Here is a difference I experience: my veterinarians tend to be less skeptical of my reports of my pets’ symptoms than doctors are of reports of my own symptoms. In general, my experience is veterinarians are better listeners.
I am glad to hear that! Many vets, myself included, have had cases where the dog or cat in front of us didn't look that bad to a stranger, but the owners picked up on subtle behavior or routine changes and when we go to do a work-up we find a serious disease. And that's the idea behind the old cliche "treat the patient, not the labwork."
I was surprised when I found out that the same treatment machines that we use to deliver radiation treatments to humans are also used on animals. The linac at NC State is a tip of the line Varian TrueBeam! Planning is obviously much more complicated due to the variety of anatomy. A surprising number of birds get radiation apparently. 🤷
That is part of why I wanted to put out a series like this: to bridge the communication gap between our parallel worlds. I remember being in the ER with a friend a decade ago and when the doctor found out we were vets incredulously asked a bunch of random questions:
“Do you guys use dopamine in animals??
“Do you guys *intubate* cats and dogs?!?”
(For the record: yes and yes, although we usually reach for better beta agonists!)
The RT/CT example reminds me of a good point I’ll include in part II: a lot of these routine procedures become more expensive and logistically involved in vet med because we need to add anesthesia to keep our patients still. Sadly, we can’t tell them to sit still, hold their breath, and breathe out! 😸
Fascinating and insightful, thank you. I agree about the analogy between pediatrics and veterinary medicine in terms of difficulty communicating/getting a history from the patient, but perhaps never considered that Vet Med is even harder since animals really do try to hide weakness.
Pediatrics rotations were very difficult. I only see kids over age 10 or so now, so it's a little "easier."
you're welcome, glad you enjoyed! The next part will include some pieces on the financial side, pet insurance, and regulatory differences, it may be spicy 🔥
Here is a difference I experience: my veterinarians tend to be less skeptical of my reports of my pets’ symptoms than doctors are of reports of my own symptoms. In general, my experience is veterinarians are better listeners.
I am glad to hear that! Many vets, myself included, have had cases where the dog or cat in front of us didn't look that bad to a stranger, but the owners picked up on subtle behavior or routine changes and when we go to do a work-up we find a serious disease. And that's the idea behind the old cliche "treat the patient, not the labwork."
I was surprised when I found out that the same treatment machines that we use to deliver radiation treatments to humans are also used on animals. The linac at NC State is a tip of the line Varian TrueBeam! Planning is obviously much more complicated due to the variety of anatomy. A surprising number of birds get radiation apparently. 🤷
That is part of why I wanted to put out a series like this: to bridge the communication gap between our parallel worlds. I remember being in the ER with a friend a decade ago and when the doctor found out we were vets incredulously asked a bunch of random questions:
“Do you guys use dopamine in animals??
“Do you guys *intubate* cats and dogs?!?”
(For the record: yes and yes, although we usually reach for better beta agonists!)
The RT/CT example reminds me of a good point I’ll include in part II: a lot of these routine procedures become more expensive and logistically involved in vet med because we need to add anesthesia to keep our patients still. Sadly, we can’t tell them to sit still, hold their breath, and breathe out! 😸
Fascinating and insightful, thank you. I agree about the analogy between pediatrics and veterinary medicine in terms of difficulty communicating/getting a history from the patient, but perhaps never considered that Vet Med is even harder since animals really do try to hide weakness.
Pediatrics rotations were very difficult. I only see kids over age 10 or so now, so it's a little "easier."
Thank you for writing this series. It really hits home how different medical care is from veterinary care.
you're welcome, glad you enjoyed! The next part will include some pieces on the financial side, pet insurance, and regulatory differences, it may be spicy 🔥
Looking forward to it!
Fascinating - thanks for doing this! I look forward to the next part.
Now, if only we could use AI somehow to translate our pets’ noises and behaviors…
It’s a great idea! I have heard rumblings that that may be in the works… will remain to be seen how accurate it is 🤔