veterinary profession

Question
Hey,

My name is Antosia (mizzymiss@hotmail.com) and I am in grade 11. I am currently debating which profession I should choose, and veterinarian is at the very top of my list. I love animals, I have since I was a little kid, so obviously this career choice is very appealing to me. I just have a few questions about the profession that I'm hoping you can answer.

1)   I have heard both sides of the debate on vaccinations, (whether they are helpful or unnecessary) which leads me to think, do you ever feel that as a veterinarian you are not helping the animal, but making it worse? That by giving it vaccinations you are weakening the animal's body? Do you ask yourself this question and does it affect your practice.

2)   I have a toy poodle named Bowzer, and recently we took him to the groomers. We did not want to give him any vaccinations because we know that they frighten him and make him very stressed out for the next week or so. We told the vet that we did not want any vaccinations for Bowzer, but she said that in order to get him groomed that vaccinations were necessary for the safety of the other dogs. Since we don't know how to groom our dog, we agreed and went home. So, in about 4 hours we went back to the groomers to pick up Bowzer. The vet called us into the room, and after about 20 minutes of scolding us for not giving Bowzer heartworm medication (and offering to sell us some) she told us to hold Bowzer so she could give him his vaccination. This was AFTER he was groomed and stayed in the facility with the other dogs. My dad and I figured she lied to us because if Bowzer needed the vaccination for the safety of the other dogs, she should have given it to him BEFORE he stayed at the facility, (and I'm not a professional, but if my dog gets a vaccination when he already has a disease, that won't make much of a difference for the safety of the other dogs). My dad and I left the vet's that day disappointed. Not only did the vet lie to us, we left the clinic that day with a panic-stricken dog, whose side we could not touch for a week because of the vaccination, which we felt was unnecessary. Oh yeah, and she sold us a pack of toothpaste the size of my thumbnail for $10 (and it was in one of those packages that look like a shampoo sample, so we could only use the toothpaste once before it dried up). So the question is, as a vet do you ever feel that you need sell unnecessary products or services that don't work in order to make a good income? Ex. $10 toothpaste, dog food.

Thanks so much for your time! :D
Antosia

Answer
Hi Antosia,

Vaccinations are important and state regulated (especially Rabies) if your dog is going to be in a public area around people and other pets. RABIES is required and the LAW if you are in the United States.

Distemper is also needed if you are going to bring your dog to a public place. This protects YOUR dog against someone elses sick pet.  NOW, there is a debate on how often you can give the vaccine. Many vets are going every 3 years if the dog is not around other dogs on a daily basis in public.

As far as grooming goes. Your dog should be up to date on vaccines for 10-14 days before being groomed. OK? This allows the body a chance to develope the immunities it needs.

My personal opinion on poodle teeth is this:
get them cleaned professionally once a year to once every 2 years. They are very prone to poor dental health and tend to loose most of their teeth into adult hood.

You can brush your dogs teeth once per day with dog tootpaste-they do work, but you got to do it daily. OR you can opt to give T/D a RX diet that helps clean the teeth due to the design of the nugget. I would only give it as treats and not as a diet.

Heartworm meds are a MUST MUST MUST! Even if he just goes outside to pee, he can get infected. PLUS this medication is also a pulse dewormer for intestinal parasites-that your dog can get from your yard and or other dogs :)

Hopefully I've answered some of your questions. Good Luck!