Their Pet in Our Hands
Why We Are Different - Beating Client Expectations
When Their Cats, St-John and Nikita visited the practice in 2002 for the first time during Breath Busters (our dental health promotion) the news was not good.
The following is an account written by Mrs Holland-Rocker that describes exactly how we go about caring for both pets and their owners. At Parkvets, the pets get the treatment they need and the clients remain "in the loop" all the way along.
If you can combine high quality clinical skills with outstanding client care, we are looking for you.
Breath to Die For?
By Mrs Holland-Rocker
We are the proud owners of two cats called St-John (4 years old) and Nikita (3 years old). We take our cats to the vets for yearly check ups and de-scaling of teeth. However, we had noticed that both cats kept developing really disgusting breath, dribbled most of the time and were not grooming themselves. In addition they looked slightly thin and 'flinched' when we touched anywhere near their mouths. They also acted much older than their ages.
During our last visit to our previous vets, it was highlighted that they both again needed de-scaling of the teeth. Although we mistakenly put this off, we did as recommended and fed our cats on dry food and gave them chicken wings to chew, which was explained to us would clean the teeth. All they did with the chicken wings was to lick them round the kitchen floor making a dreadful mess!
Eventually we thought that St.John had cut his out mouth as we saw small amounts of blood coming from 'somewhere' in his mouth. So, on discovering that Parkvets were doing a free dental check up for animals we decided that this would be a good opportunity to have the cats' teeth checked out.
On our visit it was explained to us that both cats would need extensive dental work. St.John's mouth was in a worse state than Nikita's, he had abscesses, the cause of the bleeding we had noticed. Both cats had badly infected gums and rotten teeth. We were informed that if we did not act on the advice of the vet then they could develop multiple organ damage. We felt mortified and guilty that our cats had suffered due to our lack of knowledge and care.
Both cats were booked in to have the extensive dental work. Nikita had multiple extractions and was then put on antibiotics and seemed to recover well. St.John also had multiple extractions but the pre-operative blood test showed that he had a problem with his kidneys. He had a kidney scan and urinalysis. Both appeared to show no problems, which suggested that the abnormality might have been inflammatory, related to his dental problems.
Post-operatively, St.John developed a fever, but due to the abnormal kidney results treatment was limited. We were fearful he would not recover. He stayed in the veterinary hospital for a couple of nights on antibiotics and intravenous fluids. Thankfully he 'pulled through' and we were able to bring him home.
Both cats made a complete recovery although St.John took a few weeks longer to recover fully. Now we have come to realise the importance of looking after our cat's teeth. We have a strict regime of cleaning the teeth on a daily basis, as advised by our vet.
Surprisingly enough, St.John seems to love this now, making it a task we now look forward to! Nikita seems to be ok with this daily routine too! They seem to like the 'chicken' flavour toothpaste and afterwards always have a good long lick of the toothbrush. We also feed them exclusively on Hill's Prescription Feline T/D food. We thought this would be more expensive but actually it works out cheaper.
Because of the care we have 2 'new' cats with fewer teeth but perfect breath. They both now act more their age, have put on weight and groom themselves. St.John's repeat blood test has shown that his kidneys are back to normal. We are determined for them to never again go through the suffering of having gum disease and tooth decay.
We also have had them checked by the vet to ensure we are cleaning the teeth correctly and will be taking them to the veterinary dental nurse every 3-6 months to check we are succeeding in our dental care for our cats. We can only say we are really grateful for the excellent advise we have received from Parkvets and we have no regrets what so ever with the care and attention that both our cats and ourselves have received.
Our advice to all other cat owners would be BRUSH THE TEETH DAILY as they do get used to it and it saves a lot of suffering for the cat and expense for the owner!
We Help You Deliver the Best for Your Clients?
At Parkvets you're given the clinical freedom to work cases up as you see fit. The range of equipment and support is fantastic and full workups are encouraged.
We recognise however, that great communication is every bit as important as fixing pets. At this practice, you are actively encouraged to spend time getting to know you clients.
To help, all appointment are scheduled at 15 minutes intervals and you are encouraged to follow-up your own cases.
Want To Read More? - See Also:
Life as a Parkvets Assistant - Andy Perry, MRCVS
Learning At Parkvets - The Final Year Student's Viewpoint
What's it all about - A word from Parkvets MD.
Ready to Apply? Send Us Your CV Now!
- Email it to Dave Nicol at: dave.nicol@parkvets.com.
- Or snail mail it to: Dave Nicol, Parkvets Veterinary Hospital, 53-55 Maidstone Road, Footscray, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5HB.
- Or download our online application form (MS word doc).
