I am a veterinarian. Ask me anything

[Anonymous]

why are there so few avian vets? why won't a regular vet see my parrot? Why won't they euthanize a sick parakeet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are there so few avian vets? why won't a regular vet see my parrot? Why won't they euthanize a sick parakeet?

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I take my dogs and cat to a vet in DC, he charges roughly $80 for a dental with no additional charges for extractions. My VA vet charges over $500, so they don't get my business and we have VPI for our companion animals.

This particular vet has worked with rescue groups for years, and he's a no frill vet - meaning, if you need coddling, he's not for you and his office is bare bones. He's in for the animals, not the $$$.

Can you please name this vet? I'd love to have a local resource that charges fairly for cat dentals. Thanks.

You can eamil me offline,
[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Don't you just love James Herriot's books?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I also had the euthanize problem. Here is a large dog who is 14+ years old, a long, full life. Seizures. Arthritis. Losing weight "Bag of bones, despite all" Can't walk. Our hearts are breaking, but find a vet to euthanize this dog. Very hard. Why tell us to try more, more, more? I think my DH finally had to say he was going to drop him at the shelter before anyone would agree. Why put someone through that? Rhetorical question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I take my dogs and cat to a vet in DC, he charges roughly $80 for a dental with no additional charges for extractions. My VA vet charges over $500, so they don't get my business and we have VPI for our companion animals.

This particular vet has worked with rescue groups for years, and he's a no frill vet - meaning, if you need coddling, he's not for you and his office is bare bones. He's in for the animals, not the $$$.

Can you please name this vet? I'd love to have a local resource that charges fairly for cat dentals. Thanks.

You can eamil me offline,
[e-mail]

Thanks, just sent you a note!

[Anonymous]

How much protein does the ideal cat food have? I'm trying different samples on mine to figure out if she likes one more than another, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to her. One has 50%, one has 32%, etc. Is it the rule that more protein is better, or not necessarily?

[Anonymous]

Can dog aggression (towards dogs, not people) be "cured" through training or behavior management, or is it just part of a dog's wiring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I take my dogs and cat to a vet in DC, he charges roughly $80 for a dental with no additional charges for extractions. My VA vet charges over $500, so they don't get my business and we have VPI for our companion animals.

This particular vet has worked with rescue groups for years, and he's a no frill vet - meaning, if you need coddling, he's not for you and his office is bare bones. He's in for the animals, not the $$$.

Can you please name this vet? I'd love to have a local resource that charges fairly for cat dentals. Thanks.

You can eamil me offline,
[e-mail]

Thanks, just sent you a note!

As the OP, I really must caution you two about having a dental done for $80. For that amount of money, you are certainly not getting the same level of care that your VA vet would perform for $500. Your pet is not going to get an IV catheter, IV fluids, possibly not even sterile instruments will be used, and I would be leery of whatever anesthesia drugs this $80 dental vet is using. Is he even going to intubate your cat to protect his or her airways and to make sure that he or she can breathe during surgery? Please listen to me; I have nothing to gain from posting this, and I genuinely do think you have to be cautious about a vet who will do a dental for $80.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. My DC wants to be a vet. What would you tell them? Pros and cons? Would you do it again? If not, what profession/s would you choose? Did you grow up with a lot of pets? How did you know you wanted to be a vet? Were your parents pleased (now and then) with your choice? TY!

Hi! That's exciting for your DC! He or she has to be good in the sciences, and has to make sure s/he gets good grades in school. During middle school, s/he should volunteer at a veterinary clinic or animal shelter/farm/etc., and in high school, s/he should try to get a job as a kennel assistant at a veterinary clinic and work his/her way up to veterinary assistant. During college, s/he should aim to become a veterinary technician. S/he should make sure to go to a top tier college, and get good grades (>3.5 GPA) and score well on the GREs. Vet school is very hard, and unless s/he goes to a state school, s/he should expect to graduate with a ton of debt and, unless things change in the profession, will not make a lot of money for the amount of hours s/he works.

Would I do it again? Yes, definitely. I grew up with pets, and always knew I wanted to be a vet. While I do wish I could work fewer hours, and that the job wasn't so stressful sometimes, I really can't imagine anything else so fulfilling. It's not all puppies and kittens all day long, and there are very depressing aspects of the profession (like seeing animals in pain or distress, seeing owners who won't take care of their suffering pets, and euthanasia is always sad, even though it's almost always for the best for the pet).

My parents are both very happy and proud that I am a vet, and have always been very supportive of the career choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My cousin left a private veterinary practice because she couldn't take all the people refusing to spend money on needed treatment. She now works for the feds doing something involving wildlife. I guess I'm of two minds about this, especially because I don't know what tradeoffs the families were making (paying for granny's nursing home instead?). Do you have views on pet owners that refuse to pay for Fido's surgery, and does it get you down, or not
?

It really depends. When I was first out of school, I was a lot more judgmental and idealistic about the care pets should receive. Now I know that pets fill different roles for different people. For some (I think the majority), they are like family members. And then for others, they are just pets. This informs the decisions people make about pet care. Also, I realize that some people are financially able to care for their pets, while others are not. It makes me really sad to see people go into debt to take care of their pets. I know that they have rents or mortgages to pay, human families to provide for, medical bills, etc. I really do my best to take into account a client's financial situation and his or her perspective and connection with his or her pet, and I try to help my clients make the best decisions for them, their pet, and their finances.

Of course, if we're dealing with outright neglect (like, not repairing a fracture because they can't afford surgery, or otherwise letting their pet suffer rather than take care of him/her) , then it makes me very sad, yes.

[Anonymous]

Hey, what about my question about what to look for in a vet's office and your complaint about Checkbook. It's true I can only judge by the customer service experience. What more can you do to insure high quality medical care?

[Anonymous]

One of our cats is persian and unfortunately she has the "runny eyes" where her tear ducts are blocked and it's constantly staining her fur.

We clean and dry her eyes twice a day, but it's still black/brown stained. We asked a vet about it but he said there's nothing really we can do, since tears won't stop.

Is there really nothing we can do?

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old cat has badly matted fur...but only one 1 side. Otherwise, he seems fine. Should I have him visit a vet?

He's really, really skidish...bit me once, bit a vet once. Prefer not to take him in actually but the one-sidedness of his self-care decline has me concerned.

[Anonymous]

Why are guinea pigs "exotic" pets? Is this just a way to make more money? Can any regular vet actually see a guinea pig if its sick?