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
I have avoided commenting on this topic. While I believe 4X$Dodger’s observations may be accurate, I don’t feel all of the conclusions are warranted.
It is true that with the technological improvements and increase in knowledge have changed the field of veterinary medicine. This offers a much wider understanding of animals and their diseases and so many more options to deal with them. This does come at a cost, but the benefits are real. To say that this is “harming pet care overall” just isn’t warranted.
Another aspect to what has happened may be a misconception that many have about medicine. There is a reason it’s call “the ART of medicine.” So many think all you have to do is run a test, take a blood sample, do a radiograph/mri/ultrasound and you have an answer. That’s just NOT the way it is. Diagnosis is hard and many conditions/diseases don’t follow the book or multiple diseases are present at the same time and complicates our job. It’s sad to admit how many times we guess about what’s going on – with some pretty good evidence and reasoning – but still a guess.
You can end up spending $$$$ and still not have an answer or the answer you want. This situation can result in frustration and anger aimed at your vet. This situation is more often unreasonable expectations compounded by poor communication.
I hope the profession has not gotten to the point where needless tests or procedures are done in the name of $$$ or CYA.
I know after running a 4-5 doctor practice with 15 employees, the decisions about equipment purchasing can be difficult. It has always been about patient care, not income generation. Business decisions were never about the equipment purchase then pushing utilization to justify cost. It's always about the need for utilization for patient care to justify the cost.
There is no doubt that veterinary care costs have risen. It is also true that there are some veterinarians who push the best care/technology/medicine available.
You always have a choice and I still believe that veterinary care in this country is a bargain.
Doug, DVM
It is true that with the technological improvements and increase in knowledge have changed the field of veterinary medicine. This offers a much wider understanding of animals and their diseases and so many more options to deal with them. This does come at a cost, but the benefits are real. To say that this is “harming pet care overall” just isn’t warranted.
Another aspect to what has happened may be a misconception that many have about medicine. There is a reason it’s call “the ART of medicine.” So many think all you have to do is run a test, take a blood sample, do a radiograph/mri/ultrasound and you have an answer. That’s just NOT the way it is. Diagnosis is hard and many conditions/diseases don’t follow the book or multiple diseases are present at the same time and complicates our job. It’s sad to admit how many times we guess about what’s going on – with some pretty good evidence and reasoning – but still a guess.
You can end up spending $$$$ and still not have an answer or the answer you want. This situation can result in frustration and anger aimed at your vet. This situation is more often unreasonable expectations compounded by poor communication.
I hope the profession has not gotten to the point where needless tests or procedures are done in the name of $$$ or CYA.
I know after running a 4-5 doctor practice with 15 employees, the decisions about equipment purchasing can be difficult. It has always been about patient care, not income generation. Business decisions were never about the equipment purchase then pushing utilization to justify cost. It's always about the need for utilization for patient care to justify the cost.
There is no doubt that veterinary care costs have risen. It is also true that there are some veterinarians who push the best care/technology/medicine available.
You always have a choice and I still believe that veterinary care in this country is a bargain.
Doug, DVM
