“My name is Susan, and I have wanted to be a vet since I was four years old. I love to rescue animals. When I was two years old, a baby kitten followed me into my house. Nine years later, she is still at home with me. I have helped find homes for over 20 animals, 15 of them ended up becoming part of our own family! Right now I have four pets – three dogs and, of course, one cat. I think I want to be a small animal vet, but I really don’t know yet. Right now I am looking for somewhere to volunteer with animals.”Continue Reading
Three weeks ago, a long standing and wonderful client of ours scheduled a long-awaited dental procedure for her cat Lily. Until we could get her scheduled, she was on pain medication for the cavities we had previously diagnosed. Since we know that dental pain is the same in the cat as it is in people, we knew she was uncomfortable despite the fact that she was still eating. The only significant change the client noticed was that she tilted her head just slightly to one side while eating.Continue Reading
Advances in veterinary medicine make it possible to diagnose and treat medical conditions in cats that would have been a death sentence a decade ago. From chemotherapy to kidney transplants, MRI’s to radiation therapy, ICU care to chemotherapy, cats can now receive the same level of medical care as humans. Cutting-edge veterinary care by board-certified specialists ranging from internists to oncologists to ophtamologists is becoming more widely available than ever before.
Dr. Julie Smith is the Medical Director at AnimalScan Advanced Veterinary Imaging center just outside of Washington, DC. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facilities is one of the most powerful and accurate diagnostic techniques available today,Continue Reading
I’m excited to announce my new book, Adventures in Veterinary Medicine:What Working in Veterinary Hospitals Taught Me About Life, Love, and Myself. The book offers a unique look at what really goes on in a veterinary hospital through the eyes of a former veterinary hospital manager, aka, yours truly. The book provides insight into what makes veterinary medicine such a rewarding profession through a series of stories about some of the pets I connected with during my twelve years working in the field.
Early Praise for Adventures in Veterinary Medicine
From Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian” and resident veterinarian for “Good Morning America:
“As a ‘veteran veterinarian’ with more than 30 years in practice, I found myself nodding in recognition throughout Ingrid King’s heartwarming book. Take a look behind the scenes at my beloved profession, and the people and pets who make veterinary medicine a rewarding adventure. You won’t regret it, I promise.”Continue Reading
Do you love your cat’s veterinarian? Has she done something extraordinary to save your cat’s life? Does he just “get” your cat and make every visit as stress-free as possible for your cat? Maybe she has made a recommendation that really changed your cat’s life for the better?
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), is seeking nominations for amazing doctors of veterinary medicine from all aspects of the veterinary profession. Cat guardians who love their veterinarians are are encouraged to nominate these great doctors for a chance to be named America’s Favorite Veterinarian.
If you’ve ever had to travel by air with a cat, you know how stressful it can be for both cat and guardian. Now imagine that you have to travel with a sick cat. You’ll be in the air for several hours – what if something happens to your cat? Flight attendants receive basic medical training in first aid and CPR for humans, but they’re not trained to help in case of a pet emergency. But now there’s a new option for some pet guadians to receive in flight veterinary care for their sick pets.
Dr. Cindy Bressler, a New York City based veterinarian whose clientele includes high profile actors and other celebrities, makes house calls to her clients both in the city and in the Hamptons. Several of these clients occasionally hired her to accompany them and their pets when they had to travel on private planes. Clients have also taken advantage of this service during a move, or when a pet’s care had to be transitioned to a hospital somewhere else in the country, or the world, for that matter.
Seeing a need for this service among her clientele, Dr. Bressler started Jetset Vets,Continue Reading
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me this question, I’d be a wealthy woman! What most people don’t realize is that, relatively speaking, veterinary care, especially when compared to human healthcare, is actually not at all unreasonable. As a former veterinary hospital manager, I can give you some behind the scenes insight into what makes up the cost of veterinary care.
Your cat’s veterinarian is not just your cat’s “family doctor”
Your cat’s vet is also her surgeon, radiologist, dentist, dermatologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist, psychiatrist, ears/nose/throat doctor, and pharmacist, all rolled into one. I’ve always felt that a veterinarian’s training and schooling is far more rigorous and complex than that of a physician. Not only can their patients not talk to them and tell them what’s wrong, but they have to study more than one species. During the first years of veterinary school, students also have to study large animal medicine, even if they know they’re never going to practice it. And even within the small animal track, there are multiple anatomies and disease processes to learn for each species, be it cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, or even scaly critters.
Advances in veterinary medicine make it possible to diagnose and treat medical conditions in pets that would have been a death sentence a decade ago. From chemotherapy to kidney transplants, pets can now receive the same level of medical care as humans. Cutting-edge veterinary care by board-certified specialists ranging from internists to oncologists to ophtamologists is becoming more widely available than ever before.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the most powerful and accurate diagnostic techniques in medicine today, and has become routine in human medicine. For the past ten years, MRI’s have been available for animals. An MRI provides detailed and valuable information without the higher risk involved in invasive procedures such as exploratory surgeries.
MRI’s are considered in the following situations:
Brain or spinal cord injuries or abnormalities
Futher diagnostics after x-rays or ultrasound are normal, or unclear
When your cat goes to the veterinary hospital, chances are she’s going to spend much more time with veterinary technicians or other veterinary staff members than with the veterinarian. Veterinary technicians are educated in the latest medical advances and skilled at working alongside veterinarians to give cats the best medical care possible. They are an integral part of your cat’s medical team.
As a former veterinary hospital manager, a part of my heart will always be with the veterinary profession. When Heska Corporation, a leading provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty products, asked me to spread the word about their 2nd Annual Inspiration in Action Contest, I was happy to do so.Continue Reading
