Things Change

I’ve been practicing veterinary medicine for over 38 years. I’m only 61. You can’t start as young as I did anymore.

Back in the 70’s there was a shortage of veterinarians in the United States. It was the beginning of a new era. People wanted more and better care for their house pets. The James Herriot books didn’t hurt either.

Up until that time most veterinarians were engaged in farm practice and only treated dogs and cats on the side. Veterinarians who practiced strictly “small animal practice” were rare. Only in large, metropolitan areas were there practices devoted just to small animals. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I recall there being only 2, strictly small animal practices in the city of 200,000. My dad took our dogs to see a vet out in the country. I don’t remember his name. He did farm calls and saw dogs and cats in his kitchen at night. I remember taking our dog to him. No appointments; we just drove to his house, rang the bell. He was having dinner in front of the tv. He stopped eating, we went in the kitchen and put our dog up on the table for the exam. The vaccines he gave were in the refrigerator, next to the milk and leftovers. That was my earliest exposure to a veterinarian.

Most veterinarians were male back then too. “Large animal” practice was for men (not my opinion) and fixing cows and horses was physically demanding.  Because of the increased demand for small animal practitioners, veterinary schools, of which there were less than 20 in the country, expanded their class sizes, admitted younger students and a lot of women, and doubled their faculties so they could add a small animal curriculum.

I was 19 years old when I was admitted to veterinary school. I wasn’t the youngest student in my class either. I was allowed to apply half way through my sophomore year of college, but only to Michigan State University where I had started as a freshman. In my class of 115, 45 of us were 2nd yr. “babies”. Almost half my class was female.

I began veterinary school in June of 1974, 3 months before I turned 20. No time off for summer. We went to school year around with only a 6 week break that was taken in the 3^rd year. I earned my bachelor’s degree sometime in 1975. I got it in the mail. I didn’t know I’d earned it. No graduation ceremony.

I graduated from veterinary school in June of 1977. We had 4 years of veterinary education crammed into 3. I was 22 years old. Needless to say, there were no spring breaks for my class. For that matter, not a lot of sunlight either. There were no computers, no internet. Everything was from books and lectures. Read, read, read, examine, memorize, study, test, study some more….maybe sleep some.

Thinking back, it was one of the best times of my life. My classmates and I were on our own little ship sailing in a big college ocean. We rarely interacted with the rest of the campus. Our classes were in buildings segregated from the rest of the university. In the clinic, we were required to wear “whites” at all times; white slacks, shirts and coats. Men wore ties. My roommate and I would sometimes wear bowties just to be different. We said we sold ice cream on the side. Some of the women wore ties too; just to change things up. Though I rarely see or speak to them anymore, they were some of the best friends I ever had. If I cross paths with an old classmate now, even if it hasn’t been since graduation, we hug each other like long lost relatives. Here is a picture of me and some of my 1977 classmates. Find me?

It’s been my pleasure to mentor a few youngsters who have gone on to become veterinarians. One of our interns, Kelly D. will be joining the Texas A&M class of 2020 this fall. We’re very proud of her. Her experience getting to this point is very different from mine. There is double the number of veterinary schools now. The profession is more than half female, which is great. I am the father of two daughters and I’ve always been proud of how the vet
erinary profession has welcomed women.

Today, the amount of time it takes and the cost of a veterinary education are dauntingly higher. One thing I’ve emphasized to future colleagues is to be careful and smart about the amount of debt you incur achieving your goal. It’s so different from my day.

Yes, a ton of things have changed since I started, but the one thing that hasn’t is the sheer joy of practice. It is hard. It’s challenging, special and rewarding. This is the honest to gosh truth. I’ve never regretted my choice (well, after a bad day, maybe once or twice). But really, I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Answer to “Where’s Dr. Beebe?” Here I am almost 40 yrs. younger, 50 lbs lighter and with a head of hair. Sigh.

If your kitty lives long enough chances are he or she might get this.

Hyperthyroidism. It’s an overactive thyroid caused by an benign tumor (adenoma) on the gland. It results in too much thyroid hormone and basically, it speeds up your cat’s metabolism. They appear quite normal. They have great appetites…maybe too great. They’re alert and playful most of the time. They’re always old when they get this disease; most are at least 12 years old. But they lose weight. Their heartrates and blood pressure go up. They waste away even though they eat like crazy. Eventually heart and/or kidney failure show up. Not good.

Here’s what one often looks like:

The disease did not exist when I was a student in the 1970’s. The first case reports were not published until around 1980. Interestingly, one of the first reports was by a veterinarian from Boston I had the pleasure of speaking to several times. The late Dr. Jean Holzworth. She was a fascinating lady and you can read more about her here.

I worked in Clinton in the early 80’s and she called me out of the blue one day as I was treating a cat belonging to a friend of hers. She had a summer home on the Connecticut shoreline. I didn’t know who she was. She proceeded to…shall we say…”inform” me about what I was missing regarding her friend’s cat. Also, since she had a PhD in Latin and had taught at Mount Holyoke College before entering veterinary school she was kind enough to correct my diction during our conversation. I was young and thought I was the “cat’s meow”; I almost dismissed her as a crank. When I mentioned the call to my boss he practically fell out of his chair and said incredulously, “Jean Holzworth called YOU?!!” He proceeded to fill me in on exactly who she was…and after following her suggestions (well…orders) I ended up diagnosing my first case of hyperthyroidism.

Years later when I was in my own practice up in the Litchfield hills she called me again. By this time she had retired to Lake Waramaug which was nearby. She did not remember me but, oh baby, I remembered her. Again, a friend of hers had brought a cat to me. It turned out to be a different problem, but Dr. Holzworth was spot on once again. The lady was a gem. Intimidating, but a gem nonetheless.

Today, hyperthyroidism is a regular finding. Unlike 35 years ago there is a simple blood test for the disease. We diagnose a case or two almost every month. We used to surgically remove the tumors, but it was fraught with complications and frequently failed.  Radioactive iodine, like they use for goiter in humans, is the best treatment now, but it can be expensive, so many cat owners opt to use the drug methimazole which comes as a topical ointment  applied to the inner aspect of the ear; or a liquid or tablet that is given orally on a twice daily basis.

Here’s an in depth article about the disease from Angell Memorial Veterinary Hospital in Boston; Dr. Holzworth’s career home. 

I’ve always been fascinated about why this disease wasn’t around before the late 70’s. There are several theories and none have been definitively proven. The two that I think have some merit have to do with what has changed in our households starting around 50 years ago. When hyperthyroidism was first found in cats researchers went back to their files and examined thyroid specimens that had been preserved from cats going back to the 1940’s. They could not find any evidence of thyroid tumors. Not until the 70’s did they start to show up. Why?

One theory was that starting in the 1960’s upholstery and carpeting manufacturers starting treating fabrics with fire retardant chemicals related to bromine (polybrominated biphenols, PBBs). Bromine is very similar to iodine and we knew high levels of iodine could lead to thyroid problems. Also, around this time cat food cans started to come with ring top pull tabs; can openers weren’t necessary. The inner lining of the cans were coated with a solvent containing traces of PBBs to keep them from rusting and leaking. By the time cats born in the 60’s reached 12+ years of age in the late 70’s…Bingo…thyroid tumors started showing up. I don’t know if they will figure it out but I lean towards the can theory. I had a cat, Pete, who lived to be almost 20 years old. He never got hyperthyroidism. Yeah, he lounged around on the carpets and couches his whole life but I never fed him canned food. I didn’t like the smell. For what it’s worth.