It Didn't Have To Be....

...but it was and it was too late. I wish I could reach EVERYONE and make them understand that. 


1. Trying to save money by NOT doing preventative care, not only generally costs you MORE money in the future but also can cost your pets years of life, of quality life and may even result in very premature death.


2. If you don't feel you can care for an animal, financially, it's ok to give that animal up. And then NOT get another one. 


3. If an animal is suffering, it's not only OK but part of your responsibility as a pet owner to let them go humanely - please.


4. The longer a problem is permitted to continue - be it behavioral or medical - the more expensive it'll be to ATTEMPT to fix and often the odds of fixing go down. In some cases, death is the result. 


There are a lot of things we cannot prevent or cure, a lot of diseases we are still learning about how to diagnose and treat but there are a good number of diseases we can either prevent or intervene early on to slow the progression of signs and improve quality of life. 


If you are a pet owner - don't miss out on these things:
-routine exams - the physical exam of your pet and history we get from you (so be honest and as accurate as possible) are the most important things
-vaccines for your pet's lifestyle - yes all those diseases we vaccinate for are still out there and yes, I personally have seen them
-prevention of external (flea/tick) and internal (heart worm, intestinal worms) parasites
-spaying and neutering - reducing cancers, infections and preventing unNEEDED pregnancies and behavior problems


The pet I refer to above will die from not uncommon secondary organ failure preventable with a vaccine and some great topical products. Yep. 


A veterinarian I respect and know said to me: "Vets don't kill pets, owners do."  In other words, we can recommend what is best for your pet based on your lifestyle, their exposure and our years of training and experience. Ultimately, though I may be upset about it and disagree with it, you are the one to pick and choose what you do for your pet, even if hurts the pet.