{"id":23065,"date":"2023-02-01T00:16:36","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T00:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=23065"},"modified":"2023-03-30T15:50:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T15:50:54","slug":"veterinary-joint-health-020123","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/veterinary-joint-health-020123\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint Responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ideally, a diagnosis begins long before the veterinarian steps into the exam room. For example, it might start with a phone call reporting that a cat is urinating outside the litter box or that a dog is vomiting. Or it might kick off with information that the pet owner provides upon arrival. Whatever the details, they guide the entire visit, allowing the veterinary team to reach an accurate diagnosis. But what happens when clients have no idea that their pets have a serious health condition?<\/p>\n

Such a scenario is common, particularly when the pet suffers from an early degenerative joint condition. A dog with cranial cruciate ligament disease, for example, often displays subtle signs that the owner mistakes for behavioral or aging issues and dismisses as having little bearing on overall health.<\/p>\n

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EDITOR\u2019S NOTE<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This article is the first of a three-part series focusing on joint health and client education and is brought to you by clinically proven Rejensa\u00ae joint care chews<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Tamara Grubb, DVM, Ph.D., DACVAA, the president-elect of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, emphasized that clients often don\u2019t recognize signs of pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, owners see their pet slowing down, and they think it\u2019s just age,\u201d said Dr. Grubb, an adjunctive professor of anesthesia and analgesia at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. \u201cIn fairness to the owners, if they never had a painful pet, how would they know their pet is in pain?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pets with early degenerative joint conditions are primed for the development of osteoarthritis. However, a well-trained veterinary team can significantly improve an animal\u2019s long-term health and mobility by intervening quickly to manage the disease\u2019s progression.<\/p>\n

Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV, DACVS, DECVSC, ACVSMR, said every team member plays an essential role in detecting osteoarthritis<\/a> as early as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire veterinary team has to be a detector of signs because the more eyes that are looking at a pet, the more sensitive the team will be as a whole,\u201d said Dr. Marcellin-Little, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. \u201cThe receptionist might see things a vet may not see because a dog is being interacted with in different ways or doing certain things in the waiting room. You really have to have eyes on the pet at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Documenting a thorough patient history provides a critical opportunity to unearth details that can help the veterinarian reach an accurate joint disease diagnosis. But asking the right questions and pulling out pertinent clues is a skill that requires training and practice. Follow these five steps to help your team recognize signs of joint disease during the patient history so that the doctor can make an early diagnosis.<\/p>\n

1. Teach Pain Awareness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Recognizing signs of joint pain, such as difficulty rising, walking slowly, an abnormal posture and being reluctant to step onto a weight scale, can alert your team to early joint issues and guide patient history questions. Without proper training, however, team members will not know how to identify subtle signs of joint disease. In addition, keep in mind that some team members, particularly veterinary assistants, come to your practice as naive pet owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think our whole team knows what pain looks like, but how could they if they have not been involved with pets in pain<\/a>?\u201d Dr. Grubb said. \u201cTeaching them about mobility and behavior changes to watch for and providing training so that they know what to say is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team training might involve watching contrasting videos: pets with normal mobility and those with\u00a0joint disease. In addition, educational\u00a0articles, websites and prerecorded webinars can be helpful. After the initial training, pair new staff members with seasoned employees for one-on-one exam room coaching. Also, make sure the education is included in every new hire\u2019s onboarding so that the entire team is prepared to recognize joint disease.<\/p>\n

2. Highlight Risk Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just like you should ask clients about signs of back problems in their dachshunds, seeing a pet at high risk of joint disease should trigger specific history questions. However, while veterinarians can rattle off a list of pets at risk of joint disease, your front desk staff, assistants and veterinary technicians might not know how to recognize those pets. Ensure your entire team is aware that further questioning might be warranted with these animals:<\/p>\n