Opinion | 'Smoke detector' way can help prevent problems for your pet - Cambridge Times

Opinion | 'Smoke detector' way can help prevent problems for your pet - Cambridge Times

Opinion | 'Smoke detector' way can help prevent problems for your pet - Cambridge Times

Posted: 26 May 2020 08:21 AM PDT

One of my university professors told my class of veterinary students that there are two ways of practising medicine. One of those was Fire Engine Medicine. The other was Preventive Medicine.

I often think of those words in clinical practice more than 30 years later.

So what did my professor mean by Fire Engine Medicine? Perhaps many of you already know the answer. He meant that we can work hard to prevent diseases or we can treat them once they happen.

Waiting to treat after the disease has arrived is similar to having firefighters come to your house to put out a fire. Most house fires shouldn't happen. Being careful with open flames, like candles; heat sources, such as stoves, safe wiring and electrical appliances in the home; and making sure smoke detectors are installed and working properly are ways we can prevent fires in our homes.

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It makes sense that diseases, like fires, are something we don't wish on ourselves or our beloved pets. We want to avoid a bad situation whenever possible, be it our house burning down or our pet being very sick.

Some illnesses carry a poor prognosis, such as canine heartworm disease; distemper in both dogs and cats (different viruses but both deadly); rabies in all species, including humans; and organ disease, such as advanced kidney failure. Others might not kill your pet, but might be difficult to manage or expensive to treat.

I am fortunate that most of my clients don't put their pets in a position where I have to practise Fire Engine Medicine. However, once in a while, I see an exception to that and I feel sad when I do. It's heartbreaking to treat a patient with a disease that is easily prevented. Often, the patient doesn't make it or the owners have to euthanize their pet, or the animal ends up having long-term health problems.

Fire Engine Medicine usually costs owners much more than Preventive Medicine. Just as smoke detectors are less expensive than a house fire.

So what are some of the things you can do to help keep your pet healthy, the "smoke detector" so to speak?

1. You can make sure your pet has an annual exam. A physical exam might turn up a heart murmur or a dental infection or a weight problem. Routine blood work might reveal an issue not obvious during an exam.

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