Thursday, June 28, 2007

Veterinarians are spread thin in this county

Veterinarians are spread thin in this county
By Dana ColeHerald/Review
Published on Monday, June 25, 2007
SIERRA VISTA — Pet owners need to be aware of their veterinarians’ policies when it comes to emergencies, especially if they happen after regular hours when animal hospitals are closed.With a recent decline in the number of veterinarians serving the area, vet hospitals that once offered extended services to accommodate emergencies during off hours have been forced to cut back. While they still make special arrangements to handle emergencies, clients are sometimes referred to 24-hour emergency animal facilities in Tucson.

“If we had three or four veterinarians we could probably be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said David Bone, the veterinarian who owns Sierra Animal Hospital. “But I don’t believe any of the clinics in Cochise County have more than two full-time veterinarians, and the problem is getting worse, not better.”Local animal hospitals once staffed with several veterinarians have experienced reductions in the number of doctors. Some of the vets are retiring and some are moving out of the area. As they leave, there are no new practitioners coming in to replace them.“For example, Apache Animal Hospital had as many as four or five veterinarians at one time, and now they’re down to two,” said Mike Falconer, office manager at Sierra Animal Hospital. “And if you look at Cochise County in the past year, three clinics have basically closed.”There is a nationwide shortage of veterinarians, a problem that’s hitting rural communities hardest. In Arizona, the shortfall has become so dire that a Rural Affairs Task Force has been assembled, aimed at identifying the state’s most critically underserved areas.“The goal of the task force is to identify the underserved areas, and then see what can be done to help alleviate the problem,” said Emily Kane, executive director of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association. “The task force is looking at a number of different things, hoping to come up with ways to attract more veterinarians into the underserved areas.”One proposal is the possibility of starting a vet school in Arizona. “Another vet school would help the state and national picture, but it’s something that we’re still researching,” said Karter Neal DVM, who chairs the task force. “There just aren’t enough vet schools to keep pace with the number of vets that are needed.”New Frontier Animal Medical Center, a busy small-animal practice in Sierra Vista, also is feeling the vet shortage. Down to one full-time veterinarian, Pam Drake, the hospital could easily use one more doctor.“People need to check with their own vet hospital so they are prepared in case of an emergency,” Drake advises. “Everyone should be knowledgeable about what steps they’ll need to take to care for their pets. Know the locations of the 24-hour emergency animal hospitals that your veterinarian recommends.”Tucson’s 24-hour emergency clinics are set up to accommodate critically ill and injured animals with around-the-clock supervision. While it’s a service not yet available in Sierra Vista, having emergency facilities in Tucson gives local veterinarians and their clients a viable option for treating seriously sick or injured animals that need extensive care and hospitalization.“There may well be times that the best place to be treated and the quickest way to get treated is to take the animal to an emergency center in Tucson,” Bone stated. “That being said, we often see genuine emergencies out of hours here at Sierra Animal Hospital for both our patients as well as those of other veterinarians. The only caveat we have is that the owners have to be willing to treat the animal and that it has to make logistical sense for us to seem them.”As much as local veterinarians and their clients would like to see an emergency clinic in this area, it’s not something that is expected in the near future. Falconer pointed out that, “As a rule, it takes 20 clinics to support a single emergency center. There are six small-animal clinics in Cochise County.”Drake maintains it’s one of the trade-offs of a rural lifestyle.“When you look at Sierra Vista geographically, it’s still a rural area,” she said. “And when you live in a rural area, these are the kinds of sacrifices you’re going to be making.”Herald/Review reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.

Snakebite! Where's a vet when you need one?

Snakebite! Where’s a vet when you need one?
By Dana ColeHerald/Review
Published on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
TOMBSTONE — Most pet owners would agree. There’s nothing more unsettling than trying to find a veterinarian during a medical emergency and not having any luck.That’s exactly what Jeanne Patera went through Saturday evening when her dog, a Chinese pug named Chase, was bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.
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Jeanne Patera comforts Uno, who has sustained a rattlesnake bite, evidenced by his swollen jowl. Her other Chinese pug, Chase, did not survive the Saturday incident. (Photo courtesy of Jeanne Patera)
“Chase was staggering and falling over and seemed disoriented,” Patera said. “I immediately started calling my veterinarian, but couldn’t reach him. There was no answering service, no message, nothing.”Within 15 minutes after being bitten, Chase was comatose.Patera, who lives in the Tombstone area, said she called every Cochise County veterinarian listed in the yellow pages, but none could be reached.“At some of the hospitals I got messages that told us to go to an emergency hospital in Tucson. But for us, going to Tucson was out of the question. It was obvious Chase needed immediate medical attention. He wouldn’t make the trip to Tucson.”Patera has another pug named Uno who was bitten by the same rattler that night. Out of sheer desperation, Patera packed up the two dogs and raced to Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, hoping someone at the medical facility would be able to treat the dogs, or at least give her some advice.“They couldn’t do anything for my dogs, but they did get on the phone and try to help me find a veterinarian,” Patera said. “They were absolutely fantastic. They called every vet they knew, but finally recommended that we go to one of the emergency vets in Tucson.”While Chase died not long after being bitten, Uno survived the ordeal.“His face is very swollen and he may require surgery on the left side of his face, in the event that necrosis sets in.” His left eye is affected, requiring treatment with an antibiotic eye ointment.“I took him to see Dr. (Ed) Kroger at Coronado Animal Hospital,” Patera said. “He put him on antibiotics, an eye ointment and recommended that I keep him on Benadryl for awhile.”Patera, who has four dogs, is planning to take them to a snake aversion class in Marana.In addition, Patera has ordered a snake repellent called Snake-A-Way. An EPA approved, university tested product effective against poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes, Snake-A-Way is safe to humans and animals. The repellent interferes with the snake’s sensory reception ability, causing the creature to become disoriented, uneasy and leave the area. Patera plans to sprinkle the repellent around the perimeter of her home.“I just don’t want to lose any more dogs,” she said. “Also, I think people around here need to know how difficult it is to find veterinarians on an emergency basis. If you have an emergency, plan to pack your animals up and head to Tucson.”When calling local veterinary practices about emergency services, they referred to emergency clinics in Tucson for treatment during late evening hours and weekends.From Monday through Friday, Coronado Veterinary Hospital is open until 9 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on weekends.All calls coming in after those times are referred to Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center. Coronado and New Frontier Animal Medical Center trade off emergency hours, giving veterinarians at both facilities some freedom on weekends and after hours.Sierra Animal Hospital, Apache Animal Center and Cochise Animal Hospital also refer clients to Tucson emergency facilities during off times.“I really want to let people know there are no veterinarians available on weekends,” Patera said. “With Chase, I had five dogs, so knowing where to take my animals during an emergency is really important to me.”Following are a couple of emergency animal hospitals located in Tucson.There are no emergency veterinary hospitals in the Sierra Vista area.• Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center, 141 E. Fort Lowell Road, (520) 888-3177.There is another location at 7474 E. Broadway Road, (520) 888-3177.• Animal Emergency Services, 4832 E. Speedway Blvd., (520) 326-7449.Herald/Review reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Snake Aversion Training

Snake aversion training is imperative to the life of your pet. I took my 4 remaining dogs this weekend.

After they had all encountered a rattlesnake, I was amazed at their reaction to the training.

My mastiff George acted like the snake did not exist, would not look at it, smell it or acknowledge just stood very close to me. The trainer had to bring the rattlesnake up to George's nose and zap him. The second time George was by my side when he got zapped and dragged me clear across the parking lot. George is 200 lbs. and when he is scarred there is no stopping him. I had to drag him back over to where the rattlesnake was to see if he got it. He did. He ran across the parking lot again dragging me with him.

My rhodesian ridgeback Mya walked over the rattlesnake and laid down next to as though it was not there, but was also very close to me. She paid no attention to it just to the trainer. Watched him like a hawk. She wouldn't go near him afterwards. Not sure if she will just bolt from trainers and rattlesnakes from now on. She finally got it and went and hide by my van with George.

My pug Bugsy who was cornered by a rattlesnake the week before walked right passed it also. Made no attempt to avoid it. When he got zapped, he jumped and screamed. They train by sight, sound and smell. When we got home, I thought Bugsy was bitten by a rattlesnake because he jumped and screamed when he was sniffing around outside. I could not find anything but I think he must have heard or smelled one. I rushed to get him and he was shaking but appeared to be okay.

My other pug Uno has to go in a couple of weeks because he was bitten last weekend and needs time to go through his medication. It is odd that he is afraid of my shed where he was bitten, but does not appear to be afraid of rattlesnakes. The trainer said that they just do not make the connection.

Since I lost my oldest pug Chase last weekend from the rattlesnake bite, it has made me much more aware of my ignorance regarding the desert I live in. I am trying to change that by educating myself of my surroundings in order to protect myself and my dogs.

The trainer said that my dogs acted like they did with the rattlesnake because we had a strong bond and they were looking to me for guidance and protection. Since I was not reacting neither were they. He said it would be much different when they are by themselves. I hope so because I am counting on this training to keep them alive.