Dear Debbie:
 
>I respect your opinion very much, and if you feel the need to "bash"
>my vet (Dr. King) for his actions, I very much want to hear it, because I
>only want the best for my ferrets.  I can't deny that I was hoping Dr. King
>was doing the right thing, especially since finding ferret-knowledgeable
>vets around here is almost impossible, but one of the reasons I post about
>visits to the vet is so that I can hear from the FML whether he is a good
>ferret vet or not.  Guess I found out he's not such a good ferret vet.
 
Now you've made it a personal thing between your vet and me, so I will no
longer comment on this case.  I generally ask not to know who people's
vets are and your previous posts did not mention anyone's name.
 
The purpose that I serve on the FML is to assist with diagnosis and
treatment of difficult cases and often try to illustrate examples of good
and poor approaches using the experiences of the FML participants.  I am
hopeful that in addition to educating owners, a lot of what I write
eventually filters back to their vets, so that they may better be able to
treat their ferret clients.
 
I try to avoid coming out and personally saying "Dr. so-and-so is a bad
vet."  That only causes enmity in the veterinary community and defeats the
purpose of what I do. Many veterinarians call me to consult on difficult
cases.  Unfortunately, when public comments are made personal by the
publication of a particular vet's name in response to something I have
said, it breaks a very delicate trust which I have established with the
FML, the veterinarians on it, and veterinarians in the community who treat
ferrets.  Why would a vet ever call me on a case if he believed that I
might publicly comment on their difficulties?
 
I shall not be put in a position where my remarks will be used to damage
the reputation of another vet.  I believe that the comments on the
treatment in this case were enough, without pointing out publicly who the
vet is.  While I understand that you probably posting Dr. King's name with
only the best intentions, you have put me in a very awkward position.  But
I understand that did not understand the import of adding your vet's name
to the post, so I bear absolutely no ill will in this particular instance.
 
While some may say that the name of all vets who have had poor outcomes
with ferrets should be published, I don't share your opinion.  For those
of you who want to know who they are, put MY name at the top of the list.
Over the years, as much of my experience has been built on poor outcomes
and missteps as has been on successes; I can only hope that over time, my
ratio of good to poor outcomes has increased.  Which one among us has not
made errors in judgment, or had a bad day, and wants to wake up the next
day seeing it on the Internet?  Which one of us want's a career judge
solely on the actions of 10 minutes?  And which one of us wishes not to
have their side of the story heard?
 
I have said numerous times that the scope of veterinary medicine is huge,
and no vet can be expected to be an expert in all of it.  The best that we
can do is find a vet who has an open mind and is willing to learn.
 
I do not like to bash vets.  For the record, and for everyone on the FML,
when you publish a name (or as some are want to do, intimate the details
of someone's location or practice), you preclude any comments from me.
 
To those who would take Debbie to task over this, shame on you!  I bear
absolutely no ill will in this matter, I simply am making a a condition
of my participation on the FML explicitly clear.  In fact, I thank Debbie
for allowing me the opportunity to expound on a concern which I have had
for a long time.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3329]