Pet Health Risks Identified By Joplin Veterinarian with Risk Management
A new concept is emerging in patient care for dogs and cats. Joplin veterinarians have been vaccinating dogs and cats based on life style for several years. The concept that every dog and cat needs every vaccine on the market is simply not true. The veterinarian will consider the life style of the individual animal. For instance, a dog that goes to a groomer, boarding facilities, the dog park, camping, and other public areas is at risk for kennel cough. On the other hand, a dog that stays at home and never ventures out of the yard has a low risk for kennel cough. Based on vaccine risk assessment, the first dog should be vaccinated for kennel cough, with the vaccine being optional for the second dog. Therefore, Joplin veterinarians will evaluate the pets’ vaccine risk based on the pets’ current life style.
Risk management for common diseases that dogs and cats experience has not been uniformly used by veterinarians. Most disease states that occur in dogs and cats have been developing for months to years before the disease progresses to obvious signs. As a Joplin veterinarian, I am often asked, “Could we have made a difference if we had discovered the problem sooner?” The answer too often is unfortunately, “Yes.”
Risk management follows the same concept as vaccine risk assessment but on a larger scale. Any veterinarian knows that there are certain diseases that dogs and cats are prone to developing as well as certain breed predictions. A fact that is becoming more clear with new studies shows that one in four (25%) dogs which appear physically normal actually have abnormalities which appear upon blood evaluation. These abnormalities need to be addressed sooner rather than later. As Joplin veterinarians at Cornerstone, we have developed the use of risk management profiles for the benefit of our patients. Combining a short computer questionnaire with blood analysis, we are able to determine disease risk for pets in certain areas. Risk management profiles allow treatment and disease prevention to eliminate or reduce disease severity. While risk management does not guarantee that your pet will never become sick, it is able to reduce the severity or eliminate many disease patterns. Treating disease states before the disease becomes clinical and shows symptoms, reduces cost and improves the quality of life for your pets.
