Talking Pet Illnesses with CheckOut Veterinary

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eight thirty six thirteen ten Wiva. This song makes me
smile every time I hear it. You know why, because
I know we're about to be talking with doctor Marty
Greer of Checkout Veterinary. Great opportunity. By the way, we've
been talking with the doctor for the past couple of months.
You probably got to know doctor Greer. Love to have
you join us if you've got a question for all
you got to do is dial in six so eight
three two one thirteen ten. That's six so eight three

(00:22):
two one thirteen ten. You can email as well as
a matter of fact, we'll get to an email a
little bit later on the segment, but it's always great
to have you on Aaron and hear your voice and
get your question that way as well. Speaking of making
contact with doctor Greer and everyone at check Out Veterinary,
they are accepting new patients right now and they make
it real easy to do. You can, of course head
an over to check out vet dot com, schedule appointment
there or big phone give a call six so eight

(00:43):
thirty one eight sixty seven hundred. That's three one eight
sixty seven hundred. And joining us this morning is doctor
Marty Greer, doctor how you doing this week.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
I'm doing very well. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
It's great to talk to you. And UH, we've got
some emails. We've got some other important things to get
to as well. This is UH breast can for Awareness month,
and people sometimes forget about their pets. We'll talk a
little bit about that, and I will take an email
as well in some calls. But real quick check out
Veterinary such a cool concept, and this is something that

(01:14):
I know other clinics across the country are now starting
to call you and say, hey, doctor, we'd like to
replicate what you are doing in Wisconsin. Sometimes we forget
how lucky we are to have checkout vet. Let's talk
a little bit about the background and kind of the
design idea and the concept that you put into put
into play there in sun Prairie at the clinic.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Sure, Basically we wanted to do a couple of things.
One was to really simplify veterinary care, make it more accessible,
make it more affordable, just just make it easier for
people to get in and get out and get things
taken care of. The thing is that a lot of
people get busy in their lives. They have kids, and
they have soccer and they have grandparents, and they have

(01:57):
all these things going on in their lives, and it
makes it really hard for them to fit in Monday
through Friday schedule into their life, or something happens on
the weekend and you really can't wait. So we wanted
to make accessibility really important. But it was also important
to me that we made it really comfortable for the
pets and their interactions with other pets there and with us.

(02:18):
So essentially there is no interaction for the other dogs
or cats. So if you come in, you are in
an isolated garage bay. It is your own exam room.
Nobody else is in there except for the staff and you,
so it makes it really comfortable. There's no Rottweller staring
down your cat, or there's no you know, enthusiastic golden
retriger puppy leaping around in front of you. So you

(02:40):
know they all mean well, but yeah, it doesn't always
work out that way. So it's just a really comfortable
place for them to be.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
It is. It's an amazing it's an amazing clinic. I
hope folks get a chance. I know you love having
visitors as well. Stop on in. Of course, we're right
at twenty seven to ten Prairie Lakes Drive in Sun Prairie.
Super convenient right off the highway. That's part of it
as well. If you can hear our voices this morning
you are near checkout vet again. All the details online
checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet dot com. Great opportunity.

(03:09):
They are accepting new patients right now, so it's a
great opening for you. I telephone number six so eight
three one eight sixty seven hundred is Doctor Greer also
mentioned the hours and the days of the week at
checkout vet. Not going to beat this seven days a week,
nine am until five pm. That first visit that exam
it is free as well. All the details and make
an employment right online at checkout vet dot com. That's

(03:30):
checkout vet dot com. And doctor is Breast cancer Awareness
week or month. And I know when we think of that,
we often think about think about humans, but pets they
are not immune either, are they They're not, And I think.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
It's important that we educate people about what that is.
But that means what it looks like, how to diagnose it,
and what we can do about treatment, but more importantly,
what we're doing going forward our veterinary clinics in Veternor
Village in Lamira, and the two in some Prairie check
In and check Out and Marshall PetCare have all started
a fund that is called Excellence in Companion Animal Mammary

(04:08):
Cancer Research and it is funded through the University of
Wisconsin Veterinary Schools program for this kind of advance. They
have a lot of research that's going on looking for
different diseases for shoot disease and cancer and all kinds
of things. But to me, this is really near and
dear to my heart. So we decided a few years
ago to do this. We had a logo developed that

(04:28):
we've trademarked called pink Pot. It was actually developed by
a woman who has passed away from breast cancer who
was a friend of ours. And now we have this
fund that we've just started this year. Today on Facebook,
there's information about where you can buy cookies. Today on
Facebook there's information about other things that you can buy.
We have a beautiful necklace with the logo on it.

(04:49):
But most importantly, even without any kind of a purchase,
you can make a donation. You can go to Revival
Animal Health to their catalog website and they've got a
place you can click on and make a five dollars donation.
It doesn't have to be a lot, but it can
be five hundred dollars if you lost a pets to
breast cancer and you want to see something changed, because
really we haven't had any research in breast cancer since
the nineteen sixties in pets, and essentially all we know

(05:12):
is if you say before they're too you have a
reduced risk of cancer in memory cancer. But we don't
have any kind of diagnostics or any kind of treatment
other than surgery. So essentially, if you find a lump
on your dog or cat, you need to go in.
You need to have it taken care of. Don't watch it,
don't wait for it to get bigger, just go.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
In with that too, doctor. And I don't know what
we've mentioned enough. Obviously you guys are on social media
as well. Check out veterinary folks can find that with
cancers in pets. And you said something there that that
I hope people queued in on, which is you don't
want to wait on these on these type of things.
Is a doctor wants tell me that if you live

(05:52):
long enough, we're all eventually going to develop some type
of cancer. And I've got to guess human world pet
world is probably very similar. What are some of the
other signs too, I think obviously, you know there are
those those lumps and other things that can be observed.
Are there other things that that pet owners should be
keeping an eye out for when it comes to cancers,
different types of cancers for their in their pets.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Sure, breast cancer is always going to be a lump
along the memory chain, it's almost always females don't. But
other kinds of cancer, they can just be really vague,
insidious symptoms that she's not eating very well, or he
didn't get up as fast as he did before, and
you know, maybe she's just getting older and maybe she's
just not feeling well today. If you're noticing something, it
could be cancer and the spleen, which will cause some bleeding,

(06:37):
and those pets will very suddenly become ill. But it
may be really vague signs because you don't see any
evidence of bleeding on the outside of the pet. It
may be that they develop a cough, it may be
a lump somewhere, maybe something else on the skin that's
not related to the memory chain. It can be limping,
So anything that just doesn't seem right, especially in the
pets that's seven and up. What we start to see

(06:58):
cancers at age seven And a lot of the breeds
like Golden Retrievers and flat coat of Retrievers, boxers, Bernice's
Mountain dogs, those breeds are at higher risk of developing cancer.
So if you have like I have clients with, if
they have a seven year old golden and they look
at them CROSSI they're coming in because they just want
to be sure that something isn't going on, so they
run in. We do some diagnostics. There's some blood tests

(07:20):
now that we can do called liquid biopsies that we
can do to try and detect things early. We can
do X rays, we can do ultrasounds. We have some
good diagnostic tools.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Are there certain breeds of dogs that are more susceptible
to breast cancer?

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yes, actually there are. And there was a study published
in twenty twelve by the Internet. It was published at
the International Symposium for Canine and Feline Reproduction. And if
somebody's interested in seeing that article and they can't find
it on Google Scholar, I'm happy to send it to them.
If they just email us at the clinic, I'll send
it to them, but they did do it a pretty
interesting study, and so, yes, there are predisposing breeds, but

(07:57):
oftentimes it's more related to the age of things. So
if your dog was spaded under age too, she's probably
not going to develop cancer. If she was used in
a breeding program, you may have gotten her through a
rescue and she was a retired breeder. You may have
gotten her from a breeder, You may have bet her yourself,
you may have just decided I don't really want to
say young dogs, And there's a lot of justification from that.
More recently, we've seen articles about the benefits of not spaying,

(08:19):
but we also know the risks of not saying so
we have to kind of balance that. And so if
she had a mother or a grandmother that had breast cancer,
she's more likely to have it, just like in our people.
There's definitely a correlation with that. So I think it's
really important that people are in tune with it. I
usually talk to people so during Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
if you come into one of our practices, we're going
to teach you how to feel your dog's memory chain

(08:41):
to find if there's any early signs of cancer. We
don't do mammograms on dogs or cats. So we have
to do it all on feel and my staff, my assistance,
my technicians and my doctors will teach you how to
feel along the memory chain. And if anytime six within
the six months period of time after your appointment in
October with one of our practice you notice a lump
and you're concerned, you just give us a call. Come in.

(09:04):
One of the technicians will go over the dog. If
she feels like there's something going on, then we're going
to have you see a doctor and we're going to
appropriately schedule surgery if that's what our next best step
should be. And waiting until the lump gets bigger is
just dangerous because the bigger the lump, the more likely
it is to be cancerous and to have spread. So
early detection is really important, just like it is in people.
But since we don't have mammograms, we have to count

(09:26):
on our fingers. Also rely on your groomers. The groomers
are putting their hands on your dogs every six to
eight weeks to get them all trimmed up and beautiful
and babe, and they will oftentimes find lumps that owners
have not, So I think griomors are magical people that
we really rely on heavily in the veterinary field to
pick up on certain changes. They may notice something row
at the ear, or they may just notice something with

(09:46):
their teeth, but they're most certainly going to notice lumps
and those are the things that you want to be
paying attention to. So very important that you rely on
your veterinary staff and your groomer or your pet's health.
Don't just wing it and google it. Be sure that
you you are getting in for those real exams that
we can put our hands on your pet.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
Talking this morning with doctor Mardy Greer of check Out
Veterinary online checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet dot com.
If you've got a question for the doctor, we've got
a phone line open for you right now at six
eight three two one thirteen ten. That's six eight three
two one thirteen ten. You can learn more about Checkout
Veterinary on their website checkout vet dot com. That's checkout
vet dot com. They are currently accepting new patients at

(10:26):
checkout vet again. You can make the appointment right online
or give the call six oh eight three one eight
sixty seven hundred. That's six so eight three one eight
sixty seven hundred. Doctor, you're talking about other some breeds
that may be more susceptible, and you had mentioned something
in there that that I sometimes forget that there are
some of the great benefits of For example, if if
you are going the pure bread route, you know, you

(10:49):
know the lineage of that dog. Is that stuff contained,
Like I know, for folks that are at show dogs
and other things, that's very very important record keeping is
that stuff? Is that stuff contained there as well? Is
that is that something that that folks could either ask
their breeder or have that information available of certain types
of cancer, whether it's breast cancer, others that that may

(11:10):
run in that particular in that particular you know.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
Line of pets, right and it certainly does. Right now,
we don't have any DNA tests for cancer, so we
really have to rely on the people that knew those dogs, parents, grandparents,
great grandparents and so on. We know in the veterinary
field there's a lot of work actively going on finding
DNA tests for different diseases. We currently have three hundred
and fifty some tests that we can do a cheek

(11:36):
swab and determine if your dog has any DNA. That's
going to predispose them to some of those diseases, but
we don't have any for cancer at this point. Now,
really cool University of Wisconsin doctor Muir in the Orthopedics
department has developed a DNA test for cruciate disease Torn
cruciates ACLS, and it's the first. It's really a breakthrough

(11:56):
because it's the first complex DNA tests that we have
for dogs and cats. Previous to this, it's all been
simple autosomal recessive or simple autosomal dominant. But he now
has this one that will pick up on multiple DNA
factors all in one test. So that's going to be
a major breakthrough when we're looking for some of these additional,
more advanced diagnostics. Yes, there is a blood test that

(12:19):
we can do to look for lymphoma. Yes they're blood
tests for certain things. They're called liquid biopsies, but they're
still in their infancy in veterinary medicine, and we don't
have a DNA test specific to cancer, but we will sometimes.
I'm going to say probably in the next ten years,
we're going to see some really significant breakthroughs, especially with
what doctor Miir has been able to do. So if
you have a Laborador, you can actually have a DNA

(12:40):
test to determine if they're predispositarian Crucia. It's very interesting
information and brand new, just really cool that Wisconsin is
on the forefront of that, which is why I wanted
the University of Wisconsin to be the group that does
our research for our breast cancer. Not only we're attached
to Wisconsin, but they have a great veterinary school and
they have these really advanced techniques and doctors that we

(13:02):
really felt like supporting that would be helpful. So, like
I said, you can make a donation to that really easily.
There's all kinds of stuff on Facebook this week. There's
all kinds of things floating around out there, so please
take a minute and take a look. Just you know,
we have giving Tuesday, we have all these things going on,
so you know, just think about what pets have touched

(13:23):
your lives and how important they are to you, and
whether you would like to help support some of that,
because I think it's really important. And like I said,
if you have any questions about it, you give us
a call, you come in. We're happy to look at
your pet. It's free if you want to come in
and just have your little girl checked over and see
if she's got anything going on that you're concerned about.
Female dog or female cat. And we just don't see

(13:44):
it much in mail. So I don't want to sound discriminatory,
but we just don't see breast cancer and mails. It's
really important if you find something that you're concerned about,
you just call up, make an appointment, come on in
and we're going to give you the guidance of what should.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
You do as your next What a great opportunity for folks.
And again as we talked this morning with doctor Marty Greer,
check out VETT. If you can hear our voice you
are nearby. Checkout VET there right at twenty seven to
ten Prairie Lakes drive right and sun Prairie right off.
I we won fifty one near the interstate. Very convenient
to get on in. Great great data. Start that relationship.
As doctor Greer mentioned, first visit that exam that is free.

(14:19):
All you gotta do is pick up phone GEMMA call
six oh eight three one eight sixty seven hundred. That's
six oh eight three one eight sixty seven hundred accepting
new patients right now at checkout VET. The website checkout
VET dot com. That's checkout vet dot com. We'll get
to the emails and your calls next as ask the
Experts with Checkout Veterinary continues right here on thirteen ten
Double U I B eight eight fifty one thirteen ten

(14:42):
do wui b A and ask the experts with check
out Vet. Talking this morning with doctor Marty Greer of
Checkout Veterinary Clinic online. Checkout vet dot com. That's checkout
vet dot com. When you're at the website, you can
learn more about the about breast cancer Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
a great information at checkout vet dot com. There's a
link right on the main page if you scroll down,

(15:04):
you can make that donation right online if you if
you head down the page, there's a great link to
the UW giving page again right from checkout vet dot com.
Make it super easy for you. What a great what
a great opportunity for you to do something absolutely fantastic.
And of course there's some pink paw, silver necklaces and
some other things available as well. The proceeds going to

(15:27):
the fund. What a cool, what a cool way to
kind of a win win for everybody there, that is
for sure. So check them out. Check out vet dot com.
That's check out vet dot com. I was gonna ask
you to real quick doctor before we get to our emails.
Are things like chemo and radiation? Are those are those
type of things available to pets or is that something
that we we generally don't have available for for companion animals.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
Well, certain kinds of cancer, Yes, we absolutely do. We
have some that are old school that are combination therapies
that are very similar to the drugs given to people.
So there's a chop protocol that's done for lymphoma that
was developed at the University of Wisconsin WESH probably thirty
years ago, and it's still the gold standard for treating lymphoma.
But we don't have cures for lymphoma. We do have

(16:15):
other drugs. We have palladia, we have levardia, so we
do have drugs that are specifically targeted for dogs and
cats that are not human drugs. But many times these
research projects that they're doing at certain places like the
Veterinary School have benefited human cancer and human cancer has
benefited us. So there's definitely a lot of back and
forth on that, and I want people to barely be

(16:36):
aware that the research that's done for things like kids
with osteosarcoma. They actually are very similar to dogs with
ostia sarcoma. So there have been some very significant breakthroughs
with using animal models for research and vice versa. So, yes,
we do have some chemotherapy. Yeah, we do have chemo.

(16:56):
We do have radiation. They do it at the Vet School. Now, radiation,
of course is different in because and cats because we
have to put them under anesthesia for those procedures. You
can't expect them to just lay on the table and
have those things happen. So it's a much bigger deal
because they have to be anesthetized every time that it's done,
and that may be five days a week for four weeks,
so that may be twenty anesthetic periods in thirty days,

(17:17):
and that's pretty tough. So we really need some breakthroughs.
We really need some things that we can do for
our pets that currently aren't available. There's definitely breakthroughs coming,
but without the research funding, without the support, and without
people going to the veterinary clinic, and the d School
always has research projects going on. They send out a

(17:39):
monthly email to the veterinary clinics. You can look it
up online. And find out if the type of cancer
your dog has is going to be related to something
that's going on as a research project. And I actually
got a client that was in this week who works
for a company called VMD, and they're working on putting
together a program that allows people to really cross reference
all those programs, because right now you would have to

(18:00):
google it, and you would have to go to every
veterinary school's website or every institution that does chemo there.
And there are oncologists that are not at the veterinary
school in Wisconsin. We have some in the Madison area,
So you just look up veterinary oncologists and you can
go in and see one. So if you are diagnosed,
your pet is diagnosed with something and you want to
go beyond what your regular veterinary can do, by all

(18:21):
means make that happen. You know, go in, do the reading,
figure out where you can go, talk to your veterinary
and see what your choices are. And we have clients
that will travel great distances, you know, to other states
because there's a research project going on there or some
other kind of treatment that we don't have in Wisconsin.
So don't allow the limitations of I live in Madison

(18:42):
to be the only option that you have because you
can go to places if that's something that you want
to do, and then you can work with a local
oncologist at the veterinary school or in practice to try
and get some care for your pets. So, you know,
you have to decide what's important to you and what's
right for you and your pets, what the side effects are,
what the treatment looks like, and what is really best

(19:04):
for you. Because if it's something that you really want,
then go for it.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
It's a it's it's it's as you talk about some
of the resources out there. And of course one of
the things I love about and getting to know you
over the past few months and getting to understand more
about Checkout Vet is I know one of the things
that's very important with your veterinarians is communication with with
folks and really giving them options and having that conversation.

(19:28):
That's one of the nice things about checkout Vet. It's
convenient for you, it's convenient for your pet, a great
place to go and start that relationship, and they are
accepting new patients right now at Checkout Veterinary. A great
opportunity for you. I got to just pick up phone,
gimme a call. Six oh eight three one eight sixty
seven hundred. That's six oh eight three one eight sixty
seven hundred. Online checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet

(19:51):
dot com. You can learn more about checkout Veterinary. You
can also schedule an appointment right at the website. Also,
as we're talking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you
doctor Greer there, talk about the free technician check that's
going on right now. All the details up on the website,
and of course our ways to donate and get involved
and help the UW with that research all available to
you at checkout vet dot com. That's checkout vet dot com. Christy,

(20:15):
We're gonna get to your email next week. That's good
reminder though you two can be like Christy, send us
an email right through the website, or of course you
can send one through checkout vet dot com. Doctor Greer,
it's always entertaining, always informative. Thank you so much for
all the great work you do and thanks for joining
us this morning.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Well thank you for letting me show this important information.
I appreciate you, Sean.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
And again the website, checkout vet dot com. That's checkout
vet dot com Vicky McKenna has your chance to win
one thousand dollars next right here on thirteen ten, Wuiba