help protect our pets

[artmark]

Subject: Will you help protect our Pets?
As a pet caregiver/owner, I believe these bills are valid and timely for our State as well. There is quite a large movement across the county from pet caregivers/owners and animal welfare groups demanding better information about prescribed drug for their animals care.
Please take a moment to review what is happening with SB1144 and
SB1145, found here,
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/SB1144P1612.HTM
and here,
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/SB1145P1613.HTM
The CVM conducted a two-year review of consumer messages to its adverse drug hotline. The study found that a majority of calls were made - not by veterinarians - as had been expected, but by the public. Many of them attributed their pet's death to adverse drug reactions that they did not know about
One of the more common complaints from consumers who called the hotline, includes the discovery that their pet may have been given a drug for which a precaution or contraindication existed after reading a drug's Client Information Sheet (CIS) and label on the Internet. A CIS is similar to package inserts pharmacies provide when filling prescriptions that include a drug's label, warnings, side effect and contraindications.
Instead of getting important information from their vets, consumers are relying on the Internet to find out about the possible adverse reactions of drugs. The caregiver/owner has the right to be informed about the relative safety, efficacy and possible reactions of drugs being prescribed to their companions. Veterinarians must help their clients to understand the drugs prescribed to their animal, which includes making them aware of the risks that may be associated with that drug.
Some states have considered legislation requiring vets to provide informed consent. In Colorado, a bill was proposed that would have required veterinarians prior to performing or prescribing any veterinary service that involved risks to the life or health of a companion dog or cat to discuss those risks with the owner, as well as any alternative approaches. Vets were exempted if the pet needed immediate care to avoid harm or death.
Informed consent on extra-label use of drugs is required by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which oversees the veterinary profession in Texas.
I am asking that you Please, write a similar bill for consideration in the State Senate and House.
Sincerely,

[laura grace]

I just can't believe this whole thing. This will not make any difference. There will still be pet owners who say they were never told, even though they might have been.

Under times of stress pet owners may not remember that they may have been given the correct information by their vet.

Then what are you going to do: start another movement???

Maybe there should be a movement requiring pet owners to sign documentation that they accept the treatment being offered at their own risk, just like paperwork people sign before surgery.

Maybe if that was implemented pet owners would take more responsibility.

Come on guys, rather than try and change the entire veterinary profession, which you will never do, why don't you just become a better health care proxy for your pet by doing the following:

1) Ask questions

2) Do research

3) Prepare a checklist of questions that you bring to every vet visit and don't leave the office until every question is answered.

3) Compile a list of pet care professionals in your neighborhood who understand how you feel and support your effort

4) Keep a journal of your pet's progress as they are recovering from an illness or accident

5) Bottom Line: Be Proactive !!

If every vet in the world were suddenly in compliance this problem would still exist. It is only when the pet parents take charge of the reins that things will change.

It's all well and good to trust a veterinarian's knowledge and experience, but what does that have to do with the 5 points I mentioned above?? You can trust your vet and still act in your pet's best interest by making sure the 5 points are dealt with. One does not preclude the other.

It may make you feel better by putting the entire blame on the veterinarian, but the pet owner is just as much at fault by not demanding better health care.

Laura Grace

[artmark]

"Maybe there should be a movement requiring pet owners to sign documentation that they accept the treatment being offered at their own risk, just like paperwork people sign before surgery".
actually Laura Grace you are wright when the pharmacist explains your medication to you that is informed when you take the bottle that is consent when the label says to not take this medication and drive or operate heavy machinery that is duty to warn.when the doctor says Laura Grace this medication is the best thing we have for your condition,but I have to warn you prolonged use could lead to liver failure! informed consent and duty to warn.I am little confused by your attitude it is not very much to ask for this in veternarian medicine? the only people I have encounterd who wanted to apply so much of the responsibility on only the guardian were people who were veternarians or vet techs are you one?
and the state of Pa.is cited in that pettition they are on the way to making a differance and yes there is a movement to inform guardians which is your posistion, but to not just leave it there.when a veternarians see's your pet he or she has entered into a veternarian client patient relationship, no relationship is one sided.
the following link explains a veternarian client relationship

http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ddusveterinaryclient.htm#III

[artmark]

I just can't believe this whole thing. This will not make any difference. There will still be pet owners who say they were never told, even though they might have been.

Under times of stress pet owners may not remember that they may have been given the correct information by their vet.

Then what are you going to do: start another movement???

Maybe there should be a movement requiring pet owners to sign documentation that they accept the treatment being offered at their own risk, just like paperwork people sign before surgery.

Maybe if that was implemented pet owners would take more responsibility.

Come on guys, rather than try and change the entire veterinary profession, which you will never do, why don't you just become a better health care proxy for your pet by doing the following:

1) Ask questions

2) Do research

3) Prepare a checklist of questions that you bring to every vet visit and don't leave the office until every question is answered.

3) Compile a list of pet care professionals in your neighborhood who understand how you feel and support your effort

4) Keep a journal of your pet's progress as they are recovering from an illness or accident

5) Bottom Line: Be Proactive !!

If every vet in the world were suddenly in compliance this problem would still exist. It is only when the pet parents take charge of the reins that things will change.

It's all well and good to trust a veterinarian's knowledge and experience, but what does that have to do with the 5 points I mentioned above?? You can trust your vet and still act in your pet's best interest by making sure the 5 points are dealt with. One does not preclude the other.

It may make you feel better by putting the entire blame on the veterinarian, but the pet owner is just as much at fault by not demanding better health care.

Laura Grace

Share with me your plan to get your ideas of resposible pet ownership to the 40 million pet owners in the U.S.A. I will help youI do not care who is wright or wrong. I just want to see veternarians stop sending owners home with there pets to die
George

[laura grace]

George,

I am thrilled to get your response and would love to work with you in this regard. You asked what my plan was, and until now I had no plan...as this was Usdi's dad's and your mission...I was just putting in my two cents.

You have me completely wrong (and may not have read my posts in full) if you think I am suggesting this is 100% the pet owner's responsibility. I mentioned many times that for a 'fix' to happen there must be movement from both camps.

That being said I would love to work with you to create a plan that will effect change from both camps.

I am in my office all day today and tomorrow with little time to break away, however, you'll hear from me Wednesday with some ideas.

Thank you for inviting me to contribute to this important issue.

And by the way, I was not saying that certain comments you made were directed to me. If you look at my post again you'll see that it was addressed to the moderator, dlaura.

Chat Wednesday,
Laura Grace

[dlaura]

George,

And by the way, I was not saying that certain comments you made were directed to me. If you look at my post again you'll see that it was addressed to the moderator, dlaura.

Chat Wednesday,
Laura Grace


I have further explained my replies on the thread George started sharing the story about his dog. Certainly hope that it makes my concerns as a moderator more clear here. Please I am not looking to have an endless debate on the topic - just wanted to make my concerns clearer on this subject.

Have a great day.

[artmark]

it is ok to disagree it is not ok to get pesrsonal about it! so when you post on a public forum,post your ideas,thoughts have a healthy debate.