Coming to Washington State University
Bringing your pet to a veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) like
WSU is a little different than seeing your local veterinarian. We
are aware that most of our clients have had to travel long distances
to reach us so we try to make things happen in a timely fashion,
although some steps in your pet's evaluation can take longer than
you are used to. Expect 1-1.5 hours for your initial appointment.
You may be presented with lots of information and have choices to
make. If you feel overwhelmed, please ask questions. The goal is to
work with the WSU oncology team to decide what is best for your pet
and yourself. If your appointment is with oncology, a board
certified oncologist will be overseeing the care of your animal but
you may meet some other people first.
If you are visiting the VTH for the first time, a student will always be
assigned to you and your pet, and this will likely be the first person you
meet. A student will greet you, take a history and perform a physical
examination, and then leave the room to discuss your pets problems with a
senior clinician. This may seem like a waste of time for you as the owner,
but students often find problems on physical exams that a hurried clinician
may miss. Moreover, every exam your pet receives increases the chances that
previously unnoticed problems will be found. The student you see initially
will then be responsible for your pet during the time your pet stays with
us. Students tend to be very dedicated to the patients in their care and
they make sure you are informed as well as to the status of your pet. Many
students have an avid interest in Oncology. It may be an interest based only
on the fact that they know this is a subject they will be dealing with once
they enter practice life. For others, there is the possibility of actually
specializing in the field. Many students take part on a voluntary basis in
“Oncology Rounds”, a forum in which pets diagnosed with tumors are discussed
in detail. Other students even volunteer for a six week rotation in oncology
during the summer of their Junior year. Students are an integral part of a
teaching hospital, and they can only learn if allowed to do things along
with the doctors. The more they can learn in their time at WSU, the more
they will be able to help clients whose pets have cancer- once they
graduate.
You may also meet an intern or resident who takes the primary clinician role
for your pet. The senior Oncologist will always be overseeing this person as
well and cases are discussed in detail even if you have never met the
oncologist your self. Interns and residents are still in a learning category
and they tend to be quite eager at reading and keeping up on the latest
information, but they would never take a step contrary to the senior
oncologist’s advice. If your pet requires special diagnostics or surgery you
may be introduced to the clinicians who will perform those procedures as
well. Our goal is always to have you feel well informed, and speaking with
those who will perform certain procedures may help you decide whether you
want to take that step or not.
The VTH is well equipped with a laboratory, ultrasound, CT, and MR,
endoscopy, and much more, so if a test is recommended chances are it can be
done here. So, even though your appointment may seem to take forever, a
complete work up can usually be done within a relatively short amount of
time. Most procedures requiring anesthesia are done on the following day to
be sure everything has been done ahead of time that needs to be done,
including getting the procedures scheduled. These procedures include
endoscopy, CT, and MRI as our patients won’t hold still for these unless
they are sleeping.
The doctors are busy but will go to great lengths to find the time to
properly deal with you and your pet. Phone consults or Email consults before
you pet is seen are not possible. Every dog or cat, tumor, and owner are
different and no one therapy can be recommended especially without seeing
your pet. There are too many variables to consider and diagnosing or
offering advice on therapy over the phone or Email is generally not
beneficial to your or your pet.
