Hospitals and doctors are not all alike, they vary in quality due to differences in their training, experience
and services. These differences in quality become greater and matter more when your pet needs sophisticated
medical care for a complex condition. A board certified veterinary surgeon who performs a complex procedure
routinely, will often have better success with it than a practitioner who does the procedure only occasionally.
The complication and death rate for the same procedure may be many times higher at one hospital than another.
CLEARLY, THE DOCTOR AND HOSPITAL THAT YOU CHOOSE WILL HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON HOW WELL YOUR PET DOES.
When we recommend a specialist the most common concerns expressed by clients are "I'm afraid it will be too expensive
and too far away." First, the farthest distance you will have to travel is approximately one and a half
hours. The expertise and care that your pet will be receiving far outweighs the distance. Although the specialist
may initally cost more, time and again we have seen people make the mistake of finding a "cheaper" closer alternative
only to have a poor result, if the pet survives, that requires the services of the specialist anyway
and will end up costing them much more in the long run than if they had gone to the specialist in the
first place.
WE ONLY REFER TO BOARD CERTIFIED VETERINARY SPECIALISTS...What does that mean? Board certification, is a sign
that veterinarians are highly trained in their specialty. Each specialty has a national board that is responsible for
setting standards veterinarians must meet in order to be certified. Veterinarians who are board certified have completed
the amount of training that the board requires, have practiced for a specific number of years in that specialty
and have passed a difficult examination in their specialty area. For example, the specialist we refer to you may perform
at least five surgeries a week like the one your pet needs, while a closer, "cheaper" alternative may do one to five surgeries
a year.YOU HAVE A MUCH BETTER CHANCE FOR AN EXCELLENT RESULT WITH THE SPECIALIST.
A specialist is prepared for the most difficult problems that may arise during the operation and recovery
period. They are more likely to prevent complications such as infections or blood clots and be able to treat
them if they do occur. The facility and equipment that the specialist has increases your pet's chances
of few or no complications, less risk of infection, and your pet will have 24 hour recovery monitoring with a
veterinarian and nurse on duty at all times. There are no local facilities available in the "cheaper" alternatives
that provide care at the facility after office hours are over. Your pet will spend the night alone.
Not only do the specialists that we work with have other specialists on staff to confer with, if needed, they
also are providing that your pet's radiographs (x-rays) can be read by a board certified radiologist and the
laboratory blood work can be evaluated by a board certified pathologist.
Finally, we would not recommend a specialist to you that we have not personally dealt with. We work closely with them and will
be kept informed of your pet's treatment or surgery, and in many cases you will be able to have your follow-up care here at our
facility. We love our pets as much as you love yours and would not recommend for you any less
than we do for ourselves. We have no special arrangements nor do we receive fees for recommending the
specialist to you. If you are considering any other options, please use the checklist below to evaluate them.
1.IS THE SURGEON BOARD CERTIFIED? AND IN WHICH SPECIALTY?
2. IS THERE 24 HOUR RECOVERY MONITORING WITH A VETERINARIAN AND NURSE AT THE HOSPITAL AT ALL TIMES?
3. HAS THE DOCTOR PERFORMED NUMEROUS SIMILAR SURGERIES RECENTLY? IF SO, HOW MANY?
4. HAS THE DOCTOR TAKEN SPECIFIC TRAINING IN THE SURGERY? IF SO, HOW MANY HOURS?
5. ARE BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICES AVAILABLE DURING SURGERY?
6. IS THE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATED WITH A UNIVERSITY TEACHING PROGRAM?
7. IS HELP AVAILABLE FROM A FULL RANGE OF SPECIALISTS AT THE HOSPITAL?
8. WILL THE RADIOGRAPHS BE READ BY A BOARD CERTIFIED RADIOLOGIST?
9. WILL THE BLOOD LAB TESTS BE EVALUATED BY A BOARD CERTIFIED PATHOLOGIST?
10. DOES THE FACILITY HAVE SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS AND ADVANCEMENTS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS, BLOOD CLOTS AND INFECTION RATES?