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Selecting A Veterinarian Who Can Help With A Problem-Dog
Always take your problem-pet to your veterinarian for a complete physical examination. Take along a fresh stool sample for a parasite check. Research of more than 2,000 cases show that more than 20% of dogs with behavior problems who had not been checked in more than 6 months also had a health problem. There is no use wasting money on a behavior problem when there may be a contributing health factor.
Get at least two referrals: After the physical examination, ask the doctor about the behavior problem and whether you might benefit from professional consultation. If the answer is "yes" and a consultant is recommended, ask what sort of feedback has been received from other clients so referred. Make notes about each specialist. If any of those clients are acquaintances of yours, talk to them before telephoning any specialists on the list.
Many veterinarians themselves are getting involved in consulting about problems, so if your pet's doctor has some ideas, listen to them. If they sound reasonable and appealing, you might be well advised to follow the veterinarian's suggestions before contacting anyone else. But, give the advice time to work and follow the instructions carefully.
Qualify the consultants. The telephone call to the specialist is aimed at gathering vital
information about how he or she goes about working with owners and their problem pets. But keep in mind, just as you are qualifying them, they are also qualifying you!
If they are operating on the highest ethical standards, they will want to know a great deal about you, your pet and its health history, plus the history of the problem from the beginning to the present time. They should be especially interested in what steps you may have already taken to solve the problem yourself or with other assistance.
Give them all the facts. This will allow them to decide if they can really help, or if they should refer you to someone more specialized in the problem. On the other hand, if they show no interest in the history of the problem and simply press you for an appointment, count your blessings, thank them nicely, hang up and contact the next consultant on the list. Anyone in this profession who does not extend the courtesy of qualifying his or her clients through a few minutes on the telephone falls into one or more of the following categories:
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They lack the necessary experience and/or training to do it. Why pay them to educate themselves with your pet?
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They subscribe to the car dealer's "system house" approach, which states: "You can't get their check and close a deal on the phone." This is not professional, since the consultants don't even know if they can be of any assistance at this point.
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They are too acutely dog- or cat-oriented to appreciate your role in the problem, especially if they use the old story that they must "see" your pet before anything can be decided.
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