An Open Letter On Entering a Profession In Crisis.

     Normally, I like to keep it science-y here. As any long-time readers know, I'm very passionate about evidence-based medicine and accessible science communications. This one is personal. Feel free to turn back now. 

    In less than a year, I'll be a veterinarian, but I am already very much a part of this profession. I have been there in the flurry of CPR on a dog whose name I don't even know-- because he arrived already coding. I have spent day after day with long term ICU patients providing nursing support to get them back with their family. I have worked through strings of 14-16 hour days. I have cried alongside people I barely know in the collective grief of providing a suffering animal permanent relief, a safe and peaceful passage to the rainbow bridge. And I have suffered. 

But I've also played with puppies. I've assisted in the wonders of helping new lives come into this world. I've cuddled kittens. I've danced in the play yard with the boarding dogs. I've laughed. I 've worked alongside so many amazing people. I've loved my patients. I love interacting with pet owners. And I love this field. 

    I love this field so much, I'm currently staring down more than $200,000 in student loans-- and that's with scholarship aid! I love this field so much, the mounting debt and the bad days and the sights of suffering and the long hours and the sleepless nights and the grueling curriculum rarely haunt me. I love this field so much, I am at total peace with the awful debt to income ratio that awaits me, burdened with the knowledge that I and my colleagues will be almost certainly overworked and underpaid.

But today I had an experience that shook me. One that was not the first, and will not be the last, and is not unique to me, but that represents a really dark side to being in this profession:

Some of the people whose pets we treat see us as monsters. 

   

When is correlation due to causation?

    "Correlation isn't causation," is an accurate statement that is, unfortunately, oft' misemployed when members of the public discuss science or research. Specifically, it is used (incorrectly) to undermine actual instances of causative relationships. "Correlation," refers to an association between two events, scenarios, or factors. "Causation," refers to such things directly impacting one or the other in a cause-and-effect type of relationship. What becomes confusing is that correlations can be due either to a non-causative, indirect relationship (such as a common causative factor, or simply random chance) or to a mechanism of causation. Whenever causation is present, correlation is as well. 

Rather than broadly dismissing actual instances of causation by appealing to the existence of a correlation between two values, one must ask themselves: When is correlation due to causation? 

Biochemical Analysis of Dog Foods Provides New Clues On Causes of Diet-Associated DCM

    Research Cited: August 5, 2021 "Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis" Smith et al., Scientific Reports volume 11, Article number: 15881 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94464-2

    If you aren't familiar with the ongoing investigation into atypical Dilated Cardiomyopathy in dogs as it relates to diet, please see the Comprehensive Diet-Associated DCM Q+A and Nutrition page for additional information and resources. 

    Much of research investigating diet-associated DCM in dogs thus far has focused on the clinical pictures of affected and unaffected dogs in relation to their diet and patient factors. New research published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports took a deeper look, instead, at the diets themselves. This research took an approach previously dubbed 'foodomics,' or the in-depth study of food, nutrients, and their relation to individuals, health, and disease. While the findings of this study did not identify a definitive cause or mechanism for the atypical cases of DCM that have been seen in recent years (and continue to be diagnosed), it did open several doors for further research, bringing us one step closer to identifying the problem. Because Scientific Reports is an open-access journal, anyone can read the paper without paying. However, the methods and analysis are very technical, and may be less approachable for some readers. For that reason, important information is summarized below in a way more readily accessible to the average pet owner.