| At
Large Business Briefs Cartoons District Court Report Editorial Gone Fishin' Letters to the Editor Real Estate Transactions Sports Sports Highlights |
| Art Bestsellers Dance Edibles Film In Print Music Theater |
| Achievements Astrology Birds Births Community Shorts Dean's List Engagements Garden Notes Honor Roll Obituaries Off North Road Short Subjects Town Meetings Visiting Vet Weddings |
| Chilmark Edgartown Oak Bluffs Tisbury West Tisbury |
The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
July 28 - August 3, 2005 Edition
Web
Comments
- Email Submissions
|
Visiting
Vet July 28, 2005 There is no new Visiting Vet story this week. Summer puts stress on pets and vets By Michelle Gerhard Jasny, VMD The July fireworks began at my office on the fifth this year instead of the fourth. I knew the day after a holiday weekend would be wild, but was determined to stay calm. It was not long, however, before I succumbed to Summer Insanity. In the interest of regaining my composure before Labor Day, let me explain a few things. This is an Island. That's right! A land mass completely surrounded by water. That means we don't have access to the resources you might be accustomed to if you live in, say, L.A., or New York, or even Boston. To start with, there is no 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital on Martha's Vineyard. This is not because the veterinarians here are heartless people who don't care about your pets. It's because the year-round population is not large enough to support that type of facility. No, I'm not here just for the summer. Yes, I work and live here year-round, like almost all Vineyard veterinarians. Occasionally a practice hires an additional doctor for the summer but for the most part, it is up to the small handful of year-rounders to handle the onslaught of extra work. The veterinarian you call in the evening (because when you got home from the beach, Gimpy was limping) has already worked all day. The veterinarian you call at 1 am ( because when you got home from a night of dancing, Barfy had thrown up all over the house) was undoubtedly asleep and will be working all day again tomorrow. The doctor you are demanding to see today, may already be juggling many times over his or her normal number of cases. If Barfy is truly in dire straits, fear not. The Island veterinarians take turns providing emergency coverage. That means you get to see the doctor who is On Call during that particular 24-hour stretch. You do not necessarily get the doctor you usually see, or who you would prefer to see, or who was recommended by your neighbor, your aunt, or the bartender at the Ritz. I remember one night 20 years ago. I was treating a Chihuahua from somewhere like Chattanooga in the wee hours of the morning for a case of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (i.e., bloody vomiting and diarrhea.) I was having trouble drawing blood from this dehydrated, squirmy, four-pound rugrat. (I call him that with affection, really I do.) The owner was clearly unimpressed. She finally looked at me and drawled “ Honey, are y'all the best I kin git?” More pets mean busier vets Well, you're on an Island. So here are your choices. During office hours, we try to see regular clients promptly if pets are sick or hurt. When we get overwhelmed, emergencies, urgent care cases, and summer visitors are referred to the practice that is on call that day. If you really don't like the vet on call, there's no law that says you can't call around and see if someone else will see Rugrat. But don't be surprised if you keep getting referred back to the same place. We're all busy trying to care for the hugely increased summer pet population. The best we can do is try to guarantee that you will be able to reach at least one veterinarian 24/7 who will agree to see you within a reasonable amount of time in case of emergency. (The fact that you have an early boat the next morning does not, in itself, constitute an emergency, by the way.) I hope and believe that most people are ultimately pleased with the quality of veterinary care they receive on the Vineyard, but if you're really that unhappy, here are your alternatives. You can get on the ferry and go to an emergency clinic on the mainland. If the Steamship Authority has gone to bed, you might be able to charter a plane. Otherwise, the answer now is the same as if was 20 years ago. Yup. If it's my turn on call, you're stuck with me. Or as I said to the lady from Chattanooga, we're stuck with each other. However, if Rugrat really needs more sophisticated diagnostics or expert intervention, this is an Island. There are no board-certified veterinary surgeons, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, or other such specialists. What we can do is stabilize Rugrat to the best of our abilities, then transfer him off-Island as soon as possible. Not the mainland Other limitations? There are no commercial veterinary laboratories here. On the mainland, many veterinarians have free daily courier service to national veterinary diagnostic labs. Same-day results. No muss. No fuss. They don't even have to pay a technician to run the tests. But because this is (are you seeing a pattern here?)… an Island, we have no courier service. If we want quick answers, we have to do what we can at our own clinics Equipment for running basic blood work runs around $20,000 start-up, not including the cost of reagents, other supplies, and technical time for processing samples. Most Island practices have basic in-house lab capabilities, but it raises our overhead, and it's often the doctor acting as receptionist, assistant, phlebotomist, and lab technician all in one when it's after hours. We depend on Federal Express and the U.S. mail to transport specimens for other testing. In spite of being an Island, we are still part of the United States of America, and subject to all its laws, including those of the DEA and FDA. If you left Twitchy's phenobarbital or Lovey's heart worm pills at home, there are a few simple but necessary steps you need to take before we can refill your prescriptions. First, call ahead. You wouldn't waltz into a drugstore and demand that the pharmacist give you Xanax, immediately, while you wait, because you forgot yours at home, would you? I dunno, maybe you would. No can do. If you are not my client, I need a prescription from your regular veterinarian to legally refill any medications other than those deemed “over-the-counter.” Don't get huffy and storm out. I am not being mean or trying to ruin your vacation or make you late for your tennis game. I am following the law and practicing good medicine. Make a phone call or two and we're happy to help! So that's what I have to say about summer…except for all that stuff like don't leave your dog in the hot car (not even for a few minutes) or let him eat dead seagulls or take him for a 10-mile jog if he's not used to it. Check the house for rat poison when you arrive. Scoop poop when you walk on the beach. Enjoy the magic of Island life, while appreciating that the very things that make the Vineyard special also create a few limitations. |
||
| Send this page to a friend: | ||
|
©The
Martha's Vineyard Times 2005 - www.mvtimes.com
|
||
The
MV Times Webcam
Click
here for a view of the Vineyard Haven Harbor
