Smart Money Magazine Takes a Swipe at Vets

Our technology may be state-of-the-art, but our industry regulations are still in the Dark Ages.”

I actually can see where the journalist may get some of his/her misinformation. Afterall, how many DVMs are employing real live educated and credentialed VTs to perform many of these duties (dental prophy etc)? And of those who are not, do you honestly think they are taking the time to explain to the client that their "high-school-kid-dying-to-get-into-vet-school-one-day turned OJT VA to pass the time" is actually going to be cleaning Fluffy's teeth AND monitoring anesthesia with ZERO education on the subject? If veterinary medicine is not respected like human medicine, then perhaps we should stop lowering our standards and live up to our clients expectations for real medicine which involves not only an educated DVM but also educated support staff.

Hmm, I think we would all have a different view of the article if just the title was changed to "10 things to talk to your vet about." But that headline just wouldn't catch the eye of the reader now would it? We can sit here and talk bad about journalists for just as long as they sit around and talk bad about vets but does that makes us any better than them? The truth is, they are just doing their job. If readers didn't demand sensationalism, journalists wouldn't dish it out. I do think this article could serve as a wake up call to vets. Do you discuss these topics with clients? Are you prepared to give a rational, non-emotional response if such topics were brought up to you during a visit? If there is something that you don't have a lot of experince with(invasive denistry, behavior, etc) would you let the client know and give the option of a referral or would you go ahead and do it because you think you will probably be able to handle it? Do you take as few risks as possible or do you cut corners to save the client a few bucks? I think this article won't make clients lose trust but instead will change their blind trust into an educationed and informed trust which I think is a VERY good thing.

I have not read the article yet, but will. I am amazed at the lack of knowledge of some individuals in the journalism field. They need to look at the cost of treating distemper/parvo versus keeping up the vaccinations. They need to look at the cost of treating heartworm instead of keeping the animals on preventative medicine. This is the real problem, they think we are over vaccinating. We have gone to a (3) year protocal on many vaccinations and as I understand, the FDA is going to take the labeling off to let the vet determine how long the vaccine should be good for. I am also against this as it puts entirely too much of the responsibility on the veterinarian.

I am continually dismayed as to why journalist feel that veterinarians are such an easy target. Yes, I agree that there are some bad vets out there, just like there are bad M.D.s, bad dentists, bad car mechanics, etc. Obviously journalist want their articles to be read, that is how they make a living. If they could be fair in their articles and cite examples of outstanding veterinary care and poor vet care but as we all know "fair" doesn't sell news articles. In my practice we have a team approach. We survey clients constantly to make sure we are meeting their expectations and their needs. We are committed to practicing not only the best veterinary care possible (including referrals to specialists without reservation) and the best customer service and care. Recently a colleague in my area held a training session for his staff in customer service. They called 30 local vet offices. Of those 30 our office was the number one in customer service as experienced over the phone by the staff who were being trained calling us. I shared this with our entire team. I was so proud of them! Why journalist cannot write positive articles about such things is simple. They don't care. They just want to sell their articles. As for charging what we are worth. My staff is worth their weight in gold. They are the best group of caring, concerned and talented bunch of people I have ever worked with. They always go above and beyond the call of duty for our clients. I work long hours to find answers for all my patients and their owners. Do I charge for all those extra things my staff and I do for our patients and clients? Absolutely not! It is traditional that vets have never charged enough for their services. Why? Because we are not in it for the money (yes there are exceptions). We are in veterinary medicine because it is a calling, a way of life. It is who most of us are! It is how we define ourselves in our every day lives. Yes, we all have interests outside of veterinary medicine but it is still a primary factor in how we define ourselves. Hopefully the author of this article will print another article praising those vets who put their lives on the line in the armed forces, during natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and fires. Also it would be wonderful if the author wrote a piece citing examples of all those vets who have dedicated themselves to saving pets lives, easing their suffering, practicing sensible vaccine protocols, etc. We are such easy targets because we feel that if we fight back against such articles we look like the villains that are portrayed in those articles. We stood up for ourselves to Consumer Reports and made a significant impact (at least I think we did). Let us always stand up for ourselves and our profession. And let us work hard to rid ourselves of those in our profession whose actions generate articles such as these. 8/22/09 Sharon

After reading the actual article, I'm not sure I am upset at all. Each question/statement is not answered in a darkening manner. Most are answered with the proper educational statements. This article recommends that the owner ask questions and find a veterinarian that believes as they do. Don't we all want the educated clients. We want the people to ask questions about their animal's treatment, vaccinations, overnight stays and surgeries. Of course they put in some scare stories about pets dying and they don't say that any anesthesia has a risk associated, but in general I think the article is good education. It took some horrible statements and then gave owners a way to inquire about the services. None of us have anything we should want to hide. I want my clients to ask questions about their pet's health care. I don't like how this article is started, but I do think it works out for us in the end.

In case you want to read the original article, here is the link (or click above...looks like it's linked there as well). http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/rip-offs/10-Things-Your-Veterinarian-...