The Veterinary Industrial Complex
My Big Dog Nigel became seriously ill recently and in the end and after more than 15 days of not eating and many vet visits to two different vets, multiple medications and innumerable tests (all incon...
Forum Discussion
First, I want to extend my condolences for you over your dog Nigel. He was fortunate to have you in his life to help him along at the very end.
We are facing a crisis with our one Scottie. It appears she has bladder cancer. We are finally in Indiana and on Monday she goes to the Purdue Vet School where the head researcher on Scotties and bladder cancer is going to have a look at her.
We, too, have seen a lot of changes in veterinary care and like you. . . we still prefer our small hometown vet. He saw her this last week. He does what he can to mitigate the costs we face, explaining what generic drugs I might be able to buy for her at Walmart. He advises me on modified tests or specific tests that can yield results without running the entire battery. He has often made suggestions when we were on the road about what to look for in finding a vet who can help us. I will be eternally grateful for him. He is actually semi-retired, but we continue to see him.
I took our little gal to a one vet this year in Texas who wanted to run a bunch of tests. They kept coming back negative and then her tech yelled at me for not continuing with an NSAID which was causing extreme complications with my dog. . . like I didn't know what was causing the problem. When I wanted an ultrasound they told me $4-500! Yikes. The one I had done last summer was $65. So I found another vet. He is very much like our "regular" vet and I know we will continue to use him when we get back to Texas. Those kinds of vets are still available, but I know to stay away from the large conglomerates which do seem to be interested in making $$. I don't mind paying my vet because I know he doesn't pad the bill. It still is expensive, but I know I'm not going to be paying for a lot of unnecessary stuff.
Also, our regular vet and the new vet we found in Texas both provided me their personal emails so that I can relate to them what the Purdue vet finds. They are both interested in our little gal and hope that we can help her get a few more years. The other vet that ran all the tests and yelled at me has never called to check up on her.
Dale
We are facing a crisis with our one Scottie. It appears she has bladder cancer. We are finally in Indiana and on Monday she goes to the Purdue Vet School where the head researcher on Scotties and bladder cancer is going to have a look at her.
We, too, have seen a lot of changes in veterinary care and like you. . . we still prefer our small hometown vet. He saw her this last week. He does what he can to mitigate the costs we face, explaining what generic drugs I might be able to buy for her at Walmart. He advises me on modified tests or specific tests that can yield results without running the entire battery. He has often made suggestions when we were on the road about what to look for in finding a vet who can help us. I will be eternally grateful for him. He is actually semi-retired, but we continue to see him.
I took our little gal to a one vet this year in Texas who wanted to run a bunch of tests. They kept coming back negative and then her tech yelled at me for not continuing with an NSAID which was causing extreme complications with my dog. . . like I didn't know what was causing the problem. When I wanted an ultrasound they told me $4-500! Yikes. The one I had done last summer was $65. So I found another vet. He is very much like our "regular" vet and I know we will continue to use him when we get back to Texas. Those kinds of vets are still available, but I know to stay away from the large conglomerates which do seem to be interested in making $$. I don't mind paying my vet because I know he doesn't pad the bill. It still is expensive, but I know I'm not going to be paying for a lot of unnecessary stuff.
Also, our regular vet and the new vet we found in Texas both provided me their personal emails so that I can relate to them what the Purdue vet finds. They are both interested in our little gal and hope that we can help her get a few more years. The other vet that ran all the tests and yelled at me has never called to check up on her.
Dale
