Dr. Chris Bern
21 Years Experience
Cartersville, GA
Male, 49
I have been a practicing veterinarian since 1997, but have been in and around the profession since 1984. I am a general practitioner and see most pet species, from dogs and cats to parrots and snakes. In my job I do everything from routine vaccinations to complex surgeries and difficult medical cases. Becoming a vet takes hard work and dedication but can be very rewarding.
I have to absolutely recommend that you go to your vet for proper diagnosis. If your dog hasn't had a vet run tests and confirm a low thyroid level, you don't actually know if this is the problem. The symptoms of hypothyroidism can be similar to several other disorders. A basic initial thyroid screen is inexpensive and can often be performed in the vet's office. I also trust traditional medicine over herbal remedies in most cases, and cannot in good conscience recommend a herbal remedy, especially without a proper diagnosis.
I have to also be very blunt for a moment. If you cannot afford a simple blood test and an office visit, do you have your dog on heartworm prevention and proper vaccination? If not, then I would seriously consider whether or not you are giving proper care to your dog. Yes, you may love her very much, but proper health care costs money. By not doing appropriate preventative care you could be willingly exposing her to the risks of more serious and expensive diseases. Give it some thought.
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That's a very broad question and therefore difficult to answer. Overall I very much prefer positive reinforcement techniques, rewarding behavior that you want repeated. It's far more effective than punishment and also helps with the bond between pet and owner. Beyond that it's hard to answer the question as "method" can be defined many different ways.
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That's definitely not true. Dogs do have a biological trigger that will make them feel satiated or full after they have eaten a certain amount. It has to do with stretch receptors in the stomach wall, and when the stomach is distented to a certain point the dog no longer feels hungry.
Unfortunately this feeling of fullness doesn't last long. Within a few hours the dog will start to feel somewhat hungry again, and therefore if food is left out all of the time a dog can over-eat and become obese. Also, dogs will enjoy the taste of foods just like we do, and will eat something that tastes good even if they're not very hungry. How many times have all of us been full after a meal and then the chocolate cake is too tempting and we eat it even though we're really not hungry. We can (or should) have the mental self-control to realize we don't need the extra food. Dogs don't have that mental process, and will continue to eat as long as they can.
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Believe it or not, it has only happened to me a couple of times, though I know vets who have had it happen on numerous occasions. My most memorable time was with a very sick cat that after some tests the owners decided to euthanize. I said all they needed to do was come in and sign an authorization form (I had been talking to them on the phone while we had the cat). They didn't come by, and I spent several days continuing to contact them, trying to get a signature, all the time while the cat was getting worse. Finally I did something questionable, looked up their address, and went to their home with the paperwork. I did get that signature and ended the cat's suffering.
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This is more common than you might think. In my own veterinary class of 70 people at least 10 of them were in their 30s having had careers in other fields. I knew a man who had a successful career in magazine publishing before deciding to go to vet school at 40. Age or previous careers should not be any barrier to starting into veterinary medicine. However, non-traditional students may not be as in the habit of studying as the ones starting in their 20s. Also, it is increasingly expensive to become a vet and debt burdens are becoming unbearable and difficult to survive. Becoming a vet at 40 gives you much less time to pay off debt than starting at 25, so that should be kept in mind.
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Well, these are Some very different sets of questions. I'll take each one in turn, though briefly.
First, there is a clear distinction between "animal welfare" and "animal rights". Animal welfare is typically about looking out for the well-being of animals, treating them humanely, reporting abuse, and so on. "Rights" look to impart certain legal rights on animals as individuals, often equating them to having equal importance to humans. But both terms can have certain gray areas. I certainly believe in the importance of the welfare of animals, wild ones as well as pets and livestock. I feel that we need to always treat animals in a respectful way that minimizes or prevents suffering. That being said, none of the breeds of cats, dogs, horses, cows, chickens, pigs, etc. that we commonly see would even exist without deliberate genetic manipulation by humans through selective breeding. The only reason these kinds of animal breeds exist is because humans "designed" them for a particular purpose. I have no problem with raising livestock in order for us to slaughter them and eat their bodies. I love steak, hamburgers, grilled, chickent, and so on. And I've been to slaughterhouses and processing plants, so I know what goes on. "Animal rights" would see most of this closed down. "Animal welfare" would see it done in the way that causes the least suffering. I fall into the latter and personally think that many (or most) animal rights groups go way too far in their efforts.
I firmly embrace animals as pets. We have 12 animals in our home, all of whom are pets. They are loved, protected members of our family, but they do not have the same status as the humans in the home. If we as humans didn't desire the companionship of animals, cats and wolves would still be wild and we wouldn't have the amazing variety of breeds that currently exist. We also wouldn't have animals with the desire to be our companions (I'm typing this as one of our cats is nudging my hand and purring). Anyone who equates pet ownership to slavery really doesn't understand either issue very well.
I'm not sure what conceptions or misconceptions you are asking about breeding. If a breeder is being careful in who they mate, are working to eliminate inherited disorders (allergies, hip dysplasia, heart disease, etc.), don't over-breed, and only breed those with show-quality conformation, I have no problems whatsoever. It's the breeders who just put two dogs together, get puppies, and then sell them to whomever that I oppose.
Hopefully this answers the questions. Please ask a follow-up if I didn't address what you were trying to ask.
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More often than people may think and certainly more often than I'd like. Theoretically we should be able to figure out almost anything. Many of the times we "can't figure it out" it's actually because the client can't afford further diagnostic testing in a complicated case, or simply doesn't want to pursue the issue for one reason or another. Even if we don't have a specific answer, with knowledge, experience, and diagnostic tests we can usually narrow it down to our top 2 or 3 possibilities.
I've absolutely had cases where the pet is obviously sick, but every test I run comes out normal, leaving me scratching my head. In those situations we either make our best guess or refer the patient to a specialist for further work-up. And sometimes I believe our patients get better in spite of us rather than because of us.
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