GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Nov. 24, 2008 — Devoted dog owners know the dilemma – my dog is old and has health issues: I know he doesn't feel great, but how should I know when to let him go to the big dog park in the sky?
James D. Schwartz, a retired Colorado fee-only financial planner, knows the problem well. "A large number of guardians (pet owners) have told me the same thing about asking their vets when it's time to say goodbye. In response to the question: 'How do we know when it's time?,' the response is something like, 'Oh, you'll know when it's time,'" he writes.
This answer wasn't good enough for Schwartz, owner of three standard poodles. He began to research this and other issues, including pet vaccination laws and public policy, micro-chipping, the low down on picking the right veterinarian, pet health insurance and more. Schwartz has, in fact, done an exhaustive analysis on the current state of the small-animal veterinary industry, leading him to publish his research and conclusions in his book, "Trust Me: I'm Not a Veterinarian!"
Schwartz has created what amounts to a pet owner's self-defense manual, offering advice on everything from pet cremation to up-to-the-minute facts on controversial pet vaccination practices and the frequent life-threatening or fatal results vaccination can have on older animals.
Experience with vaccination and his dogs Buddy, Nicki, Moolah, Elle, Max, Ricki and Moses led Schwartz to question and examine the science, practice and public policy of pet vaccination, leading him to the conclusion that veterinary vaccination practices, evidently dangerous to pet health, are in actuality a huge cash stream to small-animal vet practices. In his book, Schwartz deconstructs the financial and legislative implications for our pets that, in most cases, function as family members.
Schwartz also founded the Next-To-Kin Foundation (http://next2kin.org), a private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization that believes that "dogs, cats and other pets so enrich our lives that we should recognize our pets/companion animals legally and even legislatively as 'beyond mere property.'"
The book "Trust Me: I'm Not a Veterinarian!" is available at http://www.amazon.com. For more information, contact Mr. Schwartz at 303-850-9166.
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