vna level i module 9: the family-pet- veterinary team...

Learning ObjectivesAfter completing this module, your basic understanding should include: •Anappreciationofwhatpetsmeaninpeople’slives. •HowyourteamplaysanintegralroleinenhancingTheBond. •Thatproperpetnutritionmayhelpextendthequalityandlengthofapet’s life,animportantcomponentof“responsiblepetownership.”

VNA Level I Module 9: The Family-Pet-Veterinary Team Bond

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IntroductionThehuman-animalbond,(TheBond)--theintimate,symbioticrelationshipcreatedandcultivatedbetweenapersonand(forourpurposeshere)adogorcat,isdefinitelyoneofthedelightsofliving.Peoplewhoareresponsiblepetowners(responsiblepetcompanions,petparents,caregivers),realizetheprominentrolepetsplayintheirlivesandinthelivesoftheirfamilies.Theytrulyhavean“affectionconnection”withtheirpet,withmostsayingthattheirpetisanintegralpartofthefamily.Ourroleasaveterinaryhealthcareteammemberandadvocateforthepet’sbestinterest,istofacilitatethemutualenjoymentbetweenpetsandpetowners,foraslongaspossible.

One of our main roles in veterinary medi-cine is to be an advocate for the pet’s best interest.

Figure 1. The Human-Animal Bond

Figure 2. As a veterinary health care team member, you have the ability to enhance this relationship. One way is

through proper pet nutrition. Yourprogressissaved. Slide 2 of 12

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VNA Level I Module 9: The Family-Pet-Vetrinarian

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Expanding The BondAsyou’venoticed,everymoduleoftheHill’sVeterinaryNutritionalAdvocateProgramstartswith“LearningObjectives”aswellasaphotoofthehuman-animalbond.Thesepicturesareremindersofwhymostofusareinvolvedwithveterinarymedicine-it’snotonlytowitnessthehuman-animalbond,butalsotoenhanceit.Wedosobytappingintoourskills,talentsandabilities(bothintellectualandemotional)andtheresourceswehaveavailablethroughthepractice.Asaresult,everydaywehavetheopportunitytobroadenthehuman-animalbondintotheFamily-Pet-VeterinaryTeamBond.


Figure 3. The Family-Pet-Veterinary Team Bond.

For many clients, we can transform the “human-animal bond” into the “Family-Pet-Veterinary Team Bond.”

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“Pets add years to our life and life to our years.” -Marty Becker, DVM


Expanding The BondApersoncanownadogorcatforyears,andloveandcareforthatanimalthebesttheyknowhow.That,inessence,isthehuman-animalbond.Ifthatpersonneverbringsthatanimaltoaveterinarypracticeforpreventivemedicine,theveterinaryprofessionandallinvolvedwon’tbenefitfromthathuman-animalbond.Evenmoresadly,theanimalandtheanimalownerwon’tbenefitbyourinvolvementinhelpingtoensurethatrelationshipismaximized.Veterinarymedicinecanaddsignificantvaluetothehealthandwell-beingofpets,andthereforeindirectly,petowners.

Inplayinganactiveroleinyourcommunity,oneormoremembersofyourveterinaryhealthcareteamshouldideallybeinvolvedinpromotingthebenefitsofveterinarycareandyourpractice’s“connectivity”withTheBond.Thiscanbeaccomplished,oftentimesinschoolsoratothersocialactivities,withpeoplewhoalreadyownapetaswellaswithpeoplethinkingaboutpetownership.Thiscanalsobeaccomplishedwithinyourpractice,withmanyoftheclientsthatvisiteveryday.Oneofthemostrewardingfunctionsyoucanbeinvolvedwithishelpingan“AnimalOwner”developintoa“ResponsiblePetOwner”.ThisistheessenceoftheFamily-Pet-VeterinaryTeamBond!

Figure 4. The veterinary health care team is an integral part of The Bond.

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Pet: Anydomesticatedortamedanimalthatiskeptasacompanionandcaredforaffectionately.

Figure 5. “Animal” can mean many different things to different people.

Figure 6. “...and cared for affectionately!”


Responsible Pet Ownership

Beforeweaddressresponsiblepetownershipdirectly,let’slookatafewrelevantdefinitions:

Animal: AnymemberofthekingdomAnimalia,comprisingofmulticellularorganismsthathaveawell-definedshapeandusuallylimitedgrowth,canmovevoluntarily,activelyacquirefoodanddigestitinternally,andhavesensoryandnervoussystemsthatallowthemtorespondrapidlytostimuli.

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Inlookingatbothdefinitions,onecanseedramaticdifferences.A“pet”is“keptasacompanionandcaredforaffectionately,”while“animal”isdifficulttopictureasaparticularcreature.Whilemostpeopletendtousethewords“animal”and“pet”interchangeably,consideringeachdogorcatasa“pet”mayinfluencehowyouandothermembersofyourhealthcareteaminteractwithclients.Itwouldbehelpfultoyouifyouknewaparticularclientfeltasifherdogorcatwasindeedapettoher(andverypossiblyeventhoughtofasafamilymember),andnotonlyananimal.Peoplewhoconsiderthemselves“petowners”arealready,orcanbecome,(withsomeeducationandcommunicationonyourpart)moreresponsiblepetowners.

Proper pet selection (depending on the prospective owner’s lifestyle...) is critical. Help potential clients make the correct decision--a life long, successful one for the chosen pet!

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Whatis“responsiblepetownership?”Thiswouldbeagoodquestiontoposetoyourownhealthcareteamduringameeting.Indevelopingyourlist,you’llprobablycomeupwithanswerssuchas:• Initialpetselection• Behaviortraining• Propersocialization• Spaying/neutering• Internal/externalparasitecontrol• Necessaryvaccinations• Grooming• Regularveterinaryvisitsforpreventivecare• Compliantwithyourveterinarian’srecommendations• Properpetnutrition…

Manyofyouranswersto,“Whatisresponsiblepetownership?”willinvolveveterinarymedicine.Thatiswhyitissoimportanttoletthepeopleinyourcommunityknowaboutyourproductsandservices.Onebigarea,thatisoftentimesoverlooked,oratleasttakenforgranted,isproperpetnutrition.Whenproactivelydiscussedbyyou,you’llbesurprisedathowmanyresponsiblepetownerswantcompetentadviceonproperpetnutrition.Theyjustdon’tknowtoaskyou,orfeelfunnydoingso!Theymaythinkittoobasicaquestion,maybeconfusedbyalltheadsandcommercialsaboutgrocerystoreproducts,ormayevenbelievethey’realreadyprovidingthebestfoodtheycan.ModuleI.5,NutritionalAssessmenthelpsyoutoproperlyevaluateeachpet’snutritionalstatus,andalongwiththeveterinarian,makeaspecific,proactiverecommendation.

“Responsible Pet Ownership” incorporates veterinary medicine in a variety of ways. Your guidance regarding proper pet nutrition is an important one!



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Three Factors

Figure 7. Health and longevity are largely influenced by three factors; Genetics, Environment and Nutrition. YOU have the most influence regarding proper pet nutrition.

Isnutritionreallyallthatimportant,especiallyasitrelatestoTheBond?Toanswerthatquestion,let’sreflectuponthefollowingstatement:

“Healthandlongevityarelargelyinfluencedbythreefactors-genetics,environmentandnutrition.”

Whichofthesethreedoyouandothermembersofyourveterinaryhealthcareteamhavethegreatestabilitytobeinvolvedin?

You can have a substantial impact on the health and longevity of a pet when you recommend proper pet nutrition.

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Genetics: Whileveterinarianscancorrectsomeabnormalitiesanddefectsasaresultofapet’sgeneticmakeup,theyarenotabletoactuallyalterapet’sgenetics.So,withthefirstofthesethreefactors;genetics,wecannotdoanythingbutcorrectwhathasalreadyoccurredgenetically,andpossiblypreventthatparticularanimalfrompassingtheabnormalityontofuturegenerations.

Environment:Inmostinstancesinsmallanimalpractice,wedonothavetheopportunitytoseewhereapetactuallylives.Wemayknowtheneighborhoodorareaofthecityortownwheretheclientresides,butrarelyseewhereandwithwhomapetspendsmostofitstime.Thus,itisdifficultforustoinfluencethepet’senvironmentotherthantomakegeneralrecommendations.Ifapetliveswithafamilyinacertaincity,weprobablywillnotbeabletoconvincethefamilytomovetoadifferentstateforthepet’sbenefit!So,inregardstothepet’senvironment,includingwhereitstaysduringtheday,whereitsleepsatnight,theairitbreathes,thesanitaryconditions,theamountofactivityandsocializationitreceives,thevariousstressesitmightencounter…wehaveverylittlecontrol.

Nutrition: Thisisoneareawherethehealthcareteamandthepetownershavecompletecontrol!Thatbeingthecase,andalongwithourabilitytobeanadvocateforthepet’sbestinterest,wereallydohaveanobligationtothepetsandpeopleweserveregardingproperpetnutrition.Responsiblepetownerswantthebestfortheirpets,andrelyonveterinaryhealthcareteammemberstoconfidentlyandcompetentlyrecommend,withconviction,thebestnutritionfortheirpet.


Three Factors

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Figure 8. Many clients want and expect a specific pet food recommendation from the veterinary health care team.

Asaresponsibleveterinaryhealthcareteammember,youhavetheabilityandobligationtohelpguideclientsregardingoneofthethreefactorsthatgreatlyinfluencehealthandlongevity,andtherefore,enhanceTheBond.Beforeyoucandothis,ofcourse,youneedtobetterunderstandproperpetnutrition-abigreasonyouareinvolvedwiththisVNAprogram!

Ideally,itisbesttostartthenewpetowneroffright,bynotonlydiscussingproperpetnutrition,butbysupplyingthemwithproductyouhaveconfidencein.Onsubsequentvisits,youcanreemphasizetheimportantrolepropernutritionplaysinthekeepingthepetwell.Forclientsthathavebeenfeedingadifferentproductthantheoneyouhavemoreknowledgeofandutilizewithinthepractice,discussthebenefitsofpropernutrition,forbothwellnessasthepetages,andforspecificdiseaseconditions.Aseachpet’slifestageandlifestylechanges,itwillbehelpfulforyoutobeabletoguidetheclienttothenext,moreappropriatefood.Thepetownerwantsthepettoliveaslongandhealthyaspossible.Youdotoo,soprovidingnutritionalproductsyoubelievein,fromacompanyyoucantrustisparamounttoyourcredibilityasanadvocateforthepet’sbestinterest.Havingtheresponsiblepetownervisityourpracticefornutritionalproductsmultipletimesayear,allowsyouandothermembersoftheteamtomaintainanopen,candiddialogueregardingthepet,andto“bond’morewiththeclient!Thereisnootherproductorserviceyoucanprovidethatbringsthepetownerintoyourpracticeasoften.Makethemostoftheseinteractions.


Nutrition And The Bond

Proper pet nutrition is an important, life-long part of “Responsible Pet Ownership” and the “Family-Pet-Veterinary Team Bond.”

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Petsareanintegralpartofoursociety,withsixoutof10householdsowningatleastonepet.Petshaveanamazingabilitytohelpkeeppeoplehappy,healthy,andliving,eventhroughwhatwouldotherwisebetryingsituations.Dr.MartyBecker’sphenomenalbook,TheHealingPowerofPets-“Harnessingtheamazingabilityofpetstomakeandkeeppeoplehappyandhealthy,”(ISBN0-7868-6808-2),providessubstantialdatasupportingthepsychologicalandphysiologicalbenefitsofpetstopeople.Scientificdocumentationrevealsthatpetsprovidea“therapeutictouch,”helplowerbloodpressure,surviveheartattacks,improvethereadingabilityandempathyofchildren,amelioratechronicpain,keeppeoplemoreactive,protectpeoplefromloneliness,assistinsafepassageforthephysicallyandemotionallychallenged,detectseizuresbeforetheyoccur,bringjoytonursinghomes,cancerwardsandpenalinstitutions...Whereelse,inourhecticworldcanwefindunconditional,non-judgmentalfriendship,companionship,anddevotion?Oftentimes,that“safehaven”isourpet:agratefulwagofatail,asoftnuzzleandpurr,orjustthatspeciallookthatsays,“I’mhereforyou.”


The Power Of Pets

Pets provide people with unconditional, non-judgmental friendship, companionship and devotion.

Proper pet nutrition is an important, life-long part of “Responsible Pet Ownership” and the “Family-Pet-Veterinary Team Bond.”

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“Thereisagrowingrecognitionthatprovisionofveterinaryservicesinamannerthatacknowledgesthehuman-animalbondwillleadtobetteroutcomesforveterinarypracticesandtheirpatients.”(TheCurrentandFutureMarketforVeterinariansandVeterinaryMedicalServicesintheUnitedStates,ExecutiveSummary.May,1999).

Beinginvolvedinveterinarymedicine,youareinauniquepositiontohelpnotonlypets,butalsopetowners.ByincorporatingthenotionoftheFamily-Pet-VeterinaryTeamBondintoyourpractice’sapproachtoproductsandservices,you’llbecomeanevenmorebeneficialpartofyourcommunity.Hill’s,throughproperpetnutrition,iscommittedinhelpingyouenhanceresponsiblepetownershipandTheBond,asevidencedbyourMissionStatement:

“Tohelpenrichandlengthenthespecialrelationshipsbetweenpeopleandtheirpets.”

Tocontinue,youwillneedtocompletethequizforthismodule.Whenyouareready,clickontheforwardarrowbelowtotakeyoutothequiz.


Summary

AreYouReady?

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vna level i module 9: the family-pet- veterinary team...

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