elacsaplau
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I understand that this is a pretty "out there" question but......I'm interested in getting opinions on what people believe are the major challenges facing vets in practice at the moment.
Challenges facing vets in practice
- Thread starter elacsaplau
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Insurance, staff, difficult people who think their pet is a person. Spending a good proportion of their waking life with their arm up the backside of a cow. And what to do with all the money, invest it, move house or just put it with all the rest.
elacsaplau
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Thanks Purple, I think!
From speaking to a family member who is a vet, the biggest issue is the often unrealistic beliefs pet owners have around what a vet can do from watching TV programmes. She much prefers dealing with farmers or people with a rural background as they often have a far more pragmatic and realistic view of the world. Whilst she understands the upset putting an animal to sleep can have on a family, as a parent herself, she often wants to tell people to cop on and that it is not a child that has died.
I'd find that really hard too. People who treat dogs like they are people... crazy, although doing the same with cats is worse.
Cats; soulless creatures who, given the chance, will eat you when you die.
Hate cats too. If I was a vet I'd put them all down. #DoItForTheMice
I had rats in the house a few years back. A friend suggested I get a cat. I'd honestly rather have the rats. I'd certainly rather have a rat as a pet. They are clever, affectionate and clean.
I'm reminded of The Power of the Dog by Rudyard Kipling:
THERE is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear...
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear!
THERE is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear...
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear!
He wrote some great stuff (If, the Jungle Book etc) but coining the phrase 'The Whiteman's Burden' and inventing the word 'Jingoism' does blacken the record a bit. That and his Imperialism and racism and his propaganda that sent so many young men and boys off to die in the First World War, including his own son, who was rejected by the Army due to poor eyesight but got a commission due to his father's influence.
I wasn't aware of the fate of his son until I saw this TV movie on ITV a few years ago, about this time.
And to return to vets, I see pet insurance is a thing now, suggesting the rising cost of treatment - I imagine some vets are left with bad debts for procedures etc
Whatever about the mice, do it for the birds, they kill billions of them every year, mostly for fun.
RetirementPlan
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Well, aren't we a fine bunch of cat-haters here on AAM, relying on long debunked myths and misinformation to stir up hatred against our feline friends.
But to get back on topic, I'd guess the challenges for vets include costs of premises, insurance and retaining staff. There does seem to be good business available out there, judging by the newish 'Supervet' style facility in Meath and the new premises being built at one vet in the area here.
TBH, if you're the kind of person who had difficulty empathising with pet owners during difficult times, you might be in the wrong business.
But to get back on topic, I'd guess the challenges for vets include costs of premises, insurance and retaining staff. There does seem to be good business available out there, judging by the newish 'Supervet' style facility in Meath and the new premises being built at one vet in the area here.
TBH, if you're the kind of person who had difficulty empathising with pet owners during difficult times, you might be in the wrong business.
Your second link tells us that they kill a minimum of 27 million birds in the UK each year but the true number could be much higher. It then goes on the speculate that those birds would have died anyway. What a strange and baseless thing to say.
Yep, empty-nesters have all the money and see no moral problem spending thousands on their pets while people go hungry in the world. Each to their own I suppose.
Yes, I'd be aa terrible vet. If people brought in a sick cat, bird, lizard, snake, spider etc I'd find it hard to resist saying "Sure just get a new one, it's only a cat, bird, lizard, snake, spider etc".
A pattern I have noticed in the past decade is the increasing remote-ness and lack of access to the vet themselves in suburban practices - they use the vet nurses and reception staff to do a lot of the work & face off to the customers that they used to do and ration their own time with customers/ pets but still charge the same old prices or more. Basically the vet practices have professionalised but with a loss of the nicer side of care and attention and empathy that was there in the past.
Console yourself with the fact that the Vet is probably making far more money than they used to.
Cat sandwiches... I dunno' is there much meat on them?