A Dog By Any Other Name...

Pet peeve time.

This is a bad time for Pit Bulls and the like in Ontario.  BSL is not fair to anyone.  It has been a death sentence for many dogs and media fear mongering has some people in a panic over a group of dogs that is renowned for their loyalty to their owners and their gentleness with children.

So what is the pet peeve?  It is the rescues and humane societies who insist on relabeling these bully mixes that would fall under the BSL banner as boxer mixes, vizsla mixes, and today I saw one labeled as a boston terrier mix. 

Naming them such does not change the appearance of the dog which is what BSL targets to a great degree.  (Any muscular dog with a broad head and short coat resembling a Pit Bull.)  What it does do however is put these other breeds at risk of also being included in Ontario's BSL list in the future.  (God forbid this stupid legislation doesn't get overturned.)

Please let's be honest about the dogs you are rescuing and rehoming.  I understand that by creating these labels you feel you are safe to adopt these dogs within Ontario and that it may make the general public more likely to adopt one, however it doesn't change what the dog looks like.  It doesn't change the fact that if there is a complaint against the dog it will still fall into the category of a dog resembling a Pit Bull.  But now it has the label of another breed attached to it and that could in turn affect the other breed.

I feel that this is a big reason that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier ends up being included in BSL.  Well meaning rescues who were not overly familiar with the purebred bull terrier dogs constantly got Staffies, Am Staffs and Pitties mixed up.  I have seen 60lb, 20 inch dogs listed as staffies.

Please help to insure that this does not happen to so many other lovely breeds.  Please try to be as accurate as possible in labelling the dogs you have.  And if your not sure just call it a mix breed.  Don't go labelling them as some other breed mix.

So to all the kind hearted rescues who are trying to help these dogs, please remember that your efforts could affect other breeds in the future if BSL is not repealed. 

Why Does My Vet Charge So Much?

or
The Value of Veterinary Care

I often hear people complaining about the cost of veterinary care. Not surprising considering I am a receptionist at a busy veterinary practice.  So I thought I would give you some insight as to these costs and what your responsibility is as a pet owner to help keep the costs within your budget.

Many people think that veterinarians are salespeople out to see how much money they can get you to spend.  Although I am sure there are vets like this I think they are the exception.  If you feel that your veterinarian is like this then perhaps you should go looking for another vet.  First and foremost you need to trust your veterinarian and know that they are there to do the best that they can for you and your pet.

Once you have found a vet you trust stick with them.  Go for yearly check-ups even if your dog is healthy and you don't do yearly vaccines.  You may get early detection of disease or a condition you didn't know your pet had which could allow your pet to be cured or at least to extend their life for much longer and for less money than if you wait for symptoms to appear.  If your vet knows you and knows how you care for your pet, if you have a good relationship with your vet, then when you really need them they will be there for you.

You make the decisions for your pet, not the veterinarian.  The vets role is to make recommendations as to how best to treat your pet.  Ask questions, get all the details.  Find out all the options.  Veterinarians will often give you the option they would choose for their own pet expecting everyone will want to do the same thing.  If that doesn't work for you or doesn't fit your budget talk to them about it.  Ask for other options. Or if you can do some now and some later and where you should start.  Often figuring out what is wrong is a case of eliminating what isn't wrong.  In the end it is your pet and your decision.  If you are on a budget ask for written estimates before proceeding. 

And it is ok to ask for a second opinion, whether from another vet at the same clinic or going to another clinic.  The clinic I work at definitely has veterinarians who would take different approaches to the same case.  Not that one is right and one is wrong, they just have different paths to reach the same conclusion. 

Please don't expect to walk into a veterinary clinic you rarely, if ever, go to and expect to get favours done for you or to have the clinic extend credit to you.  That kind of thing comes after building up a relationship with a vet clinic and its staff.

Most veterinarians chose this profession because of a true love for animals.  That doesn't change.  Unfortunately there are a lot of expenses involved in running a clinic.  Location, equipment, hours, staffing all will affect veterinary costs.  The more and better equipment a veterinary has the more the cost for care will be but the better prepared they will be to take the best care of your pet in a critical or emergency situation.  Much of the equipment costs thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to purchase and hundreds to thousands of dollars each year to maintain.  Staffing cost of technicians, receptionists and kennel assistants is very high.  A good clinic will have a technician assigned to each doctor working each shift.  A technician will monitor your pet constantly while under anesthesia and recovery.  To provide this level of care is costly.  Sometimes you have to pay a little more to ensure that your pet gets the best quality of care.  If in doubt, ask.

Veterinary pharmaceuticals have evolved and improved immensely over the past couple of decades, and the best clinics have evolved to embrace these new drugs and medications.  Unfortunately not all clinics have embraced these changes or have chosen to stick with the less expensive, less effective and in some cases less safe options.   Once again, ask your vet.  A good clinic will provide a written description of the medication you pick up that includes side effects and things to watch for.

As most things in life, in veterinary medicine you do get what you pay for.  But unlike many things you can chose the level of vet care that you want.  And with the availability of pet insurance you can ensure that you never have to choose between the cost of care and the life of your pet.