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THE MOBILE VET
Richard Sanderson BVSc certAVP(SAP) GDL MRCVS, Owner of Sanderson Vet
and Honorary Lecturer at University of Liverpool talks all things veterinary.
Veterinary care can be broadly split into routine and
emergency treatment. Routine treatment’s such as
vaccinations and parasite control can be relatively well
planned for and will rarely cause financial hardship. Some
practice’s offer direct debit schemes to help split this cost, but
sometimes these can restrict choice and are often not tailored
to the individual needs and risks of the patient. Additionally,
sometimes they don’t even save you money!
The most common routine question we get asked is about
vaccinations, and whether a pet should have them and
needs boosters each year. Each practice will have their own
protocol, but we offer vaccination consultations, which take
a look at the individual patient and their risk factors. We
benefit from not having commercial tie-in to certain brands
or companies meaning we can pick the protocol for your pet
that meets their risk. For puppy vaccinations, we recommend
they have an injection at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Vaccinating
at 10 weeks significantly increases the chance the vaccine
won’t work. The first booster we recommend is given at 9-12
months to give the best protection.
The same can be said for parasite treatment and we would
advise caution about any practice using a standard parasite
treatment for all patients – the best product will vary based
on where you live, where they exercise and their diet for
example. We think your pet deserves tailored veterinary care.
However, it is emergency illness or surgery that is more likely
to come unannounced and often costs significantly more.
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Whilst it can seem a good idea to shop around (we do it for
car insurance don’t we?) it’s always worth asking what does
the estimate include as not all vets are offering the same. Even
nowadays some vets do not place IV catheters for surgery, or
will reuse surgical needles!
These things will make the treatment cheaper but is it a
saving worth making? Sanderson Vet doesn’t think so! Our
philosophy is to do things once, and to do them right. In
the words of Aristotle “Excellence, then, is not an act, but a
habit.”
A successful diagnosis often reduces how many drugs
are used, and thus minimises side effects. A recent study
showed that the use of antibiotics significantly increases
the risk of developing MRSA for several months after. This
poses a human and animal health risk and we recommend
diagnosis rather than trialling treatment blindly, potentially
compromising our pet and our immediate families health.
For those larger bills (we offer many specialist procedures
such as fracture repair, chest surgery and chemotherapy) we
offer a 6-12 month interest-free payment plan to help spread
the cost meaning at Sanderson Vet your pet can access the
very best care available.
For more information, call 07841 865855 or visit
www.sandersonvet.com.