PetSide.com
Moderator: Your Vet provides important healthcare for your pet. But for some illnesses your pet may need additional attention. In these cases your Veterenary may refer you to a specialist. Veterinarian specialists are becoming more popular in popping up all around the country. They are finding innovative ways to treat pets in helping them to live longer lives. But what is a specialists and what do they do?

Dr. Jason: Specialization allows you to do something much better. Then if you do not specialize---I am Dr. Jason Fusco, DVM, DACVs, I am a staff surgeon of orthopedics and director of rehabilitation.

Almost all of the areas that you would find in people, you can find for animals these days, that is what people want for their animals and that would includes surgery, ophthalmology, and dermatology, oncology, dentistry, internal medicine, and rehabilitation.

Moderator: The Animal Medical Center in New York City has been the pioneer in many of these healthcare fields. Recently, they have been working with memorial’s loan Catering Cancer Center one of the top cancer research facilities in the country to develop a new vaccine for both canine and human melanoma.

Nicole Leibman: I am one of the staff oncologist’s at the Animal Medical Center. Melanoma is generally a very aggressive disease in the dog. The typical survival was less than five months. Now with the utility of this particular vaccines, you know we are seeing dogs lived well over the year and many dogs approaching two or three years survival time.

Moderator: If your pets health issues need to be treated by a specialist, it is important to know that this type of care can be costly.

Dr. Jason: It is very expensive, definitely more expensive than what most general practitioners provide just us it is in the human side. Most of the experts cost is due to the specialized equipments. An MRI unit for a dog cost exactly the same as much as an MRI unit for a person. Pet Health Insurance will help pay for most of the procedures that will only take part of it. So if it usually a cat on it and depending on the procedure. Sometime it does cover all of it.

Moderator: While these medical advances are important, prevention may keep your pet from needing a specialist keeping your pet healthy is the best way for both you and your pet to stay happy.