What's New In Veterinary Medicine

Since graduating from veterinary school thirty years ago, there have been tremendous advances in the treatment of our companion animals. I thought it would be interesting to highlight some of those more dramatic breakthroughs.

Parasite Control

Those of you who've had pets for many years probably remember the old days of flea powders, dips, shampoos, bombs, etc... One of the greatest innovations to come along since then has been the advent of the once-a-month pills and topical applications for fleas and other parasites. Advantage and Frontline are two revolutionary products that are applied topically, on a monthly basis and are extremely effective at killing adult fleas, for at least one month. Frontline is also effective against ticks. These two topical agents are joined by Sentinel, a once-a-month pill that prevents heartworms, whipworms, roundworms, hookworms and aids in the control of the flea life cycle. For our feline friends, Program, which renders fleas sterile, is now available as an injection that lasts for six months! If your pet is not on one of these products, a visit to your veterinarian before the flea season starts this spring is highly recommended.

New Technology

Some of the most exciting advances in veterinary medicine have come in the area of diagnostic imaging. It's now common for general small animal veterinary hospitals to have ultrasound machines. In animals, ultrasound is often used to evaluate the heart and measure its function. Abdominal organs can be evaluated for disease and biopsied under the guidance of the ultrasound machine. This technology has, in many instances, eliminated the need for exploratory surgery and CAT scans. MRI exams can also be obtained at several locations in Southern California. In the area of blood analysis, most small animal hospitals now have complete "in house" labs so that blood work can be run with results obtained within minutes.

Anesthesia & Monitoring

Thanks to recent advances in anesthesia monitoring equipment and newer agents and techniques, the incidence of anesthetic reactions has been greatly reduced. It's now common practice to monitor our patients with pulse oximetry, which detects oxygen saturation in the blood. Dopplers are often used to monitor pulse quality and blood pressure. EKG's are often employed as well as CO2 breathing monitors. Coupled with these advances in monitors, there have been many new anesthetic agents developed over the last 10 years. New state-of-the-art agents include Isoflurane gas and Propofol for anesthetic induction. Even tranquilizers have been improved and now come with agents to reverse their effects so pets don't need to leave the hospital in a drugged state.

Surgery

In the area of surgical advancements, probably the greatest strides have been made in orthopedics and the management of hip dysplasia. A procedure called a triple pelvic ostectomy can be performed. In this surgery, the pelvis is cut and rotated so that the ball of the hip fits snugly into the socket. In more advanced cases, a total hip replacement is performed. Similarly with humans, a completely artificial joint, made from metal is implanted. This surgery has been greatly perfected over the years and now represents a real alternative for the dog crippled with hip dysplasia.

Veterinary Specialist

Thirty years ago veterinary specialization was in its infancy. Almost all board-certified specialists were found in universities. Now veterinarians can become specialized in surgery, internal medicine, radiology, opthamology, cardiology, oncology and even general practice by the species that they work on! Many specialists are now found in private practice and work closely with your family veterinarian on those difficult-to-manage cases.

It's easy to see that the quality of medicine and surgery available to our pets has become very sophisticated. The real winner in this has been our pets and the quality of care that they receive