Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Lyme Disease 101



Veterinarian James L. Busby tells you via YouTube what I have said on this blog.

For what I have said (with footnotes to sources), see >> The Billion Dollar Lyme Disease Scam.
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9 comments:

The Dog House said...

Found this on Amazon.com's comments section in regards to this book.

"While there might be some kernals of advice Dr. Busby provides that are not unreasonable or unfounded, beware of digesting this book whole without a considerable pinch of salt. Much of Dr. Busby's advice is considered rather outrageous among veterinarians, of which I am one. I wonder if Dr. Busby doesn't have an axe to grind against the veterinary community: 3 years before he published this, he was sanctioned by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine for his significantly substandard care. This action was made after a complaint from one of his clients and an investigation by the board. In part he was sanctioned for not rountinely examining animals before surgery, reusing disposable syringes, and not having gas anesthesia or oxygen in his clinics (among other things). For anyone who might be interested to read more, all of this is public record, accessible on the internet, at the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine."

The comment checks out. He's currently operating under a limited and conditional license. While I may be in at least partial agreement with several things this man has stated, I certainly would not be looking to him for evaluations on standard of care.

PBurns said...

I work all day long with whistleblowers (it's what I do for a living) and I find MOST most have an ax to grind.

But so what? That's how you find things out. With whistleblowers, the question is a pretty simple one: Is the information they are giving you correct?

And in this case, it is.

As the links underneath the video explain, there is nothing being said here that others have not said before (perhaps better).

Here's a question: Do silent veterinarians have an ax to grind (and a pocket to fill?).

You bet!

Do we want rip off artists and billpadders deciding standards of care?

No there too!

P

Sighthound Scott said...

Also, aren't those whistle-blowers then more likely to be singled out and punished by whichever oligarchy has been accepted as the be-all, end-all board of experts in their field?

Dr. Busby actually posted the details of his being censured on his site. Not having been a witness to the event, I'll refrain from forming an opinion of what is fact, but will happily accept the advice given by the doctor because of its merit of being common sense.

His response, which it too large to post here, can be found under November 14, 2007 on this link: http://oldcountryvet.com/newsAndUpdates.html

The Dog House said...

I've read the full complaint, as well as his version of the situation.

Sighthound Scott, if you had read the complaint against Dr. Busby you would realize that sanctions were taken against him in 2002. He has been on limited license for eight years. His book was published in 2005.

Patrick, I have little argument with the videos posted here (although I don't believe that the lyme controversy is as cut and dry as he presents it). Have you read the entire book, however?

While I am quite sure that the fee charged by the majority of vets for dealing with a broken limb is going to be an inflated one, choosing to instead refuse all treatment and let it heal on its own is not a humane or medically sound alternative.

PBurns said...

Yes, I have read the book. Big type and not long. Most of what he says is not very controversial.

As I note at the link, curing Lyme is not expensive or difficult.

As for broken bones on a dog, the best "cure" is prevention: get a real dog (not a toy) and keep the thing on a leash. Vehicle impacts are preventable. Somehow I have managed not to break any legs on any of my dogs!

As I recall (I am not at home at the moment), Busby says to get a broken leg fixed by your veterarian. To repeat: Busby says to get a broken leg fixed by your veterarian.

He ALSO says a vet who says "pay me $3,000 or we kill the dog" is leaving another option off the table.

Now, I am personally OK with that option being left off the table. A lot of folks driving expensive cars seem to be broke when it comes time to vetting their dog.

Having said that, some people really do have crushing finances.

Here's a thought: human legs have been broken and splint for millenia and allowed to heal on their own for even longer. Is is the best medicine? No, of course not! Would I do it? Not a chance. My dogs go to vets for major things. But I also have a savings account for the dogs health. Not everyone does.

Consider this: in the back country of Asia, Africa, and South America, they are not shooting humans because a doctor, xray machine, and fiberglass cast are not around. They are splintering up limbs as needed, and allowing things to heal if that is all they can do. And most of the time it works, even if the leg is not quite as straight as it might be, and even if the recovery time is a bit longer, and a limp is the outcome.

Should we be shooting those humans instead? You should according to your vet!

That said, I know my limits, and I use a vet because I will take myself to a doctor under the same circumstances. But will I shoot myself if I break a bone and a doctor is not an otion? No. And I will not shoot the dog either if a veterinarian is not an option. That is (more or less) what Busby says asd I recall.

P

The Dog House said...

Well, I'm going to leave the topic of human euthanasia alone - not exactly a black and white subject.

But seriously, LMAO at your broken leg preventatives. ;O)

I guess here's what I'm getting at... if you did in fact require the services of a veterinarian, would you choose one who doesn't even stock gas anesthesia?

Should also note that I saved a client a few hundred bucks today when I superglued her dog's split foot pad back together. Not a bad injury, just in one of those won't-stop-bleeding places.

Having as many pets as we do, not much irritates me more than having a vet try and screw me over... what I'm saying is that I'd take the one who's overpriced over the one who cuts every available penny-pinching corner to the detriment of his patient's best interests. And from what I can find on Busby, I wouldn't trust him with my houseplant.

PBurns said...

Dog House, the topic of this post is LYME DISEASE.

If you want to talk about that, fine. I know a bit about it, and you can go to the link if you want to argue it.

Lyme disease is what Busby is talking about here, and he is not wrong.

I posted the video because I do not do videos, and from experience I know a lot of people do not actually read. Everyone learns different, so I try to accomodate that if it's possible.

Would I go to Busby for vet care?

Maybe.

And so might you if you hunt. You see, I've gone to quiet a few vets before that I knew NOTHING about. That's what happens when you have a dog that's opened itself up pretty deep on wire or cut metal, and you are 100 miles from home.

Would I go to Busby for my local vet? Probably not, as I think I live more than 700 miles away from him!

Would I go to Busby if I lived close by? Dunno. I do not run on rumor. If it is as presented by one side, then the answer is NO. If it is as presented by the other side, then the answer is "probably."

I CAN say that I would NOT go to a vet that did not have anesthesia.

In no small part that's because anesthesia and sewing up serious things are ALL I need a veterinarian for. I have a staple gun and can close a simple wound myself if need be (and no I do not need anesthesia for that, though I do keep percocets in my kit in case they are needed). So if I show up at a vets office, it's not because I need gauze and candy. I need someone to do real work (and I keep a bank account for the dogs to pay for it).

Now, to get back to LYME disease.

Is Busby correct in the information he is giving in this video clip?

YES.

Is the information I give on Lyme disease at the link correct?

YES.

That is what this post is about.
It's not a deep examination of Busby, whom I do not know and never expect to meet.

YES, I have read his book.

And NO, I did not find it all that remarkable.

Would I find how he practices remarkable? Dunno. Maybe, maybe not. Like I said, I do not run on rumor. On the upside, I am not an ignorant. It's pretty hard to fool me for very long, and that goes for both bad treatment AND price-gouging.

For the record, I work on human health care fraud issues, and I find what doctors do in the arena of human health to be pretty remarkable. And it's not just the billing is it? How about $24 million dollars of unnecessary dental pain and billing to poor children? I do not have to go back more than a few weeks to point to that >> http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/wfo012010.htm

P

The Dog House said...

Your blog is one that is held in fairly high esteem among many of the dog crowd (even those that disagree with you). Including video of Dr. Busby on your site is easily misconstrued by some as an endorsement - particularly with the way the video itself is put together.

PBurns said...

I 100% endorse what Busby has to say about Lyme disease.

I 100% endorse what Busby has to say about heartworm.

I 100% endorse what he has to say about vaccinations.

Since those are the topics these posts are about, and since I have provided links to my own writing on them (which in turn links to many authorities), I am am unclear as to why you are confused or why you continue to type or waste my time.

Who are you? You have no name and chose to be anonymous. Do you know Busby and have some ax to grind?

One thing is for sure -- you are NOT interested in talking about Lyme disease, or vaccinations, or heartworm. Your interest seems to be centered on running down Busby, and at this point you are not very credible because you are pretty far off-topic and sound like a person with a vendetta. Give us a real name and a real email address.

P