Friday, December 7, 2012

Are there any vets in Bakersfield california that knows how to care for chinchillas?

Q. My boyfriend and I both have chinchillas and im worried that when i need care for them from a vet i wont know where to go. I have searched online to find one but I have had no luck. Please if you have any recommendations let me know.

A. You may want to check out http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com. CnH is a web forum and it has a section just for veterinary listings that owners's recommend, plus you do not find one listed in your area you could post the question to see if there is another owner in your area and if they have a favorite.


What is the difference between Veterinary Technician LVT, RVT and CVT?
Q. I am trying to figure out the difference between Veterinary Technician LVT, RVT, CVT and Veterinary Assistants? I want to go to school for a Vet Tech but which one is the most rewarding in salary? I cant find any info on the net. Also,which one is the best online school?

A. It�s easy to get confused by all of the initials when looking into RVT programs. You may see LVT, RVT or CVT. The various initials are simply a matter of licensing or certification which is dependent upon the state in which you want to work. An RVT is a registered veterinary technician, an LVT is a licensed veterinary technician, and a CVT is a certified veterinary technician. They're all the same thing.

Many states allow you to work as a veterinary assistant with no certification or licensing. As an assistant, you are limited to what your duties can be and as a result warrant lower pay. A veterinary technician works right alongside a veterinarian in caring and treating the animal patients. Vet techs do a lot of lab work, conduct medical tests, draw blood, place catheters, give the animals medication, assist surgeries, and educate the pet owners.

Veterinary assistants are on the lower end of the veterinary hierarchy. They often perform the more mundane tasks. Some of a veterinary assistant�s duties include general husbandry, such as- cleaning cages, washing, feeding, and exercising the animals, them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the general annual salary of a registered veterinary technician was $34,000. A veterinary assistant earns an annual median salary of $24,000.

To begin a career as a veterinary technician, you must attend (either on campus or over the internet) an accredited vet tech school and successfully complete your education and training. Once you've received your Asso. of Applied Science, you sit for the Veterinary Technician National Examination.
It's important to research the requirements of the state you wish to work in. Once you pass the National Boards, you need to register with your state to receive your official credentials. Different states have different requirements with regards to schooling and testing. Each state has its own veterinary certification boards who can give you information regarding the requirements, extra testing, and deadlines you need to finish. This is the final step in attaining your RVT credentials.

I live in Texas and started at one of the top ranked schools in the nation- Tomball College. I had to move, so I finished the last of my education at a top ranked online school called Cedar Valley. Cedar Valley was an awesome school! I recommend you look in to it.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

11/6 update- Cindy is correct abt Registered Veterinary Nurse not being legal in Texas. I practiced in Germany for the past several years and that's what they call RVTs in Europe (in fact RVTs are called RVNs everywhere except the USA and Canada). Anyways, sometime old habits die hard! lol If I'm posting on here I should be representing properly. Thanks for the reminder Cindy! :)


How can one waive J1 visa for the two year requirement home?
Q. Hi,

My Fiance and soon to be husband in two months is on a J1 visa at the moment and I am a US Citizen. We would like to know how to go about waiving this J1 visa to at least waiving that two year going back to his country commitment? He isnt a medical doctor but a veterinary surgeon. Has anyone here had or heard of any success on getting approved for this type of waive?

Thank you

F

A. This is from the Dept of State's website, travel.state.gov or more specifically the temporary visitors visa section and go into the A-Z Subject Index:

Waiver of the J Visa Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement, 212(e)


Complete Online DS-3035 Application: Complete and print your J Waiver Visa Recommendation Application (DS-3035) online. NOTE: This Online DS-3035 is now the only acceptable version.

IMPORTANT NOTICES:

Completing the application online will reserve a case file number for your application and generate a bar coded data sheet which is required in order to process your J Visa Waiver Recommendation Application.

Please include the barcode when you mail in payment, with the original printed copy of your completed online application. The barcode must be printed in black and white only.
To complete Online DS-3035, Item 12, when program approval was on IAP-66: For DS-3035 Item 12, SEVIS Number, enter the following: N0000000000 (must have 10 zeros). For Item 12, Subject Field Code, enter the following from the IAP-66 form: 00. then the 4-digit subject field code number from the IAP (example 00.2546).
To complete Online DS-3035, Item 17: Applicants who have entered on a J visa more than 12 years ago should mark the date, February 1,1999 for question #17.


Does anyone have pet insurance and what kind?
Q. I'm thinking about getting pet insurance for my 2 chihuahuas and I'm unsure of what kind is good and how it works. I have found one online but I'm just tring to get some suggestions. Please no smart remakes.

A. Hi kimedwards0108,

Disclaimer: I work for Embrace Pet Insurance in Cleveland, Ohio.

There are at least a half dozen pet insurance companies operating in the US (I assume that's where you are). Let me see if I can help you make sense of pet insurance so that you can decide whether it's right for you and your two chihuahuas (btw, my mom had 2 chihuahuas as well, one was only as big as a Coke can as a full-grown adult!)

Pet insurance basically works like this: you sign up online or over the phone, the pet insurance company will then send you all the insurance stuff. If your pet gets sick then you visit any vet you like and you pay the bill. The pet insurance plan then reimburses you depending on what level of cover you had and the particulars of your plan (deductible, etc).

Now this is where things get tricky: what sort of coverage should you get? Many people expect pet insurance to act just like human health insurance but it doesn't really.

The "right" insurance protects you from an unexpected, expensive accident or illness. Insurance should not pay for day-to-day stuff that you know is going to happen, such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering. Why not?

Let me give you an analogy: let's say your car insurance paid for things like tire rotations every 15,000 miles and for repairing all the dings and scratches. Do you think your premium might be much, much higher than it already is?

So don't be lulled into thinking you need routine care and/or wellness visits with your insurance, these end up costing you more than you would by paying yourself.

Something else for you to think about is how claims are paid. Several pet insurance companies in the US pay claims only to the benefit schedule maximum. So if, for example, the benefit schedule limits payment for a broken leg to $855 or whatever, then no matter how much your vet visit cost, that's all you'll get back!

If you live in a big city, the benefit schedule can mean you get only a fraction back of what the veterinary visit actually cost you. A broken leg can cost several thousand dollars to fix and a benefit schedule may only reimburse a fraction of this amount.

You are wiser to go with a company that does not use benefit schedules.

The other main area where pet insurance companies disappoint pet parents is in genetic cover. Many, many pets are susceptible to genetic diseases of one type or another. This doesn't mean they'll ever actually get anything - sometimes these are apparent at birth, many times they are not. According to one book I have on canine genetic diseases, chihuahuas are more likely to have cardiovascular problems and neoplasia (cancer) than other dogs.

Some pet insurance companies look for an excuse not to pay something by calling it "genetic". But that's not how any of us expects health insurance to behave! You could argue that almost anything is genetic if you put your mind to it. This kind of thing doesn't exactly give pet parents a warm, comfy feeling about pet insurance.

There are a couple of companies that cover congenital conditions: our company (Embrace Pet Insurance) and Petplan USA. There may be others that I am not aware of. Obviously congenital or genetic conditions are only covered if they are not already visible; you cannot insure a pre-existing condition.

I hope this helps you find the right pet insurance for you. You can contact me directly if you have additional questions.


Alex
Embrace Pet Insurance





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