What is the reason for the veterinary back up?

[Anonymous]

Our dog is having trouble with a back leg. We called out vet and the vets around us but there were no appointments. We took her to an ER and are waiting for a call back after they do an exam and run the tests they need to run. Kind of crazy how busy things are but it is that way with everything right now. Businesses are swamped and people are not being patient with employees. Hopefully we can get through this craziness sooner rather then later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really sorry to understand this. My vet, 20+ years, quit this past spring. I literally cried. I am wondering how to save this profession. Maybe it's kind of organic, things change, but the profession has changed to take on so much more in only a short time. Our relationships with our animals has changed. We have the technology to treat so much more and we want to prolong our pet's lives with this technology. It costs money, not just with appt. dollars, but to train vets in ever changing protocol, and they have to charge more to do it. That means corporate takeovers and insurance companies...it's a domino effect.

There are so many more women in the field than men. They are young women have families, and like dentistry, want more flexibility. These are changing industries.

Meanwhile, clients need to stay off the internet and stupid facebook groups, holistic quack sources, etc. I really don't know how vets put up with that nonsense.

Vet practice owner here - first thing you need to do if you want to change the profession is to open new vet schools. There are so few vet schools in the US, so few. The number of vets available to hire is incredibly limited. We have been trying to hire a vet for over a year - any vet. As you can imagine, supply and demand, salaries increase dramatically but we also can only justify so much of an increase to our clients. They complain to us about increase in costs.
Corporate practices (I am looking at you Banfield) are offering 60k bonuses. The family vet hospital cannot compete with that and the new grad with 400k worth of loans is going to jump at that.
Like human medicine, things change. Vets are required to take CE and learn new meds, techniques, etc. That costs money. See comments about costs above.
Clients are frustrated about having to wait outside. So are we. We aren't getting any advice from the AVMA. Our groups have abandoned us.
Our colleagues are killing themselves - not figuratively, literally committing suicide in record numbers. The stress is awful and if you ask any veterinarian, they know several other vets who have made the awful decision to end their life.
Patience please. That is all we are asking.

Let's discuss the mental health issue, vis a vis suicide. What do you, vets in the industry, attribute the rise in suicides to(?)..surely established before COVID.

Is the profession asking too much of vets now considering pets have taken a new and cherished place in the family? Is it the fact that you are really treating the people as you are treating animals and have to euthanize beloved family members and be counselors to the family, or is it the onslaught of poor and ridiculous information on the web that people subscribe to?

[Anonymous]

Addition to previous post: Or is the general clientele just abusive and demanding beyond control? I see ridiculous complaints on online reviews, anger abour sick animals that vets couldn't save, etc. People are awful, yes. But, the ones who are not awful- not enough to save the profession?

[Anonymous]

There is a huge abuse component to it. People thinking that the vets are overcharging them, should be treating their pets for free or serious discount, that sort of thing. And leaving shitty reviews all over when they cannot meet what are generally reasonable demands.

Took my dog for his annual physical today. The practice offered to have me come in, and I asked what is safer and easier for them, for me to come in, or for them to handle him (he's perfectly safe at the vet without me, and this is just routine stuff). They opted to have me wait outside. I have seen SO MUCH 'How dare they?' and 'I'll take my business elsewhere' over this sort of silly stuff, even when the pet is perfectly happy/better behaved without the owner there. It just makes you hate humanity.

Just like physicians, vets also carry an enormous amount of debt, and they aren't nearly as well compensated. It all adds up.

[Anonymous]

There is just too much work and not enough providers to do the work.

And people are awful. I see the worst posts on Nextdoor from sanctimonious pet owners livid that the vet can't see them RIGHT NOW and refer them to a an ER vet hospital. I have had pets for years and have gone to the same vet, and the waits are longer, the service is harder to get, but honestly other pet owners are atrocious. They should start banning people.

[Anonymous]

I think it might just be this area. This area is VERY pet-centric, and most people treat their pets like a child. They only want the best for them and can be very pushy like a parent would be regarding a sick child.

My sibling is a Vet but not in this area. He's in a state where people take care of their pets, but their pets are not their whole worlds like in this area. If that makes any sense.

I've worked with a few dog rescues in this area and the DMV area is a big hub for receiving animals from other states. Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas come to mind because the residents in those places tend to not spay/neuter their pets due to a lack of resources. They are also quick to surrender any pet that has any condition that requires money for treatment, again, because of a lack of resources.

I've made runs to Mississippi to pick up rescues several times from organizations down there and they are so, so, so much worse off than any rescue or shelter up here. I mean in terms of donations received, facility condition, and lack of volunteers. It can be so heartbreaking. But as I said, in many of those areas, dogs are dogs. They are used for hunting and property protection. When they no longer serve those purposes, they are disposed of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And frankly I am sick of it. I have never made so much money and dealt with so much abuse. People are AWFUL. They want us to be everything to everyone. They want to call us for a refill and are floored that we wont have it ready in an hour. Or floored that they cannot just request an antibiotic for their pet. They want the tops in diagnostics without having to pay....or dont want the diagnostics, but want a diagnosis. It does not work that way. People are mad at us because we cannot fit them in....don't know where they expect us to fit them....cannot get blood from a stone. If we squeeze them into a ten minute appt, then they should expect ten minutes from now on....as it is, most of my clients want more than that but complain when they have to pay for it. I am done.

Thank you for all you do. ❤️❤️❤️

[Anonymous]

How awful- I had no idea.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/veterinarians-face-increased-risk-suicide-amid-pandemic-reports/story?id=76764009

[Anonymous]

To any vets/techs/receptionists reading this, thank you for everything you have and continue to do for animals! I’m so sorry for the way clients have treated you during this pandemic. We are so thankful for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To any vets/techs/receptionists reading this, thank you for everything you have and continue to do for animals! I’m so sorry for the way clients have treated you during this pandemic. We are so thankful for you!

+1000!

[Anonymous]

I left work today and I do not want to go back. It is not just this area. It is the entire profession. We are being abused. I don't want to do it anymore. I am only 50 years old. I need a job for the next twenty years that will not kill me before I kill myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it might just be this area. This area is VERY pet-centric, and most people treat their pets like a child. They only want the best for them and can be very pushy like a parent would be regarding a sick child.

My sibling is a Vet but not in this area. He's in a state where people take care of their pets, but their pets are not their whole worlds like in this area. If that makes any sense.

I've worked with a few dog rescues in this area and the DMV area is a big hub for receiving animals from other states. Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas come to mind because the residents in those places tend to not spay/neuter their pets due to a lack of resources. They are also quick to surrender any pet that has any condition that requires money for treatment, again, because of a lack of resources.

I've made runs to Mississippi to pick up rescues several times from organizations down there and they are so, so, so much worse off than any rescue or shelter up here. I mean in terms of donations received, facility condition, and lack of volunteers. It can be so heartbreaking. But as I said, in many of those areas, dogs are dogs. They are used for hunting and property protection. When they no longer serve those purposes, they are disposed of.

No, the changing role of the pet in the family is all over, and not just this country. What you are talking about though, disposable working dogs is also a problem, as are numerous dogs who are bred for designer purposes, and for status and nefarious purposes, like pit bulls. Our shelters here are filled with those fighting dogs. I think the industry is shifting but breeders overwhelm the system, and we don't do enough to get shelter mutts homes. And there are tons of mutts everywhere. Veterinary practices are overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

So, another question-
Do corporate take overs help or hinder? What do they help in a practice, and what go they hurt? I can see how an individual practice could drown in expenses, and maybe the business model needs this corporate investment.

I'm comparing it to optometry, which used to all be private practices until Pearl Vision and all the subsequent others arrived on the scene and changed everything starting in the late 70s. Optical services really changed, as well.

Back to veterinary- One issue is insurance. It was a rarity to buy it, with very limited options until the past 5 or 6 years. I managed 6 dogs without. Now I would only recommend getting a pet with insurance as a requirement. People don't understand what it costs to treat pets these days. It's not unusual to have MRIs, laser treatments, physical therapy, specialized surgeries, oncology treatment, etc.

If I've forgotten up to now, thanks so much to all the veterinary staff, doctors and techs alike. Of course you are important to pets, but it's really people you are treating. Many apologies for any abuse anyone has had to endure, I feel just awful to hear about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I left work today and I do not want to go back. It is not just this area. It is the entire profession. We are being abused. I don't want to do it anymore. I am only 50 years old. I need a job for the next twenty years that will not kill me before I kill myself.

Are you a vet or a tech?
What do you see as the main contributor of abuse, employer or clients? What is something that you might be struggling with now? Would a change in practices help?

Can you work for a lab, food company, or FDA?

Who will end up being veterinarians? What will have to happen to fix the industry?

[Anonymous]

This is so sad to hear - my tween daughter is thinking about being a vet. Although she wanted to work in theriogenology for zoos, to help conservation efforts. Is zoological veterinary medicine also impacted?