if he hadn’t done
as his bosses asked.
“If I didn’t meet this certain target, then yeah, my employment was at threat.”
But Jones said even after he owned his own clinic, at times, he continued
upselling.
“There are things… that I did as a practice owner, where in hindsight,
probably didn’t need to be done,” he said. “For instance, seeing a dog that
has a little bit of tartar… then I might say, ‘I think your dog should have
a dental cleaning’… It’s obviously more profitable for the practice.”
To see if other veterinarians pushed unneeded services, as Jones claimed, ABC
News conducted an undercover investigation at vet clinics in New York and New
Jersey, using two different dogs, Maeby, a 5-year-old mutt, and Honey, a
5-year-old pitbull.
To make sure Maeby and Honey were healthy canines, their owners brought them
to Dr. Rebecca Campbell, a well-respected Manhattan veterinarian, for
thorough exams. After Campbell gave the dogs a clean bill of health, they
were taken to other vet clinics for a routine check-up to see if further
tests or treatments were recommended.
Most places found Maeby to be healthy. One New York vet said that except for
a “tiny bit of tartar” on her teeth, everything else checked out. But a
veterinarian at one New Jersey clinic also noticed that bit of tartar and
recommended the pet owner have Maeby come in for an annual teeth cleaning —
for dogs that means it is performed under general anesthesia.
“She could have a lot of worse stuff going on and I’d never see it unless she
was under anesthesia,” the vet told Maeby’s owner.
Then on Maeby’s exam report, the vet had indicated she had “dental disease.”
The cost of that recommended teeth cleaning under general anesthesia was $250.
Jones said animal dental treatments are “the big upsell.”
“Very much on the McDonalds’ equation of, ‘would you like fries with that,'”
he said.
The New Jersey vet later told ABC News that she stood by her recommendation,
saying that some larger dogs over the age of four can benefit from an annual
cleaning and risks posed by anesthesia are minimal.
But, in offering another perspective, Dr. Marty Becker, one of the country’s
leading experts in veterinary care, said he wouldn’t recommend a cleaning
“unless [the dog] needed it” and that putting the dog under anesthesia can be
dangerous.
“If it does not have periodontal disease, there’s no use putting it through
the risk of anesthesia,” Becker said.
Another big ticket item on vets’ bills, Jones said, are vaccination costs,
and he said some vets can be quick to push the shots.
Every year, pet owners are reminded that their animals are due for their
annual vaccinations, but what many vets apparently fail to disclose is that,
according to the latest guidelines from the American Animal Hospital
Association (AAHA), some of the vaccines only need to be given once every
three years.
According to the AAHA, an annual revaccination “booster,” which includes
multiple vaccines, is commonly recommended and most state and local laws
mandate an annual rabies vaccine. But for other viral diseases, such as
canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CDV-2), the AAHA
guidelines say that after dogs receive their 1-year-old booster vaccinations,
then vaccines for those viral diseases can be administered every three or
more years.
“A lot of people are still into giving them every year,” Becker said. “But
that is not the recommended protocol by the American Veterinary Medical
Association.”
It’s important to note that vaccine guidelines differ for puppies, dogs with
diagnosed immune or vitamin deficiencies and animals who have been in
shelters or boarding facilities.
To find out what some vets recommend for vaccines, ABC News went undercover
with Honey, the pitbull, who was up-to-date on her shots.
But at a New York clinic, the vet ordered Honey, who had the distemper
vaccine two years ago, a new round of shots without asking about Honey’s
vaccination status, and then told Honey’s owner that distemper was “typically
an annual vaccine.”
The New York clinic later told ABC News that a vet’s individual judgment is
just as important as the AAHA guidelines.
At another clinic, Honey was also told she had “dental disease” and was
recommended for a $300 teeth cleaning under general anesthesia. That clinic
didn’t respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
In the end, both undercover dog owners could have incurred hundreds of
dollars for potentially unnecessary treatments.
When asked about upselling allegations in the industry, the American
Veterinary Medical Association said in a statement to ABC News that its up to
pet owners to decide whether to follow a vet’s recommendations.
Jones said the majority of vets are ethical and try to do the right thing.
Still, he cautioned pet owners to walk into their vet clinics with eyes wide
open.
“One thing they should keep in mind is knowing that they’re not going to be a
veterinarian clinic, they’re going to a business … which is there to make a
profit,” he said. “You have, obviously, ultimate control over your dog or cat
… take charge of your own pet’s health.”
I can relate to that. I took Bingo in to his old vets because one of the moles on his back would always bleed when Bingo scratched it. Had me worried. Vet inspected it and said it had to come off as it was possibly a melanoma. The “C” word – well “M” word, but really the “C” word. It was a locum – there are always locums at my local vets.
Yes of course, I booked him straight in for surgery and had that mole and about 4 others removed. He ended up with an skin infection from one of the removal spots and ended on antibiotics for about a week.
The vet that actually did the surgery (one of the owners) rang me straight after surgery and said the moles were all gone ad he wouldn’t bother sending them for analysis as they were all obviously fatty tissue.
I believe this could very well have been the onset of Bingo’s AIHA. This was about 6 months before he was diagnosed with AIHA.
He now has a mole in his ear, which has grown (he’s quite a moley dog). Specialist said leave them all alone. Fiddling with anything can always trigger the immune system again.
Brigitte,
We’ll have lots of links. But I need to try to contact most of the links we use to make sure that who we are linking to will allow us to do that. Now-a-days people place links all the time in posts and no one thinks anything of it. But putting a link on a permanent page may be a little different. I’ll find out more when I start asking. In general, most websites post a copyright somewhere prohibiting the use of any material on the website without permission. One more thing I need to research….