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AUGUST 12, 2011
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STERLING |
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DEAR CLIENTS,
I wanted to thank all of you for the amazing amount of warm responses about Bailey. All of your responses meant a lot and helped us get through a difficult time.
Matt and I want you to know that we are honored by the relationships we have formed with you, our clients, and the trust that you have in us to take care of your furry family members. Having a farm and taking care of furry companions has always been a dream of mine and I want you to know how grateful we are. I want to repay that trust not only by taking the best care of your pets, but by helping to educate, support and protect you and your pets.
This newsletter is probably the most important one yet. I urge all of you to take the time to read this carefully and then forward it to all your fellow pet owners.
IN THIS ISSUE:
* ABUSE AT A VET HOSPITAL
* ASK THE VET SECTION:
DR. E'LISE CHRISTENSEN NYC'S
EXPERT VETERINARIAN BEHAVIORIST:
Q&A on the lasting effects of verbal & physical abuse of
a pet.
* THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LICENSED &
UNLICENSED VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS
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CLYDE & FRIENDS |
The beautiful Bernese Mt.dog above is Clyde. Clyde is one of the sweetest dogs I've met. Not one aggressive bone in his body. I know this because Clyde has been a frequent guest at our farm.
Clyde went in to see his vet this past May for an ear cleaning, he is afraid of having his ears cleaned so the owners entrust this task to their vet. Clyde was being restrained by 4 technicians, one tech was licensed the others were not. He was nervous and tried to escape from being held (very common with most pets). His paw got loose and hit the eye area of one of the unlicensed vet techs, this person responded with a close fisted punch to Clyde's rib cage. "As a reaction to a frightened animal resisting restraint, who was Still being restrained by the other technicians, yes this is exactly what I saw with my own eyes and could hear the thump echo through his chest"
The above statement was a direct quote from one of the vet techs restraining Clyde. She was explaining what had happened to the owner of the hospital.
I found out about Clyde after I witnessed the same UNLICENSED vet tech become enraged with a patient. On June 3rd, I brought in 2 dogs to be vaccinated. During that visit I witnessed the same vet tech become enraged with a patient in a cage, a 16 year old cat. The unlicensed tech had to restrain this poor cat and the cat was obviously scared and upset- hissing and biting. I heard the cat thrashing around in the cage, this unlicensed tech began yelling at the cat then slammed the cage door, still yelling and cursing at the patient, this unlicensed tech cocked his arm back and made a fist in the direction of the cage. There were 5 other staff members in the room(2 vets and 3 techs only one technician was licensed), there was silence. I can only speak for myself but from the facial expressions of the staff I could see that they to appeared as shocked and intimidated as I was. The 2 dogs I had with me appeared to be nervous , one put its tail between it's legs, I didnt get to see the reaction of the other patients in the hospital. The Vet that was working made a nervous laugh and I went to leave, I became so angry that I didn't speak up at that moment, but this unlicensed person was male about 6ft tall over 200 lbs and I was intimidated.
I called the owner of the Vet hospital immediately to report this. I also spoke with one senior vet tech the same day , she told me that what I witnessed wasn't even that bad. She said that staff has complained and nothing was ever done so now staff has become afraid to complain and has become somewhat immune to this behavior. I told the owner that in all my years of working with animals, I had never seen anyone react this way to a pet. It was then that began the next 3 weeks of finding out that this unlicensed tech had done this and much worse to animals that were patients at this hospital for years. According to one of the Veterinarians, they would not let this person handle certain animals they went as far as to say that they would send this person outside for breaks when they thought he was becoming to angry with a pet.
I'm sure your asking how this type of person could be allowed to work with animals. I believe (my opinion) there are 2 reasons: the animals cant speak for themselves, and there is a lack of some type of governing body to enforce rules and regulations(im going to go into details in the last article of this newsletter), which leaves staff afraid to speak up.
After I reported this abuse, I felt as though I was being forced to defend myself because of reporting it. Even after I spoke and sent several emails to both the owner and manager, this person was only 'written up'. This unlicensed tech admitted to punching Clyde, he told staff in the hospital and he still wasn't fired. I then followed up with several emails to the owner and manager asking them if they have a zero abuse policy in their hospitals. I was not going to stop. I could not live with myself if another animal was abused. And in my opinion, since everyone else was so afraid to speak up, even the vets, I felt like I had no choice.
This person was finally 'let go', not fired. Which is very disturbing in itself. But, the owner of the vet hospital told Matt that he doesn't have to give a reason to let someone go. Because he wasn't fired this person can and probably will get another job working with pets. This whole situation is awful. The owner , the manager , the employees knew about this persons' behavior and did nothing or not enough. And now this person was only let go, no consequences. I firmly believe If I didn't witness the abusive behavior and push the issue this person would still be working there today. Another scary part,this person who had been reported by his peers was referred out to clients for pet sitting jobs by management, he was also allowed to work by himself at this hospital (overnight shifts, etc. ).
In New York city where pet owners are some of the most loving people, where pet owners pay enormous amounts of money to their vets to keep their pets healthy, where vets bills are way above average as compared to other cities, these types of things are happening. There are a lot of unlicensed lay people working at small vets, there are 'managers' with no experience (in my opinion,incompetent) about the rules and regulations that need to be followed in order to help protect the patients as well as the employees.
(The manager at this specific hospital left after this incident, he was the practice manager for over 5 years)
Clyde could have suffered a fracture from being punched and the owners would have never known. Unfortunately, animals can suffer injuries without their owners ever knowing. Thats why owners have to do their best to educate themselves.
Luckily Clyde was ok physically, but this abuse could have caused Clyde's behavior to change. Abuse of a pet can cause both physical and behavioral side effects (even if its just one time, see next section). I have seen first hand the anxiety and fear pets' normally have when going to a vet hospital. Staff at any animal facility(vet hospitals, boarding facilities, day care..) should know how to approach a pet in a non threatening humane way. I'm so angry & sad that this happened, this was a place that I trusted.
In the last section of this newsletter, I will go into detail about the differences between Licensed and Unlicensed veterinary staff. I will go into detail about the things pet owners should look for and ask when choosing a vet hospital. |
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Dr. E'Lise Christensen, DVM, is a board certified veterinary behaviorist and an international lecturer and author. As the only veterinary behaviorist in NYC, she sees patients with a huge variety of serious behavioral issues. She currently sees cases by house call and at NYC Veterinary Specialists.
Dr. C received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2002. She first became
interested in veterinary behavior as a high school student when she worked at a veterinary practice and began training animals for pet therapy at a local substance abuse facility. While in veterinary school she researched separation anxiety in shelter dogs, was an assistant trainer at an animal shelter, and studied with numerous board-certified veterinary behaviorists.
After veterinary school, Dr. C began a rotating small animal internship at SouthPaws Veterinary Referral Center in Springfield, Virginia. While working there she continued her studies in veterinary behavior. She practiced feline-only medicine in Arlington, Virginia and general medicine in Bloomingdale, New Jersey before entering the Behavior Residency Program at Cornell University in 2004. During her residency, she researched the behavior of dogs, cats, and horses and treated behavioral problems in a number of different species. Her most cited research involved evaluating
the efficacy of canine temperament tests in the shelter system.
Dr. Christensen has contributed to articles in Dog Watch, Cat Watch, Cat Fancy, Dog Training Solutions, Real Simple, Newsday, and various other print media. She has been a contributor and guest on Foxnews.com's "Pet Health" and "Studio B with Shepard Smith", ABC News' "Nightline," and many local television programs and newscasts. She enjoys lecturing nationally and internationally on an array of behavior topics including, but not limited to, small animal behavior, public health, and animal sheltering
topics.
Dr. C is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) Speaker's Bureau, AVSAB Public Education Committee, and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Veterinary Behavior Consultations of NYC 212.767.0099/646-434-1361
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CLYDE & POKEY |
Ask the Vet: Q & A with Dr. Christensen
PHYSICAL & VERBAL ABUSE
What are some of the behavioral effects from physical abuse of a pet?
Pets that are physically abused (and this includes but isn't limited to the use of hitting, spanking, dragging by the neck, kicking, pinching, alpha-rolls, scruff shakes, shock collars, etc for what people consider "punishment") can be more fearful than other pets in multiple situations. They can also be less predictable,have a harder time learning, show more stress signals during social interactions,
and react aggressively with less warning.
Can an animal show side effects if the physical abuse was minimal, just once or twice?
Animals can do what's called "one-trial learning" where even one event that is frightening can have a long term effect on their behavior.
Could the same side effects be exhibited by a pet that was verbally abused?
Yelling at animals can create similar side effects in some animals. However, most people also change their body language to be more threatening when they yell. This change in body language can also be quite threatening.
Can these behaviors/effects be reversed?
That depends on the animal. However, improving the consistency of interaction and desensitization and counter-conditioning can help many pets learn to cope and even return to their baseline.
Diane- It's also important to remember that some animals may be abused because they already have behavior problems that people are having a difficult time changing. Additionally, not all animals that have social fears or aggression may have been abused. Some of them could be genetically more fearful than the average animal OR
have been deprived of appropriate environmental and social interactions during their socialization periods.
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HOW HIGH ARE VETERINARY MEDICINE'S STANDARDS?
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Doesn't Clem deserve the best care? |
LICENSED & UNLICENSED VETERINARY STAFF
A New York licensed veterinary technician has completed a program approved by the New York State Education Department and has passed a national written examination
Under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, veterinary technicians prepare and give medications as ordered by the veterinarian, take x-rays, induce and maintain anesthesia, and assist with medical and surgical procedures.
Any use of the title "Veterinary Technician" within New York State requires licensure.
To be licensed as a veterinary technician in New York State you must:
- be of good moral character;
- meet education and examination requirements; and
- be a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (USCIS I-551 Status/"Green Card").
I am a NY Licensed Vet Tech (LVT). I obtained my Bachelors degree , passed a state boards exam and became licensed in June 2000. My second internship was at the Animal Medical Center(AMC). I then became employed by them for 2 yrs as a Licensed Vet Tech. Large Vet hospitals like the AMC require that there technicians be licensed. They have a human resources department, they follow the proper rules and regulations, in my opinion, many small vet hospitals don't. In my experience, many small vet hospitals not only have a lot of unlicensed staff they are managed by unlicensed lay people. The person I wrote about in the first article called himself a vet tech as do most of the unlicensed lay people in this profession. Unfortunately most pet owners are unaware of the huge difference. Some small vet hospitals have more unlicensed lay persons than they do Licensed Vet techs. In my opinion,the only reason for that is money. Lay persons get paid a lot less. Unlicensed lay people should only be performing non technical duties (restraint,cleaning, stocking) but this is not the case. More often than not, these lay people are allowed to perform all the duties of a licensed professional. T hese people have no educational or professional standards to which they must adhere and some have absolutely no training and receive training from another unlicensed individual by working on your pets! While some non-licensed technicians learn a lot on the job and take pride in their work, there are others that don't. Some have extremely low levels of reading comprehension and simply don't understand diseases or treatment protocols.
Every other medical profession has required minimum education standards for even the lowest member on a medical care team. When I go to the dentist the person cleaning my teeth and performing radiographs has a two year dental hygienist degree. The phlebotomist at my doctors' office was not hired until she got her legal phlebotomy certification. (I asked her). Can you imagine going into human surgery and having a high school drop out, drug addict, with a felony record monitoring your anesthesia? In my experience that's what's been allowed in this profession, specifically at small animal hospitals.
Many small vet hospitals are owned by one owner. So you have to have complete trust that this indivudal is doing its primary job of being an advocate for pets. Unfortunately, I have seen first hand that some Veterinarians are less ethical than others. You and I have the right to competent professional services. Do not just choose a vet because of its location, do your research!
As a pet owner I would interview the owner of a vet hospital(s). Find out the specifics: Does he/she employ mainly licenesed or unlicensed staff? Who manages the hospitals, are they licensed? BECAUSE ITS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THESE VET OWNERS HAVE A CHOICE: THEY CAN HIRE LICENSED OR UNLICENSED STAFF, THEY CAN HAVE THEIR HOPSITALS MANAGED BY EDUCATED, LICENSED INDIVIDUALS OR NOT! Unfortunately, many choose the cheap route and pets suffer from this choice. I understand the need for lay persons, but they should be properly supervised and given some type of professional training. Go to www.op.nysed.gov to find out everything about rules, regulations and laws in the Veterinary profession including whether an individual is licensed by the Board of Regents or to ask if the Regents have taken disciplinary action against a licensed professional. Find out about a hospitals' Compassionate side:
Ask the owner of a vet hospital if they have a zero abuse policy.
Find out if the owner and staff are invloved in pet charities, do volunteer work or offer education programs (lectures) for their clients and employees. I always look for a vet hospital that has 'hospital pets' , pets that are lounging in the reception areas- pets that have been adopted by the vet hospitals themselves.
Lastly, I will tell you what Matt and I told the owner of the vet hospital where Clyde was abused, We will do everything we can to educate, support and protect the companion animal community, especially our clients. Please do not hesitate to call Matt or I about this newsletter or for any advice regarding your pets. Use us as a research tool, our advice is always free.
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