Fees and summer hazards

Veterinary Alternatives June/July 2012 Newsletter

Yes, TWO for the price of ONE! Since I’m so late getting the June newsletter done and I didn’t want to send out another in only two weeks, I’ll double up on content here and you’ll just get one in two months. Chiropractic training is interesting, will be very beneficial to my patients, but is VERY time consuming at the moment, what with losing 5 days in my practice every 5-6 weeks then keeping up on my homework and reading. Only two more sessions to go then I’ll be done. I’ve decided to become certified in both the International and American Veterinary Chiropractic Associations so one test will take place at the end of my last module and the other the first weekend in September (more traveling for that one…)

Veterinary Alternatives Fees

And on that note, I will be modifying my fee schedules as of September 1 to account for all the extra treatment options I will now offer. My usual physical/Chinese medical exams take a certain amount of time. Adding a chiropractic exam will double that time. Chiropractic treatment can be done on the same visit as acupuncture, but not at the same time as the needles get in the way, so doing both at one visit will also increase the time needed.

So here is the new fee schedule:

First exam/exam on past patient not seen in 6 months or longer: $85/100/125 (mileage-based as 0-30/30+ – 50/50+ from my home)—even existing patients must be treated as a new patient if it has been more than 6 months since I last saw them—acupuncture OR chiropractic treatment, not both; both exams will be done.

Maintenance exam/treatment (less than 6 months since last seen)—acupuncture OR chiropractic: $60/75/100 (same as now)

Additional treatment at one visit—acupuncture AND chiropractic: $25 additional

Custom diet plan—two to three recipes for one pet, complete instructions, email support–$25 additional to exam

Herbal/nutritional supplements—prices vary but are in addition to exam fees; most supplements run $18-40 each.

Multiple pets—regular exam fee as above, plus $25 for each additional pet at same visit, other charges above apply (if additional pet gets two types of treatment it would cost $50 for that pet on top of the original exam fee for the first pet)

Instruction for home massage, physical therapy, nutritional tonic foods, behavior modification, and email and phone support—still free with cost of exam.

Why am I treating patients not seen in six months as new patients? There are several reasons. A lot can change in that time, due to age, changes in season, changes in diet, etc. If I haven’t been seeing them regularly, I must do a more thorough exam and oral history to determine these changes before treating. Many of my patients are in their golden years, and because animals age faster than people, not seeing a ten-year-old dog in six months is like Grandma not seeing the doctor in three to five years. When I see patients on a regular maintenance schedule (usually every 4-8 weeks) I am able to stay on top of these changes and respond more easily to them.

So for those of you on a regular schedule, the only change will be if you wish your pet to receive both acupuncture and chiropractic at one visit, which would add $25.

Summer Pet Hazards

So, enough about money.

As the season becomes warmer, there are a number of hazards to your pets you should take into account.

Vehicular travel—We all know you should never leave a pet in a hot car. Please review how quickly a car can become dangerously warm. I am still seeing pets left in cars with the windows open 2-3 inches when temps are around 80 degrees. This is STILL dangerous! If you don’t believe this, try sitting in a car with the windows open to a degree you feel you would leave your pet, and have a thermometer with you. See how long it takes to top 100. You can’t count on a shade tree, or “I’ll just be a minute”. The shade can shift, part of your car may still be in the sun, the person ahead of you in line may pay in pennies painstakingly counted out one by one. Don’t take a chance—heat stroke can be fatal in only half an hour or less. Be especially careful with chondrodystrophic dogs—those with short noses like pugs, bulldogs, and shi-tzu’s. These dogs are particularly susceptible to overheating.

Heat—If you are outside on a hot day with your pet, perhaps enjoying the lake or a festival, be constantly aware of the degree of panting your pet is doing. If it is panting continuously, especially if the tongue appears to be forced further out of the mouth than usual or the corners of the mouth pulled back, your pet may be suffering from heat stress. Be sure to have water available and frequently offered, stay in the shade as much as possible, and don’t ever ignore your pet on a hot day. To cool a pet beginning to overheat, splash cool water under their belly, in their groin and underarm areas, and wipe the insides of their ear flaps with a cool cloth. It may also help to get them to stand or lie down in cool water if they will do this willingly. Or better yet, get them into air conditioning. If they won’t cool down, or begin to act dull mentally, get them to a veterinary clinic immediately—do NOT call me! They will need cold water enemas and IV fluids at that point and I don’t have the facilities available for this.

Dehydration— To check a pet for dehydration, first check the gums and inside of the lips. These tissues should be slick and moist. If they feel sticky or dry, your pet needs water. You can also pull up the skin over their shoulder blades on top of their back with your thumb and forefinger, making a sort of “tent”. Then release while you are pulling up. Normal hydrated skin will spring immediately back down into place. If a fold remains, or the tent is slow to collapse, your pet is dehydrated. If they will not drink willingly, IV fluids may be required. Keep water continuously available, especially if your pet is outdoors.

Toxic plants—Some plants may be toxic if consumed. If your pet has a habit of chewing on houseplants or garden plants, research online to see if that specific plant is one you should be concerned about. Yew, lily, and foxglove are some particularly dangerous ones. Poison ivy does not affect our pets, but they can get the oils from the plant on their fur and bring it inside as a special gift for you (as I was recently reminded by the stray barn cat I’m trying to gentle up to find a home for—anyone interested?). A regular bath with pet shampoo will remove these oils, but I recommend you wear gloves to give this bath. Removal of poison ivy from areas your pet frequents is the only sure way to prevent this.

“garbage gut”—Heat causes spoilage of food items, dead animals, etc. This is also the time of year baby animals are being born and sometimes birds that fall out of a nest or baby mammals that die may be found and consumed by your pet. For minor stomach upset/diarrhea from such a snack, try withholding food from your pet for 24 hours then use a bland rice and white meat chicken diet for another couple of days. If your pet is too sick to hold down water, they should see your regular veterinarian, though acupuncture may also be useful.

Stinging/biting insects—While uncommon, our pets may be stung by bees or wasps, bitten by poisonous spiders, and even bitten by poisonous snakes. If your pet is supervised when outside, this is less likely to be a problem but their penchant for chasing small flying things or crawling things may still lead to problems. If your pet has an unexplained swelling or draining wound, have it checked out.

Pad injuries/burns—Hot pavement can cause burns to the foot pads of our pets. I try to make a habit if I have my dogs out and plan to cross a parking lot or walk on a sidewalk to first place my hand on the surface and check the temperature. If it’s too hot for you to walk barefoot on, don’t let your pet walk on it either. Pad injuries hurt a LOT and take a long time to heal. I can offer some natural remedies for minor pad burns, but if they are deep or get infected you may need more conventional care for these. Prevention is the best medicine here.

Food spoilage—eating spoiled food leads to “garbage gut”. If your pet gets a moist diet and is fed outdoors, pick up and dispose of any leftovers after about an hour to prevent food poisoning. Keep your pet out of the trash, especially being aware of picnics or other outdoor events where a plate left unattended in a corner may be found by your four-legged kid. Never give your pet food scraps you would not feel safe eating (i.e. leftovers from an outdoor event).

Noise phobias—any pet that suffers from noise phobias is more likely to have difficulties with the summer months because of thunderstorms and fireworks. Early intervention with training techniques may help alleviate some of their anxiety, especially if you start when they first begin showing anxiety with these events. I also carry a supplement called Nutri-calm which is a natural herbal and amino acid formula to help make them less anxious.

Of course, this is not a complete list, but hopefully now these things will be on the forefront of your mind to help you and your pet have a wonderful summer!