ADR? This new acronym is soooo animal health! It means, Ain’t doing right. What follows from Glenn Allen Olah, DVM, PhD, DABVP, is a realistic view of the top five ADR causes in his practice. Dr. Olah reminds us that certain disease conditions are more common in cats more than 10 years old and are frequently a different mix than those conditions in kittens and younger adult cats.
Many problems of older cats are chronic, so early diagnosis and treatment is important to preserve quality of life. Many conditions, such as chronic oral disease, DJD and neoplasia cause pain. Therefore, pain management is crucial. Allen discusses diagnostics and treatment approaches.
Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2014.
The conditions discussed here are not all-inclusive, and older cats frequently present with concurrent diseases. Following is the author’s view of the top five ADR causes in his practice.
- Oral disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Degenerative joint disease
- Endocrine disease
- Malignant neoplasia
INSIGHTS – Veterinary teams and the representatives who call on them will appreciate the Key points of an ADR visit sidebar. Consider discussing this article at a veterinary team meeting and include your sales rep to identify the products and medical supplies you need for these geriatric cats.
Then, assign five clients per staff member for call-outs about their cat. Consider choosing cats at nine years old or older that have not been in the clinic for 12 to 24 months. Reps can help script those calls to make them comfortable for staff and clients.