I'm feeling a little frustrated at the moment. In the past month, I've had a few of my clients get angry at a common policy Alberta veterinarians need to abide by. In order to prescribe a medication, there must be a current veterinary-client-patient-relationship. Current means that we have seen your pet in the past year.
These clients say that I am just being a money grabber. (If I wanted a more comfy lifestyle I would have become an orthodontist!!!) I simply want to practice high quality veterinary medicine and keep my license to practice. No license = no jobs for me and my staff. Plus, I am not going to give up my life's dream to practice veterinary medicine for anybody!!!
Put yourself in my shoes. A dog, let's call her Daisy, comes in for her yearly physical and medication refill for her arthritis. On the physical exam, I discover that her liver is enlarged. Bloodwork is done and we find that her liver enzymes are elevated due to the medication. We can change the medication to one that has minimal interference with the liver. Success!
Now, let's say that Petunia is brought in for her yearly exam. I also discover an enlarged liver but in this case, Petunia's owner can't afford the bloodwork at the moment due to a family emergency. I can go over a number of options so her owner can make an informed decision. A bloodwork refusal form is signed and medication can be dispensed. Success, I have an informed client who knows what to look for in case it becomes obvious that Petunia is getting sick.
Scary scenario. I've decided that I don't need to abide by the rules and just dispense the medication to Daisy and Petunia. I don't know there is anything wrong because there is no physical done. Guess who gets in trouble when either one gets sick and/or dies? Since I was negligent, that would be me!
Our animals age much more quickly than we do so at minimum, we need to be doing yearly physicals. A number of my seniors see me twice a year for physical exams.
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