Pulse - February 2021 - 22

THE RVT

Animal Poison Control
By Allyne Moon, RVT, CCFP; Edited by Anthony Sees

any years ago, I cared for a patient who
ingested a toxin. This pet was an intact
geriatric chihuahua with dilated cardiomyopathy, who also happened to be very difficult
to handle - to say the least - due to aggression
issues. Apparently, our little friend had somehow
gotten into the babysitter's methamphetamine,
making this an even more difficult and urgent situation to navigate.
The first thing we did at the clinic was place the pet in
a quiet, well oxygenated, dark, space. Then everyone hustled
to their best resources - mine was a text to Jeffrey Backus,
RVT, CVT,VTS (ECC) and toxicology guru. He was working
at a veterinary teaching hospital in the ICU at the time and
his " expletive response " confirmed our suspicions - we were
going to have to walk a razor thin line between the ingestion
killing the patient and the treatment killing the patient. Our
aggressive bundle of terror was in a situation where the therapy for his poor dietary choice (acepromazine), was contraindicated by his medical condition (DCM). We collaborated
with Jeffrey along with an internal medicine specialist, and
a cardiologist on treatment plans. We donned our cat gloves,
braced with large fluffy towels and an oversized oxygen cone,
and as slowly and gently as possible administered the treatment. The good news is the pet survived both the incident
and the treatment and went on to terrorize us at the clinic for
several more years. The bad news is the pet survived the treatment and went on to terrorize us for several more years. A
positive outcome. The superior news, however, is that Jeffrey
Backus has taken his vast technical knowledge and knack for
solving toxicology issues and is using it to help pets across the
country with their questionable dietary choices.
Jeffrey now works at the ASPCA
Animal Poison Control Center
(APCC). Currently he works from
home receiving phone calls and
advising veterinarians and pet parents based on veterinary prescribed
recommendations. He uses his 16
years of veterinary emergency experience to help pets and their parents through stressful situations.
Jeffrey emphasizes the need for compassionate customer service without judgment to provide information and advice in
a reassuring, gentle, yet informative manner. While he doesn't
get to utilize many of his hands-on technical skills, his veterinary mental skills are fully utilized every day on every case.
Working at APCC requires a mix of customer service
and veterinary medical knowledge, according to Jeffrey.

The good news is the pet survived both
the incident and the treatment and
went on to terrorize us at the clinic for
several more years.
Like working at a clinic, APCC CVT support staff, must
be able to:
1. Communicate with panicked pet parents.
2. Calm the pet parent and extract vital information to help
the pet(s) in need.
3. Talk an owner through weighing their pet, describing
what the pet ate, and sometimes even toxin identification.
4. Quickly research substances and apply appropriate protocols to each individual situation- this may mean referring
to a licensed veterinarian, advising immediate transfer to
an animal hospital, or communicating veterinary prescribed observation regimes.
5. Appropriately record each case into the ASPCA database.
Each pet parent receives a personalized plan based on their
pet's individual needs
On the technical side, the APCC staff members will utilize
the APCC database, complete data entry, calculate dosages
ingested and do toxicology calculations, and utilize specific
APCC protocols. They receive incredible support from veterinary toxicologists and non-boarded DVM's, seasoned CVT
professionals, and assistants. The culture of the ASPCA is truly
one of support and diversity - they want you to succeed, says
Jeffrey. The APCC team supports their staff with roughly 140
hours of on-boarding training, access to knowledgeable mentors, helpful assistants, and training lectures.
Reflecting on his career as an RVT, RVT instructor, and
RVT working in a veterinary teaching hospital, Mr. Backus
says, " many people enter the veterinary technician profession quite early on in life. They learn exciting new skills
and knowledge, advanced techniques, and then peak. " These
highly trained, knowledgeable individuals sometimes find
themselves feeling 'stuck' in clinical practice with few options
or support for advancement, which sometimes results in
skilled veterinary professionals leaving the field. What everyone should know is there are options beyond the clinic.
Other options that support RVT's as people, building them
up and investing in them. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is one such option under the veterinary medicine
umbrella that supports excellence and diversity. You do not
have to leave the field - you can use your veterinary knowledge in other areas. P

FEBRUARY 2021

PULSE

Pulse - February 2021

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