Smallz here. I’m a close friend of Gunny, but he’s outside so I’ve hijacked his blog because I was so proud of how my holistic mom managed my last vet visit. First of all, my veterinarian is a traditional veterinarian. He sells all the prescription foods, advocates for constant vaccines, and doesn’t offer any holistic services.
But he’s a nice guy and the only veterinarian in town.
None of this would be a problem, except that my Mom is very holistic. She stopped vaccinating me after my first round of shots. She feeds me real (people) food that she cooks herself. And she is a Dr. Cathy Alinovi devotee.
So, how does she manage my appointments with my regular vet? Here’s what I’ve noticed she does for my sister and I:
1) When making the appointment and when meeting with the veterinary technician who puts us in the exam room, my Mom always delays the vaccine conversation. She says, “I’d like to talk with the veterinarian about any vaccinations.”
2) She brings up the food before anyone else does, when they tell her how great I look. “Thanks! I feed him a whole food diet, so I’m so glad to know it’s keeping him so healthy!”
3) When pressed about vaccines and the state law, my Mom calmly asks if the real issue is making sure that I was immune to Rabies. The veterinarian agrees it is the primary goal, so my Mom asks to have me titered before giving any additional vaccinations. (Turns out, I AM still immune because those initial vaccines I got as a puppy are still active in my body!)
4) My Mom has avoided the vaccine conversation whenever we’re under the weather or dealing with injury. She simply asks if we can address the vaccines at a well-visit vs. an urgent or sick visit. They have never pushed back on this. (Maybe because they’d rather her pay two visit fees rather than one!)
5) My mom leads the appointment, always thanking them for their compliments about how amazing I look and then starting with, “here are my concerns.” This keeps the focus on my Mom’s agenda and sometimes they even forget to bring up the vaccines or boosters.
6) She always asks, “What are the other options?” or “What if we do nothing?” to avoid over-medicating me or perhaps even putting me through an unnecessary surgery.
7) I almost forgot this one. My Mom never drops me off at the vet by myself. She always comes in with me, so I am never alone. This makes me feel better, but also make sure that nothing is done without her knowledge.
If you have a nice — but traditional — veterinarian like mine, I hope these tips help!