This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- Vet med SAQ
- Scared I don't have the talent for vet school
- Vet school application extra curricular
- Is it worth thinking about veterinary medicine after finishing yr 13
- I don't know what to do with my life
- Applying for vetmed and nursing at RVC
- Access to higher education
- City University of Hong Kong veterinary medicine
- Trying to find Vet Med Work experience
- What do all the folks who don't get on to Vet Med do instead?
- Nightlife in uni
- i dont know if i can be a vet
- Police Vetting Process
- Do i have any chance of getting into vet med?
- Advice on vet school with biovet degree of 2:2
- Can I get into a vet university
- Going to veterinary medicine from biomedical science
- Equine Science
- Alternative course offers if rejected for vet med
- met vetting
Good Vet
Do you think you will be a good vet?
I wonder this because i don't think i have encountered many, yes plenty who are capable of treatment perfectly well, but many are so blaze about treating animals.. for example. last week a woman took her cat which had a blocked bladder into an RSPCA vets, who told her it had a blocked bladder but they couldnt treat it as they were closing. She proceeded to ring every single private vet in her area, all of which couldn't take the cat due to her being unable to pay the fees upfront. She called an RSPCA hospital, which couldn't treat it as she wasn't in their catchment area. She called the PDSA - she wasn't on the right benefits. In the end she turned up on the PDSAs doorstep as it would be illegal for them to turn the cat away once it was there. By this point the cat was on its side screaming in pain, (she had taken it to the first vet at 10am and by this time it was 7pm, nowhere would take the cat - though she had told everywhere she called that it was a blocked bladder.)
The PDSA agreed to treat it, tried to fit a catheter but couldn't, and just as they were inserting the needle to drain the bladder manually the cat died.
It's just completely disgraceful. Please don't start spouting nonsense about not having a pet if you can't pay for it. Not a single vet she encountered that day seemed to care about the cat in the slightest - its all about the money, or that they can't be bothered treating it if they can possibly avoid it.
So much for a 'caring' profession - the only thing seemingly cared about is the practices wallets. And there is no way a simple catheter & 48hrs in a cage at the vets costs anywhere near 500 quid, its a crazy mark up.
Are there any vets out there who say sod the regulations and treat the animal anyway then sort out the money afterwards? It just really reeeally annoys me.
I wonder this because i don't think i have encountered many, yes plenty who are capable of treatment perfectly well, but many are so blaze about treating animals.. for example. last week a woman took her cat which had a blocked bladder into an RSPCA vets, who told her it had a blocked bladder but they couldnt treat it as they were closing. She proceeded to ring every single private vet in her area, all of which couldn't take the cat due to her being unable to pay the fees upfront. She called an RSPCA hospital, which couldn't treat it as she wasn't in their catchment area. She called the PDSA - she wasn't on the right benefits. In the end she turned up on the PDSAs doorstep as it would be illegal for them to turn the cat away once it was there. By this point the cat was on its side screaming in pain, (she had taken it to the first vet at 10am and by this time it was 7pm, nowhere would take the cat - though she had told everywhere she called that it was a blocked bladder.)
The PDSA agreed to treat it, tried to fit a catheter but couldn't, and just as they were inserting the needle to drain the bladder manually the cat died.
It's just completely disgraceful. Please don't start spouting nonsense about not having a pet if you can't pay for it. Not a single vet she encountered that day seemed to care about the cat in the slightest - its all about the money, or that they can't be bothered treating it if they can possibly avoid it.
So much for a 'caring' profession - the only thing seemingly cared about is the practices wallets. And there is no way a simple catheter & 48hrs in a cage at the vets costs anywhere near 500 quid, its a crazy mark up.
Are there any vets out there who say sod the regulations and treat the animal anyway then sort out the money afterwards? It just really reeeally annoys me.
Scroll to see replies
Whilst this is unfortunate and im sure that there are some people in the profession for reasons other than genuine concern for each and every animal they treat, my experience with vets has been very different.
I am yet to come across one who has not displayed evident concern for the animal they are treating. I have a dog who has in the past been very ill with diabetes and she has suffered various complications over the last few years associated with this. From the minute she began having problems the vets, vetinary nurses and every staff member I have encountered have bent over backwards in order to ensure her well being and to make sure that she has recieved the best possible care.
Recently, my dog (the same one) had to have both of her eyes removed due to fear they may burst and could possibly be cancerous. Before her opperation we were talked through exactly what would happen, the risks, benefits and any other relevant information. The opperation was schedualed quickly, and the staff who had treated her from day one made special provisions to ensure that they were there to assist/conduct the opperation themselves. This was dispite the fact that the opperation could have easily been left to staff at the other practice, which was a good 15 miles away from their own practice. After the opperation, the staff have stayed in contact and have been eager to find out how she is getting on. I can give lots of other examples.
Im just thankfull that there are so many committed and hard working people out there who do care that much about the animals they treat. What amazes me most is that those involved in the treatment of my dog are all volunteers and are under no obligation to do anything at all, yet have consistantly gone out of their way to make sure that my pet has recieved the very best care possible, and I really cant thank them enough for that.
I think vetinary medicine is a very under apprecaited profession, and id like to think that most, if not all who choose to follow that career path do so because they love animals and have their best interests at heart. There are always going to be people who take advantage when there is money involved- always, but I believe that the significant majority are good, honest people who genuinly care for the animals they encounter.
I am yet to come across one who has not displayed evident concern for the animal they are treating. I have a dog who has in the past been very ill with diabetes and she has suffered various complications over the last few years associated with this. From the minute she began having problems the vets, vetinary nurses and every staff member I have encountered have bent over backwards in order to ensure her well being and to make sure that she has recieved the best possible care.
Recently, my dog (the same one) had to have both of her eyes removed due to fear they may burst and could possibly be cancerous. Before her opperation we were talked through exactly what would happen, the risks, benefits and any other relevant information. The opperation was schedualed quickly, and the staff who had treated her from day one made special provisions to ensure that they were there to assist/conduct the opperation themselves. This was dispite the fact that the opperation could have easily been left to staff at the other practice, which was a good 15 miles away from their own practice. After the opperation, the staff have stayed in contact and have been eager to find out how she is getting on. I can give lots of other examples.
Im just thankfull that there are so many committed and hard working people out there who do care that much about the animals they treat. What amazes me most is that those involved in the treatment of my dog are all volunteers and are under no obligation to do anything at all, yet have consistantly gone out of their way to make sure that my pet has recieved the very best care possible, and I really cant thank them enough for that.
I think vetinary medicine is a very under apprecaited profession, and id like to think that most, if not all who choose to follow that career path do so because they love animals and have their best interests at heart. There are always going to be people who take advantage when there is money involved- always, but I believe that the significant majority are good, honest people who genuinly care for the animals they encounter.
I'm sorry that she had such a bad experience.
However, I personally think that the majority are 'good vets', and I have never met one who didn't care.
I can't comment on the price of the treatment, because I don't know what it involves. However I would say that most people aren't in it for the money. If you want a high paying job, veterinary really isn't one to go for when you take into account the training and long hours. Also, it's their job to treat animals, they are not going to avoid that. Yes, I've seen vets irritated when mrs X brings in her dog at 5 o'clock with diarrhoea, which it has had for 3 weeks, but I've not seen anyone turned away.
Tbh, that's not nonsense. I appreciate that not everyone can afford huge vet bills, but that is what insurance is for. I appreciate that it doesn't cover everything.
Yes, my vets send out bills each month. If you can't afford to pay it all in one go you agree to pay a certain amount each week, so that you slowly pay it off.
I'd like to think so.
However, I personally think that the majority are 'good vets', and I have never met one who didn't care.
its all about the money, or that they can't be bothered treating it if they can possibly avoid it.
I can't comment on the price of the treatment, because I don't know what it involves. However I would say that most people aren't in it for the money. If you want a high paying job, veterinary really isn't one to go for when you take into account the training and long hours. Also, it's their job to treat animals, they are not going to avoid that. Yes, I've seen vets irritated when mrs X brings in her dog at 5 o'clock with diarrhoea, which it has had for 3 weeks, but I've not seen anyone turned away.
Please don't start spouting nonsense about not having a pet if you can't pay for it
Tbh, that's not nonsense. I appreciate that not everyone can afford huge vet bills, but that is what insurance is for. I appreciate that it doesn't cover everything.
sort out the money afterwards
Yes, my vets send out bills each month. If you can't afford to pay it all in one go you agree to pay a certain amount each week, so that you slowly pay it off.
Do you think you will be a good vet?
I'd like to think so.
I certainly wouldnt have been able to turn her away!
I'm coming into the profession to prevent animal suffering and pain....not for the money 
Sarahl89
...
We and you don't know the full details of the case.
Now at any stage one of these vets could and would have administered treatment had the client let them (they have to provide a 24 hour service by law). Now the first vet wouldn't have turned her away 'because he was closing', what is far more likely is that he would have wanted to charge her an out of hours fee which she wasn't willing to pay. It also sounds strange that ALL of the vets insisted on her paying up front.
Why was it a full 9 hours before the owner took the animal to a PDSA clinic for treatment? It takes a matter of minutes to ring around every local practice and/or ask for advice, why was it 9 hours before she had the divine idea of taking her cat to a PDSA clinic?
Yes Vets are caring, it is a quality selected for to get into the profession, but at the same time they don't operate on a charity basis. Why should they sacrifice their business and career over people who probably shouldn't have animals in the first place? Treatment doesn't come cheap, nor does the running of a practice. You may not believe me but veterinary practices are some of the least profitable businesses going despite many people conceiving them as charging high fees.
Owning animals and having children is a responsibility and a privilege, not a right as many would believe.
From my experience vets very very very rarely turn away animals, especially if they're extremely ill, even more so the PDSA and the RSPCA. The only real instances where I have heard of such a thing happening is where the client has been abusive in the past, a history of not paying for treatment, etc.
ch0c0h01ic
We and you don't know the full details of the case.
Now at any stage one of these vets could and would have administered treatment had the client let them (they have to provide a 24 hour service by law). Now the first vet wouldn't have turned her away 'because he was closing', what is far more likely is that he would have wanted to charge her an out of hours fee which she wasn't willing to pay. It also sounds strange that ALL of the vets insisted on her paying up front.
Why was it a full 9 hours before the owner took the animal to a PDSA clinic for treatment? It takes a matter of minutes to ring around every local practice and/or ask for advice, why was it 9 hours before she had the divine idea of taking her cat to a PDSA clinic?
Yes Vets are caring, it is a quality selected for to get into the profession, but at the same time they don't operate on a charity basis. Why should they sacrifice their business and career over people who probably shouldn't have animals in the first place? Treatment doesn't come cheap, nor does the running of a practice. You may not believe me but veterinary practices are some of the least profitable businesses going despite many people conceiving them as charging high fees.
Owning animals and having children is a responsibility and a privilege, not a right as many would believe.
From my experience vets very very very rarely turn away animals, especially if they're extremely ill, even more so the PDSA and the RSPCA. The only real instances where I have heard of such a thing happening is where the client has been abusive in the past, a history of not paying for treatment, etc.
Now at any stage one of these vets could and would have administered treatment had the client let them (they have to provide a 24 hour service by law). Now the first vet wouldn't have turned her away 'because he was closing', what is far more likely is that he would have wanted to charge her an out of hours fee which she wasn't willing to pay. It also sounds strange that ALL of the vets insisted on her paying up front.
Why was it a full 9 hours before the owner took the animal to a PDSA clinic for treatment? It takes a matter of minutes to ring around every local practice and/or ask for advice, why was it 9 hours before she had the divine idea of taking her cat to a PDSA clinic?
Yes Vets are caring, it is a quality selected for to get into the profession, but at the same time they don't operate on a charity basis. Why should they sacrifice their business and career over people who probably shouldn't have animals in the first place? Treatment doesn't come cheap, nor does the running of a practice. You may not believe me but veterinary practices are some of the least profitable businesses going despite many people conceiving them as charging high fees.
Owning animals and having children is a responsibility and a privilege, not a right as many would believe.
From my experience vets very very very rarely turn away animals, especially if they're extremely ill, even more so the PDSA and the RSPCA. The only real instances where I have heard of such a thing happening is where the client has been abusive in the past, a history of not paying for treatment, etc.
Well i do know the full details of the case actually.
The client would let them treat the animal, but they all told her they couldn't treat it as she couldn't pay upfront. (she could pay, just not there and then.)
The first vet did turn her away. Maybe you haven't much experience of RSPCA clinics but they open for something like 2 hours three days a week and have no out of hours service, so direct people to their hospitals - which in this case was out of the client's catchment area and therefore refused to treat her pet. Infact they had taken their emergency phone off the hook altogether and the client couldnt contact them at all - only when their exdirectory number was rung did a vet nurse answer and refuse treatment.
It was 9 hours because she had taken the cat to the first vet at 10 - didnt leave there for almost an hour, went home and spent the day finding and ringing all the vets in her area. They all refused her treatment so where on earth was she meant to take the cat?
It took that long to take it to a PDSA clinic because she had already rung the clinic hours agoand they'd refused to treat it - she took it there because she rung an emergency line (animal version of NHS dierect), who gave her a list of all the vets in her area - only one of which she hadn't already rung (which also turned her away), and rung up the hospitals for her, still with no luck, then in sheer frustration with the whole system, told the woman to get in the car and drive the cat to the PDSA without ringing first and if they tried to turn her away then remind them they could be reported to the RCVS for not treating it.
And i don;t know what experience it is that you're drawing from - i'd have thought you may have known better about the RSPCA being a vet student - they are utterly useless, their clinics are rarely open, they often take their phones off the hook or ignore phone calls to their emergency lines, if you call them in the middle of the night to come to an emergency (wild animal etc.) you may as well toss a dice to guess whether they'll turn up.
I know the veterinary professions is hard work, long hours, and not as highly paid as people may think, but vets fees are crazily high considering the treatment sometimes.
You're right vets will rarely refuse to treat animals if they have turned up on the doorstep needing treatment - thats because its illegal! they seem to have no problem refusing treatment over the phone.
I know you're a vet student and maybe you feel you should stand up for the profession or something - but do you not think that this case is completely disgraceful? The cat could so easily have been saved, the owner was not refusing to pay, just couldn't pay upfront, i dont think the owner was even aware of how serious a blocked bladder could be, didn't know that they couldnt turn you away if you turned up at their door so what was she meant to do? I could quote countless other cases which reflect just as badly on some vets.
I was at a surgery a while ago and with a dog open on the table, another vet came in waving a tortoise around (above the open dog..
), asking if anyone knew how to tell if a tortoise was dead. He decided that to save face instead of telling the owner he had no idea how to tell if a tortoise was dead, he'd just bung it in the freezer. And i know a vet who, whenever a stray cat is bought in, would leave it in a cage there for a day or so, then put it in the car and release it a few miles down the road. He did it to one adorable little pregnant stray while i was there and the next day someone bought it in again. I dont see that anyone can deny that kind of behaviour is completely out of order, and does make you wonder why they are even in the profession if not for money as there seems to be a distinct lack of any 'caring' streak.
I'm a vet student applicant currently, hoping to go to uni in sept.
From my work experience (of which I have spent 6 weeks at 3 different vets) I have not once encountered vets who are uncaring or have not taken the best course of action for the animal for financial reasons.
I understand that you probably think that the fees are very expensive and I guess you colud argue that a consultation fee is expensive (I think approx £20 for a consultation). But have you ever had to pay for drugs on the NHS? My sister has a very obscure form of eczma which normal eczma creams don't treat very effectively, therefore she pays (well my parents) approx £100 a month for this cream because its not available free on the NHS cos NICE didn't deem it cost effective. Drugs are hugely expensive! Especially anaesthethic which is obviously necessary for surgery.
I have never experienced anything less than kindness and proffessionalism from any vets. I am not saying that all vets are saints I'm sure there are bad vets out there but even so I don't think its very fair. At the end of the day, if as a vet applicant, I was interested in thre money, then believe me I'd be a doctor!! A vets salary is nothing compared to that of a doctor. In the majority of cases, vets do become vets because of a love for their proffession and a caring nature for animals and not because of financial reasons.
Yes I do think the case you've highlighted is disgraceful but a private clinic does have to make some money as a business, whether or not the individual vets wish to treat the animal. With regards to the RSPCA and the PDSA, well they do have a responsibility to treat animals taken to them if their owner is unable to afford a private clinic and so yes, what they did was wrong. But I don't believe thats a very fair representation of all vets.
Sorry I don't mean this post to be nasty to anyone at all, I was just getting quite passionate about something I believe in strongly.
From my work experience (of which I have spent 6 weeks at 3 different vets) I have not once encountered vets who are uncaring or have not taken the best course of action for the animal for financial reasons.
I understand that you probably think that the fees are very expensive and I guess you colud argue that a consultation fee is expensive (I think approx £20 for a consultation). But have you ever had to pay for drugs on the NHS? My sister has a very obscure form of eczma which normal eczma creams don't treat very effectively, therefore she pays (well my parents) approx £100 a month for this cream because its not available free on the NHS cos NICE didn't deem it cost effective. Drugs are hugely expensive! Especially anaesthethic which is obviously necessary for surgery.
I have never experienced anything less than kindness and proffessionalism from any vets. I am not saying that all vets are saints I'm sure there are bad vets out there but even so I don't think its very fair. At the end of the day, if as a vet applicant, I was interested in thre money, then believe me I'd be a doctor!! A vets salary is nothing compared to that of a doctor. In the majority of cases, vets do become vets because of a love for their proffession and a caring nature for animals and not because of financial reasons.
Yes I do think the case you've highlighted is disgraceful but a private clinic does have to make some money as a business, whether or not the individual vets wish to treat the animal. With regards to the RSPCA and the PDSA, well they do have a responsibility to treat animals taken to them if their owner is unable to afford a private clinic and so yes, what they did was wrong. But I don't believe thats a very fair representation of all vets.
Sorry I don't mean this post to be nasty to anyone at all, I was just getting quite passionate about something I believe in strongly.
Enor
I'm a vet student applicant currently, hoping to go to uni in sept.
From my work experience (of which I have spent 6 weeks at 3 different vets) I have not once encountered vets who are uncaring or have not taken the best course of action for the animal for financial reasons.
I understand that you probably think that the fees are very expensive and I guess you colud argue that a consultation fee is expensive (I think approx £20 for a consultation). But have you ever had to pay for drugs on the NHS? My sister has a very obscure form of eczma which normal eczma creams don't treat very effectively, therefore she pays (well my parents) approx £100 a month for this cream because its not available free on the NHS cos NICE didn't deem it cost effective. Drugs are hugely expensive! Especially anaesthethic which is obviously necessary for surgery.
I have never experienced anything less than kindness and proffessionalism from any vets. I am not saying that all vets are saints I'm sure there are bad vets out there but even so I don't think its very fair. At the end of the day, if as a vet applicant, I was interested in thre money, then believe me I'd be a doctor!! A vets salary is nothing compared to that of a doctor. In the majority of cases, vets do become vets because of a love for their proffession and a caring nature for animals and not because of financial reasons.
Yes I do think the case you've highlighted is disgraceful but a private clinic does have to make some money as a business, whether or not the individual vets wish to treat the animal. With regards to the RSPCA and the PDSA, well they do have a responsibility to treat animals taken to them if their owner is unable to afford a private clinic and so yes, what they did was wrong. But I don't believe thats a very fair representation of all vets.
Sorry I don't mean this post to be nasty to anyone at all, I was just getting quite passionate about something I believe in strongly.
From my work experience (of which I have spent 6 weeks at 3 different vets) I have not once encountered vets who are uncaring or have not taken the best course of action for the animal for financial reasons.
I understand that you probably think that the fees are very expensive and I guess you colud argue that a consultation fee is expensive (I think approx £20 for a consultation). But have you ever had to pay for drugs on the NHS? My sister has a very obscure form of eczma which normal eczma creams don't treat very effectively, therefore she pays (well my parents) approx £100 a month for this cream because its not available free on the NHS cos NICE didn't deem it cost effective. Drugs are hugely expensive! Especially anaesthethic which is obviously necessary for surgery.
I have never experienced anything less than kindness and proffessionalism from any vets. I am not saying that all vets are saints I'm sure there are bad vets out there but even so I don't think its very fair. At the end of the day, if as a vet applicant, I was interested in thre money, then believe me I'd be a doctor!! A vets salary is nothing compared to that of a doctor. In the majority of cases, vets do become vets because of a love for their proffession and a caring nature for animals and not because of financial reasons.
Yes I do think the case you've highlighted is disgraceful but a private clinic does have to make some money as a business, whether or not the individual vets wish to treat the animal. With regards to the RSPCA and the PDSA, well they do have a responsibility to treat animals taken to them if their owner is unable to afford a private clinic and so yes, what they did was wrong. But I don't believe thats a very fair representation of all vets.
Sorry I don't mean this post to be nasty to anyone at all, I was just getting quite passionate about something I believe in strongly.
I know not all vets are like that, and of course it isn't the individual vets making the decision not to treat but ive just experienced so many cases of practices just not seeming to actually care about the individual animal at all. Don't get me wrong, i know some really lovely, caring & passionate vets.
As for drug prices, i know they're expensive for us too, but they really dont cost anywhere near as much as we pay to produce!!
I wonder how long had this cat been displaying symptoms before she decided to take it to the vets? If this had been going on for longer than the day in question which I'm sure it would have been ie straining when going to the toilet vocalisation (pain) when trying to urinate etc then the owner should have already taken the cat to the vets to be treated for these symptoms and therefore was completely to blame for not paying enough attention to her cat in the first place. Its not acceptable for owners to abuse their animals through ignorance and then to blame the vets when its a complete emergency.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_urinary_blockage.html
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_urinary_blockage.html
If the blockage persists 3-6 days, the toxin build up will result in death.
Sorry to burst your bubble OP but pretty much the only way all the local practices would refuse to treat unless paid up front, is if said client was a terrible debtor, who never paid. Most local practices email each other lists of bad debtors and they're just not worth the time of day, cheeky bastards.
All the practices I've been to would have taken it no questions and catheterised it there and then, with no questions of payment until afterwards.. unless the client happened to be a bad debtor.
All the practices I've been to would have taken it no questions and catheterised it there and then, with no questions of payment until afterwards.. unless the client happened to be a bad debtor.
Sarahl89
I know not all vets are like that, and of course it isn't the individual vets making the decision not to treat but ive just experienced so many cases of practices just not seeming to actually care about the individual animal at all. Don't get me wrong, i know some really lovely, caring & passionate vets.
As for drug prices, i know they're expensive for us too, but they really dont cost anywhere near as much as we pay to produce!!
As for drug prices, i know they're expensive for us too, but they really dont cost anywhere near as much as we pay to produce!!
When you buy drugs from a vet, you're not just paying for the drugs and "production" costs. You're paying for the time and energy of a professional, who has been specially trained for 5 rigorous years to ensure they don't make mistakes and to ensure they give the best possible treatment. You're also paying for the cost of simply running the practice with electricity and heating so that you can turn up to a place to collect the drugs (businesses pay extortionate fees for electricity and gas).
I don't think you realise how seriously little vet practices really do profit. The practice I go to subsidises all cat castrates, cat spays, and other common procedures to keep them at a reasonable price for the client. They actually lose money on every one of these done, and have to make it up elsewhere.
vets and vet nurses aren't the problem generally , it's the admin staff - like most things in healthcare whether vet or people the utter callousness and profit motivation of lay managers is pretty disgusting...
Transatlanticdrawl_
Sorry to burst your bubble OP but pretty much the only way all the local practices would refuse to treat unless paid up front, is if said client was a terrible debtor, who never paid.
So does that mean that it is now acceptable in the veterinary profession to deliberately leave an animal to suffer because you object to the owner's financial habits?
All the good vets I know would say "sod the owners, look after the animal", because that's why they're vets.
Anyone who can knowingly leave an animal to suffer shouldn't be allowed to practise veterinary medicine. And interestingly (according to my vet friends) the RCVS takes quite a similar line.
The OP should make formal complaints to the RCVS against every practise she asked for help and which refused.
Transatlanticdrawl_
When you buy drugs from a vet, you're not just paying for the drugs and "production" costs. You're paying for the time and energy of a professional, who has been specially trained for 5 rigorous years to ensure they don't make mistakes and to ensure they give the best possible treatment.
even if the drug is 'vet GSL' or 'vet P' ?
i buy vet P drugs from my local pharmacist because they are allowed to sell them - though not all pharmacists have cottoned on to this in urban / suburban areas
mja
So does that mean that it is now acceptable in the veterinary profession to deliberately leave an animal to suffer because you object to the owner's financial habits?
All the good vets I know would say "sod the owners, look after the animal", because that's why they're vets.
Anyone who can knowingly leave an animal to suffer shouldn't be allowed to practise veterinary medicine. And interestingly (according to my vet friends) the RCVS takes quite a similar line.
The OP should make formal complaints to the RCVS against every practise she asked for help and which refused.
All the good vets I know would say "sod the owners, look after the animal", because that's why they're vets.
Anyone who can knowingly leave an animal to suffer shouldn't be allowed to practise veterinary medicine. And interestingly (according to my vet friends) the RCVS takes quite a similar line.
The OP should make formal complaints to the RCVS against every practise she asked for help and which refused.
i'd agree with that
the problem of course would be the principal MRCVS in the practice and any MRCVS or vet Nurse on duty would simply deny that they were aware of it and that it must have been a recptionist or the practice manager who refused , they are very sorry and they'll tell the receptionist o/ practice manager off ..
Transatlanticdrawl_
When you buy drugs from a vet, you're not just paying for the drugs and "production" costs. You're paying for the time and energy of a professional, who has been specially trained for 5 rigorous years to ensure they don't make mistakes and to ensure they give the best possible treatment. You're also paying for the cost of simply running the practice with electricity and heating so that you can turn up to a place to collect the drugs (businesses pay extortionate fees for electricity and gas).
I don't think you realise how seriously little vet practices really do profit. The practice I go to subsidises all cat castrates, cat spays, and other common procedures to keep them at a reasonable price for the client. They actually lose money on every one of these done, and have to make it up elsewhere.
I don't think you realise how seriously little vet practices really do profit. The practice I go to subsidises all cat castrates, cat spays, and other common procedures to keep them at a reasonable price for the client. They actually lose money on every one of these done, and have to make it up elsewhere.
This.
Not to mention that veterinary practices also need to find the money so that staff can be sent on CPD courses, in order to keep skills fine-tuned and ensure they offer the best possible service to clients and first-rate medical treatment to animals.
People have a warped idea of what "expensive" is when it comes to medical treatment, simply 'cause we're all so lucky to have the majority of it provided to us free/subsidised heavily by the NHS.
I really don't think you can rationally sit there and complain about fees, OP.
I'm sorry that you know someone that has apparently been let down, to such a great extent, by the veterinary profession.
To be entirely frank I'm not sure that what you've been told and told us is the whole story. I simply can't comprehend that every practice the owner contacted refused treatment for the sake of refusing treatment. It's totally against the RCVS code of conduct for a start. Not to mention the morals of most vets.
Even so, if this is true you really can't sit and tar all vets with the same brush based on this one experience.
zippyRN
even if the drug is 'vet GSL' or 'vet P' ?
i buy vet P drugs from my local pharmacist because they are allowed to sell them - though not all pharmacists have cottoned on to this in urban / suburban areas
i buy vet P drugs from my local pharmacist because they are allowed to sell them - though not all pharmacists have cottoned on to this in urban / suburban areas
This is something that I'm not entirely sure I agree with anyway. Totally denies the vet the opportunity of maintaining a professional relationship with the client.
While there are some instances in which I believe there are advantages to this system there are equally a number of disadvantages - and I don't think pet owners should be so quick as to jump straight into it simply for the glee they find in evading the supposedly "extortionate prices" vets charge.
emilyyy
This is something that I'm not entirely sure I agree with anyway. Totally denies the vet the opportunity of maintaining a professional relationship with the client.
While there are some instances in which I believe there are advantages to this system there are equally a number of disadvantages - and I don't think pet owners should be so quick as to jump straight into it simply for the glee they find in evading the supposedly "extortionate prices" vets charge.
While there are some instances in which I believe there are advantages to this system there are equally a number of disadvantages - and I don't think pet owners should be so quick as to jump straight into it simply for the glee they find in evading the supposedly "extortionate prices" vets charge.
the problems come when it stuff like flea or worming stuff which is 'Vet P' if you want the stuff that works well ., but really doesn't need a consultation (with fee) and prescribing charge and the cost of the meds ....
as i understand it from my farming relations and friends their vets don't see it as a problem it seems to be a small animal thing ... but that's probably becasue the annual vet spend of the average small animal client is a lot less than the spend of a farmer or someone with horses
I don't know this person - this isnt any kind of personal gripe! I've no reason not to tell the whole story! I was just quite shocked by it when the cat could so easily have been saved but instead died in complete agony. Im not complaining about fees, just think the primary concern should be for the animal when its an emergency like that and then sort out the fees afterwards.
Also its not always that easy to spot a blocked bladder - my cat has a tendency to wee in the house so whenever we find him sitting like that the habit is to put him out! I noticed last night he had been doing it quite a lot yesterday and felt his bladder - rock solid - luckily i knew the symptoms and how serious a blocked bladder can be, but someone with no veterinary experience could be forgiven for assuming it was just the darn cat weeing in the house again and putting it out the front door till morning! i dont see how anyone can blame the owner for this case, really.
Also its not always that easy to spot a blocked bladder - my cat has a tendency to wee in the house so whenever we find him sitting like that the habit is to put him out! I noticed last night he had been doing it quite a lot yesterday and felt his bladder - rock solid - luckily i knew the symptoms and how serious a blocked bladder can be, but someone with no veterinary experience could be forgiven for assuming it was just the darn cat weeing in the house again and putting it out the front door till morning! i dont see how anyone can blame the owner for this case, really.
zippyRN
the problems come when it stuff like flea or worming stuff which is 'Vet P' if you want the stuff that works well ., but really doesn't need a consultation (with fee) and prescribing charge and the cost of the meds ....
as i understand it from my farming relations and friends their vets don't see it as a problem it seems to be a small animal thing ... but that's probably becasue the annual vet spend of the average small animal client is a lot less than the spend of a farmer or someone with horses
as i understand it from my farming relations and friends their vets don't see it as a problem it seems to be a small animal thing ... but that's probably becasue the annual vet spend of the average small animal client is a lot less than the spend of a farmer or someone with horses
Not all vets demand that you have a consultation when grabbing some parasite control meds anyway! I know that common procedure is that such drugs can be given out as long as the animal has visited the vet within a certain time frame - which generally isn't a problem, or even a way to extort money, as with annual vaccinations etc this is normally quite easily adhered to, without costing the owner extra money.
We're not all money-grabbing, cut-throat pigs you know. We do have the well-being of animals at heart (although I won't dispute the importance of trying to maintain a business - which is something people seem to disregard/try and ignore).
There are legitimate reasons for wanting to keep the dispensing of drugs inside the veterinary surgery only.
No regular pharmacist is going to care whether or not you're administering the drugs properly. Sure, there will be regulations (don't I just know it; I currently work in a human pharmacy) but you can bet your bottom dollar that the majority of phamacists/dispensers are going to take short-cuts that they'd never even consider with human patients.
Like I've said, I do see the benefits for the owner, and there are cases in which I agree with the system - but the benefits for the vet, and even for the animal, are not quite so rife and owners shouldn't be quite so keen to ignore this fact.
Not quite sure what you mean by the second paragraph I'm afraid
Related discussions
- Vet med SAQ
- Scared I don't have the talent for vet school
- Vet school application extra curricular
- Is it worth thinking about veterinary medicine after finishing yr 13
- I don't know what to do with my life
- Applying for vetmed and nursing at RVC
- Access to higher education
- City University of Hong Kong veterinary medicine
- Trying to find Vet Med Work experience
- What do all the folks who don't get on to Vet Med do instead?
- Nightlife in uni
- i dont know if i can be a vet
- Police Vetting Process
- Do i have any chance of getting into vet med?
- Advice on vet school with biovet degree of 2:2
- Can I get into a vet university
- Going to veterinary medicine from biomedical science
- Equine Science
- Alternative course offers if rejected for vet med
- met vetting
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 week ago
I don't meet the entry requirements for my GCSEs, what should I do?Trending
Last reply 1 week ago
I don't meet the entry requirements for my GCSEs, what should I do?
