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The Power of Veterinary Medicine in Healthcare

By Chloe Patel | Published on  
Explore the exciting field of Zoobiquity and discover how the collaboration between veterinary and medical communities can enhance human and animal health. Learn about the latest research and breakthroughs in animal-human health connections.

It’s amazing how one phone call can change the trajectory of a person’s life. This was the case for me, ten years ago, when I received a call from a veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo. They needed a cardiologist to come and evaluate an elderly chimpanzee who had woken up with a facial droop. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a journey that would lead me to discover the significant overlap between the disorders of animals and humans.

At that time, I was a cardiologist at UCLA Medical Center, specializing in cardiac imaging techniques for human patients. However, I soon found myself at the Los Angeles Zoo, ruling out a stroke in a chimpanzee, evaluating a macaw for a heart murmur, and even draining 700 cc’s of fluid from a lion’s heart. The procedures I did on animals were almost identical to those I had done on many human patients. I was amazed at how physicians and veterinarians were essentially taking care of the same disorders in their animal and human patients, including congestive heart failure, brain tumors, diabetes, arthritis, and even psychiatric syndromes like depression and anxiety.

Despite my background in comparative physiology and evolutionary biology, I had never thought to ask a veterinarian or consult veterinary literature for insights into one of my human patients. The surprising discovery of the overlap between animal and human health was a wake-up call for me. From that point on, I started to wonder how much veterinary knowledge was being left untapped in human medicine.

The separation between urban hospitals and animal patients is growing, which creates a psychological distance between the two. However, when it comes to testing medication, every drug that we prescribe for human patients has first been tested on an animal. Nonetheless, there is something different about animals developing their own diseases that affect humans, such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, or breast cancer.

To bridge the gap between the veterinary and medical communities, I began organizing Zoobiquity conferences, which brought medical schools together with veterinary schools for collaborative discussions. At these conferences, physicians and veterinarians come together as peers to discuss shared diseases and disorders in animal and human patients. It’s exciting to see the connections made at these conferences, such as how treating breast cancer in a tiger can help us better treat breast cancer in a kindergarten teacher.

As physicians, we need to hug our patients’ and our own animal natures and join veterinarians in a species-spanning approach to health. It turns out that some of the best and most humanistic medicine is being practiced by doctors whose patients aren’t human. By paying attention to how all the other patients on the planet live, grow, get sick, and heal, we can take better care of our human patients.

It’s fascinating to think about how similar the diseases and disorders that affect animals and humans really are. As a cardiologist at UCLA Medical Center, I specialized in cardiac imaging techniques for human patients. However, I soon found myself working alongside veterinarians at the Los Angeles Zoo, evaluating and treating animal patients for a range of conditions such as heart disease, tumors, and even psychiatric syndromes.

It became clear to me that physicians and veterinarians were essentially taking care of the same disorders in their animal and human patients, including congestive heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, and even psychiatric syndromes like depression and anxiety. Although we accept that there is a biological connection between animals and humans, the surprising discovery of the overlap between animal and human health was a wake-up call for me.

Despite our species being just one among many, we still struggle with the concept of human exceptionalism. We accept intellectually that we are no more unique or special than any other species, yet in our hearts, we still feel that tug of superiority. However, it’s crucial to recognize the scientifically isolating cost of seeing ourselves as a superior species. By hugging our animal natures, we can take better care of our human patients.

It’s incredible to see the connections made at Zoobiquity conferences, where medical schools and veterinary schools come together for collaborative discussions. We learn how treating a condition in an animal patient can help us better treat the same condition in a human patient. For example, veterinarians had been diagnosing and treating emotionally induced heart failure in animals for years before it was “discovered” in human patients in the early 2000s. Imagine how many human lives could have been saved if we had tapped into veterinary knowledge sooner.

The separation between urban hospitals and animal patients is growing, which creates a psychological distance between the two. Nonetheless, every medication that we prescribe or take for ourselves or our families has first been tested on an animal. There is no doubt that animal health is closely tied to human health, and it’s time for physicians to hug this fact.

In conclusion, the overlap between animal and human disorders is undeniable. By paying attention to how all the other patients on the planet live, grow, get sick, and heal, we can take better care of our human patients. It’s time for us to break down the barriers between the veterinary and medical communities and join veterinarians in a species-spanning approach to health.

As our world becomes more urbanized and technology-driven, the distance between human patients being treated in gleaming urban hospitals and animal patients living in oceans, farms, and jungles is growing. The psychological distance created between the two is concerning as it may prevent us from recognizing the critical connections between animal and human health.

It’s common knowledge that every medication prescribed or taken by humans has first been tested on animals. However, there is something very different about giving an animal a medication or a human disease, and the animal develops the same conditions as humans. Despite this overlap, urban hospitals and animal patients remain largely separated.

Perhaps this increasing separation is due to the growing disconnect between the urban and non-urban communities. City kids, for example, may not know that wool comes from sheep or that cheese comes from cows. Similarly, urban hospitals are turning into these technologically advanced cathedrals, which creates a psychological distance between the human patients being treated there and animal patients living in oceans, farms, and jungles.

But the psychological distance runs much deeper than just urbanization. Physicians and scientists accept intellectually that humans are no more special or unique than any other species. However, we still feel a tug of human exceptionalism when we listen to Mozart or look at pictures of the Mars Rover. The emotionally isolating cost of seeing ourselves as a superior species is the reason why we should start hugging our animal natures to take better care of human patients.

As physicians and veterinarians begin to recognize the overlap between animal and human disorders, we can start breaking down the psychological distance between the two. By seeing our human patients as human animal patients and recognizing the crucial connections between animal and human health, we can take better care of our patients.

In conclusion, despite the psychological distance created between urban hospitals and animal patients, it’s clear that animal health is closely tied to human health. We must break down the barriers between the veterinary and medical communities and hug the overlap between animal and human disorders to provide the best care for all patients.

Physicians and veterinarians have a lot in common when it comes to taking care of their patients. While physicians typically treat human patients, and veterinarians treat animal patients, the disorders they encounter and treat are remarkably similar. From congestive heart failure to brain tumors, leukemia to diabetes, and even psychiatric syndromes like depression, anxiety, compulsions, eating disorders, and self-injury, there is a significant overlap in the conditions that afflict both humans and animals.

Despite this overlap, physicians have historically failed to consult veterinary literature or reach out to veterinarians for insights into their human patients. However, this is changing as physicians and veterinarians recognize the importance of collaborating and sharing knowledge to provide the best possible care for patients of all species.

It’s crucial for physicians to hug their animal natures and recognize that humans are merely one species, no more unique or special than any other. Physicians and scientists may intellectually accept this fact, but deep down, they often struggle with the emotionally isolating cost of seeing themselves as a superior species. But by recognizing the overlap between animal and human disorders and hugging our animal natures, we can provide the best care for our patients.

One exciting development that has come from recognizing the overlap between animal and human health is the identification of new diagnoses and treatments for conditions that were once thought to be unique to humans. For example, veterinarians have been diagnosing and treating emotionally induced heart failure in animals since the 1970s. This discovery was then applied to human medicine, leading to a better understanding of fear-induced heart failure in humans.

Another area where veterinarians have made significant contributions to human health is in the treatment of self-injury. Veterinarians have developed specific and effective ways of treating and preventing self-injury in animals, which could be applied to human patients struggling with similar conditions.

In conclusion, physicians need to recognize the overlap between animal and human health and hug their animal natures to provide the best possible care for their patients. By collaborating with veterinarians and sharing knowledge, we can identify new diagnoses and treatments for conditions that afflict both humans and animals. By breaking down the barriers between the veterinary and medical communities, we can provide more humanistic medicine that benefits patients of all species.

As a society, we often think of animals and humans as separate entities. However, the reality is that we share many similarities, including the disorders that can afflict us. It’s not just humans who suffer from diseases like cancer, heart failure, or depression; animals can suffer from them as well.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that we can learn from the medical practices used to treat animals and apply them to human medicine. This approach is known as Zoobiquity, and it involves collaborating and sharing knowledge between veterinarians and physicians to benefit both human and animal patients.

One of the most exciting aspects of Zoobiquity is the discovery of new diagnoses and treatments for conditions that were once thought to be unique to humans. For example, veterinarians have been diagnosing and treating emotionally induced heart failure in animals for decades. However, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that human cardiologists discovered this condition in humans. By applying the knowledge and treatments used in veterinary medicine, human doctors were able to better understand and treat this condition in humans.

Another area where veterinarians have made significant contributions to human medicine is in the treatment of self-injury. Animals, like humans, can suffer from self-injury disorders, and veterinarians have developed specific and effective ways of treating and preventing these conditions in animals. This knowledge could be applied to human patients struggling with similar conditions.

Additionally, veterinarians have developed innovative treatments for postpartum depression and psychosis in animals that could be applied to human patients. For example, equine veterinarians have found success in treating foal rejection syndrome in mares by increasing the levels of oxytocin, the bonding hormone, which can help renew a mother’s interest in her foal. This approach could also be applied to human patients struggling with postpartum depression or psychosis.

In conclusion, Zoobiquity represents an exciting opportunity for physicians and veterinarians to collaborate and share knowledge to benefit both human and animal patients. By recognizing the overlap between animal and human health and applying veterinary knowledge to human medicine, we can identify new diagnoses and treatments for conditions that afflict both humans and animals. This approach has the potential to transform the way we think about medicine and lead to more effective treatments for patients of all species.

Veterinary medicine has a significant role to play in human healthcare. Yet, this fact is often neglected or overlooked. In our modern world, there seems to be a psychological distance between human patients who are treated in urban hospitals and animal patients living in different habitats such as farms, jungles, and oceans.

However, the truth is that physicians and veterinarians deal with similar disorders in their animal and human patients. The diseases they encounter include congestive heart failure, brain tumors, leukemia, diabetes, arthritis, ALS, breast cancer, and even psychiatric syndromes such as depression, anxiety, compulsions, eating disorders, and self-injury.

It’s fascinating to think that every medication we prescribe or take ourselves, or give to our loved ones, has first been tested on an animal. But there is something distinct about animals developing human diseases that we often forget. The increasing separation between the urban and non-urban areas in our world has also contributed to the divide between physicians and veterinarians.

Despite the many overlaps between veterinary medicine and human medicine, some physicians tend to view doctors who are not M.D.’s with condescension and ignorance, including veterinarians. However, most physicians do not realize that it is more challenging to get into vet school these days than medical school.

It’s time for physicians to recognize that we are all animals and to hug our patients’ and our own animal natures. By doing so, we can join forces with veterinarians and start taking a species-spanning approach to health. Doctors can learn a lot from animal experts, evolutionary biologists, and veterinarians, which is why programs like Zoobiquity conferences are essential.

In these conferences, medical schools and veterinary schools come together to discuss the shared diseases and disorders of animal and human patients. By paying attention to how animals live, grow, get sick and heal, physicians can provide better care for their human patients. After all, some of the most humanistic medicine is being practiced by doctors whose patients aren’t human.

Physicians and veterinarians have much more in common than one might think. Both professions deal with similar disorders and diseases in their patients, from congestive heart failure and brain tumors to diabetes and even psychiatric syndromes such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Despite these overlaps, there remains a large gulf between the two fields that needs to be bridged.

Part of the problem is a lack of understanding and respect on both sides. Some physicians have been known to condescend to veterinarians, believing that their knowledge and expertise is somehow inferior. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Veterinarians must learn about the health and diseases of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and birds, while medical students focus solely on human health.

Fortunately, efforts are being made to bring these two communities closer together. Programs like Darwin on Rounds at UCLA and Zoobiquity conferences are embedding animal experts and evolutionary biologists into medical teams and bringing medical and veterinary schools together for collaborative discussions of shared diseases and disorders. At Zoobiquity conferences, physicians and veterinarians can check their attitudes and preconceptions at the door and come together as colleagues to share knowledge and expertise.

As physicians, we need to hug our animal natures and recognize that we are not a superior species apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. By paying attention to how all creatures on the planet live, grow, get sick, and heal, we can take better care of our human patients. Veterinary knowledge can be applied to human health in exciting ways, from treating fear-induced heart failure to preventing self-injury and postpartum depression.

In conclusion, it’s time for physicians to recognize the value of veterinary medicine and to work together to provide the best care for all patients, human and animal alike. Let’s break down the barriers between our communities and hug a species-spanning approach to health.

Collaboration is key in bridging the gap between the veterinary and medical communities. And one of the best examples of this collaboration is the Zoobiquity conferences. These conferences bring medical schools and veterinary schools together to discuss the shared diseases and disorders of animal and human patients.

Participants learn how treating breast cancer in a tiger can help better treat breast cancer in a kindergarten teacher. They discover how understanding polycystic ovaries in a Holstein cow can help better take care of a dance instructor with painful periods. And they explore how better understanding the treatment of separation anxiety in a high-strung Sheltie can help an anxious young child struggling with their first days of school.

In these conferences, doctors, whether they are physicians or veterinarians, check their attitudes and preconceptions at the door and come together as colleagues and peers. They recognize that humans are animals, too, and that it’s time to hug a species-spanning approach to health.

As a result of Zoobiquity conferences, physicians and veterinarians alike are breaking down barriers and collaborating like never before. They are sharing knowledge, expertise, and best practices, ultimately leading to better care for all patients, whether they have paws or hands.

In conclusion, Zoobiquity has brought together the medical and veterinary communities in a unique way to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding of health across species. The field of Zoobiquity offers a promising future for medical research and treatment, as it encourages a holistic approach to healthcare. By recognizing the connections between animal and human health, physicians and veterinarians can work together to improve the health of all species, not just humans.

The Zoobiquity conferences have been instrumental in fostering collaboration and conversation between these two fields. Through these conferences, researchers have been able to share their findings and discuss potential areas of collaboration. These discussions have led to new insights and approaches to treating diseases in both humans and animals.

Overall, the concept of Zoobiquity provides a new perspective on health and medicine, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all species. As we continue to learn more about the links between animal and human health, it is clear that the integration of medical and veterinary knowledge will be essential for improving the health of all species on our planet.