03/11/2023
WE ADVOCATE FOR PET OWNERS.
Pet owners want more education on preventative pet care.
Owners rely on us in the Veterinary field to help them and give them GOOD advice for their pets.. Naive / Trusting Uneducated owners are assuming their vets are knowledgeable in ALL these areas as a trusted source and rely on their guidance BLINDLY!! 😔
Unfortunately most Vet's are quick to prescribe medication and use it as a solution to the problem without understanding the root cause at home. 🤔
Did YOU ever think to wonder in any of these research studies on dog behavior and dogs with behavioral issues IF they took into consideration and questioned the OWNERS relationship and involvement in the dogs daily routine? 🤔 NO NEVER!
Why? Because most humans don't take accountability for their actions and will naturally blame the animal first for the behavior..(This is the root cause!🧐)
For example:
In the Veterinary field we see ALOT of clients with dogs that have behavioral issues and these owners will genuinely ask for advice assuming that the Dr and their staff by nature are the right source to get answers in the area of animal behavior and dog training when in fact most of the staff are not experienced in this field.
Therfore the typical scenario at most vets is the client will tell the Dr or technician that they are having behavioral issues with their dog & the veterinarian will either give no advice at all, recommend a behaviorist (if they know one) , or Dog Trainer, or symptomatically prescribe medication 💊, Unfortunately over the last 15 years its increasingly the latter. ( Similar trend in human medicine too 🤔)
There are alot of factors that come into play when a veterinarian attempts to diagnose an animal with a potential medical issue or behavioral problem.
One critical factor to note is the Vets have no idea what goes on in the home behind closed doors 24/7 with these owners and how they raise these dogs and nor do 95% of Vets even think to ask or question the owner's ability to communicate and train their pet properly.
Its often an uncomfortable conversation for the Dr to have with an owner therefore most don't get involved personally.
Even if the Veterinarian wanted to, there isn't enough time for them to properly question let alone educate all their clients on proactive preventative pet care, especially if they don't think proactively or practice it themselves. ( most Vets don't, unfortunately ).
There's a few reasons why Vet's do this:
(I'll list them out).
1) Inexperienced in Behavior:
Because vet's are inexperienced in this area and have limited knowledge in behavior in general as they are not taught this in Vet school nor have most of them actually "trained" a dog before.
2) Time Restraint:
The Veterinarian only has 15-30 min time slot on their schedule for each client and therefore doesn't have time to sit with each client to educate them or question them to find out what the cause is to help them find a better remedy.
3) Financial Loss:
Vets are afraid of bluntly questioning the owner & taking a chance losing a client which means they loose the money 💰.
So Vets coddle the owner, sugar coat the situation to blame the dog and take the easy way out by medicating the dog assuming that is the fastest way at addressing the owners needs in that moment. 🤔
This is a HUGE problem in the Veterinary field that I have witnessed first hand for over 30 years. Some pet owners and their pets suffer as a result.
Treating symptomatically and not educating the owner is a lazy way to practice medicine in my opinion.
Teach your clients and spend time educating them to hold them accountable for their pets behaviors!
Pet ownership is a privilege and should be taken more seriously then it has historically.
Medication should be LAST resort NOT the first! Be a responsible owner!
Its in the best interest of the dog at the end of the day. Be there voice 🙏
