First - thanks to all who wrote me or posted with some appreciation
of the vet's dilemma.

Dear doodlebug,
Sorry you've had a bad experience but I stand by my posting 100%. Do
I resent a vet that spent 40+ years of their life making little and
giving so much, their "Jag"? Do I resent it when a vet chances their $,
and family security by investing in starting a practice, then reap some
benefits? NO WAY. A vet that runs a practice not only performs their
job but also functions as a personnel manager, accountant, handyman,
etc., especially in smaller practices. Guess what - they get to do
thoses jobs FOR FREE. And before you "assume" that all those frills are
coming out of your pocket, many vets have spouses that work. Many vets
have spouses that make more than they do. Combined incomes do allow for
a better standard of living. Kudos to those whose life arrangements
allow for a better standard of living.

I am a single practitioner. I used to work and be available 24/7. I
ended up burnt out and with medical problems. Vets deserve some time
to themselves to remain whole, healthy, functioning humans that can
perform their job well. Do I like emergency clinics? Not particularly.
I'd prefer to take care of my own clients but I can't always do that.
And guess what? emergency clinics have to care for a number of animals
to meet their bills too or there is no emergency service. That's one
reason there are so few to begin with. Only with time and use will the
number increase and their proficiency in exotics improve. Also consider
that emergency clinics often have treatment modalities many private
practices don't, and the animal is monitored thru the night. These
clinics are here to stay and will probably be utiized more and more by
the profession to help improve the quality of life for vets and the
quality of middle of the night care for many pets. Do I see clients
in the middle of the night? Sometimes. Especially if it's an on-going
medical problem. I find it interesting that you expect this service
from your vet yet do everything to get the cheapest drugs elsewhere.
How do you think your vet is going to pay their bills with reduced
income? What do you think it's worth to be able to contact and get
your vet any hour of the day or night and would you help pay for that
service? ( you'd have to pay for the availability whether used or not )
And down to the point you probably won't like. You may be on a fixed
income, etc. (many of my clents are) but the bottom line is when you
decide to take a living entity into your home YOU are responsible for
its care and associated costs - not the vet. It's part of responsible
pet ownership. Most vets do their best to help accomodate their clients
limitations but it isn't their obligation or responsibility to provide
care for free or reduced costs. We do it because we care about the
animal and in many cases have a relationship with our clients. But the
bottomline is it's your responsibility to provide the necessary care
for your pet. Your vet allowed you to post date checks ( which is not
legal by the way ) etc. so it sounds like they were trying to work
within your means so for you to criticize because they wouldn't do
"more" for you is rude and unfair.

The concept of mail-order meds is a big bone of contention in the vet
field. We certainly can't fault someone for being cost conscious and if
someone feels they that this is the thing to do then by all means BUT
if maintaining a pharmacy becomes difficult and vets choose not to do
it because of these companies, the consumer needs to realize the income
wil have to come from somewhere else - like doubled office calls,
increased prices for procedures and medicals so be prepared. Save a few
cents here and your vet will have to make it up by charging more for
other things. The down side to this is now control of medicine costs
will go to those companies and the pharmacies. Think about that with
respect to the human field. These companies have no client-doctor
relationship. In the long run they won't care what you pay. It is
strictly money driven. There will be no veterinarian option to cut
client a break, or care to keep the costs as low as possible for the
clients.

I hope I don't come across too hard but these are things clients need
to be aware of as the profession changes. And people need to think and
educate themselves before they speak withour knowing facts. Yes, most
of us are in the profession for the animals, but it is still a business
with all it's debts and obligations.

Most vets don't like to argue these points so I hope I didn't embarass
anyone. Remember these are the postings of only 1 vet.

[Posted in FML 5552]