From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-12-13 19:55:31 UTC
Subject: the importance of specialists
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <a05200f05ba1fe6b4430f@[10.0.1.4]>
Today's conversation on learning from pharmacists, combined with
helping a sweet lady yesterday get her vet in touch with vetheart
(and providing some basic info) because of a ferret with insulinoma
who began Level 2 A/V Heart Node Block brings to mind the importance
of experts/specialists. It pays to use consultants and experts when
needed. There is no replacement for someone who has the needed
specialized learning in a focused area. Finding the right someone to
help that ferret with the heart problem should be a useful assist.
Asking pharmacists about the nuances of drugs as mentioned here today
makes sense. Vets are the health experts. When diet questions arise
it pays to get in touch with someone who has an advanced degree in
veterinary nutrition who will therefore know the things that the rest
of us don't. When an unusual ADV question arises (having had one
recently -- checking to make sure that reduced clotting but not
increased clotting can arise with ADV) it pays to contact the
virologists who specialize in that. We all know that a surgery and
necropsy should be followed not only with pathology by an actual
pathologist but preferably by a pathologist who is knowledgeable
about ferrets. Specialists matter; they know their stuff; they help
when anyone else may be giving what is more an educated guess rather
than fully informed answers. No one can know everything and some
fields are just so complex that what seems logical from the
standpoint of a bit of exposure to that area will have marks against
it among those who have a richer background in that field. So, I
guess this is a reminder about there so often being no substitute for
specialists, and also a thank you to them for existing to help all of
us.