Veterinary medicine has changed dramatically since I graduated from Tuskegee Institute’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1985. At that time, small animal (companion animal) private practice was a sales job.

Pet owners had to be convinced to place ‘faith’ in your professional skills since the ‘art’ of veterinary medicine often conflicted with what pet owners could ‘see’ and what they could afford.

In the last twenty-years, pets have left the back yard, come inside the home, and in some households, now reside ‘in’ the bed and ‘under’ the covers. Pet ‘owners’ became Pet ‘parents’ and children had new ‘members’ of the family.

Having four-legged family members changed the family dynamic and raised the bar of professional practice and medical education. This is never more evident then by your present actions. You are reviewing my website to learn about my approach to caring for your pet, possibly before you’ve met me or introduced me to your pet.

Time-pressed pet parents, hungry for the services that coincide with their 24-hour lifestyle, have made demands on veterinary professionals and the industry is responding.

When I graduated, I didn’t want to practice.

I was a scientist. I accepted a position at Michigan State University and did a post-doctoral fellowship in comparative cardiovascular pathology. I studied heart disease and got an early peek in the use of ultrasound for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

My interest in geriatric medicine grew slowly as I learned to observe heart conditions and its effects on all organ systems in both animals and humans.

After my fellowship, I returned to Maryland and started working on a PhD in comparative pathology at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. I studied hypertensive heart disease and often traveled to Walter Reed Medical Center where my then father-in-law was a cardiovascular physician.

I was married, teaching anatomy/physiology to nursing students, part-time, at the University of Maryland University College and University of the District of Columbia campuses, and I was taking graduate level course work. I was tired of school, and my major professor lost his grant funding. Hounded by financial concerns, I realized I needed business training to succeed in America and, as such, I took a sales job.

I started a business marketing to and educating clients on the importance of investment and money management. In particular I wanted to attract a clientele committed to my philosophy of family-centered financial planning.

I was very successful.

I rose to the ranks of Senior Vice President with First Union Securities (now Wachovia Securities) and First Vice President with Morgan Stanley. And more importantly, I was afforded the opportunity to travel the world.

September 11th, however, changed ‘my’ world. Watching planes fly into my corporate world headquarters and the resultant head-in-the-sand finger pointing told me I had enough. I needed a simpler-less dramatic lifestyle and profession.

The young lady I was dating at the time suggested I consider going back into veterinary medicine. She had a wonderfully successful boarding facility and I liked her pace and how responsive her clients were to her services.

I stopped working. I adopted a student lifestyle and took three years to relearn veterinary medicine, from the bottom up. For two years, I studied 8 – 10 hours a day at the University of Maryland Medical library here in downtown Baltimore.

After relearning my basics, I took a management position with Banfield, The Pet Hospital. I opened the Largo, Maryland branch and managed the Alexandria location. I wanted to study veterinary medicine, from the business side, prior to opening my own practice.

I listened carefully to pet parents and their needs. Large corporate practices like Banfield and VCA adopted family-friendly hours, 7 days-a-week locations, and before you know it 24-hour veterinary service will be the norm in large metropolitan areas.

I learned that pets that pulled parents into my hospitals that were interested in medical education lived the most productive and healthy lives.

Over and over again, Pet Parents after the practitioner left the exam room would ask me to help educate them – “I can make sound financial decisions about my veterinary medical care – was this an emergency or not?” They needed to learn what is normal without spending a lifetime of medical training.

What kind of pet parent are you?

Pet Parent One.

You are the owner of one dog and two cats: one housecat and one ‘outdoor-indoor’ cat.
You with a busy lifestyle, have the pets on a self-feeder. You are reminded you need to see the veterinary surgeon when the rabies vaccine reminder comes in the mail or a medical challenge arises.

You place the dog and cats on flea preventative – sometimes. And you, for the most part, you are consistent with sticking to your dog’s heartworm medication regime.

Your veterinarian, just as time pressed as you, doesn’t do much in the ‘wellness’ education department and that’s fine, because you don’t have much time to ‘chat’ about conditions that haven’t arisen.

Your definition of quality care is often ‘reactive’ medicine and you are hoping that your practitioner can ‘pull the rabbit out of the hat’ and ‘save the day’ when ‘little one’ becomes ill.

If you waited too long to schedule an appointment, couldn’t afford the emergency room fees, or simply forgot to give all the medication for your last appointment, sadly your little one was put ‘to sleep’ and you mourned loudly in the office and at home for days.

You’re comforted with the knowledge that you gave your pet a ‘good life’ and you remember him often, especially during family holidays, or moments when he did something so ‘precious.’

Then is there Pet Parent Two. – The Pack Leader

The Pack Leader takes the practice approach of the typical American dentist. She selects a practitioner that expects to see your pet twice-a-year, because she knows that the more ‘touches’ her pets receive, the better the likelihood that any problems will be identified before they become life-threatening. She understands intuitively that pets can’t talk, and because of genetic imprinting, and will hide pain. The expression of chronic pain, the pain that we all live with, doesn’t help you survive in the wild.

The Pack Leader understands the importance of year-round flea/tick/heartworm preventative.

She understands that the home environment: cigarette smoking, flea infestation, dust mites (found in old bedding and toys) can contribute to itching and scratching and chronic ear infections and is looking for ways to control these signs and symptoms.

The Pack Leader schedules annual teeth cleaning, complete blood counts and organ system evaluation/analysis. She understands that it’s important to budget approximately $500 a year for preventative care, per pet, and that proper diet is the first and best medical decision the Pack Leader can make.

Our managing our Pet’s diet places limits and boundaries on our pet’s exposure to treats and ‘human food’ because our pets systems aren’t designed to handle the myriad of preservatives and food-by-products so embedded in our convenient food selections.

If you are Pack Leader (or aspire to be) then you should call Johnny Slaughter and schedule an interview.

During the interview, Dr. Slaughter will meet you (and your family) in your home. In an informal discussion, I will outline my approach to providing quality veterinary care.

I will talk about the importance of vaccinations and the most common conditions affecting pet parents and their dogs and cats and how wellness examinations and help extend the life of your ‘littlest’ family members.

Once you’ve made a commitment to become your pet’s medical ‘pack leader:’ year-round flea/tick/heartworm medication, bi-annual physical examinations, dental prophylaxis, senior wellness screenings, etc. We will outline a plan-of-action to get and keep your pet in optimum mental and physical health. If necessary, this can be done slowly to help you provide quality care into your family’s budget.