What would we do without our veterinarians and vet techs?? Not to mention everyone else who helps us keep our companion animals as healthy as we can. This week I’m celebrating Veterinary Appreciation Day and I hope you’ll join me. I’ll admit to being a bit jaded at all the “special days” we hear about on a daily basis. (With the exception of Penguin Awareness Day on January 20th. I’m all in.) But acknowledging and thanking everyone at our vet and rehab clinics feels like exactly what I want to do right now.
I got a start by ordering some foodie gift packages for the two clinics that take care of my dogs and cats. I had planned to deliver them this week, but the packages came with the words OPEN IMMEDIATELY on the box, so they got delivered on Friday. Here’s a photo at the Spring Green Animal Hospital of everyone but our beloved veterinarian, Dr. John Dally, who wasn’t there that day.
So why did I take a box of food as a symbol of my appreciation? Because reinforcement is defined by the receiver, right? And when I asked everyone at the Mazomanie Animal Hospital (now the primary caretakers of my kitties, and owned by the same good people as Spring Green) what form of thanks they liked best, the answer was food! Well, of course, why wouldn’t it be? Needless to say, they got a box too.
Gifts like food, flowers and thank you cards are great, but perhaps “vet appreciation” is something we can all participate in during the entire year. Toward that end, I interviewed some veterinarians, vet techs and receptionists to ask how we clients could make their lives easier. Here are some of their responses for us to ponder.
BE PATIENT. We’re shocked, shocked!, aren’t we, that people are not always particularly patient. Ah my, our rising expectations for instant gratification never seem to cease. A request for patience and understanding was voiced by everyone I talked to. Dr. Ilene Segal (a blog reader who kindly agreed to be interviewed) told me that they had clients who arrived for their appointment, handed over the pet and then drove away to quick get a latte or donut from across the street. Patience, always in short supply, seems to be even rarer lately, and that impacts vet clinics too.
The pandemic has stressed clinics in other innumerable ways, from an increase in new pet owners to troubles with supply chains. Maggie and Skip’s vet, Dr. John Dally, said that everything takes just a little bit longer now. Preventative care appointments used to be available in one or two days, now it’s more like one to two weeks. Staff, like everyone else, has been dealing with lives turned upside down. Receptionists and vet techs can tell far too many stories about rude phone calls and impatient clients, and that’s true pandemic or not.
I am reminded of the advice from meditation teachers to “be a log.” This does not relate to lumping on the couch binge watching Mare of Easttown, (just saying), but to stay still and present in the moment before jumping in with a snappy comment. I am guessing that most of you, dear readers, are beatifically patient in most contexts, but I’m thinking that all of us, me included, can strive to be even more patient and understanding, no matter the context.
BE CLEAR Dr. Segal and I had a long talk about what clients want from their veterinarians, especially regarding their pet’s end of life. If you are ready to say goodbye to your beloved dog or cat, it’s okay to say so. If you want to move heaven and earth and keep trying, it’s okay to say that. Not surprisingly, Dr. Segal finds people struggling terribly over letting their dog go, but she reminds us that veterinarians know as well as anyone on earth that “everything dies.” What’s hard for veterinarians is trying to read between the lines about what people want. My own guess is that talking with our vets is one way for owners to decide what we want; I know that’s been true for me. Remember then that our vets often act both as medical professionals and counselors; not always an easy task.
There are many other times in which being clear will help your vet clinic help you. I know how frustrating it can be to get a clear picture from owners about what is going on and why someone is calling. As a behaviorist, my version was, for example, “He just goes crazy at the door!” Okay, I’ve got the picture of a highly aroused dog, but “crazy” could be “he spins around and then sprays urine 360 degrees,” or, “he leaps in the air and sinks his teeth into my visitors thigh.” I learned to say “Imagine watching video tape of the behavior and describe to me what you see.” (Of course, actual video tapes are ideal, but not always possible.)
Write it down. Write out, briefly, why you are calling for an appointment. It sounds simple, but it’s so easy to start with the history rather than the problem, while the person on the other end of the line is desperately trying to sort out what’s relevant and what’s not. If you don’t know the bottom line, then it’s hard to sort out a word salad. I can’t tell you how many people I talked to started with “Three years ago I got Chester, and he was fine we until adopted a another dog, but then we got a third dog, Martha, and that’s when the trouble began.” Okay, dog-dog aggression? No, it was actually all about the cat, but meanwhile my brain was smoking trying to figure out why they called in the first place.
So, example (regrettably, not made up): “Maggie is limping on her right foreleg. I’d like to bring her in to see Dr. John.” Everything else is in answer to their questions, (when did it start, etc.), which I’m happy to repeat to Maggie’s vet when she gets in to see him. That appointment brought up a question I asked Dr. Dally when interviewing him for this post: How do we owners sort out knowing whether to ask for an appointment, or wait and see? He suggested that we call the clinic, briefly describe what is concerning us, and be sure that our question was run by a vet or a vet tech, who has been trained in triage. I’ve actually called in the past and said “I think it’s probably fine, but I’m worried and I’d feel better if Dr. John could see ___name of pet here___.” No reason not to be upfront about it.
REINFORCE Ruth, one of my clinic’s most experienced and skilled veterinary technicians (along with Vicki–what would I do without you two?), told me that people often forget how much power their words have. I’m pretty sure that that goes both ways–criticisms and grumps can make it hard to get through the day, while thank you’s mean a lot. I am often astounded at how many people I run into who treat others as if they were objects. Thank you’s go a long, long way, and they are free. Please hand them out with abundance. Thank you!
UNDERSTAND BEHIND THE SCENES John Dally and I talked for a long time about the forces that are affecting veterinary medicine right now. Many of you know that veterinary clinics are increasingly being purchased by corporations. After the recession, Wall Street discovered that pets were relatively “recession proof,” and investments began to flow to corporations buying up vet clinics. In addition, fewer graduating veterinarians are interested in owning their own clinics, especially ones in rural areas. I don’t want to go too far off course here, but it’s helpful to know that your vet clinic might be undergoing substantial changes after being purchased by a corporation (like Banfield or VCA), or struggling to stay owned by the veterinarians within it. Older veterinarians have to decide how to proceed–do they close their practice when they retire, or do they sell to a corporation? Of course, there are costs and benefits to small clinics being bought out–prices for medicines and supplies can decrease because of the economy of scale, for example. But it also means, in some cases, that there is another layer between your pet’s health and decisions that are made to maintain it. For example, some corporations, I am told, have metrics, as in: you must do this many X tests per month.
It’s a complicated subject, but I bring it up because it’s a huge factor to many veterinarians right now, and understanding some of the pressures that they are under can help us be as patient and understanding as possible.
So, tell us about your veterinarians and vet clinic staff, and how you have or will thank them this week if you can manage it. I’ll be sending appreciation and gratitude to the Spring Green Animal Hospital, the Mazomanie Animal Hospital, Dr. Carrie Donahue at Full Circle Holistic Vet Care, Dr. Jodi Bearmen at AnShen Holistic Veterinary Care, and Courtney Arnoldy, physical therapist extraordinaire at UW-Madison. I’d also like to thank Dr. John Dally, Dr. Mark Baenen, Dr. Ilene Segal, veterinary technicians Ruth, Vicki, Codi, Rueben and a host of others for taking the time to talk to me about this issue. Time is everything, much more than money, so thank you!
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Ah my. I’m glad I’m writing this today instead of last week, when the heat and humidity was horrific, when we got our new camper and had what can only be described as a Cluster F on our first trial run when it was 93 and too humid to breathe, when Maggie’s leg wasn’t improving, and she made sad eyes at me all day every day, and we were sick of not being able to walk into our own living room (so she doesn’t jump on, and then off, the couch), and we’re starting grass in a huge area in the worse possible weather ever and watering it, and my desperate garden trees and flowers who are starved for rain, non stop, and waiting for the water pump to die, and my foot hurts. . . and . . . and.
Okay, thank you. I’m done now.
Of course, there’s lots good in the world, and what is better than rhubarb/strawberry pie, with rhubarb from my garden and strawberries picked from a local patch last year and kept in the freezer? Yeah, it was yummy.
Here’s another wonderful thing: The salvia flowers are blooming like crazy, and they are a magnet for pollinators, especially bees and butterflies. I just watched a kaleidoscope of cabbage butterflies (is that not the best “group” name ever?) fluttering over and around the purple blossoms. Enchanting. (I do understand that the caterpillars are a pest to agriculture, but the butterflies are lovely to watch.)
The sheep are managing the weather as best they can. I’m glad that most of them are derived from North Africa breeds, and are relatively heat tolerant. I also don’t work them during the day, for their, Skip’s and my sake. There have been way too many super early mornings I’ve gone up the hill to work Skip before it got too hatefully hot. But the weather has improved immensely, so I’m thinking I can work Skip sometime after 7 AM or before 7 PM. (Please do not tell Maggie; as if she didn’t know what it meant when I put on my whistle.)
Here are the girls lounging in the shade mid day today. That’s Beyonce yawning on the right, I clearly woke her up from her nap. My apologies.
Most of the Iris are done blooming; we’re at a bit of a flower lull right now. This bunch of Iris (a celebration of Iris?) looked like it wasn’t going to bloom at all, and then surprised me just a few days ago by budding up. The blooms won’t last long, it’s still too hot, but I love their cheerful white and yellow colors.
That’s it for this week; time to go do some work at the office to keep the world turning, to work Skip, do Maggie’s exercises and try to catch up some in the garden. I look forward to hearing about your appreciation to your vet and clinic staff, or any stories you want to tell, the good, the bad and the ugly. I’d especially love to hear from those of you in the veterinary profession, chiming in about how we can make your life a little bit easier!
MinnesotaMary says
I love my veterinarian! The whole staff is kind and patient and treats my doggos with love and care. I often bring a treat for them when I have appointments – something naughty and something nice, like cookies and fruit. If I don’t have time to pick up something for them, I take the money I would have spent on that and ask that they add it to their emergency fund. They keep a list of donations for people who can’t afford the vet bills. They are very careful about who gets the donations, but it is as much appreciated by the staff as my treats are. They care so much about every animal they see, and watching one suffer because the owner has fallen on hard times breaks their hearts every time. Having the funds to help those animals, even if the owner can’t afford it, is as appreciated as the treats!
Gayle says
I’ll give a shout out to my favorite vet, Alysia Deaven, VMD, of Greys and Strays LLC (doesn’t the name say it all?) She is patient (with animals) and direct with owners. A one-woman practice, she still schedules 45 minutes for an annual checkup and has provided excellent care to our pack for 14 years. Dr. Deaven rarely gets a day off (she has her own herd of goats, chickens and Greyhounds plus a huge vegetable garden). I pay her in dollars, gratitude and homemade vegan cookies.
Katrina Tadema-Wielandt says
As a (relief) vet, I thank you for your thanks.
It is often few and far between.
Many people wait too long before contacting their vet (“well, he’s had vomiting and diarrhea for a week, can you just give him a pill?”)
Most/all vets would rather you came in for something that turns out to be minor, than wait till it is major and expect us to fix a long-running problem in 15 minutes.
Thanks again.
Meredith says
Here’s an example of the range of veterinarians who have treated my very senior — 10 when this story starts, 6 yrs. ago — cat w/all his claws and not handleable. Two vets took him in his carrier to the back somewhere and returned him having drawn blood/given injections — he wasn’t upset particularly or groggy so what did they do ‘back there’? Two, including a famous cat specialist, require him to be anesthetized before they’ll do anything. One w/her tech, sort of trapped him out of his crate in a corner on the floor, held him down w/towel, and went from there. No one was harmed. Two, including my favorite (4 vets, 3 of them ladies in the small-town practice) left him in the crate, top removed, towel holding him down by a tech, and quickly did what needed to be done. This all is, of course, only for ‘routine’ maintenance and doesn’t allow much inspection. The 3 lady vets also spent lots of time trying to figure out why he was vomiting frequently, including calls to the famous cat specialist, and conversations with me — none of which were charged. I’ve never had a good ‘vibe’ from the gruff male cat expert and won’t be back in spite of his superior knowledge. Socrates doesn’t like any of them.
Jenifer Koberstein says
I absolutely love my vet. I am the owner of several puppy mill survivors who don’t do well going to the vet. I found Dr. Amanda Pike and she does home visits. She is amazing with the pups and they do so much better seeing a vet at home. Thanks for letting me know it is veterinarians week so I can send her a nice basket of food.
Charlotte Kasner says
Hatefully hot here too – just sent out frozen treat recipes to my clients.
I worked in a vet for 6 years and it got very wearing listening to complaints about how clients felt that they were being ripped when the staff were doing their best to offer a gold standard service. I was paid minimum wage and both I and the vets were not paid for the 10-15 hours+ of overtime that we did most weeks while our own animals were unattended.
I think in the UK, most people are not used to paying for their own healthcare up front and have no idea of the real costs involved to the supplier.
Some clients were of course lovely but it remains a tough profession, not least because of the customer-facing pressures.
LisaW says
Ohh, our vets over the years represent such a wide range of approaches and “schooling.” Our first vet as a couple with their first dog (Sadie) was an ex-marine who took no BS but was the best diagnostician you’d ever find. He’d get on the floor with the dog and turn into a high-voiced, baby-talking, examining sleuth, wizard. Looking back, I can see how both the science and the art of veterinary medicine have changed for the better it seems to me. Whenever we moved, we’d find a vet first and then eventually maybe a doctor and dentist for us! For many years now, we’ve had vets that did house calls and were also affiliated with a brick and mortar practice.
Our hands-down best vet was an integrative vet who worked at a practice that offered multi-modalities and had a separate physical therapy space and did home visits (unfortunately, that practice closed years ago, but we kept our amazing vet until our last move proved too far for house calls or office visits). I’ll never forget our first meeting almost ten years ago to the day. I walked into her office with a thick folder outlining the pieced together history of this dog we got under shady circumstances who had bad hips, a blown knee, PTSD, phantom pains, was noise and smell sensitive, and was as smart as she was cute. I was overwhelmed by it all and hadn’t found the right vet fit yet and was at my wit’s end. She listened as I sniffled out the story, and within a few questions, I knew she was the one. She saw the whole dog. Dr. Emily Bond, DVM, really did rehab Olive, me, and our relationship. I’ll always be grateful to her and in awe of her skills, talents, and patience.
As a matter of fact, Olive is in week one of recovering from a very unexpected and involved dental cleaning and extraction surgery. She was in surgery for over three hours. She’s doing much better but you can see her various triggers popping up here and there. It’s a physical and mental recovery. She hadn’t been left at the vets for anything since we first got her, and not being able to go in with her was tough, I must say. She’ll be fine but it’s always complicated with Olive.
An aside, but a question for the village and the vets—why are dogs’ teeth so prone to disease? Before Phoebe, we never had a problem with our dog’s teeth. And now, we’ve had two dogs with teeth and gum disease.
PS We’re approaching the intermediate level of camper camping, and I’d be happy to share some tips we’ve learned the hard way.
Luann E Madison says
Thank you for your wonderful article showcasing these extra special people who devote their lives to the care of our pets! Where would be be without them? Their lives have to be much tougher than what we can imagine. It is a 24/7 job.
We met our wellness vet, Dr. Donna Craig, when she gave our beloved BC Sadie peace in the comfort and love of our home. Boo Rowdy came along after Sadie and it became evident quickly we had a special “case” in our Boo.
After a year at our old vet I knew Boo needed something more – they did not have the ability or time to special handle her or allow me the time needed with her before and during the appointment. After one particularly bad visit, I knew a change had to happen.
I emailed Donna, plead my case of Boo and shamelessly begged her to take on Boo’s wellness care despite Donna being a mobile end of life vet. Being a former and present BC Mom and an “anything for the animals” true crusader, Donna came over to meet Boo. It was love at first sight and Donna immediately realized what “I had” – and – what Boo needed.
The first treatment visit was over 2.5 hours taking place in our driveway and completed when Boo decided she wanted her vacs under her Dad’s truck. Undeterred, Donna crawled under the back and I the front to administer the vacs on a sweltering Florida summer day and it was there that Donna, Boo and I bonded for life.
Donna’s treatment of Boo and research into who Boo is has enabled us to conquer so many “issues” that were instigated by bad gut and other imbalances in her system – not only behavior – but what helped to cause the behavior – she is Boo’s angel who always believes in her like nobody else as the song goes.
Boo now soars in a way that I never knew could be possible for her.
At only five, year ago Boo suddenly became terribly lame. Donna had recently made contact with a young vet in the area who had left a clinic where the changes you referred to in your article were taking place to open a rehab and fitness practice on her own. Donna and her BC Maya, one of Boo’s Posse and “Emotional Support Dogs” made the trip to Vero together for Boo’s first appointment.
Dr. Amber Callaway of Treasure Coast Animal Rehab and Fitness rocked our world with her knowledge, compassion, integrative and force-free treatment of Boo. Dr. Amber’s ultimate goal is to diagnose, educate the owner as to what they can do at home, bring the animal to full potential with a series of visits and then be on hand when you need her.
Amber has Boo moving like Mick Jagger on the stage without one medically invasive procedure and has since done so for so many other dogs I know, including my boss’s 13 yo BC, “Queen” Mara, who runs the Farm.
We feel incredibly blessed to have Dr. Donna and Dr. Amber in our lives and their treatment and understanding of our “special” girl has our gratitude knowing no bounds. Both of these doctors have pure, true, compassion that reaches beyond the norm and we are so fortunate to have them on our side. We are so grateful they are who they are right here, right now.
Jan says
My vet has treated my dogs for over 20 years – we’ve followed her from small practice to private practice and will now follow her to the VCA (sigh). I cannot give enough kudos or applaud loud enough both our vet and her team who have taken care of my dogs through so much all these years. I adopt seniors and our vet team has been tremendous as we’ve shared in the joy and struggled through the losses of so many dogs. This past year while in lockdown, I knitted hats for every member of the clinic and it was so much fun to deliver that bag of wrapped, individually labeled, holiday gifts. The smiles of surprise and thanks are something I will always remember and treasure.
MaryAnn says
My lovely Clinic not so lovely since VCA took over 😔
Cheryl says
As a semi-retired veterinarian, I want to thank you for recognizing veterinarian’s and their staff’s hard work and dedication. I also appreciate your sage advice about being succinct about the problem and observant about what is going on with you pet, and patience as vet hospitals have been overwhelmed since Covid entered our lives. And all you clients; your appreciative notes and words and the tasty nibbles people deliver are always received with much gratitude.
I do want to say a word about clients perceived cost of pet care. I presently work for a national vaccine clinic, giving dogs and cats their needed vaccines. I must hear at least 4 comments a clinic about how expensive their vet is with implication that vets are overcharging them. Needless to say I have to bite my tongue many times, although I don’t always. I want to say that I am working at vaccine clinic at 65 because I did not make enough as a vet to retire. I don’t instead I try to educate people by saying their vet has to pay for a building that houses exam rooms, operating suites, x-ray machines, staff which need to be payed and their benefits , heat and electricity, water, insurance, etc. Veterinarians are not compensated for going in and checking on your pet late at night at the hospital or fielding phone calls from worried clients at 2 in the morning and yet we do it because we love animals and we know that you the client love them as well. Veterinary medicine is a labor of love and please understand that there are very few wealthy veterinarians in the world (BTW I know young vet’s who owe $350,000 in debt for the education. If they are lucky their starting salary will be $65,000- $75,000, depending on where they practice. And unless they own their own practice it won’t increase much throughout their career). So thank you again for your appreciation and please understand that what you are being charged for is not just the vaccine but for keeping the building open for when your pet is sick and really needs some medical care.
Trisha says
MaryAnn: Ouch, sorry to hear that.
Tucker Margaret says
My dogs primary vet Dr. Megan Duffy, has followed my dogs since 2003 with loving care and compassion, even coming to the house to put out down the oldest. She’s great at communication, and will respond to questions by mail when needed. Her staff is great, too. One of my dogs has cardiac and arthritic problems, and she referred us to two other great vet specialists and they and their staffs have been great too. They communicate with each other and me, much better than my medical physicians do. I wish I received the care my dogs do.
Margaret says
I’ve been with the same practice since I got my first cat (as an adult) in 1988, and also worked for them as a groomer for a few years.
The only issue, ever, has been me needing to do a little educating about the needs of performance dogs vs. pet dogs, and they’ve always been willing to listen. Oddly enough, my respect, which had always been high, went way up when, after testing for all the obvious things, they said they could not diagnose Cobie’s eye issue and referred me to Purdue. I trust people who admit what they don’t know, and do know when to refer.
A particular kindness was when Lia died–I had found out from the Flat-Coat cancer support people that about an ongoing study on cancer in various breeds that needs postmortem tumor and blood samples, plus pedigrees. My vet contacted them, collected and overnighted the samples, and, I realized much later, never charged me for it. Sending those samples was the only thing that made me feel better; maybe they will help someone else.
lak says
I have been to a few vets, one I left because after not taking my complaint seriously about 2 year old dog having trouble getting up at end of day, my dog then ruptured her patella and grade 4 CCL injury! when I called emergently in the late morning to get the dog in they told if I got there in 5 minutes they would see her, otherwise I was out of luck.
Never did go back to this practice! My neighbor saw the police carry my dog for me to my car as injury occurred on long walk, and I flagged them down, neighbor called her vet who said bring dog right in and had staff waiting at door to help me carry 65 pound Staffy in! Never left this vet. Diagnosis, pain meds, and surgery followed, expensive, but corrected and the rest is history! I love my vet, while they have went to VCA now and I feel a difference, I just can’t leave them because in my opinion they are “top dog” ! Thank you for informing me it is national vet week, I will drop off a present this week for staff!
Kathleen R. Hutton, DVM says
I am a 1986 graduate of THE Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and am celebrating 35 years of practice this June. The last two years have been the hardest in my experience, and that includes four years of emergency clinic work. Since 2014, I have been working in a busy, urban hospital with six veterinarians. When I started, there were days when the office manager would send me home an hour or two early, or have me come in an hour later, and I always had one half-day a week off. Now, I often work through lunch, stay an hour or two late, or come in early to keep up with patient care. Half-days are no more.
We are booking routine appointments two to three weeks out, there is a one month wait for spays and neuters, and we are constantly trying to squeeze in emergency appointments and surgeries. We need one more vet and two more technicians, at least, and we can’t find them. Clients are becoming ruder and more demanding, and we got a lot fewer baked goods at Christmas than we normally do.
I used to think I would die in an exam room, practicing until I couldn’t any more. Now, in my mid-60s, I find I am struggling more to cope with large, misbehaving or aggressive dogs, fractious cats, and clients in general. It takes me longer to recover from a stressful week than it ever did before. I am looking forward to cutting back my hours to part time in 2022, and to spending my semiretirement enjoying my home, my pets, and travel.
Veterinary medicine is a very rewarding career, but lately it is more of an effort than ever before.
Trisha says
Kathleen: Thanks for checking in, and sorry to hear about the burden of an understaffed clinic, ruder clients and unholy working hours. I’m guessing that age has something to do with it too, at least it did for me. Somewhere in the mid-60’s things all seemed to take much more energy, and I didn’t always have it. Here’s to your semi-retirement, well deserved for sure.
Maeves mom says
I cannot begin to extol all the amazing veterinarians I have taken all my BC’s to, especially my current BC Maeve. Her GP, her Internists, her Neurolgist, her Physical Therapist, Dermatologist, and Massage Therapist to name only a few.. I have always appreciated all that my veterinarians have done for my pets over the many years. Through out the year I will deliver flowers, home made brownies, cookies, candy, fruit and have pizza deliverd to all my DVMs. I want them to always know how much I appreciate them. In my book Veterinarian Appreciation Day is every day of the year, and I always let them and their nursing staff and front desk staff know how important they are to me and my pets. We couldn’t live without them 🙂
Cora says
I’ve been extremely lucky to have had the support of several specialty veterinarians over the past several years. I’ll take a moment to mention them by name here: Dr Megan Ridley and Dr Nathaniel Cook, both in Chicago, who cared for and supported my previous dog in the last stages of her life. Dr Sara Bennett and Dr Fiia Jokela, both Veterinary Behaviorists (Dr Jokela in Northwest Indiana and Dr Bennett formerly in Indiana but now seems to be teaching at the University of Florida), who helped my current dog manage her many anxiety triggers with medication and excellent owner training. I couldn’t imagine having gotten through the very difficult times with both dogs without their knowledge and support.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had quite the same connection to either my current or previous “regular” vet practices. Both have had their pros and cons, but I haven’t yet found that sense of immediate comfort and connection with a regular vet as I have with the specialists. That being said, I’m so glad the vets on this thread have highlighted some of the difficulties from the other side, especially the frank discussions of the real costs and salaries associated with being a veterinarian. It certainly gives one pause to consider the sacrifices being made on the other side of the examination table. I think many people assume that veterinarians are financially similar to doctors (for humans), given the similar requirements for academic achievement and advanced training.
I’ll end this with a story that a coworker told me once about a friend of hers who was a veterinarian. I can’t remember the exact details of what happened, but the vet ended up in the emergency room. She was giving the doctor a description of her symptoms/concerns and he noted that she seemed to have a high level of medical knowledge. He (doctor) mentioned this and she said, “Yes, I’m a veterinarian.” The doctor then replied (with no trace of humor), “Oh, I wanted to be a veterinarian but I didn’t get accepted by any of the programs where I applied, so I went to medical school instead.” 😳
Anne says
My husband is an emergency vet, and might be at the only clinic in the state which is not currently limiting how many clients they will see. The others are so full they are turning people away. That means you could be in for a wait. A long wait. A 6 HOUR wait. They operate on a triage system, meaning any animals that are in more serious/life threatening condition will be seen seen first. Patience is essential. Do not abuse the vet techs, receptionist or vet because your dog’s ear infection isn’t life threatening. People are leaving positions in reception and vet tech by the droves because of the way clients yell at, threaten and in general abuse them. And for a veterinarian with high student debt, leaving isn’t an option. Veterinarians face high suicide rates instead. It’s heart breaking.
JP says
A 2017 article in Bloomberg Business News outlines the strategy for corporate-owned veterinary practices: “VCA’s annual financial reports, which say the company’s business strategy is “to leverage our existing customer base by increasing the number and intensity of the services received during each visit.”
The article can be found at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-01-05/when-big-business-happens-to-your-pet.
I’ve had long-standing relationships with several practices that were sold to VCA or other corporations, whose vets told me that they weren’t free to practice veterinary medicine under corporate ownership and left for other places. So did I. I stick with the locally-owned, wonderful practices and vets in my area who are free to make recommendations for my dogs that are in their best interests, and not required to follow some corporate mandates.
lak says
So, having no idea about “vet appreciation day” until reading your blog, I promptly put together a sweet snack package for everyone at my vets office, and dropped it off in the afternoon. The handoff took place in the parking lot as they are still Strict with COVID 19 precautions, but the smile on the face of the technician was worth every penny spent. I think I got as much joy from giving it as they from receiving it. Thanks for the heads up!
Nana Mary says
This post comes on the day when I sat on the floor with my daughter at her vet’s office, as they put her English Springer Spaniel to sleep. She was 14 years old, and we all feel blessed to have been able to enjoy her for so long! The vet was so sweet, giving my daughter a big hug – and she was extremely gentle as she performed the euthanasia. It was difficult to watch, because my daughter was hurting so much. This dog had been my daughter’s “first born.” She has no kids, so this was like putting her child to sleep. The vet totally understood the agony she was in and treated her with empathy and respect. I have had other dogs put down, and I can only think of one instance that could have gone better. I have the utmost respect for veterinarians, especially when they have to perform the final act of kindness.
Debby F Gray says
My vet had just opened his practice when I brought my first dog to see him. In order to make ends meet he closed his solo practice on Thursdays and taught classes in human anatomy at off campus at one of our state universities. He’s come a long ways since those days about 30 years ago. He has a bigger office and a second wonderful vet partner and several wonderful vet techs. They have always been there for my dogs, coming in on Saturdays and Sundays for my dogs. They return phone calls, they take time to listen and they explain medical situations well. I could not ask for better care or more compassion.
Trisha several years ago you wrote a blog post which mentioned the high suicide rate among veterinarians and suggested we find ways to show our appreciation. Since then I’ve ordered bagels and spreads from a local bagel shop and taken them up to my vets’ office during the week before World Veterinary Day…always a Saturday in April and again during Vet Tech week in October. I didn’t know about Veterinary Appreciation Day. It’s too late to order bagels . But I’ll write a thank you note and drop it off at their office. Thank you for letting us know.
Trisha says
Lak: That made my day!
Wyatt says
Hi Trish – I’ve bought many of your books and pamphlets and am working my way back through your full blog archives (I’m at 2012!), but I’ve got a tricky situation with a stranger-fearful dog that I haven’t seen addressed so I am resorting to the comments section. Rather than what this really is (a request for advice), I’ll spin it as a post-Covid-adjustment-period blog post idea: how best to get such a dog comfortable around a dog walker/sitter? I’m going back to work a couple of days a week next month and wow – I’m scared!
My dog, a 9-ish month old rescue mutt (Pitt, Vizsla, Boxer) named Bea, is great with other dogs and generally okay with people when we’re out and about (she doesn’t want to be petted and shies away from touch, but there is no barking or other major display of fear). At home, however, she barks excessively at visitors, despite being showered with treats and play (per your guidance). Eventually I can get her to quiet down, but she never really relaxes and is always on the verge of melting down into barking again. To her credit, she has made major progress since she came to me as a 3 month old, when she was fearful of nearly everything, including me, and cowered whenever anyone came to the house or at a variety of random things outside of the house. She’s otherwise a very calm, well-behaved dog who has no separation anxiety or other problem behaviors.
We’ve been using the treat-showering method with the dog walker, who visits a couple of times a week for a few minutes to acclimate Bea to her. She gets barked at, and Bea looks to me for reassurance; Bea takes treats from the walker, and eventually calms down; the walker throws the ball for Bea and Bea will chase it but usually drop it before bringing it back. (This is compared to when we are away from home, when Bea will bring the ball back and otherwise play with strangers/people other than me with my guidance.) But there is ZERO chance Bea would let the walker put on or take off the harness. We’ve done this routine 4-5 times now, and while there’s some slight improvement (the barking period is shorter), we are still a long way from where we need to be. I’m also nervous about times when I’ll need a backup walker or a dog sitter when I go away – I won’t always have a month to do the incremental approach. Any thoughts?
I am working with a behaviorist and she had a couple of suggestions: Bea loves other dogs, and the behaviorist suggested having the walker bring another calm, mature dog with her. Bea is also good with “place” on a folding canvas bed, so the thought was to have her do that to lower her arousal around the walker.
Laura says
If I could take myself to Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital for my own care, I would. That’s how good they are. I went to them with my first guide dog, Marlin. I got a vet who, initially, didn’t listen to me when I explained that Marlin couldn’t have surgery on his anal glands, because he was a working dog, and moreover, I thought some alergy meds would do the trick. I was about to go somewhere else after that first experience, and then I met Dr. Quast. She was amazing with my dog. She listened to me, and trusted my observations about Marlin. When he got sick with his kidney disease, she was there, recommending the U of M vet hospital for him, and showing me how to administer sub-cu fluids, not at all daunted because I was blind. And when he got cancer, we cried on the phone together, and I asked her what she would do if it was her dog. She helped put him to sleep, and continued to give my other dogs care and me excellent advice until she left for another practice. When she left, she recommended Dr. Heidi, who was just as wonderful, and listened to me just as well as Dr. Q. On the day Seamus died, Dr. Heidi wasn’t in. I didn’t know the vet very well, but she was absolutely amazing. She explained his condition, and how grave it was with compassion, but also gave her best clinical judgement. She let me in to be with him, and we both cried as we said goodbye to him. She knew he was my guide dog, and she knew how sudden it was. I’ll never forget her for that level of care. I’ve decided to move to a vet hospital that’s closer to where I now live, but I would send anyone to the wonderful doctors and staff any time. I can’t thank them enough.
Ilene Segal says
I know I am extremely late in my reply to your post, and I wanted to make sure I read all the other replies as well. It was gratifying to read about the great experiences most people have had with their veterinarians and the wonderful care they have received. It was also interesting to read the posts from the veterinarians with which I can identify and commiserate with. Thank you Trisha for putting this out there so I can learn more about how our clients perceive our services and how we emotionally and intellectually interact with people who only want the best for their pets, and how the veterinarians expressed their understanding of that but also provided insight from their point of view on the difficulties and challenges of practicing veterinary medicine these days.
Trisha says
Thank you so much Ilene! I’m grateful you were so generous with your time.