Veterinary Dermatologist Gilbert AZ

Veterinary dermatologists say general practitioners following the “three strikes and you’re out,” policy tend to hold onto the client they referred when future veterinary care is needed. While the down economy may make an owner less willing to comply with treatment, holding onto a case without results for too long can make them leave the practice for good.

Just as in general practice, specialists are reporting a slight decline in business correlating with their local economic conditions and the clients’ perceived importance of the problem, but they are also saying clients discuss their disappointment when their pet’s condition persisted for months even with their general practitioner’s treatments.

“The general vet should refer cases that have been seen by multiple veterinarians without resolution,” says Terry Nagle, BVSc, MACVS, Diplo. ACVD, Northern California Vet Specialists, Sacramento, Calif. “The chance of making this client happy is very low considering the previous generalists likely treated the animal following the most likely diagnosis. The referring vet can be the hero that referred to a specialist that has the background to treat the animal’s tricky case.”

Specialists say allergic dermatitis is still the most common reason they see clients, but the animal’s secondary bacterial infection is often the final straw that prompts a visit.

Advancements/New Drugs

Telemedicine is a newer option to general practitioners interested in specialty advice prior to referral. A veterinarian can consult with a veterinary dermatologist via the Internet with programs such as Veterinary Answers , VDIC , dermatology consultations with biopsy reports (VCA Antech), and online chat groups .

“Telemedicine can circumvent the need to refer, but they cannot be a substitute to a specialist’s visualization of the issue,” says Alexander Werner, VMD, Diplo. ACVD, Animal Dermatology Center, Studio City, Calif. “Veterinarians should see referring clients to specialists as an extension of his or her practice. Also, a specialist’s effectiveness can only be as good as the quality of the patient’s provided medical history and samples.”

New dermatological drugs include Convenia (cefovectin sodium) has shown to be effective especially for feline patients, according to Dr. Schick. Convenia is a semi-synthetic broad-spectrum antibacterial agent from the cephalosporin class of chemotherapeutic agents, administered subcutaneously.

 “My only concern with Convenia is compliance,” says Anthea E. Schick, DVM, Diplo. ACVD, Arizona Veterinary Specialists, LLC, Gilbert, Arizona . “The owner thinks the animal looks better, and they don’t need a second injection, but what happens is the first shot eliminated some bacteria, but not all, so it comes back. To increase owner compliance, we have the client pay for both injections on the first visit, and then they are more willing to return.”

Currently, cyclosporine is commonly used off-label by veterinarians for feli...

Copyright 2009 BowTie Inc.

Click here to read the rest of this article from Veterinary Practice News

Virbac Animal Health of Fort Worth, Texas, and Greer Laboratories of Lenoir, N.C., have formed a partnership aimed at providing more veterinarians with a comprehensive combination of dermatology products, services and educational support.

Virbac provides dermatology products to relieve the symptoms of allergic dermatitis, infectious dermatitis, keratoseborrheic disorders and otitis externa. Greer is a provider of immunotherapy testing and treatment to veterinary dermatologists and teaching universities.

“The joint effort is a great way to bring our different and complementary strengths together to make dermatology casework easier for veterinarians,” said Monique Schwartz, vice president of marketing at Virbac.

The primary objectives of the partnership are to provide more dermatology educational resources for general practice veterinarians, raise more awareness of appropriate diagnosing protocols, help general practitioners and pet owners manage allergies earlier and better and offer guidelines on when a referral may be the best option, the companies reported.

“The goal of this partnership is to help general practice veterinarians feel more prepared to educate pet owners and to manage allergy cases with more confidence,” said Curtis Andrews, executive vice president of commercial operations at Greer.

Copyright 2009 BowTie Inc.

Click here to read the rest of this article from Veterinary Practice News