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My friends daughter that is in her 3rd yr in Vet school at UC Davis posted this article on facebook. I see so much vet bashing these days that I thought I would pass it along.
The article says vets are "humanitarian to the core"...sure they are, as long as the human's got the cash...I'm not "bashing vets" by saying that either...and I wouldn't deny that without a vet some animals would die.
As with physicians and pretty much everything (customer service has gone down the tubes also), good vets are not easy to find and worth their weight in gold when you do find one. We are lucky to have 3 of the good ones, but it took time and a few false starts before we found them.
Our Vet takes care of a homeless guy's dog for free. He's also treated cats and dogs that have been hit by cars and left to die without any owners.
He called me once to ask if I'd take in a ferret that a pet store brought to him which needed surgery. The pet shop signed over the ferret and he said he'd do the surgery for free if an owner could be found. I've had the ferret ever since.
The article says vets are "humanitarian to the core"...sure they are, as long as the human's got the cash...I'm not "bashing vets" by saying that either...and I wouldn't deny that without a vet some animals would die.
Unfortunately, vets will sometimes all wind up being painted with the same brush. At the end of the day, a veterinarian does have bills to pay, and most cannot act as a charity by discounting prices or offering to forego tests or procedures in order to suit the pet owners' wants....the last point is not even ethical. You will sometimes find a vet who will give a person a break, but for the most part the reality is, they have often massive costs to maintain, a business to run, and they should not be expected to offer deals to clients who ask for it. I can only imagine the number of people who walk into any given vet clinic in a day and, once an assessment on the pet is made, say, "But, I can't afford this". It's heartbreaking, yes...but why is the responsibility (or blame) then put on the vet? It's up to the owner to (a) find a clinic that they are satisfied with, and is affordable for them (yes, some clinics are pricier than others, the same as any other business), and (b) plan for unexpected vet expenses by either having a fund set aside or purchase an insurance plan for their pet.
Anyone who ventures into pet ownership should be aware ahead of time that pets cost money, that emergencies do happen, and should always plan on the unexpected happening. Planning ahead, rather than blaming veterinarians when an unexpected cost arises, is the sign of a good pet owner. And if one vet does not meet an owner's standards, or has the owner questioning procedures suggested, then the owner is free to (and should) shop around, just as one would for a family doctor.
My friends daughter that is in her 3rd yr in Vet school at UC Davis posted this article on facebook. I see so much vet bashing these days that I thought I would pass it along.
I have no problems with vets charging for services. Of course they have to and of course sometimes for most of us, money does figure in to the decisions we make for our pets. I wish it didn't but most of us don't have unlimited funds and vets do have business expenses that must be paid.
What I don't like is vets that push unnecessary services such as, for example, annual vaccinations (unless prescribed by law) when the protocol is 3 years.
Most of the vets I've dealt with have been kind, compassionate, and not at all money grubbing, as some people always suggest. They have a difficult job, treating patients that can't tell them how they feel, dealing with some owners with human failings they have to deal with (including some that want to put pets down unnecessarily for minor issues, puppies that don't meet breed standards, and other sad reasons), watching long-time patients age and eventually reach the time when it's time to say goodbye. Vets I've seen have discussed diagnosis and treatment options with me, usually encouraging less extensive (and thus less expensive) be tried first. They always did charge me for their services. Go figure!! They do have a business to keep running.
At times I have felt a little let down by vets over the years.
Still I never "bad mouth" them..........I know in one second I could be VERY glad to see them.
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