I trust my vet totally too.... and, she is the first one to wonder at times what might really be going on. Fortunately, she works with two other good vets, and they often talk among themselves about the animals they are caring for. So - I know if my pet's problem is a difficult one to diagnose or care for, I am automatically getting a second and third opinion from the same office.
I wholeheartedly agree with sending seriously sick animals on to specialists. (Few of us would let our primary physicians treat us for heart failure.) I don't consider being sent to a specialist the same thing as getting a second opinion. I think of my vet as my dog's primary physician - a doctor who can take care of 90'% of my pup's problems. I would expect her to refer me to a specialist who is an expert in a certain area of medicine if I had a serious problem that required more specialized care. This should be done routinely.
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Second opinions are only second opinions. My friend was told by her doctor that she had gallstones and needed to have her gallbladder taken out. Of course, he recommended a gallbladder ultrasound to start with. She wasn't real happy with this diagnosis (the prospect of having surgery, etc.) and wondered if he was really right about it. She went to another doctor who told her that he doubted that she had gallstones and recommended that she change her diet and be kinder to her stomach. She did as she was told for the next month or two - and one night was taken to the emergency room at 2 am to have emergency gallbladder surgery. By this time, the stones had moved into the duct and her condition was far more serious than it had been when she visited her first doctor.
Perhaps - she should have gotten a "third opinion."
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I think those of us who have vets that we trust completely are the lucky ones. I have said many times that my vet is very good - as are her partners - but that doesn't mean that she doesn't confer with them or other doctors (specialists) from time to time herself. I have even heard her mention to another patient that she called the University of Washington to find out more about her dog's condition.
**** If your vet or your family physician isn't willing to learn something new every day - or isn't willing to keep up on the fast advancing care available in medicine - you should be seeing a different vet or a different doctor. You don't learn everything in medical school and then practice what you have learned forever. (Our doctors and vets have to continue their education and keep up to date - in order to keep their licenses to practice. They have to have proof that they have attained a specified number of Contined Medical Education (CME) hours every year). This is a good.
Carol Jean |