Fear-mongering isn't just for politicians

Veterinary care is big business. And whenever profits are involved, so is corruption. Yes, even when it comes to taking care of your best friend. Some of the best fear tactics come for your veterinarian and even from animal adoption organizations who provide veterinary services. Learn to recognize "fear-mongering," question their motives and make an educated decision for your Yorkie's health.

Distorted claims

Here's an example from the Boulder Humane Society's October 2008 newsletter, which greatly exaggerating the need for current rabies vaccinations, "Is Your Pet Protected From Rabies"

"If a pet isn’t current on this vaccination, that is required by law, then the animal must be quarantined at a veterinary hospital for six months. If the guardian cannot afford this expensive quarantine then the State will require that the pet be euthanized. Don’t let this happen to your pet!"

and...

"Rabies is 100% preventable and yet 55,000 people worldwide die of rabies each year."

Actually, Section 6-1-24 of the Boulder municipal code states a 10-day quarantine. And that's if your dog bites someone and if the dog has never been vaccinated for rabies. Also, most quarantines, for dogs that have been vaccinated for rabies, though expired, are allowed to be in your own home, unless there's probable cause that the dog is a danger and you would not comply with the quarantine. A six-month quarantine is rare and extreme. And "euthanized"? The only time a dog would be euthanized is if it or the person it bit started showing symptoms of rabies, which is highly unlikely.

As far as the yearly death toll quoted of 55,000 people worldwide, that is true. However, the article fails to state that those are mostly in third world countries without our widespread vaccination programs. The average U.S. death toll for rabies yearly is 1, and those are individuals typically bitten by bats or racoons.

So what about your own veterinarian?

You get a card in the mail saying that vaccinations are due for your dog. You're a responsible dog owner and want to make sure you protect your dog, so you bring him in. In the lobby and everywhere you look are publications and posters professing the problems of fleas and ticks, the importance of vaccination boosters and the dangers of heartworm, complete with grotesque pictures of canine hearts infested with heartworms. These materials are nothing more than advertisements provided by the drug manufacturers. Your vet makes a steady profit administering heartworm "preventative," flea and tick control and all those vaccination boosters. And it gets you into the clinic for a checkup.

That's only the beginning. Next comes the veterinarian. I recall conversations such as "you're better off having them on heartworm preventative all year round" or "I'd hate to be treating them for heartworm next spring." And "well, yes, a three-year rabies booster is allowed now, but I recommend a yearly booster to make sure they're protected." More on these subjects later.

Breath of fresh air

My veterinarian's office is refreshing. The lobby is full of natural, healthy foods and chews, nutritional supplements and natural remedies for basic care. The posters are of happy, healthy pets. The only publications are reprints of articles about natural care, homemade feeding, and holistic approaches to vaccination and pest control. Nowhere are the advertisements from drug manufacturers. Absent are the usual fear-inducing photos of heartworm infestation and distorted statistics.

I'm not advocating not vaccinating your pets. I'm not advocating not putting your dogs on heartworm. Just do your research online before you go. The major veterinarian universities and the American Veterinary Medical Association now endorse three-year protocols for rabies and many other vaccinations, as opposed to yearly boosters. Those yearly boosters may very well do more harm than good. And if you don't live in an endemic area of the country, your dogs may not need heartworm preventative at all - or not year-round. Vaccinations, heartworm preventative and flea and tick control help your veterinarian to pad the bill. Heartworm preventative is not a preventative at all - it's a wormer. It's a poison that kills baby heartworms, if present, before they reach the adult stage. It's actually a small dose of heartworm treatment, but "preventative" sounds much less harmful.

How to beat the fear-tactics

• Read publications, such as The Whole Dog Journal, which advocates natural care and has no advertisers to bow to. And check out blogs, such as Pet Connection, full of pet news and no nonsense.
  


• If your vet's office is papered in drug manufacturer posters and publications, find a new vet. Otherwise you're probably helping send him on a trip to Hawaii from the drug company. They provide incentives for prescribing these meds, just as with your own doctor.


• If your vet believes your dog needs yearly boosters for rabies (in states where a three-year vaccine is allowed by law), find one who isn't such an old fogey.


• Learn to listen for those fear-mongering words and, if they are overwhelming and add a lot of charges to your bill, go elsewhere.


• Ask questions regarding the necessity and safety of any prescribed medication. If you don't get satisfactory information to make an education decision, look it up online - then find a new vet.