Saturday, February 23, 2013

Local Vets Refer San Francisco Veterinary Specialists

By Vonnie Mora


When illness or injury requires specialized equipment or expertise, your veterinarian may refer your pet to one of many San Francisco veterinary specialists. A pet who's been hit by a car may need an internist and/or a surgeon. A pet with cancer will be referred to an oncologist. A dog with mange might be referred to a dermatologist. A pet with cataracts or glaucoma may be referred to an ophthalmologist. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognizes 21 specialty boards and each board sets licensing requirements for several sub-specialties.

In a large cities, hospitals with many specialists on staff, offer full service care. A variety a specialists work together for the health and welfare of your pet. This eliminates stressful trips around town. Often these are associated with 24/7 urgent care and emergency hospitals. Emergency and Critical care is also a certified specialty. These doctors must be trained in the physiology, psychology, and treatment of a wide variety of species.

A licensed vet is your pets family doctor and usually your first resource for medical care for your pet. Your family vet administers vaccines, performs general physicals, cleans teeth, treats minor skin problems like flea bites and hot spots, diagnoses illness, and treats injuries. When expertise or advanced medical testing is needed, you'll be referred to a specialist.

Many doctors choose a specialty based on physiology, disease, or injury care. A sampling of these specialties include ophthalmology, cardiology, oncology, anesthesiology, surgery, internal medicine, neurology, dentistry, dermatology. Doctors may also choose to specialize in a species: exotic companion animals, avian care, reptiles and amphibians, cats and/or dogs, just to name a few choices.

Specialists do more than care for pets. Some work in universities and labs teaching and/or researching new treatments. Veterinarian specialists care for zoo animals, marine animals, and aquatic life. They work in wildlife care and conservation. They also monitor the health of dairy cattle, food animals, and working animals like race horses and circus animals.

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.

Your vet and specialist work together to develop a treatment plan. There's more to treatment than identifying disease or injury. Although many treatments are similar, different species often require different medications and treatments. Different species metabolize medicine in different ways. Medicines prescribed for one pet, may be toxic for another pet.

There are an estimated 70 million pet dogs and 74 million pet cats in the US. In San Francisco there are more pets than children. It's no surprise that medical care for pets is as modern, high tech, and up-to-date as medical care for people. San Francisco veterinary specialists are in demand. Some work in independent offices. Some work in pet hospitals. Some will see patients anytime a request is made. Some only accept referrals from other veterinarians.




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