It is a common misconception on parts of the island that there are no doctors to perform some of the more complicated surgical procedures and that people either have to take their pets to Oahu or there is really no hope. We have been told by numerous clients now that they have been referred off island or told they have to wait until the specialist comes to the island in order for their pets to have surgery. Really? Almost everyone one of these surgeries that have been described, we do here at our hospital. In fact one surgery in particular the TTA ( Tibial Tuberosity Advancement) Is done at our hospital by my dad regularly. We take referrals for this procedure and numerous others every single day. Back surgery for dogs with pinched nerves that are causing deficits in their hind limbs, yep we do it. We also do Myelograms to help diagnosis the problem so we can zero in on the exact location. PDA heart surgery you bet. Bile duct obstruction, thoracic surgeries, gall bladder surgery, difficult mass removals, leg limb deformity (some have even come to us from other islands), even oncology cases from other hospitals are all seen here regularly and with great success.
Did you know my dad was the first doctor in Hawaii to take the course and offer the TTA surgery? It's a fact. There are now 3 doctors in the state, one on Maui one on Oahu, but my dad right here in Kona was the first. Did you know my dad did an internship in small animal medicine and surgery right after vet school? He was also sent to additional training in Ohio with Synthes, for fracture and fixator courses both basic and advanced. My dad performs surgery on complicated fractures, shattered bones and corrective repairs on previously repaired fractures and surgeries daily. In addition to the surgeries we provide, we also offer advance workups in cardiology, internal medicine, VetStem, dentistry and more. This is of course in addition to the general wellness and annual care we provide.
There is a propagated misconception, that we are the most expensive practice on the island. We see everyone else's invoices and we know that is simply not true. What is true, is that we will not put your pet at risk by not doing pre-operative bloodwork or perform surgery without the benefits of monitoring devices, a catheter and IV fluids. We want your pet to have the best possible outcome. We have been told " if the doctor knows what they are doing they don't need all those safety nets". Well, as an AAHA accredited practice, we believe differently. We know that animals that are hydrated during surgery with IV fluids, do better after surgery. Animals lose blood during even routine procedures like spays and neuters and having an IV catheter in place to administer fluids can be very important to maintain proper blood pressure. You never know how an animal is going to react to anesthesia, some animals sail though and some really struggle. Having an IV catheter in place lets us give life saving drugs if we need it, when we need it. It also allows us to reverse the effects of certain medication in case of an emergency. Pre-op blood work is not a way for us to make money off you at all, we do it, because it could save your pets life. We want to know that your pet doesn't have a bleeding disorder or issues with it's kidney or liver functions prior to anethetizing them for a procedure. Your pets kidneys and liver have to process the medication we are giving during surgery, if they are not working correctly, it would be good to know before surgery not during a procedure.
Some procedures especially in animals already in crisis should NEVER even be done with out pre- op bloodwork before surgery and ECG, blood pressure monitoring, end tidal CO2, and O2 monitoring in place during surgery. These things are not options at our hospital, it is a standard of care we have chosen to provide and a commitment my dad made when he became a doctor and reinforced when we became AAHA accredited. Does it cost more, yes it does? Is it worth every penny, you bet. Pain management is another thing we take a lot of flack for. People tell us all the time "well if my pet is painful he will move around less and then I don't have to worry about him running around and getting hurt". Let me ask you, if my dad neutered you and removed your testicles or if he spayed your wife or girlfriend, removing her uterus and ovaries though an incision in her abdominal wall( assuming of course he was a human doctor and not a vet) would you want pain medication? What about if he amputated one of your limbs or plated one of your bones? What about if he extracted your teeth? Studies show that animals feel pain just like we do. They are programmed by evolution however, not to show it. I am sure you have heard of survival of the fittest right? Well we believe in pain management and not the kind that last for a few hours and then wears off. No we are talking about pain medications for days and sometimes weeks after surgery depending on the procedure. Yes even in spays and neuters.
As you can see there is a lot of misinformation out there. We believe in honesty and full disclosure. We know this may not appeal to everyone and well I guess you can't please them all. You can educated them however, by giving them all the information they need to make an informed decision. We have been providing high quality surgical and medical options and care to this island for over 5 and 1/2 years now. My dad has been practicing medicine and performing surgeries for 15 years. We send out information regularly to area veterinarians letting them know we are here and we are happy to help. In turn numerous veterinarians send us their more difficult or unique cases. Coming from emergency medicine my dad is used to seeing other doctors clients and patients and then sending them back to them for routine care. We understand that people build a relationship with their veterinarian and we respect that. This is why we want you to know that we want to help make your pet well, we are not trying to steal you away as a client. We believe in being up-front giving clients a quote for services, we know they will call around and look for whoever will beat our prices, our prices do not change based on the client or the quote they got from another veterinarian. We don't do that. It is not fair to the rest of the veterinary community and it is deceitful. As you can see it is not always an apples to apples comparison in terms of the services provided. It is always frustrating however that we can't all work together for the greater good of the patients. Veterinary medicine changes everyday, and we are committed to staying up to date on the changes. We will always try and learn more and be the best veterinary practice we can be. We know honesty is always the best policy, although it may not make you the most popular. After all your only humans.~ Ruff
