The Veterinary Industrial Complex

4X4Dodger wrote:
.....But in all that process some things struck me about Vet Care in today's world:

Veterinary Practices are far larger than ever before. Two of the vets we visited had 11 or more employees.

Veterinary Medicine is following Human medical services delivery in form and function. Putting you in small rooms waiting for the doctor, meanwhile a "Nurse" or Vets Asst comes to hear your story and enters it on a large patient computer program. If you are lucky you will get a few minutes with the doctor before he decides on 8 tests to be done.

What does this mean for the dog or cat owner?

My experience is that all of this growth in the size of vet practices isn't necessarily serving the best interests of the Pet or it's owner.

The BEST care my dog Nigel got was finally at a small vet practice with three employees, dedicated to the health and well being of the animals and not the necessity of generating 1.5 million dollars a year.

I think our Veterinary care is suffering due to this "industrialization" ....

Boy have you got that right. I have to TOTALLY agree with you.

When I went full time the HARDEST thing about it was leaving my local vet. 2 vets on staff and I had 110% of their attention when it came to caring and diagnosing my pets. If they did not have an answer they were immediately personally on the phone to the University asking for more information/ongoing studies etc to help my pet.

The vets LISTENED to me the owner, who is the only one that can speak on behalf of an ill pet. The vet tech did nothing more than take down a simple sentence of why I was there prior to the vet coming in.

Fast forward to where I have moved to.
Same scenario you speak of numerous vets in one clinic. You are herded like cattle to a waiting room. Only to be seen by a 'vet tech' who diagnoses your pet and they all seem to NOT want to listen to the owner. AND many times never seeing the same vet twice.

Vet techs who do NOT have any where's near the education a vet does, yet they are 'given the responsibility' of diagnosing your pet. The vet coming in at the last minute to ok any meds.

If it were not for the fact that I have been in dogs for a very long time and have been involved in many diseases, diagnosis and treatments and by osmosis know more than some vets, 2 of my dogs just this past year would have been unnecessarily euthanized at the vet I am using now.:(

I feel very sorry for the inexperienced pet owner who is left in the hands of the 'now' factory line vet clinics.

I am also shocked just how many of these clinics with multiple vets that the 'majority' of the vets are first year veterinarians! AND that the majority of the vets are NOT board certified. I'm guessing because they are less expensive to hire.

Not to knock a first year vet but if you have something wrong with your pet that is hard to diagnose, not common place, etc the first year vet is NOT going to be able to help you simply by not having the experience.

At my home vet their certificates were all posted on the wall in the office. I do NOT see this practice anymore, I thought it was required.

As a pet owner you NEED to ask these questions BEFORE you put your pets health in their hands. And don't be afraid to ask either.

How long have you been a vet?
Are you board certified.