[Dailydrool] Eye problems and ER vets

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

We have been through the gamut of ER vets in our area, I think. Over the years, just about every hound has been to one or another of them.

The specialty vets you'll find there may be wonderful, especially if you know what you are dealing with and get a referral from your vet. These docs have lots of education and often really know what they are doing. But the general ER vets can vary from the wonderful to the abysmal. I think it depends on how much experience they have.

One of our local ERs has terrific specialists. But they also have a lot of general ER vets who are interns. When I took Dexter in because he had a crisis with his glaucoma, one of them gave me an ointment to soothe his eyes--a complete misdiagnosis that I was pretty sure about at the time. But what could I do? The eye specialists were not on call that day.

If a dog has glaucoma, you need an eye pressure test. ER vets often are not good at this. A really good tester will check the pressure three times, not once, as this vet did to Dex. And you need to be skilled at it to do the test effectively. It takes about a minute to do it, tops. As long as there's no reason not to, I don't know why vets don't do it when asked, even if it's not all that necessary. Having had a dog with glaucoma, I'd say better safe than sorry. And since bassets are prone to glaucoma, I'd say that's another reason to test.

For eye problems, I do not trust anyone but an ophthalmologist. Regular vets, no matter how good they are, have little training in this area. After all, vets don't have it easy, having to learn about so many species--they can't learn everything about all of them. But a good vet will tell you when you need the specialist. My vet has certainly done that over the years, especially with eye troubles. She really doesn't touch them.
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I hope that Rupert is soon feeling better, and that in the end this is all a big nothing.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets