Secret #40, 42, 45 commercial drugs

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

40 "You can go to an online pharmacy and get the same exact drugs you would for 10 to 20 percent off. But check first to make sure it's certified as a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPS certified). Some vets will also match online prices- you just have to know to ask."

42 "Some veterinary drugs have a generic version that's made for humans, and if your vet believes it's a safe and effective alternative, you can get it from a human pharmacy and pay ten times less than you'd pay for the animal version. But recognize that there are legitimate reasons why the generic might not be appropriate for your pet."

45 "A lot of pet medications are available at human pharmacies for lower prices than we charge. Walgreens even has a list of veterinary medicines for $4 per one-month dose. These are medications that you would pay $20 or $30 dollars for at your vet."



UGH.  Apparently this is a hot topic- or at least we think it is. Look, vets' medications sold from the hospital are a profit source. There, I said it. I make money when you buy drugs from me. So do the pharmacists when you buy from them, or those folks who answer the phone for 1-800- youknowwho. And yes, you might pay a bit more for mine than those you can get on line. You will get meds from me right now, those from the pharmacy later today, and those on line later this week. Are they all really the exact same thing?

Medications from me have gone from the manufacturer to the distributor to me. I know they have been stored properly. I can trace them back the other way. Those meds that you get online (including heartworm and flea meds, and vaccines) have gone from manufacturer to distributor to someone else to someone else, etc. There are documented cases of expired veterinary medications- especially flea and heartworm products- being shipped overseas, repackaged to look like they are still good, then shipped back to the US and sold as "the same as" those you get from the vet.

There are some good generic medications out there. There are even some prescription medications that my clinic has stopped carrying because we can write you a prescription and have the same drugs filled at a local pharmacy less expensively for you. There are times I need a medication properly compounded to the strength you need- that requires a compounding pharmacist; their services are invaluable. So I'm not saying don't use pharmacies.

Yes, many pharmacies will have generics for $4 or less- they can be used as loss leaders. Once they get you in the store, they hope you will do some other shopping. This is how business works. I have no problem with it. I  might not think to offer that- but feel free to ask.

I will write you a prescription. You can do with it as you will. Just please be aware- it might not actually be the "same" as that you get from me. Also- take that source of income away from your vet, and you might find yourself paying $100 exam fees and walking out with a handful of prescriptions that still need to be filled. I actually think this is in the future for us- that we will function more like MDs and will charge more for our time and expertise as we give up making money from products. To use an overused phrase- it is what it is. Some vets are really fighting this change, and all of us want to be sure you are actually getting the best products for the health of your pets.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #41- they put WHAT in there?

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

"Just because food is premium priced doesn't mean it;'s good stuff. That's especially true with many foods that come in those little gourmet pouches or cans. You pay $3 a package and it's basically just junk food with little nutritional value. Do some research, and have your vet read the ingredients list with you."

True. Actually, one of the best ways to be sure that the food you are buying is well balanced is to look for AAFCO feeding trial labels. This means that they have gone above nutritional analysis to actually feeding the diet according to label directions, and have monitored the results.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #39- pass the gas

"One way to make sure your vet is up on the latest stuff? Ask what medications he uses for anesthesia. If he says he uses ketamine or halothane gas, that's not good. That's like 1970s medicine. Isoflurane and sevoflourane are alot safer."

There are many variations in how vets practice medicine. We all are trained by professors with biases, and trained with the most up to date information available, but information and biases change with time. We are required to attend continuing education classes yearly, but no-one tells us what information we must be trained on.

The point? Most of us see standards of practice as a moving target- we are constantly re-evaluating how we do things- from exam and diagnosis to treatment and surgery. I think the way we each end up practicing veterinary medicine as an amalgamation of all that we have seen, done, and been taught. We take a bit from all of those who influence us and combine it into our own way of doing things.

Having said that, I use ketamine. In combinations with other medications, it gives cats a wonderful plane of anesthesia for many procedures. I also use propofol, which is considered pretty modern anesthesia. I have used both isoflurane and sevo in practice. I have worked in places with halothane.

I'm not sure grilling your vet on anesthetic protocols is the best way to evaluate the "modernity" of a practice. I'm not sure there is a good way to evaluate how modern a practice's medicine is. One way might be to look for American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) certified practices. These are vet hospitals that undergo a voluntary evaluation by AAHA, and are shown to meet criteria set up to evaluate the medicine, surgery, and management of the hospital. The evaluation might not be a guarantee of good medicine, but I think the motivation involved in getting certified indicates a motivation to stay up to date in other areas.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #38- rubber jaw

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

"Home cooking for your pet is harder than you think. I once saw a dog who was fed a home-cooked diet of chicken breast and vegetables for a year, and his bones became so weak that his jaw broke. If you would like to cook for your pet, find a veterinary nutritionist who can help guide you, or check out balanceit.com"

Oh, that poor dog! This type of bone weakness is very rare, but I think it's a good warning: it's not as easy as you might think to properly balance a pet's diet. Pet food companies put lost of time and resources into researching the best diets to keep our pets healthy as long as possible. There are many nutrients that a chicken and veggie diet won't have- like calcium.

Truly, sticking with a good quality dry (or for cats, canned) diet from a reliable manufacturer is still the best bet.  Ask your vet for recommendations. Or, if you really want home-made, do some research so it's done right.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #37- pass the leftovers, please

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

"Giving food is not giving love. Obesity will hurt their health and decrease their lifespan. Instead, give affection. Pet them, brush them, love them, and walk them."

This really goes back the the issues with obesity. We use food as social interactions with each other, and we want to include our pets in this as well. Giving a bit of extra food now and then is not an issue in itself- but overfeeding is. Watch the waistline!

I have older blogs on obesity if you are looking for a bit more info- or call your vet!

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #36- technical issues

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

"When you're looking for a new vet, always check out the staff. A lot of times they'll be listed online. Look for technicians who are certified or licensed (they'll have RVT, LVT, or CVT after their names)."

Staff is the backbone and the life's blood of any practice. A good vet tech is worth his or her weight in gold.

I think perhaps the write of this quote wanted you to know that some hospitals are staffed with assistants rather than techs. This may be true. And there are certain procedures that techs can legally do that assistants cannot. One could make the argument that an up-to-date practice will have a licensed tech available.

Here's the rub- there are not as many techs as there are jobs available. So I wouldn't necessarily discount a practice based in a lack of technicians on the staff.  Not having an LVT means the vet is likely doing many of the things I have not needed to do for years (I love being spoiled), like placing IV catheters and drawing blood. Having excellent technical staff means there is more time for the vet to do what we do best- diagnose, prescribe treatments, and perform surgery.

So, I would not tell anyone to avoid a practice that does not employ LVTs. But I do like having them at my back.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #35- Thank you!

My comments on Reader's Digest article "50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You"

"Most vets put themselves through 8 to 12 years of school and have huge student debts. We love animals and want to help them. Most of us start our day early, finish late, and are available for emergencies."

Yep. This runs with the other overworked, underpaid- feeling posts on the list of 50.

We love pets. We love their people. We get really tired of feeling that our efforts do not get recognized.

Don't get me wrong- many of you take a moment to thank us for our time and work- and we really appreciate that. Some of you send us cards- we love that. Some send cookies- our staff members really love that.

There are those who don't seem to appreciate us. There are even some who (gasp) think that we're in it for the money. This makes us sad and defensive, hence the plethora of "secrets" along this line in the article. We try our best, just like I presume you do at your job. We like to be liked, and we want everyone to understand just how hard we have worked to get where we are, and how hard we continue to work to help your pets be healthy.

So here's a proposal: say thanks to your vet.  Take it a step further, even. Say thanks to everyone who earns a paycheck doing something that helps you, some of whom also may feel underpaid and under appreciated. Remember those random acts could really make someone's day!

Enjoy your pets!