About Dr. Busby…

Dr. James L. Busby DVM

1726 Jefferson SW

Bemidji, MN 56601

218-7516163

I am the fourth veterinarian in a family of veterinarians that stretches over a period of 100 years. My practice is going into its 41^st year. In a nut shell I have grown so disillusioned with my profession’s hyping of unnecessary and sometimes even risky procedures for dogs and cats for the shameful purpose of simply increasing their clinic’s bottom line that I have written a book. Escalating costs of owning a pet is rapidly making ownership of companion animals a very costly enterprise and placing it out of the reach of more and more even middle class families. My book details in depth all the unnecessary medical procedures that pet owners are pressured into but can easily safely avoid with just a little inside knowledge. It also contains many common sense suggestions and ideas on pet care and ownership from a veterinarian who has personally owned and loved over a dozen dogs and cats in his lifetime.

A few examples of why I’m growing unhappy with my profession’s lust for profit:

*In the late 1990’s the American Animal Hospital Assoc. started quesitioning the need for annual vaccinations. Several studies were done showing dog and cat immunity lasted at least 7 to 8 years. The AVMA admitted in an article that there was no hard evidence animals needed to be revaccinated any oftener than people. They elected to leave the frequency of revaccination up to the individual veterinarian. Many, probably most, are still stressing the need to do it yearly. I find this shameful. It is documented that 22,000 cats die in this country yearly from cancer that is a direct result of vaccination irritation

*I haven’t seen a case of Lyme disease in dogs in over 15 years. From what I read, none of the 27 veterinary colleges even recommend vaccinating dogs for it. The Lyme test will show positive on 50% to 90% of dogs in Lyme areas. The positive dogs do not come down with symptoms any more often than those testing negative. The AVMA states flatly that specific symptoms are required in a dog before it can be diagnosed with the disease (acute, multiple lag lameness) and then the animal must respond rapidly (two days) to the appropriate treatment. I personally know of numerous clinics that are testing client’s animals annually and treating all positive cases. This should be a crime.

*Heartworm testing is demanded on client’s pets yearly before dispensing the monthly preventative. The implication is that to give the preventative to an infected dog would cause serious problems. The American Heartworm Society’s recommended treatment for an infected animal is nothing but Heartguard for the first six months which sterilizes and shrinks the size of the female worms. They also reluctantly admit that 12 more months of Heartguard (ivermectin) will cure the animal of the infection. The veterinary treatment costs in the neighborhood of $800 to $1000. The 18 months of Heartguard would not only be much less expensive, it would also be a lot safer for the animal.

My book has many more revealing and money saving suggestions for pet owners.

Dr. James L Busby