BY CHARLOTTE M. DICKINSON, MPA
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It’s a frustrating reality in veterinary medicine and me personally: pet owners sometimes prioritize advice from non-professionals over the expertise of their veterinarian or those who had dedicated 37 years in the vet field.
This often manifests in emergency situations or general husbandry guidelines, where owners may hesitate to follow a veterinarian’s recommendations.
Pet owners instead rely on information gleaned from friends, neighbors, or unreliable online sources.
My travels this week brought this to mind, and frankly, it made me want to explode with frustration.
The irony is that the very smartphones that provide access to vast amounts of reliable medical information are often used to validate anecdotal evidence or outdated advice.
This behavior can lead to delayed or inappropriate treatment, potentially jeopardizing your pet’s health and well-being.
Trusting a veterinarian, who has dedicated years to education and training, is crucial for providing the best possible care for your pet and if you’re wondering if you’re a good dog or cat owner, a great place to start is by looking at the AAHA guidelines.
These guidelines are the gold standard that reputable veterinary hospitals and DVMs adhere to.
I have been through six AAHA inspections and was responsible for the hospital that I managed for five years to become an AAHA accredited and mentorship hospital.
It is a difficult and grueling process but to become an AAHA hospital is the ultimate gold standard of pet care.
You’re not really taking good care of your pet if you skip the core vaccines and skip the non-core vaccines recommended for your pet’s lifestyle, forget their monthly heartworm medication, skip the 6-month and annual heartworm tests, neglect monthly deworming, neglect monthly flea and tick prevention or don’t provide them with high-quality pet food.
Here are several resources I utilize instead of unreliable ones. I wanted to share the tools used by actual pros:
• https://veterinarypartner.vin.com
• www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/aaha-guidelines
– Charlotte
