Letter to dvm360: Fictional veterinary scenario concludes with fictional response

In “The Dilemma” column of December 2015, Dr. Marc Rosenberg suggests that Dr. Hanes used poor judgment in how he handled informing clients that animals on certain long-term medications need to have periodic blood test done prior to refilling. “Not monitoring the drug's impact could solve one problem in the pet but create another,” he writes.

The scenario describes a retired pet owner with a dog that had been on phenobarbital for five years to control epilepsy. The pet owner says she can afford the relatively inexpensive medication but not the yearly blood profile testing. Dr. Hanes loses the client.

Dr. Marc's response: Have the owner sign a waiver acknowledging the risks and dispense the medication. Make the blood testing affordable for this needy client. Make a calculated exception, since previous annual blood tests were essentially normal. His last piece of advice for Dr. Hanes? “Live and learn.”

Every one of us has faced a similar if not this exact dilemma. “The Dilemma” column's disclaimer: “The veterinary practices, doctors and employees described in ‘The Dilemma' are fictional.”

That takes a tremendous load off my back, because by simple extrapolation, I realize that the author's “response” is also “fictional.”

A.H. Miceli, BSc, DVM

Oxterville, Michigan