This is why I dislike posts appearing here that have come from another list. IMO, this requires some additional comments >from: Shelley Knudsen >Class of 2004 KSU Veterinary College >to summarize, no one is perfect. Your vet does the best job that they >can with the training and experience that they have. Don't expect them >to pay the surgical costs out of their own pocket, and work for free just >because things didn't go right. I guarantee you that it is no different >in human medicine, but again, insurance pays those bills, not the client. This last sentence is WRONG. Where do you think the insurance companies get their money??? It's not plucked from the sky, it's from "clients." Clients certainly DO pay those bills or not! In one instance I contacted my insurance company and instructed them not to pay a bill. When there's incompetence, regardless of whether it's done by an MD or DVM there should NOT be a reward given. >If you are not happy with the results, go somewhere else. Don't expect >the vet to foot the bill because you don't like the results. Just as an >example, how perfect are you yourself? If you mess up something at your >job, or don't get the results that your boss wants, does he/she just not >pay you for the time you spent working on that project? Sounds as though you may not have been in the working world. People who mess up at their job, get fired. People who work on "projects" generally do not get paid until/unless the project is correctly completed. There is no one I admire or respect more than a veterinarian who cares about, loves animals and does the very best that can be done....and no one I detest more than a local veterinarian who *does* HATE animals. (He has promoted throwing biting ferrets against a wall to stop their biting. He removed that reference from his web page after I sent the web address to several on-line veterinarians) Veterinarians are human too. They are NOT above reproach and it's a huge mistake to accept everything they say and do without question. No one should ever pay for deliberate errors or incompetence. Sandi Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House a non-profit animal shelter 14325 Lake City Way NE Seattle, WA 98125 (206)365-9105 Open 7 days/week or visit our on-line store at: http://www.rabbitrodentferret.org [Posted in FML issue 3948]