[Dailydrool] brushing teeth(vet charger) and vaccinations for older dogs

[Cblatz]

Just visited the vet today with both my boys, which relieved me of two  
days income what with the tests and meds!  His office visit charges  
are reasonable, but some of those outside tests!-Dave

--We were recently discussing vet charges on one of my Dachshund list.
We were first discussing the prices differences for medication and procedures even between vets
in the same geographical location.    That of course morphed into all the procedures and tests vets try
and talk their clients into on a regular basis.  For example, 12 months of heartworm meds plus twice a
year blood work to verify the meds are working.  Another example was an EKG on a dog before a Dental.

There are almost as many procedures and drugs for dogs and their are for people  Whether 
all those procedures and drugs are necessary is something every dog owner needs to figure out
for themselves.  Vet clinics are businesses with all the normal business overhead.  They will try and
sell their clients everything and anything to increase their profit margin.   It is up to the individual dog owner to
educate themselves about what their dog really needs (or doesn't need to stay healthy).  I learned the hard way, after 3 wrong diagnoses, that vets
are not gods.  Education is a great shield from the guilt trip vets try and lay on unsuspecting owners.
Another thing to remember  is that the only mandatory procedure in most states is getting your dog vaccinated against rabies.  Everything else is discretionary.

My Holistic vet will not vaccinate older dogs (10+).  She will run titers to satisfy the owner.    She will even titer for rabies and write a waiver for older dogs.




Cathy Blatz
www.summerhilldachshundsandbassets.com
http://www.geocities.com/clubbasset/index.html
http://www.dachshund-wpdc.org/
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