Zoobiquity: Physicians, Veterinarians Collaborate For Better Treatments

http://media.boston.cbslocal.com/CBSBOS_0605201523222000000AA.mp4 BOSTON (CBS) – Do you have a pet? No doubt you share love and affection. But you could share similar health problems, too, everything from anxiety to cancer. Dr. Mallika Marshall takes a closer look at how veterinarians and physicians are now working together to help all of us. “Completely shocked.” That’s how Jeff Scholes of Andover felt when he was told his 10 year old Norwich Terrier, Chien, had a dangerous heart rhythm and without surgery, could die. “I told them anything you need to do to fix him,” says Jeff. “Just go for it.” So just like a human with a cardiac pacemaker, doctors at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts Medical Center gave Chien a pacemaker, and now his heart is ticking away at a healthy rate. Chien is one of 10-15% of dogs who will develop heart disease at some point in their lifetime. Now physicians and veterinarians are trying to come up with better ways to treat both humans and animals for a variety of ailments. It’s something called Zoobiquity. It’s a term coined by Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and a colleague. Horowitz explains, “When physicians learn about veterinary medicine, about the science of veterinary medicine, about the power of understanding your disease by looking at its presentation in different species, not just in homo-sapiens, then we can think in a deeper ways about these problems.” Common problems ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Dr. Mallika Marshall Physicians Veterinarians zoobiquity Source Type: news