Over the last few weeks, we focused on the care of the elderly pet. This was followed by discussions on that complicated and emotional topic of EUTHANASIA. Putting the appropriate text together was not an easy task. Having concluded that discourse, it is time to address a miscellany of matters that may not be substantially scientific, but which nevertheless veterinarians must confront within the context of achieving wellness for the companion animal which may be ailing.
Today we will discuss the issue of the use and misuse of medications.
WHY DO PET OWNERS/CAREGIVERS DECIDE TO TREAT THEIR PETS THEMSELVES?
1) The costs related to the diagnosing and treating of the ailment exhibited by the sick animal by the competent and trained persons (veterinarians) may be considered as being too high. Some vets may even charge consultancy fees (similar to those charged by human medical practitioners).
2) Distance to the clinic/pet hospital is too far.
3) Their experience with veterinarians may not have been reflective of a great success rate, especially after spending significant sums on tests and x-rays and ultrasounds, etc.
4) The medication costs are prohibitively high.
5) There may exist in close vicinity animal health technicians who have been trained at the Guyana School of Agriculture in animal (livestock) agriculture. Neighbours, too, who have had contact with dogs and cats (for long periods of their lives) may be considered knowledgeable enough, and advice may be sought from them. Such persons are often quite confident in giving opinions.
Please be warned that in deciding to treat your ailing companion animals by yourself, several meaningful questions arise, not lastly:
1) Does one know for sure, referring only to the symptoms, what the ailment actually is? If not, how can one attempt to administer an effective cure?
For example, if the dog is coughing, can one say with certainty how long? With what intensity? If is it a dry cough? Etc. Whether other animals in the household (or nearby) are exhibiting similar symptoms? Are there other symptoms? And so on.
If one decides to treat the cough with a cough syrup suggested by the neighbour, the pharmacist, the veterinary technician, the exercise may be quite useless, since the problem may very well be associated with Heartworm Infection – a mosquito-borne disease which may have fits of coughing as the main symptom.
2) If, after consultation with non-knowledgeable and under-equipped persons, to make any sensible diagnosis, one determines a remedy via medication, then what is the dosage rate? How often per day and for how long must it be given? How may the medication(s) be best administered – via the mouth (orally), by injection – in the muscle, under the skin, on the skin, or in the vein?
What happens when the caregivers’ genuine desire to assist the sick animal goes awry? Such as a shock reaction (allergy) to the medication given; or worse, death?
Dear caregivers,
Please believe that I do not wish to over-alarm you when you – for whatever reason – decide to attempt a solution to the pet’s health problem. But healing is a science, not mumbo-jumbo quackery. The scientists have studied and researched long and hard, using the best technologies available to decide via which method a drug can best be given. They know in which form the medication can best be given – and there are several: solutions, suspensions, emulsions, semi-solids (pastes), solids (tablets, capsules, powders, granules, premixes, and medicated blocks), etc.
Because of the sentiments expressed in the paragraph above, it is advisable, no, imperative, that you consult and discuss the pet’s ailment with your veterinarian, so as to ensure that the treatment protocol on which you wish to embark is the correct one.
Talking costs nothing. After all, the vet’s job is to be of service to ailing animals. He/she took a solemn oath in this regard.
Further, may I demand that if you have received advice from a trained, tested and proven professional, it must be followed as exactly as instructed?
Let me advise that our colleagues in human medicine have, to a large extent, the same problem – possibly for other reasons, but with the same end effect, namely: citizens of this fair Republic often (too often) decide to self-medicate – (mis)using antimicrobials without the requisite knowledge associated with usage. This misuse of antimicrobials is a cause of major global concern in public health. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is on the rise, and is a direct consequence of the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials (including antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasitics), causing the bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites to change over time and no longer respond to medicines. Infections are thus becoming harder to treat, and the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death is greater.
There is a nexus between the misuse of antimicrobials in the livestock industry and the concomitant passage into humans via the meats we consume. This development has enormous negative consequences for wellness in humans, and the WHO has declared that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. In the small animal practice, we remain vigilant in the prescribing of antibiotics and other antimicrobials to avoid AMR and secure the future well-being of our pets. Please help us to help you by ceaseing to administer these drugs without a prescribed regime from a veterinarian.
Happy Divali!
I have pleaded incessantly during the festive seasons against the wanton and indiscriminate use of fireworks, squibs, etc. in the interest of sparing our animals the agony caused by the loud decibel levels to their very sensitive hearing. I can only hope that this year will be a better one.
