Has anyone found a vet that isn't a money making machine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Nope. It’s a very low-stress profession. No one sues you like Ob/gyn’s and no one know if you do a terrible job drawing blood or performing surgery. I used to do dog and cat surgeries in high school - the vet said the animals would never be able to tell their owner who did the surgery but you can be sure the owners paid full price!

I went into medicine, have a real job with real standards and real stress. Being a vet is a joke career.

I don't know how long ago your high school experience with the veterinary practice was, but people not only file professional complaints against veterinarians all the time, but they also trash veterinary professionals regularly on social media. That's where much of the stress comes from. In addition, human medical professionals are never called upon by their patients to perform surgeries or provide other services for free. They fight with insurance companies, but don't try to pressure doctors into working for free.

Veterinarians have the additional challenge that their patients can't speak for themselves. They have to balance client relationships while acting in the best interest of their animal patients.

Yeah sounds like Mr "I went into medicine" went to HS many many years ago. Things have changed since the 80s.

And you want to talk about stressful- try examining a 2year old Thoroughbred worth millions of dollars. Owned by either the mom or a Saudi prince. If the horse doesn't kick your head in....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a vet. He says patients' owners frequently try to wheedle him into doing services for reduced fees (or free). He has owners who throw mini tantrums when they are told the price of a treatment, and sometimes demand to know whether he really cares about animals at all or is only in it "for the money."

He is so stressed and works so hard. The clinic is expensive to run and while he would love to give services for reduced fees, he can't. Besides, he worked hard to complete rigorous medical training and is a professional offering a real specialized service: most people would never dream of trying to talk a medical specialist for humans down to lower fees, or question their intentions in offering a treatment.

Why are doctors for humans somehow considered more ethical and trustworthy than vets? You don't become a vet for the money, because there just isn't that kind of money in it. If someone capable of completing medical training wishes to go for $$$, he/she is more likely to treat humans because that is where you make the kind of high income people seem to think vets achieve.

Anyway, my kid is only in his first year of work and I am shocked at how much role the owners' behavior has on his job satisfaction, and also at how rude and insulting people can be to him when he truly just wants to help the animals. Please be nice to your vet, people. There are no ulterior motives and they aren't making fortunes.

there are a lot of pet owners who simply can't afford the treatments vets recommend. Some vets do make it about the money- go to an emergency vet and they will swipe your credit card before even glancing at your dying dog

If you can't afford the care- just say I'm sorry I can't afford it. No problem. The issue is when people can't afford it they turn it around on the vet and try to make it the vet's fault and their problem to fix. The emotional blackmail, temper tantrums, whining, begging, guilt, anger-- these are not ok.

Get good pet insurance or be quiet. Noone forced you to buy a mini bernadoodle for 4k. Take some responsibility.

I'm a vet that is no longer practicing b.c of the client/money problems. And I never pushed anything I thought wasn't medically necessary and I always offered Plans A, B and C.

pet insurance excludes just about anything expensive. If you want to talk about emotional black mail, tell a vet that you can't afford surgery on your dog and see how that goes

There are insurance plans that cover expensive surgeries. Guess you went for the cheap plan.

can you point to one? They don't exist, they cover wellness care and events that will never happen and exclude anything likely to happen. That's how insurance work- if they covered everything they wouldn't be profitable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:have had several dogs. I notice every vet has said they have a "heart murmur." Diagnostic tests needed, pills etc.

No different than going to your auto mechanic for inspection test and finding your tail light need replacement.

I wouldn't trust any of them

What breed of dog? Some breeds are extremely prone to valvular disease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Nope. It’s a very low-stress profession. No one sues you like Ob/gyn’s and no one know if you do a terrible job drawing blood or performing surgery. I used to do dog and cat surgeries in high school - the vet said the animals would never be able to tell their owner who did the surgery but you can be sure the owners paid full price!

I went into medicine, have a real job with real standards and real stress. Being a vet is a joke career.

I don't know how long ago your high school experience with the veterinary practice was, but people not only file professional complaints against veterinarians all the time, but they also trash veterinary professionals regularly on social media. That's where much of the stress comes from. In addition, human medical professionals are never called upon by their patients to perform surgeries or provide other services for free. They fight with insurance companies, but don't try to pressure doctors into working for free.

Veterinarians have the additional challenge that their patients can't speak for themselves. They have to balance client relationships while acting in the best interest of their animal patients.

Yeah sounds like Mr "I went into medicine" went to HS many many years ago. Things have changed since the 80s.

And you want to talk about stressful- try examining a 2year old Thoroughbred worth millions of dollars. Owned by either the mom or a Saudi prince. If the horse doesn't kick your head in....

yeah, it's tough balancing pumping them up with enough drug to preform and having them die on the track

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a vet. He says patients' owners frequently try to wheedle him into doing services for reduced fees (or free). He has owners who throw mini tantrums when they are told the price of a treatment, and sometimes demand to know whether he really cares about animals at all or is only in it "for the money."

He is so stressed and works so hard. The clinic is expensive to run and while he would love to give services for reduced fees, he can't. Besides, he worked hard to complete rigorous medical training and is a professional offering a real specialized service: most people would never dream of trying to talk a medical specialist for humans down to lower fees, or question their intentions in offering a treatment.

Why are doctors for humans somehow considered more ethical and trustworthy than vets? You don't become a vet for the money, because there just isn't that kind of money in it. If someone capable of completing medical training wishes to go for $$$, he/she is more likely to treat humans because that is where you make the kind of high income people seem to think vets achieve.

Anyway, my kid is only in his first year of work and I am shocked at how much role the owners' behavior has on his job satisfaction, and also at how rude and insulting people can be to him when he truly just wants to help the animals. Please be nice to your vet, people. There are no ulterior motives and they aren't making fortunes.

there are a lot of pet owners who simply can't afford the treatments vets recommend. Some vets do make it about the money- go to an emergency vet and they will swipe your credit card before even glancing at your dying dog

If you can't afford the care- just say I'm sorry I can't afford it. No problem. The issue is when people can't afford it they turn it around on the vet and try to make it the vet's fault and their problem to fix. The emotional blackmail, temper tantrums, whining, begging, guilt, anger-- these are not ok.

Get good pet insurance or be quiet. Noone forced you to buy a mini bernadoodle for 4k. Take some responsibility.

I'm a vet that is no longer practicing b.c of the client/money problems. And I never pushed anything I thought wasn't medically necessary and I always offered Plans A, B and C.

pet insurance excludes just about anything expensive. If you want to talk about emotional black mail, tell a vet that you can't afford surgery on your dog and see how that goes

There are insurance plans that cover expensive surgeries. Guess you went for the cheap plan.

can you point to one? They don't exist, they cover wellness care and events that will never happen and exclude anything likely to happen. That's how insurance work- if they covered everything they wouldn't be profitable

DP. Nationwide https://www.petinsurance.com/dog-insurance/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a vet. He says patients' owners frequently try to wheedle him into doing services for reduced fees (or free). He has owners who throw mini tantrums when they are told the price of a treatment, and sometimes demand to know whether he really cares about animals at all or is only in it "for the money."

He is so stressed and works so hard. The clinic is expensive to run and while he would love to give services for reduced fees, he can't. Besides, he worked hard to complete rigorous medical training and is a professional offering a real specialized service: most people would never dream of trying to talk a medical specialist for humans down to lower fees, or question their intentions in offering a treatment.

Why are doctors for humans somehow considered more ethical and trustworthy than vets? You don't become a vet for the money, because there just isn't that kind of money in it. If someone capable of completing medical training wishes to go for $$$, he/she is more likely to treat humans because that is where you make the kind of high income people seem to think vets achieve.

Anyway, my kid is only in his first year of work and I am shocked at how much role the owners' behavior has on his job satisfaction, and also at how rude and insulting people can be to him when he truly just wants to help the animals. Please be nice to your vet, people. There are no ulterior motives and they aren't making fortunes.

there are a lot of pet owners who simply can't afford the treatments vets recommend. Some vets do make it about the money- go to an emergency vet and they will swipe your credit card before even glancing at your dying dog

If you can't afford the care- just say I'm sorry I can't afford it. No problem. The issue is when people can't afford it they turn it around on the vet and try to make it the vet's fault and their problem to fix. The emotional blackmail, temper tantrums, whining, begging, guilt, anger-- these are not ok.

Get good pet insurance or be quiet. Noone forced you to buy a mini bernadoodle for 4k. Take some responsibility.

I'm a vet that is no longer practicing b.c of the client/money problems. And I never pushed anything I thought wasn't medically necessary and I always offered Plans A, B and C.

pet insurance excludes just about anything expensive. If you want to talk about emotional black mail, tell a vet that you can't afford surgery on your dog and see how that goes

There are insurance plans that cover expensive surgeries. Guess you went for the cheap plan.

can you point to one? They don't exist, they cover wellness care and events that will never happen and exclude anything likely to happen. That's how insurance work- if they covered everything they wouldn't be profitable

I have Nationwide. They cover cruciate surgery, back surgery, bloat etc. Most plans actually DONT cover wellness. VPI and Embrace are good too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Nope. It’s a very low-stress profession. No one sues you like Ob/gyn’s and no one know if you do a terrible job drawing blood or performing surgery. I used to do dog and cat surgeries in high school - the vet said the animals would never be able to tell their owner who did the surgery but you can be sure the owners paid full price!

I went into medicine, have a real job with real standards and real stress. Being a vet is a joke career.

I don't know how long ago your high school experience with the veterinary practice was, but people not only file professional complaints against veterinarians all the time, but they also trash veterinary professionals regularly on social media. That's where much of the stress comes from. In addition, human medical professionals are never called upon by their patients to perform surgeries or provide other services for free. They fight with insurance companies, but don't try to pressure doctors into working for free.

Veterinarians have the additional challenge that their patients can't speak for themselves. They have to balance client relationships while acting in the best interest of their animal patients.

Yeah sounds like Mr "I went into medicine" went to HS many many years ago. Things have changed since the 80s.

And you want to talk about stressful- try examining a 2year old Thoroughbred worth millions of dollars. Owned by either the mom or a Saudi prince. If the horse doesn't kick your head in....

yeah, it's tough balancing pumping them up with enough drug to preform and having them die on the track

Race horses can't be drugged. They do urine tests after the race. It's extremely strict. One trainer got in trouble for using a dermatologic spray that contained corticosteroids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a vet. He says patients' owners frequently try to wheedle him into doing services for reduced fees (or free). He has owners who throw mini tantrums when they are told the price of a treatment, and sometimes demand to know whether he really cares about animals at all or is only in it "for the money."

He is so stressed and works so hard. The clinic is expensive to run and while he would love to give services for reduced fees, he can't. Besides, he worked hard to complete rigorous medical training and is a professional offering a real specialized service: most people would never dream of trying to talk a medical specialist for humans down to lower fees, or question their intentions in offering a treatment.

Why are doctors for humans somehow considered more ethical and trustworthy than vets? You don't become a vet for the money, because there just isn't that kind of money in it. If someone capable of completing medical training wishes to go for $$$, he/she is more likely to treat humans because that is where you make the kind of high income people seem to think vets achieve.

Anyway, my kid is only in his first year of work and I am shocked at how much role the owners' behavior has on his job satisfaction, and also at how rude and insulting people can be to him when he truly just wants to help the animals. Please be nice to your vet, people. There are no ulterior motives and they aren't making fortunes.

there are a lot of pet owners who simply can't afford the treatments vets recommend. Some vets do make it about the money- go to an emergency vet and they will swipe your credit card before even glancing at your dying dog

If you can't afford the care- just say I'm sorry I can't afford it. No problem. The issue is when people can't afford it they turn it around on the vet and try to make it the vet's fault and their problem to fix. The emotional blackmail, temper tantrums, whining, begging, guilt, anger-- these are not ok.

Get good pet insurance or be quiet. Noone forced you to buy a mini bernadoodle for 4k. Take some responsibility.

I'm a vet that is no longer practicing b.c of the client/money problems. And I never pushed anything I thought wasn't medically necessary and I always offered Plans A, B and C.

pet insurance excludes just about anything expensive. If you want to talk about emotional black mail, tell a vet that you can't afford surgery on your dog and see how that goes

There are insurance plans that cover expensive surgeries. Guess you went for the cheap plan.

can you point to one? They don't exist, they cover wellness care and events that will never happen and exclude anything likely to happen. That's how insurance work- if they covered everything they wouldn't be profitable

You have it backwards. Pet insurance covers the big surgery type things, but not the normal checkups. I have Trupanion and it has saved us over $10k (our dog is unfortunately having a lot of later-life problems).

[Anonymous]

It is definitely just in the areas that are very pet-centric.

I volunteer with a dog rescue in the area who gets most of their dogs from another Southern state. Spay/neuter rates are very low in that state and dogs there are very much treated like pets, not an extension of their family like in the DMV area. The vet services in that state are very low. So low in fact that we sometimes will take very sick dogs from here down there for treatment when making runs to pick up new adoptees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is definitely just in the areas that are very pet-centric.

I volunteer with a dog rescue in the area who gets most of their dogs from another Southern state. Spay/neuter rates are very low in that state and dogs there are very much treated like pets, not an extension of their family like in the DMV area. The vet services in that state are very low. So low in fact that we sometimes will take very sick dogs from here down there for treatment when making runs to pick up new adoptees.

Yes down South they have lower costs too esp for rent and labor.

[Anonymous]

I am so grateful for my local vet. I live in a high cost area and their overhead is staggering with just the rent alone. Pet ownership here must have doubled during the pandemic and they struggled to keep techs and office staff during the first part of the shutdown.

They continue to be there every day because they love animals. I am so glad I have them when my dogs need care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:have had several dogs. I notice every vet has said they have a "heart murmur." Diagnostic tests needed, pills etc.

No different than going to your auto mechanic for inspection test and finding your tail light need replacement.

I wouldn't trust any of them

What breed of dog? Some breeds are extremely prone to valvular disease.

I have owned 5 dogs and never been told one had a heart murmur. That isn’t a thing.

[Anonymous]

Veterinary care is very expensive, especially if you treat medical conditions like cancer, etc. And it should be expensive.

Being told your dog needs an expensive surgery is not emotional blackmail. It is medical reality in most cases. I say this as a person who had to help euthanize a horse today from a sudden onset illness. By the vet got there, he took one look and looked at us and said, “you know there is no good outcome here, right.” Yeah. We know.

Bless you, Dr F., for leaving your family on a Sunday morning to spare a horse additional pain before her death.

I cannot be grateful enough for my vets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Nope. It’s a very low-stress profession. No one sues you like Ob/gyn’s and no one know if you do a terrible job drawing blood or performing surgery. I used to do dog and cat surgeries in high school - the vet said the animals would never be able to tell their owner who did the surgery but you can be sure the owners paid full price!

I went into medicine, have a real job with real standards and real stress. Being a vet is a joke career.

I don't know how long ago your high school experience with the veterinary practice was, but people not only file professional complaints against veterinarians all the time, but they also trash veterinary professionals regularly on social media. That's where much of the stress comes from. In addition, human medical professionals are never called upon by their patients to perform surgeries or provide other services for free. They fight with insurance companies, but don't try to pressure doctors into working for free.

Veterinarians have the additional challenge that their patients can't speak for themselves. They have to balance client relationships while acting in the best interest of their animal patients.

Yeah sounds like Mr "I went into medicine" went to HS many many years ago. Things have changed since the 80s.

And you want to talk about stressful- try examining a 2year old Thoroughbred worth millions of dollars. Owned by either the mom or a Saudi prince. If the horse doesn't kick your head in....

yeah, it's tough balancing pumping them up with enough drug to preform and having them die on the track

Race horses can't be drugged. They do urine tests after the race. It's extremely strict. One trainer got in trouble for using a dermatologic spray that contained corticosteroids.

They certainly can and regularly are. Many drugs are legal in racing, and so common as to be universal. Phenylbutazone, or "bute", for example, is an anti-inflammatory that is super common in the equine world, and widely prescribed by vets as a painkiller for the wear and tear young horses forced to run hard from a standstill often suffer.

Source: I grew up on a horse farm that regularly bought and rehabilitated/retrained young Thoroughbreds from the track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have stated in recent threads about veterinary care, please be mindful that those working in the veterinary profession are under tremendous stress, especially right now. What you view as evidence that a practice is a "money making machine" might simply reflect higher standards to at least offer every possible diagnostic test and treatment for your pet. More people have pets, their pets are living longer, and people are willing to do more and spend more on their pets' health and to prolong their lives. For every person who gets angry and leaves a practice for promoting "unnecessary" or expensive tests, there are others who will complain that a veterinary didn't do more to recommend and advocate for more extensive diagnostics and treatment. Client financial realities interfere with veterinarians' ability to provide the best possible care, yet clients blame veterinarians for not doing more to save their pets. Burnout and compassion fatigue are common.

By all means, find a practice with prices and business practices that work for you. That's your right as a consumer. However, exercise some compassion before judging the profession, including both veterinarians, technicians, and other staff, because they are under incredible stress.

Nope. It’s a very low-stress profession. No one sues you like Ob/gyn’s and no one know if you do a terrible job drawing blood or performing surgery. I used to do dog and cat surgeries in high school - the vet said the animals would never be able to tell their owner who did the surgery but you can be sure the owners paid full price!

I went into medicine, have a real job with real standards and real stress. Being a vet is a joke career.

I don't know how long ago your high school experience with the veterinary practice was, but people not only file professional complaints against veterinarians all the time, but they also trash veterinary professionals regularly on social media. That's where much of the stress comes from. In addition, human medical professionals are never called upon by their patients to perform surgeries or provide other services for free. They fight with insurance companies, but don't try to pressure doctors into working for free.

Veterinarians have the additional challenge that their patients can't speak for themselves. They have to balance client relationships while acting in the best interest of their animal patients.

Yeah sounds like Mr "I went into medicine" went to HS many many years ago. Things have changed since the 80s.

And you want to talk about stressful- try examining a 2year old Thoroughbred worth millions of dollars. Owned by either the mom or a Saudi prince. If the horse doesn't kick your head in....

yeah, it's tough balancing pumping them up with enough drug to preform and having them die on the track

Race horses can't be drugged. They do urine tests after the race. It's extremely strict. One trainer got in trouble for using a dermatologic spray that contained corticosteroids.

They certainly can and regularly are. Many drugs are legal in racing, and so common as to be universal. Phenylbutazone, or "bute", for example, is an anti-inflammatory that is super common in the equine world, and widely prescribed by vets as a painkiller for the wear and tear young horses forced to run hard from a standstill often suffer.

Source: I grew up on a horse farm that regularly bought and rehabilitated/retrained young Thoroughbreds from the track.

Not to mention the Lasix debacle. Most horses are on a series of approved meds (there are like 30 of them).