How Much Would You Spend on a Sick Pet?

[Daniel E.]

If I ever find an easy, affordable solution, I am going to share it all over the Internet and even pay for Google Ads to let every dog owner know who searches for dog + prednisone

At least in this case, the answer to dog hunger from steroids is, ironically, to lose weight if the dog is overweight.

Earlier this year, my elderly dog with chronic bronchitis was put on a diet, with apples and veggies as snacks. The weight loss helped with her chronic bronchitis and reduced her need for steroids.

She has now been off steroids completely for about two months. She is on the NSAID Galliprant for her arthritis. (Today, she had her annual lung x-rays, which showed only residual lung inflammation. Her lungs have never looked better compared to the last couple years. She also no longer has a heart murmur.)

 

[Daniel E.]

Why your vet won’t help you, and what to do about it — I Will Help Your Cat

www.iwillhelpyourcat.com

Here are some specific, word for word “can't refuse” scripts. You can use them when talking with your vet and their staff. Why am I calling it "can't refuse?" Because if they do refuse after saying these scripts, you know there are trust issues, burnout or ageism as described above. If they agree to help you after saying these phrases, then you will be building bridges to reduce defensiveness, increase willingness to learn new things and will remind them of their mandate for compassion and teamwork...

Try the following:

Dr. ______, can you help me figure out where my cat’s kidneys are staged according to IRIS (have chart and pamphlet printed out - see this website: ). I am interested in staging his kidneys, so together we can make a plan. Can I book a recheck appointment where we can go over his staging next week?

With this script you have identified that you are a person who actively wants to treat their pet. Many people want to do nothing because they look OK on the outside. You have also established that you are asking for reasonable, evidence based assessments, and that there is mutual respect in terms of valuing each others time. You are also providing education without embarrassing a person who might not have CKD all worked out in their brain. It is a complex illness to deal with and not everyone lives, breathes and drinks CKD. To say no to this script is a red flag - something is wrong with the relationship.

Dr.______, I realize she is 15, and I know that even if we try to treat her she might get worse. Even though that might happen, she’s been in my life 15 years, so I owe it to her to try. I understand it might not work. Can we begin with (problem #1), and then talk about “Problem #2” at my next recheck appointment next week?

By using this script you are identify that you are willing to share responsibility. You are letting them know that you are willing to try, and you wont resort to blame transfer or attacks if things don't work as expected. The treatments for pancreatitis and CKD can be quite similar (and sometimes one caused the other - see this post: Q&A — I Will Help Your Cat), so even if you are addressing one, chances are you will make the other better at the same time...

None of that works? Find out if there is a mobile (large and small animal hospital) in the area. A “salt of the earth” farm vet who is very interested in helping may be more valuable to you than a small animal vet who for some reason isn't.

 

[Daniel E.]

From a horse vet at Reddit:

"I don’t work in small animal practice, but I’ve always wondered why the vets spend half their life giving vaccines. You’d never see a doctor give a vaccine, it’s always the nurse. I think there is definitely a demand for a middle level clinician."

 

[Daniel E.]