[Opening Slide: A vet holding a chart while explaining something to an owner who looks confused. Text: “Decoding Treatments: Bridging the Gap.”]
Voiceover:

"Veterinary medicine can feel like a foreign language. You’re listening to your vet explain a treatment plan, but suddenly you’re overwhelmed by unfamiliar terms and complex explanations. Sound familiar?

Now the jargon does have a point, because it is a shorthand and accurate way of communicating within medicine. But that language doesn not necessarily translate well to those not in veterinary medicine. And what is communicated can even differ from how human medicine uses this jargon, as different species have different conditions and tests.

This disconnect can leave you feeling like an outsider in your pet’s care. But the truth is, you’re a vital part of the process. Decoding veterinary jargon and understanding treatments is essential for building a collaborative relationship with your vet and ensuring the best care for your pet."

[Slide 1: A graphic of common veterinary terms like 'CBC,' 'NSAIDs,' 'Ultrasound,' with a pet owner looking puzzled.]
Voiceover:
"Let’s start by understanding the challenge. Veterinary teams are trained to think in medical terms—they use phrases like ‘CBC,’ ‘NSAIDs,’ or ‘ultrasound’ as second nature. While this language helps them work efficiently, it can sometimes leave pet owners in the dark.
When you don’t fully understand a treatment or test, it’s harder to ask the right questions or feel confident about decisions. And without that connection, collaboration with your vet team can suffer."

[Slide 2: A visual of a checklist titled 'Decoding Treatments,' with items like 'Clarify Terms,' 'Understand Purpose,' and 'Evaluate Options.']
Voiceover:
"The key to overcoming this barrier is to actively decode treatments. This means asking for clarity, understanding the purpose of each step, and ensuring you know what options are available. Let’s break this process into three simple steps."

You have the right and need to understand why a particular term or word is important. That should be communicated with you. If it is not important, then you can eitehr ignore it or ask that the term is not used.
That means you are an active part of the conversation and yet respect and trust the language your veterinary team is using.

It is accepted that everything that you read on the internet and media is language that is understandable 8th grade reading level. That is so nobody is left behind.
YOu have the same need when your pets health is being discussed with you.
You are not a child, you are an adult. And yet the language must be at a level where you have a good likelihood of understanding.
It is not your responsibility to understand all veterinary language, but is is your responsibility to ask why a term may be important so you understand the conversation

[Slide 2: A checklist titled 'How to Stay Included,' with items like 'Ask for Simplicity' and 'Understand the Why.']
Voiceover:
"So, how can you stay included without feeling hesitant about asking for clarity? Here’s the key: it’s perfectly okay to ask your vet to use concise, down-to-earth language from the start.
For example, you might say: 'I’d love to understand the plan better. Could you explain it in simple terms and share why you think this is the best option for my pet?'
This is an open, collaborative way to invite clarity without feeling uncomfortable. And remember—your vet wants you to understand. They’re here to help."

Honestly, whilst vet teams are busy, they generally enjoy explaining concepts to others, because that increases the engagement with what they are going to be putting in place for the animal. They are often so busy thinking about what is going on with the pet they dont think to take their jargon thoughts and put it in simple language.

Simple language that you need and deserve to have access to for the purpose of understanding what is going on.

Voiceover:
"Let’s talk about why understanding the treatment plan is so important. Every recommendation your vet makes falls into one of three categories: diagnosis, relief, or long-term care.

Diagnostic tests, like blood work or imaging, help identify the underlying cause of an issue.

Remember the concept of ruling in and ruling out.

This is central to the well being of your pet, providing effective treatments, giving accurate answers and avoiding errors.

Diagnostic tests and the Medical History are the 2 most crucial parts of avoiding errors.

Do errors happen you ask? Absolutely. In human medicine the error rate is considered to be 10 - 15% of cases. This may or may not lead to harm, but is that something you woud consider ok for your pet?

Of course you are entitles and encouraged to ask of the importance of these diagnostic tests. But one of the biggest miscommunications in veterinary medicine surrounds diagnostic tests - and in fact it is absolutely vital that these are discussed and provided as appropriate for your pet.

Relief-focused treatments, like medications, are designed to improve your pet’s comfort as quickly as possible.
Is speed of improvement important?
Yes it is.
Lets look at just one aspect of animal health that is frequently present, that of pain.

Call it discomfort or pain, but they are the same.

The presence of pain will do 3 important things to any individual -

Retard and reduce the effectiveness of the immune response, making infection more likely even if it is not already present.

Retard and delay healing, making either a wound or damaged organ recovery longer and less likely to occur.

Blood pressure and breathing rate and gut function are diminished, making the bodies main focus of achieving a stable internal environment more difficult to achieve, and taking more energy to do this.

So even beyond the humane aspects of relieving pain and inflammation, dont you want to avoid these 3 consquences?

Animal behaviour is NOT like human behaviour and they are often quiet in the presence of pain, so observation is not necessarily a good indicator.

[Slide 3: A flowchart labeled 'Purpose of Treatments,' showing 'Diagnosis,' 'Relief,' and 'Long-Term Care' as categories, with an owner nodding as the vet explains.]
Voiceover:

Long-term care plans include therapies or lifestyle adjustments that manage chronic conditions over time.
When you understand the purpose behind each step, it’s easier to see how the plan aligns with your goals as a pet owner."

IT is often the case that beyond a course of tablets or hospital stay, there is more to be done at home.
This may involve dietary changes or even revisits to ensure that what you are seeking - the wellness of your pet - is progressing.

It is easy to see how vet visits and the advice and recommendations that come from them can lead to confusion.

The presence of emotions - because after all you love your pet and are likely to be anxious or frustrated by having to take them to the vet.

Along with the jargon, the potential misunderstandings about diagnostic tests, treatments and a care plan - this is not a recipe for confidence.

And above all, you need confidence that the time, money and energy you have used to get care for your pet is heading toward meeting the goal that you have.

Becoming clear on the information you are given is a large step towards this confidnece.

Of cousre all this requires a bit of a framework and practice to achieve, but this is part of your near future in the rest of this course.

[Slide 7: A pet owner and vet discussing options with a clear chart on the table. Text: “From Jargon to Collaboration.”]
Voiceover:
"When treatments are decoded and the why is clear, you feel empowered and included. This strengthens your collaboration with the vet team and ensures every decision is made with your pet’s best interest—and your goals—in mind."

[Slide 8: A pet owner and their happy dog leaving the clinic with confidence. Text: “Next Up: Managing Emotions During Vet Visits.”]
Voiceover:
"Decoding veterinary jargon and understanding the purpose behind treatments isn’t just about learning—it’s about creating a partnership. In our next video, we’ll explore how to manage emotions during vet visits, so you can stay calm and focused when it matters most. I’ll see you there!"