I think you are isinformed. Most vets today do not specialize. Most
still go into general practice situations or other fields using
veterinary medicine. And specialization isn't because it's the mod
thing to do - it's the necessary thing to do. Animal medicine is
advancing very fast. It's becoming more and more difficult to practice
general practice covering so many species, at a level where you won't
get sued. Therefore as in human medicine there has to be specialists
for those cases above and beyond a GP's capabilities or knowledge. As
a consumer you want this access to state of the art medicine. It's
next to impossible to stay state of the art in all the disciplines and
species as a GP. They key to a good GP is whether they know their own
limitations and when they need to refer. The other reason specialties
are needed is to advance medicine. Unlike human where alot of research
is funded, alot of advancements are made by the specialists in their
fields. Without this animal medicine wouldn't be advancing nearly as
fast as it is. There is always a trade off. If you want increasing
technology and treaments the volume becomes too large for a GP to be
proficient in everything. And we definately want progress in animal
medicine.

It sounded like the vet you were describing worked hard for what he got
and deserves it. Congrats to him.

I think there will be many of us who still "come in at all hours", work
with our clients, etc. for a long time because that is not a reflection
of the field, but a reflection of the people in it and there will
always be those who are there first for the animals.

I hope every fuzzie owner finds a vet they can trust and work with so
these little guys are taken care of.

Dr. G

[Posted in FML 5552]