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Dear Nanny Fran,
What does B.I.D. or T.I. D. mean on my
pet&rsquos prescription bottle?
B.I.D. means, administer the required
dose, by mouth, two times daily. T.I.D. means administer the
required dose three times daily. Many people do not have a medical
background and the administration of medication and/or
understanding of the terms involved leave the owner/guardian of the
pet feeling stupid, hopeless and helpless.
Unfortunately, in many situations, the
human ego will not let the animal guardian admit to him or herself
that he or she is not knowledgeable about the disease, condition,
administration of medications, etc. so they simply nod their heads
&ldquoyes&rdquo while listening to the veterinarian. Then,
they get home and they have many, many questions.
Before I became a pet sitter I did
medical transcription for hospitals. I became familiar with
thousands of medical terms, diseases, body parts, medications, etc.
while typing everything involved with a quadruple bypass of the
human heart, a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral
salpingoophorectomy, extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy,
arthroscopic removal of various organs, repair of joints, etc.
I also have some knowledge of
medications. I know that a Physician&rsquos Desk Reference
(PDR) lists all current medications on the market with all the
available information on their use, benefits and harmful effects on
the body. Once I took my 70-plus-year-old widowed aunt to the local
library to look up a medication that her doctor had prescribed. We
read everything about it and decided that, considering the
information given in the book about that medicine and her medical
history, the doctor had made a mistake in prescribing the
medication.
I always recommend that everyone consult
a PDR whenever their doctor prescribes a medication for them. Many
times the side effects outweigh the benefits and then the person
can make an &ldquoinformed&rdquo inquiry.
Just like with the latest pet food
poisonings, each of us needs to take personal responsibility for
everything that goes into our bodies and into our animal&rsquos
bodies. The same is true for our health care and the health care of
our pets. Remember how many times do you hear on the television,
&ldquoIf you took &lsquo--------&rsquo medication,
contact our law firm. You or a family member may have died or
suffered other aliments from the ingestion of this
medication.&rdquo Yes, medicines can alleviate a symptom and
they also can kill. They can kill because they can cause major
organ damage or the combination of that medication with another
medication can cause a fatal reaction, etc. &mdash with pets as
in people.
When you visit the doctor and/or
veterinarian&hellip take notes. Write down the date of the
visit, the vet or doctor&rsquos name and then write down all
that was prescribed, how to administer, how often, topically,
orally, rectally, etc. whatever is said. If you stated that you or
your pet was currently on a medication, make a note that the vet or
doctor was informed. Even write down when the vet or doctor wanted
a follow-up visit or when he stated that he would telephone or that
you need to telephone him/her in 24 hours, two days, one week, etc.
If he doesn&rsquot telephone you on day five as he stated you
call his office and give an update on you or your pet. Vets and
doctors can become quite busy and forget to telephone just like
every other human on this planet.
I heartily recommend staying out of the
doctor&rsquos office and the veterinarian&rsquos office as
much as possible. How? By staying healthy! For people I recommend
not smoking, drinking alcohol, eating &ldquoplastic
food&rdquo or skydiving! I recommend that we understand
nutrition and only eat and drink whole foods, preferably organic
and maintain a positive and joyful outlook 24/7.
I suggest purchasing &ldquoThe
Natural Healing of Animals&rdquo by Dr. Martin Goldstein,
D.V.M. While reading his wonderful book you will be amazed at the
wondrous health and healings that can be accomplished without
medications. The only way to beat the system is to stay out of the
system.
© 2007 Francene Mattucci. All
Rights Reserved.
Francene Mattucci founded Never Say Good
Bye Pet Sitting Service in 1994. Call 727-512-3206, visit
www.TampaBayPetCare.com or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
with
questions for this column.
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