In this week's blog, I'm going to talk about something near and dear to my heart (No, not my son or tacos, but both are good guesses). I'm excited to announce that Howard County Veterinary Service, P.C. (my clinic) is now offering more comprehensive preventative health care plans for pets! What are preventative healthcare plans, you ask? They are simply additional testing that we can submit during your pet’s annual vaccination and wellness exam that give us more information regarding your pet’s overall health. While a lot of information can be gathered when your pet is examined from head to tail, there are a lot of diseases that we cannot detect from a general exam. Samples from your pet are collected during their annual visit and submitted to a reference lab. I've wanted to offer more comprehensive testing in my clinic for a long time, but the road block I would constantly run into was keeping things affordable (which is important in a rural veterinary practice). Because of a new partnership with a reference lab, we can run a lot of tests and gather a lot of information for an affordable price. Once the samples are gathered and sent off, your test results will be reported to you by a phone call from your friendly veterinarian within 2-3 business days. If any abnormalities are detected with the tests, they can be discussed with your veterinarian at that time. So here's the breakdown of the plans we're now offering:
Now that you've seen what these plans test for, you might be wondering what the benefits are. Maybe your pet acts perfectly fine and healthy. Why do the extra testing? Firstly, the blood work in preventative plans helps us confirm that your pet’s organ systems are functioning properly and detect hidden illnesses that may put your pet’s health at risk. I have been doing these preventative plans at my clinic for a few months now, and I can say that I have diagnosed very early kidney disease using SDMA. I've found liver disease in a senior pet that acted perfectly healthy. I've diagnosed numerous pets with Ehrlichia, and young animals with intestinal parasites like hookworms (which can be passed to humans, by the way). Preventative plans detect disease in senior pets that are more at risk. Waiting to run tests when your pet is sick often leaves us with fewer options for treatment. Detecting disease earlier (like in the cases mentioned above) gives us more treatment options and more opportunities to give your pet a good quality of life for longer. Give us a call or ask about the preventative health care plans the next time you’re with your pet for a wellness exam. It’s another way for us to update the clinic while also taking better care of your pet for a longer, happier, healthier life.
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February is the month of love, so of course, National Pet Dental Health Month, which is also in February, joined in the fun because you can’t give hugs, kisses, and warm smiles with some seriously rank breath. Since humans schedule dental visits yearly (ummm, note-to-self, when was the last time I went to the dentist?), we are pretty up-to-date on keeping our winning smiles bright and healthy. Bad breath is usually associated with our love for garlic, onions, and pickled herring. Nope, just kidding, that’s disgusting. As pet owners though, we often forget about the health of our pet’s teeth for a variety of reasons, and although it might be likely after a brief hunting excursion in the woods, our pets are not suppose to have bad breath. That might be a sign of a dental health issue. If you haven’t done so in the last year, make sure you schedule an appointment for your veterinarian to do a routine dental cleaning for your pet and to make sure your pet doesn’t need more serious work. It’s hard to remember to set an appointment for your pet’s dental cleaning. They do so many things that make us believe their dental health is fine or mislead us into thinking they don’t even care for their own teeth. For example, I might assume that my dog Harley has strong, healthy teeth because she chomps on bones like a Tyrannosaurus Rex or only has bad breath from the dead squirrel she carried out of the woods, but even I have to remember to schedule a dental health exam for my pup. The bad breath that I might think is from a funky squirrel might actually be periodontal disease from plaque buildup. Bacteria in the plaque and tartar build up attack the gum line and cause tooth decay, swelling, and bad breath. It’s also painful. On the other hand, the bone chomping is Harley just being a dog and a giant dog at that. During an oral health exam, your pet will be placed under a general anesthetic and intubated, monitored closely by a veterinary assistant. The anesthesia is necessary because a pet does not understand what is going on, unlike a human, and sudden movements with cleaning instruments in their mouth is not a good combination. I’m sure dentists are jealous that we use anesthesia on our clients, especially pediatric dentists, but seriously, it’s for their safety (and my own because some dogs and cats like to bite down on your fingers when you stick them in their mouth). We remove tartar from the teeth with a scaler and polisher, and tooth extraction can also be performed if necessary. Scheduling that appointment is a good start, but you also have some work to do as well throughout the rest of the year. Brushing your pet’s teeth up to five times a week is a good routine to start right away. You can find a pet toothbrush that works best for you, and non-fluoride pet toothpaste that comes in flavored varieties for your pet’s liking so you won’t find yourself trying to pull a golden retriever out from under your bed when he sees the toothbrush coming. My dogs love the poultry-flavored toothpaste. Bleh! Your cat might expect dinner and a movie first, but they are always so demanding, what are you going to do? Better to bribe them into it. You can also give your pet treats that promote oral health. Our clinic sells Greenies for all size cats and dogs, but there are so many options. Do your research on treats though because one treat is not made for all pets. Some have different density levels for different pet teeth or sizes for pet safety. Don’t let whiskers have something too hard that will damage her teeth, but also don’t let your ginormous dog aptly named Tiny have something tiny that may be swallowed and cause an obstruction. If necessary, your pet can also get a prescription diet food that can remove plaque and tartar if they have periodontal disease. Check with your veterinarian about getting a prescription and ordering this if your pet has been diagnosed with periodontal disease. While you are doing research on these at-home preventative care products, check the Veterinary Oral Health Council website to see if the product you are researching meets their standards and is on their list of accepted products to ensure the health and safety of your pet: http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm Our clinic and most clinics also have a large inventory of these products, so check with your veterinarian while you’re there for your pet’s cleaning to stock up and save a trip to another location. Your own dentist has probably told you about the link between oral health and overall health, but in case you weren’t listening because he was jamming a sharp object between your teeth, just like in humans, bad oral health in your pet can also be linked to kidney, heart, and metabolic problems. By getting a regular routine down and a yearly dental exam with the veterinarian, you can prevent more costly procedures down the road, and most importantly, will keep your pet healthy and happy. When your pet has a clean mouth, you won’t have to feel so disgusted by the slobbery kisses your bulldog might leave on your cheek. He can’t reach any inappropriate area anyway, so you should be doubly safe to receive his kisses. Happy National Pet Dental Health Month! Now go give that dog a Greenie! Some beautiful smiles! For years, I've admired colleagues and awesome vet mommas juggle motherhood and navigating conventions. I've watched them listen intently during sessions while breastfeeding, pump in women's restrooms, take calls in hallways with a baby on their hip, all while seeming put together with styled hair, makeup, and business casual attire. Watching these women rock motherhood was so encouraging to me in my first few years at conventions because I knew I wanted children someday. They made it look graceful and effortless. At this year's MVMA convention, it was my turn to attempt to be that put-together mom with a young baby at a convention. I had two things on my side this year. First, the convention was being held in Columbia, just thirty miles from where we live. I wouldn't have to spend money on a hotel room, even if that meant no cable TV. This also meant I wouldn't have to consider everything baby and I would possibly need for an entire weekend and load up the truck with tons of stuff. Second, I wouldn't be attending the full convention. My associate was off call during the convention, which meant I would float in and out of the convention when I wasn't working and attend the board meetings that I had to. This took some of the pressure off. I did have a bit more responsibility than normal. As Vice President of the MAVP (the continuing education arm of the MVMA), I was to give a presentation during the Mini Topics Thursday night. The smart thing to do would have been to write the presentation when I was still pregnant. It's surprisingly difficult to write even a 20-minute presentation with a young infant in your home. And I thought writing blog posts was tough! Type a few paragraphs, feed baby, type some more, change diaper, pray baby goes to sleep but play with him instead because he's feeling active, do some research, feed baby again, and the list goes on. You get the picture. As a mother, I feel like I have about 10-minute increments to perform any given task. I'm usually thankful if I can go for a 15 minute run and shower all in the same evening as my baby cluster feeds when I get home from work. Through it all, I finished my presentation with a few days to spare. The next challenge was practicing my presentation. Leland loves it when I read to him, so I thought he would love to hear me present my topic to him. Turns out Goodnight Moon and Ferdinand the Bull are infinitely more entertaining than “Life As A Young Practice Owner.” Turns out he doesn't like my presentation voice (or probably the content) and screamed every time I would practice. I had a little more luck when I used some higher pitched baby talk, but I thought my colleagues might think I was being condescending if it turned into a habit and boo me right out of the session. My first challenge of going to a convention, however, would be finding something to wear. At three months postpartum, the question wasn't whether most of them fit, but would it fit right. Breastfeeding moms know the struggle of dealing with a different shaped upper body. If you wear something too loose, it hangs off of you like a sack and you look bigger than reality. Wear something too tight and you look like a porn star. No longer could I just go through my closet and just assume things fit right, especially while limiting myself to the business casual style. Unfortunately, I couldn't use my go-to leggings with an oversized sweatshirt. After trying on about seven outfits, I finally found something that looked presentable for the first night of the convention. My husband accompanied me (with baby in tow) to the first night of the convention to hear my presentation. My baby didn't have a melt down during any of the talks (including my own), and I didn't get called out to pull a calf. Towards the end of the sessions, Leland woke up from his nap and started motorboating me (he's not very subtle), so that was our cue to leave. I considered it a success that we made it through 75% of the topics. My next go-round at the convention was Saturday, where I had to rush after work to make the MAVP Luncheon. As an officer, I had to make a few statements during the luncheon, but luckily I had a script. I recommend having a script when you have mom brain. At the conclusion of the meeting, a colleague pointed at my stomach and said, “I see congratulations are in order.” I then had a rep at a table also mistake me for still being pregnant. Ironically, I had seen both of these people a few months ago when I was VERY pregnant. Did I enter a time warp of some kind?! I'm pretty sure most women have had individuals mistake them as pregnant, many while pushing their baby in a stroller. I'm going to start a rant right here. I'm going to recommend that when it comes to commenting on a pregnancy, people (and I'm mainly directing this at men because let's face it, you're usually the ones idiotic enough to make such comments anyway) should hold their tongue unless 1) They have first-hand knowledge of the pregnancy, 2) The woman brings it up first (see rule number one), or 3) The baby is coming through the birth canal. Otherwise, bring up the weather, or anything really besides commenting on someone else's body. Just. Don't. For my fellow women out there, remember that some people do not think before they speak, so take it in stride and punch a wall when you get home. Okay, that concludes my rant. I feel much better now. On the bright side, I had another rep exclaim that I must be elastic after having a child. He probably just wanted to sell me something, but I'll take it nonetheless. One very positive thing I would like to bring up is the MVMA and Holiday Inn’s excellent support of lactating mothers. Despite not having a room at the hotel, I had access to a nursing room (basically a regular hotel room) for the days I attended the convention free of charge. I had envisioned trying to find an outlet to pump in a women's restroom and having to pack numerous disinfectant wipes. This was a wonderful, convenient accommodation for me (and Leland). After the luncheon, I chatted with some fellow classmates and headed to a talk on the economics of the beef cattle industry. I received a text about halfway through the session from my husband. He was rolling up to the hotel with a hungry baby. I snuck out of the session and headed to the nursing room. If I made it through 35 minutes of a session, does it still count as a full hour of CE. I looked at some of the older vets sleeping during the session and decided it did. I let my husband watch hockey while I fed the baby instead of making him sit through Real Housewives, a small reward for watching our baby all weekend. My husband and Leland headed home after a while, and I stuck around for a few more sessions and the pre-banquet socializing. My retired former partner, Dr. Vroman, was nice enough to buy me a glass of wine. Apparently, after almost a year of hardly drinking anything, my tolerance was quite low. After drinking one glass, I had to stick around the hotel for almost two hours before I felt comfortable driving home. I then realized that part of the problem was I hadn't eaten since lunch. So I hit up the Hyvee salad bar (*cough cough* the Taco Bell drive-thru) on the way home. I came home to my smiling baby and wonderful husband. I decided against attending sessions Sunday morning. After being gone all weekend, I needed some time with my little family. I consider my first convention as a new mom a success. I learned that session breaks aren't near long enough to pump, nursing rooms are the bomb, don't wear heels and drink wine (even just one glass), maternity dress pants are awesome, and it's actually okay to skip out on some things, or miss part of it, or sleep through it. I’ve always thought that when it comes to conventions, you learn more from talking to your colleagues than attending sessions anyway. So basically, if you can’t make it to a convention at all, then you should probably just plan a happy hour at the local Mexican restaurant and talk, complain, scheme, and let’s not forget, take over the world after a pitcher of margaritas has been emptied. |
Jessica Stroupe, DVM
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