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Originally Posted by Ladymom  Actually, most vets don't know that much about liver disease which is why most people end up having to go to a vet school for diagnosis and surgery if necessary.
For example, many vets will recommend an ultrasound which is a waste of money as they are only about 80% effective at diagnosing shunts. A scintigraphy is the accurate way to diagnose a shunt. Many vets have not heard of scintigraphy or even heard of a Protein C test or a bile acids test.
This is not a slam on vets, just a statement of facts. The treatment of liver disease is very specialized. Most vets just don't see that many cases in their practice. Vets are like our primary care doctors who can take care of most ordinary ailments, but refer us to a specialist for a more complicated health problem. |
I find this to be very true. In our area most vets probably don't even know how to run a BAT test but they do know how run a blood panel and if they suspect a liver problem then they refer people to A & M.