Tuesday, January 29, 2013

San Francisco Veterinary Specialists Consult With Local Vets

By Buddy Saar


Sometimes our pets need advanced medical care not available at the local clinic. Your family vet works with San Francisco veterinary specialists to determine the best course of treatment. A pet with an irregular heart beat might need to see a cardiologist. An ophthalmologist treats glaucoma, or corneal degenerative disease. A pet with head injuries will be referred to a neurologist. The AVMA, the American Veterinary Medical Association, recognizes 21 specialty organizations, each specialty containing several sub-specialties.

Emergency and Critical Care is a very demanding specialty that requires knowledge and experience in the care and treatment of many different species. These specialists are your first point of contact when you rush a pet to an urgent care or emergency hospital. Often these hospitals are combined with, or share a building with specialty care clinics, reducing or eliminating the need to transfer sick or injured animals to a specialist.

Your general vet is the family doctor. Veterinarians may specialize in small animals, birds, farm animals, etc. This is the doctor you take your pet to for check-ups, vaccines, teeth cleaning, diagnosis of illness and treatment of injuries. If a pet has a chronic or hard to treat illness, or a traumatic injury requiring major surgery, your vet may call on a specialist for assistance.

Some veterinary specialists want to know everything there is to know about a particular species. Some of these specialties are felines, canines, birds, amphibians and reptiles, and exotic companion animals. Others choose a specialty based on physiology, a particular organ, or specialty treatment of injuries or disease. Some of these are cardiology, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, surgery, anesthesiology, dermatology, dentistry, ophthalmology.

Veterinarians are not just pet doctors. Some work in universities, research hospitals and labs. Vets work in wildlife care and conservation. Some work with zoo animals, marine life, race horses, or farm and food animals. There are even specialists in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Training in a specialty is a rigorous process. Students complete 4 years of undergraduate study, then 4 years of Veterinary College. After passing board exams they're certified as a licensed vet. Aspiring specialists then study in their area of interest for another 1 to 2 years, followed by a 1 to 2 year internship, working under the tutelage of an experienced specialist. Finally the aspiring veterinary specialist must pass exams proving their knowledge and competence in their chosen specialty.

Licensed vets often consult with a specialist to determine the best treatment plan for an ill pet. Although some treatments between species look the same, there are important differences to be considered. Different kinds of animals absorb medication at different rates. A medicine safe for a dog may be ineffective, or even toxic, for a cat or rabbit.

With 70 million dogs and 74 million cats, there's a growing need for specialists in the US. With more pets than children in this city, San Francisco veterinary specialists are kept very busy. Veterinary clinics and hospitals provide medical care for animals that is as modern and advanced as medical care for people. Some specialists accept calls from pet owners. Some, like surgeons and oncologists, require a referral from the family veterinarian.




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