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]