Posted by OhioTractorGuy on January 07, 2009 at 06:43:58 from (70.105.69.101):
In Reply to: O/T Farm Dog's posted by 37chief on January 06, 2009 at 19:56:28:
Hello Stan, First Ill let you know Im a practicing veterinarian, been doing so for the last six years or so. Also let you know that most of the advice/answers given to you were/are correct in that parasites (fleas/worms) but more likely glands are your dogs problem. Some veterinarians are no different than owners of any other business or venture in that profit is the ultimate goal. I try to be a bit more sensible about my practice in that Ill tell you what your dog or cat needs based on my experience and then I can move onto what else I can offer based on technology today. I live in a rural area so I do get my share of farm dogs/cats and I have programs that offer discounts to spaying, neutering, etc. to keep the numbers of farm animals in check. Most folks appreicate my honesty and straightforwardness and these are the people I like dealing with. There are clients though who think their dogs are their children reborn and will take a second mortgage out on the house to finance their medical needs. I appreicate the passion and connection these folks feel towards their pets and I try to accomodate them to the best of my ability. I think other vets take advantage of the situation and will run every possible diagnostic test and treatment without taking the time to think through a case and why some things might not be necessary.
I do think there has been some changes as far as dogs years ago to dogs today go. . . I know there are some viruses/diseases that are more widespread or present today that were never a problem "back then." Parvovirus is a big one. . . it showed up in the 70's and killed dogs left and right before a vaccine was developed against it. Are certain diseases/cancers more prevalent today or are dogs just living a bit longer or is more of it being detected because of the easier access to veterinary care? Are breeders taking advantage of demand for animals and breeding anything to anything without taking behaviour, family medical history, etc into account? You could say the same thing about people. Seems survival of the fittest is not an issue anymore with all the medical miracles available to folks today. Seems like there is more heart disease, cancer, you name it disease in people today than there ever was. Could go on and on but I think you get some idea. Anyway, if you were to stop in my office my office call is $32. Expressing the Glands is $15 (One of the things I hate doing so I feel very justified at that price. . . I offer to show owners how to do it but always get turned down). Depending on how severe the dog is I may also give an anti-inflammatory shot to take some of the itch/sting away, another $10. In the end $47-57. Another thing to realize is the veterinary school is not cheap. The average student debt load after eight years of school beyond high school is $100,000. I was able to work through school and over the summers and cut back on my debt that I owe, but I still have a $500 a month student loan payment. Figure the average starting salary for a veterinarian is in the $40,000-45,000 range; its a discouraging statistic to base a career and income on.
Long winded/worded response, and I apologize. Just wanted to let you know not all vets are crooks (younger ones anyway) and sometimes its not always about being money hungry. Inflation and the cost of being an advanced society has caught up with the vets too. Dave
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