Page 25 - Winter 18-19

Are we Supervets after all?
Thoughts about the ‘Supervet phenomenon’ by Ilse Pedler, UK
when i was consulting the other day, i was in the process of examining a rather elderly Cocker Spaniel that had been treated for a while by one of my conventional colleagues for chronic liver issues when the owner said, ‘So when are you doing the liver transplant?’. i looked at the young woman who had just spoken and then at the elderly Cocker Spaniel on the consulting room table; as it looked back at me and i could have sworn it raised an eyebrow!
In our practice we sometimes call this the ‘ Supervet phenomenon’. There are so many television programmes about veterinary life including Bondi Vet, Yorkshire Vet and of course the irrepressible Supervet. These showcase the unusual, exciting and rare cases that make good TV. They don’t focus on cat bite abscesses, chronic diarrhea or the allergic skin disease cases that make up the majority of our case load in general practice. They also give the impression that heroic surgery, extensive drug treatment and high- tech machines can solve all the problems of ill health. And of course, there is rarely any mention at all of
complementary therapies or of the cases that conventional medicine just didn’t cure.
Although entertaining, seeing cases out of context or only partially explained often leads to misinterpretation and creates expectations that are often impossible to match. If us GP vets can’t do the spectacular and groundbreaking techniques that are shown on Supervet, does that inevitably makes us less ‘super’ in the eyes of the public? Also, not seeing any mention of complementary therapies means that there is no balance in a client’s decision making. How can they make an informed choice when all the choices haven’t been presented? No wonder clients are often left disappointed and disillusioned with vets.
However, it did get me thinking and I ended up with two conclusions, the first being that we must continue to publicise the therapies that we use and the successes we have in every way possible, so clients do know that there are other choices for their animals. Whether it’s by blogs, talks, our websites, liaising with local farmers or dog groups, let’s be proud of what we do. With all the criticism
we’ve endured over the last few years, there could be a tendency to make less of our specialities, feel ashamed of them in some way. But I think now is the time to speak out frankly and honestly, not to criticise our conventional colleagues, but just to show clients that there is an alternative.
The other conclusion that I reached was that all of us that practice complementary therapies are in our own way ‘supervets’ because we do what we do without the aid of all the paraphernalia of veterinary hospitals that some vets seem to consider so essential. One of my favourite quotes is by the American poet Anne Carson: Put your ear down right close to your soul and listen hard. This is what we do every day, we listen to our patients, we look, we use our hands, we try and discover their essence and we try our best to heal them in a natural and long lasting way. To me that seems pretty super.
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