Keeping up with medical advances
Dog and cat veterinary knowledge and skills are advancing rapidly. Whilst the average pet owner may not feel that the latest technological developments have any relevance to old Mopsy lying asleep in the corner of the kitchen, it is surprising how rapidly new surgical techniques and medicines filter down to the vet in practice.
The new knowledge is passed on in three ways - in journals, at conferences, and through textbooks.
A recent edition of a ‘pet vet’ journal contains a typical article which demonstrates how journals keep vets up to date. The article is a ‘State of the Art’ summary of hip replacement in the dog. Certain breeds of dog can suffer from severe arthritis of their hips when they are young, so that they are crippled by early adulthood. Hip replacement involves cutting out the diseased hip, and inserting a specially made artificial metal hip.It is only recently that this technique has become consistently successful. Statistics now show that 95% of cases can return to almost normal function of the hip after the operation. Whilst this type of surgery is still rarely carried out in Ireland, it will become more common-place in the future. Veterinary journals ensure that vets are kept well informed about such possibilities.
Veterinary conferences are designed to teach vets in practice how they can apply the latest advances of research to their own general veterinary work. Conferences cover every aspect of pet illness. Vets who attend come home full of enthusiasm, buzzing with ideas about new ways of tackling difficult disease problems.
The veterinary textbook is the most accessible form of new knowledge. It can be difficult for vets in busy practices to take time off to attend seminars.Home-study of a book can be the fastest way to learn. Textbooks are expensive, but they provide a distillation of the most essential advances in veterinary science. Good textbooks make it possible for a vet in a one man practice in the bogs of Ballybunion to remain as knowledgeable as a whizz kid veterinarian attending pampered poodles in Kensington.
And finally, the modern version of the textbook is the CD-ROM. Brayvet has invested in a range of computerised text books known as CD canis, CD felis and CD lapis, about dogs, cats and rabbits respectively. Each CD is an encyclopaedia covering all aspects of medicine and surgery, and each is updated every 3 months, ensuring that we have constant access to the ‘latest and best’ information.
Information is the key to good treatment, and the great news for pet owners is that vets now have access to more information than ever.
Tags: advance, development, knowledge, medical, veterinary
