Hi,
I'm probably going to raise some hackles by this post, but I feel I must say something in defence of vets.
I read another string where somebody had little money for vet care & felt his/her vet was inconsiderate not treating the cat. I'm friends with a vet who I speak to on a daily basis, and I get to hear the other side of the story.
1) Somebody recently brought in a small dog who had been mauled by a larger dog. The person who brought the dog in didn't own the dog. My friend treated this dog for some time & managed to get it stabilised. The owner was finally tracked down, and absolutely abused her for trying to save this dog's life, and refused to pay for the veterinary care. She said if he wasn't willing to have further work done, to at least let her put the dog down humanely. He refused, preferring to take the dog home & shoot it, to save the vet costs.
2) She often treats people's pets for free, and rarely gets a thankyou. Most vets will tell you that people are willing to tell them off, but very few will thank them.
3) I quite often have to sit talking to her for hours at a time because she is so distraught as a result of her job. It's not all about money at all...but there has to be a line drawn.
I know this sounds harsh, but our pets are our responsibility. I don't think it is up to vets to treat our animals for free, at the end of the day, they are a business, just like a plumber or electritian are. Would we expect a plumber to come out & fix something for free? I doubt it. You will find that most vets DO care, but there comes a time when they have to say enough is enough. They can't take responsibility for people who don't have the money for proper vet care. Most are willing to come to the party, and offer some kind of repayment scheme, but they're not obliged to do it. Knowing my friend, and what she is like, I take it personally when people say that vets who won't treat animals for free don't care, because it's just not true.
If I didn't have money, I'd not have cats. Only ever have the number of cats you can afford to keep. Always have a credit card on stand by just for unexpected vets bills. And believe me, there will come a time when you do get an unexpected bill, and it's always at the worst time. In this Xmas period, I have had to shell out around $1000.00 on my cat, and it came completely out of the blue. But, they're my cats, and they're my responsibility.
I hope I've managed to show at least some the other side of the coin. Most vets do a darned good job, and they deserve all the thanks in the world. And it's only fair to expect to pay them. They darned well earn that money.
This following article is worth a read, and a ponder...before we whinge about our terrible vets.
http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/a...l.jsp?id=31510
Julia.
I'm probably going to raise some hackles by this post, but I feel I must say something in defence of vets.
I read another string where somebody had little money for vet care & felt his/her vet was inconsiderate not treating the cat. I'm friends with a vet who I speak to on a daily basis, and I get to hear the other side of the story.
1) Somebody recently brought in a small dog who had been mauled by a larger dog. The person who brought the dog in didn't own the dog. My friend treated this dog for some time & managed to get it stabilised. The owner was finally tracked down, and absolutely abused her for trying to save this dog's life, and refused to pay for the veterinary care. She said if he wasn't willing to have further work done, to at least let her put the dog down humanely. He refused, preferring to take the dog home & shoot it, to save the vet costs.
2) She often treats people's pets for free, and rarely gets a thankyou. Most vets will tell you that people are willing to tell them off, but very few will thank them.
3) I quite often have to sit talking to her for hours at a time because she is so distraught as a result of her job. It's not all about money at all...but there has to be a line drawn.
I know this sounds harsh, but our pets are our responsibility. I don't think it is up to vets to treat our animals for free, at the end of the day, they are a business, just like a plumber or electritian are. Would we expect a plumber to come out & fix something for free? I doubt it. You will find that most vets DO care, but there comes a time when they have to say enough is enough. They can't take responsibility for people who don't have the money for proper vet care. Most are willing to come to the party, and offer some kind of repayment scheme, but they're not obliged to do it. Knowing my friend, and what she is like, I take it personally when people say that vets who won't treat animals for free don't care, because it's just not true.
If I didn't have money, I'd not have cats. Only ever have the number of cats you can afford to keep. Always have a credit card on stand by just for unexpected vets bills. And believe me, there will come a time when you do get an unexpected bill, and it's always at the worst time. In this Xmas period, I have had to shell out around $1000.00 on my cat, and it came completely out of the blue. But, they're my cats, and they're my responsibility.
I hope I've managed to show at least some the other side of the coin. Most vets do a darned good job, and they deserve all the thanks in the world. And it's only fair to expect to pay them. They darned well earn that money.
This following article is worth a read, and a ponder...before we whinge about our terrible vets.
http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/a...l.jsp?id=31510
Julia.