I'm Torn

[momofmany]

I struggle with my current vet also. She's a good doctor, but the term "doctor" is the operative word. She solves problems through medication and surgery and she is very good at that. But approach her with an idea that is more holistical in nature and she immediately gets defensive. She pushes I-Vet food over Science Diet (which is even worse IMO), and will declaw.

I found a cat specialist practice that is much more aligned to my way of thinking. They are anti-declaw, look at a pets health holistically, and do the little things like making sure you and your cat are settled in and relaxed before they start the exam. They are 4x the distance and twice the price as my regular vet. My cats hate the car ride. They do home exams at $50 an hour plus exam charges (including the drive time). I can't afford them for all the cats - it's an extra $150 for them to come out for 1 cat.

So while I continue to go to my regular vet for routine work and urgent issues, I'll use the specialist for long term health issues (like Muddy's FLUTD). Like others have said, a good vet is hard to find, and unfortunately if you find one, you might not be able to afford them.

 

[ldg]

I remember when we had to take the cats in for boarding at the REALLY GREAT vet's practice. We filled out the form - and on it was the question, "would you like your cat declawed while you are away?" And had a box for yes and a box for no. Gary almost went ballistic.

We were probably the number one client of that vet (really active in rescue at the time), so we talked to the owner of the practice about the issue. They removed ALL questions re: "do you want your cat declawed" from all their forms (they apparently used to have it on the spay/neuter forms as well), and they use this form http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...ernatives.html (it's also available in PDF) when people request a declaw. They make them come in, get the info (they also added a page with links to lots of websites with info about declawing), and wait at least a week before scheduling an appointment. When they do, they now have to sign a form that says they've read the educational material and understand the risks to their cat's health and behavior.

As to the losing weight.... Ming Loy DID need to lose weight. It sounds like you don't free feed? What we did was figure out how much food to put in the bowls so that it would be gone in the morning, and we wouldn't fill them up again until the evening. We also put the food dishes "up" - so Ming Loy would have to climb to get to the food. So kind of a combination of less food and more activity. It worked.

...and since hubby doesn't think Bijou needs to lose weight, maybe just keep feeding him a little less at your meal time, and spend extra time playing with him so he gets more exercise.

Laurie

 

[cococat]

Vets are only human, just like the rest of us. They are only one individual person. Don't discount your voice and the meaning your voice has to them. They oftentimes think of their clients words and their clients pets, sometimes causing them to do outside research. YOU certainly do make an impact in the vet's life and thought processes. You can get them thinking and offer solutions to behavioral issues that the vet might not have heard before. Your words and your choices can impact others, and certainly if they impact the vet they influence even more people.

 

[cococat]

Originally Posted by LDG

I remember when we had to take the cats in for boarding at the REALLY GREAT vet's practice. We filled out the form - and on it was the question, "would you like your cat declawed while you are away?" And had a box for yes and a box for no. Gary almost went ballistic.

We were probably the number one client of that vet (really active in rescue at the time), so we talked to the owner of the practice about the issue. They removed ALL questions re: "do you want your cat declawed" from all their forms (they apparently used to have it on the spay/neuter forms as well), and they use this form http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...ernatives.html (it's also available in PDF) when people request a declaw. They make them come in, get the info (they also added a page with links to lots of websites with info about declawing), and wait at least a week before scheduling an appointment. When they do, they now have to sign a form that says they've read the educational material and understand the risks to their cat's health and behavior.

As to the losing weight.... Ming Loy DID need to lose weight. It sounds like you don't free feed? What we did was figure out how much food to put in the bowls so that it would be gone in the morning, and we wouldn't fill them up again until the evening. We also put the food dishes "up" - so Ming Loy would have to climb to get to the food. So kind of a combination of less food and more activity. It worked.

...and since hubby doesn't think Bijou needs to lose weight, maybe just keep feeding him a little less at your meal time, and spend extra time playing with him so he gets more exercise.

Laurie

Love this story! And agree, just feed him less at your feeding. Play with him more. In a healthy/normal cat too much weight comes down to the same old equation, calories in, calories out.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by cococat

Love this story! And agree, just feed him less at your feeding. Play with him more. In a healthy/normal cat too much weight comes down to the same old equation, calories in, calories out.

I hope there are more of them. Heidi also wrote an impartial info piece on declawing specifically for use by vets.

http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...ernatives.html (the differences between the two aren't huge, but this one is completely "clinical.") Importantly, we provided additional information on alternatives, resources - and they now sell soft paws.

I know vets can make a lot of money performing declaws - but in the end, MOST of them have the best interest of the animals in mind, and they aren't necessarily aware of the issues of declawing, because they've always just approached it clinically. The guy who owned that practice put up a little resistance at first - but we put a packet of info together, including research I've quoted in declaw threads in the health forum, and we pointed out the position of the AVMA. It's actually a large hospital with about 10 practicing vets, so they had their meetings, discussed it, and changed the policy. It didn't happen overnight, and they DID need the research so they really understood that many cats can and do suffer behavioral consequences from being declawed. He truly thought that biting and litterbox avoidance were "myths." But even though the numbers aren't huge, it made a big difference when they could see that actual research PUBLISHED in the AVMA mag indicated that yes, there is a potential problem.

...and they've also seen the consequences of declaws gone wrong.

Our specific vet at the practice has opted out of declaws, but he will perform re-declaws due to botched jobs or regrowth (like with Nat's Bea.

).

Laurie

 

[plebayo]

The clinic I work at does declaws. We don't do them often, and we charge out the wazoo if the animal isn't a kitten. Our doctors try hard to educate people on nail trims and using soft paws, teaching kittens what they can and can't scratch on but like someone else said if the person is determined to have it done, better done somewhere that the doctor knows what they are doing AND had proper pain management than going to some corporate vet clinic who has vets that might not know what they are doing, and might not have good pain control.

The other issue as well is that a lot of people get cats thinking they need no maintanence. In every puppy/kitten exam our doctors always say "If you want them to let you do it when they are big, you need to start doing it when they are young." These same people come in with cats that won't let them trim nails, dogs that won't let them trim nails, dogs that won't let the owners touch their ears. It really doesn't matter how much you tell people, clients who care will absorb the information and use it, lazy clients will just let it in one ear and out the other. So even when you tell them they need to give their cats things to scratch on, it's still the same deal "He destroyed my furniture." Makes you wanna say "Well you're destroying his paws, let's hack your first digits off too!"

I would use the clinic if you felt they treated your cat properly aside from the whole food thing.

 

[jennyr]

In Europe of course declawing is illegal so we don't have the problem. But I think that I would keep with your vet while using every opportunity to nicely put the point across. And I would not go with any vet who pushed declawing or even offered it as an optional extra on a form. Make the owners who want it really think about it and be pro-active in getting it, with an attempt to re-educate them first. And good luck to Bijou for a gentle weight loss!

 

[littleraven7726]

The vet I go to does do declaws, but I know that they don't take it lightly. When I scheduled Lola's spay, they didn't ask about declawing. When they talked to me about getting her spayed, I didn't say I wanted a declaw & they didn't offer. So I think it depends on how the clinic handles it. The clinic I go to has a cat specialist and several young vets (which I like), so I don't know if that has to do with how they handle declawing. I just know they are good with my cats, and up on all the new medical info & vaccine protocols.

I would stay with the clinic if you like your vet. I did go to a vet for a short time that didn't do declaws, and I didn't like the vet that much(recommendations for my cats were very extreme). So I don't think whether they do declaws or not makes them a better/worse vet. It's how they handle it.

 

[ut0pia]

My vet declaws but he always commends me for using soft paws and tells me how happy he is people do this rather than declaw. I have mixed feelings...I mean- he's there to please the customers and if they want to declaw their cat he'd be doing just that. It's not a matter of personal beliefs, it's the law that allows declawing. If he chooses not to do it, people will just go elsewhere and still get the procedure done. that's why I still go to the vet. As long as they don't go suggesting the procedure to people, I'm not going to stop seeing the vet.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by LDG

...and since hubby doesn't think Bijou needs to lose weight, maybe just keep feeding him a little less at your meal time, and spend extra time playing with him so he gets more exercise.

Laurie

I have stopped feeding dry in the evening and I've noticed that at bedtime his bowl is empty so he doesn't get any more until morning.

Originally Posted by cococat

Love this story! And agree, just feed him less at your feeding. Play with him more. In a healthy/normal cat too much weight comes down to the same old equation, calories in, calories out.

I am going to start feeding less in the evening. We also have set up a fishing pole with a catnip mouse on the end. My casting skills have improved dramatically.

Bijou loves to chase after it and then chase it back as we reel it in.

 

[missymotus]

Perhaps this is why declawing is still legal, if customers are still willing to use vets regardless they have no reason to change things.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by missymotus

Perhaps this is why declawing is still legal, if customers are still willing to use vets regardless they have no reason to change things.

And that the majority of the public just doesn't know it's terrible procedure.

I was using another vet in the next town over because she's better with small animals and is working with a local rescue group, but she had both of her office cats declawed. These were very gentle nice mannered cats, it wasn't as if they would have attacked anyone with their claws. One of her cats was also grossly overweight. When I commented she said that kitty liked to steal food.

The rest of us do what we can to prevent our cats from doing this, she could as well.
This cat couldn't groom it's back end and had very very bad dry skin. (fed on Purina vet garbage).

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by missymotus

Perhaps this is why declawing is still legal, if customers are still willing to use vets regardless they have no reason to change things.

I used to think like this. But then I couldn't eat anything unless I grew it myself, I couldn't use electricity, I couldn't drive a car, I couldn't use plastic, I'd have to grow my own cotton and make my own cloth and summer clothes. I'd have to raise my own sheep, spin my own wool, and make my own winter clothes.

I used to boycott Dole pineapples and Bic pens and Gap clothes. I was a vegan and didn't wear (or own) leather. But when you take that to its logical conclusion, you can't live in society at all.

In the end, I wound up in finance, because I realized that while the problem lies with the consumer... it also lies with the people who finance the operations to begin with. It became very circular.... and in the end, it all came back to

Education. It's about educating ALL the people involved in the process.

Theoretically our U.S. firms are not allowed to use child labor - even in other countries. Dole no longer pays slave wages to its Central American laborers.

West Hollywood, CA and Norfolk, VA have banned declawing. Studies are being conducted and published, alternatives (like soft paws) have been developed, and more and more vets are recommending those alternatives. Education is working. Slowly but surely. It is not a revolution, it is an evolution. But good vets should be worked with, not boycotted. It's how we keep "the waves and spokes" of education about alternatives to declawing spreading to ever more people.

Laurie

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by LDG

I used to think like this. But then I couldn't eat anything unless I grew it myself, I couldn't use electricity, I couldn't drive a car, I couldn't use plastic, I'd have to grow my own cotton and make my own cloth and summer clothes. I'd have to raise my own sheep, spin my own wool, and make my own winter clothes.

I used to boycott Dole pineapples and Bic pens and Gap clothes. I was a vegan and didn't wear (or own) leather. But when you take that to its logical conclusion, you can't live in society at all.

In the end, I wound up in finance, because I realized that while the problem lies with the consumer... it also lies with the people who finance the operations to begin with. It became very circular.... and in the end, it all came back to

Education. It's about educating ALL the people involved in the process.

Theoretically our U.S. firms are not allowed to use child labor - even in other countries. Dole no longer pays slave wages to its Central American laborers.

West Hollywood, CA and Norfolk, VA have banned declawing. Studies are being conducted and published, alternatives (like soft paws) have been developed, and more and more vets are recommending those alternatives. Education is working. Slowly but surely. It is not a revolution, it is an evolution. But good vets should be worked with, not boycotted. It's how we keep "the waves and spokes" of education about alternatives to declawing spreading to ever more people.

Laurie

An excellent post!