Vet Bashing

[ester]

GW I'm not sure why it matters how they do it? it depends on the animal and on the vet. Usually gassed down and injected into various bits.

 

[spoo]

I work in small animal practice. I genuinely think the problem is people just don't realise the costs of things because we are so used to the NHS and not paying upfront for it. If people actually realised the cost of things, it would help put vet fees into perspective.
That and people are so entitled. No one asks you to buy a dog/horse/cat etc. That's your choice and therefore your financial responsibility. If you can't afford to feed your children, then is it sensible to have an extra animal mouth to feed? Or they breed these expensive dogs expecting to make a quick buck, and when things don't go to plan like they do, and the dog needs a caesarian they cannot afford it and want to wash their hands of the dog. If people stopped paying ridiculous prices for animals, that would help the problem too. Vets are working in an increasingly pressured environment, where people always want something for nothing, and are never happy to take responsibility for their own actions

 

[LEC]

I feel someone made this thread to cause a stir . Like how op made made a why do people have fat horse Thread .

Not stirring - look back over 15 years of posts and you will see I will often post what is on my mind for that day. This conversation thought actually came out of another vet suicide yesterday and seeing some good equine vet bashing on a forum on FB. Personally I don't think the BVA does enough PR for vets. I have only ever had horses so cannot comment on small animal.

The fat horses one came out of - seeing a fat horse rugged up in the field with a tonne of hay while its barely able to move round the arena.

HHO is quite a good sounding board for views. Actually my big thought is how less fluffy Tack Room has become in its views. Its quite refreshing as used to be notoriously fluffy. Its good to prompt discussion and that's what I find interesting. Having different views, perceptions without being shouted down.

Ok so I hold my hands up that I make it blunter to catch peoples attention but there has been some really good discussion and everyone has a valid view.

 

[ester]

I think that's because there is very few posts in comp riders anymore so they are either in tack room or left.
For smalls it does surprise me how many people acquire them (particularly cheap rodenty things) without any concept of what even a simple easily treatable vet issue is going to cost.

 

[Polygon]

Thanks for this thread. The vet bashing really, really needs to stop. I am a vet. My husband is a vet. We have both been horse vets in the past, now small animal. On Monday my husband was on a 9.30-8pm shift. He messaged me at 7.15pm to say a dog had been brought in which had been run over and had a ruptured diaphragm. He would not be home at 8.30pm as expected and could I apologise to our two daughters aged 10 and 6 and give them a goodnight kiss from him. He and 6 of his team stayed behind to operate on the dog. Because it was in shock and was a very small dog it was very hypothermic and no amount of heating could get its body temperature up enough for the owners to safely transfer it to the emergency hospital for overnight care after the operation. So he stayed until it was a bit warmer, and then drove the dog 45 mins to the emergency hospital so it could be monitored overnight. He arrived home at 1pm, and left for work the next day at 7.30am. For this he did not receive a single penny in overtime, nor any time off in lieu.
On the same day a new client who wanted to book his dog in for a heart scan (routine check, not emergency) came inside the practice and was asked to wait outside due to COVID restrictions (standard procedure at the moment for all clients). He lost his temper and shouted and abused the receptionist and nursing staff. When my husband found out he contacted the client and said he would not be welcome at the practice due to his behaviour towards the practice team and would be refunded his £100 deposit. When the client returned to collect his refund he abused the staff again. No doubt he has taken to social media to complain about the shoddy treatment he has received. When you read these stories on social media PLEASE PLEASE remember you are only hearing one side of the story.
Two vets in the UK that I know of have taken their own lives this week and the profession is facing a mental health crisis. It's about time vet fees rose to reflect the real costs and allow vets and vet nurses to be paid a decent wage commensurate with their training and expertise. But if people can't tolerate the fees now there is no hope of that.
Thank you to all of you who appreciate your vets. Sadly those who don't are probably not on this thread!

 

[Tiddlypom]

And here is a vet praising post. A 27 year old pony rescued from a ditch yesterday near Chester by various fire station crews, vet assisting. Pony survived and believed to be recovering.

Vet (in navy blue) not identified in the reports, and with a mask on I can’t be sure, but she does look very like my own vet...

Whoever she is, a good job done in a very stressful and unglamorous situation.

 

[J&S]

I do think "spoo" has a very valid point. A few weeks ago I landed up in hospital (actually two hospitals on the same day) and had fantastic treatment which included a CT scan for a head injury. When I spoke to my Vet stepdaughter the next day I remarked on the amount of equipment in the hospital and the expense of it all and it didn't cost me a penny for the treatment. (I do realise I have paid into the system in the past). We compared what the same treatment might have cost at a vet practice and she reckoned that the charges might have been £2 - £3 K !! It just is very expensive to keep buying the up to date equipment to keep a practice running and bringing in the clients.

 

[meleeka]

Thanks for this thread. The vet bashing really, really needs to stop. I am a vet. My husband is a vet. We have both been horse vets in the past, now small animal. On Monday my husband was on a 9.30-8pm shift. He messaged me at 7.15pm to say a dog had been brought in which had been run over and had a ruptured diaphragm. He would not be home at 8.30pm as expected and could I apologise to our two daughters aged 10 and 6 and give them a goodnight kiss from him. He and 6 of his team stayed behind to operate on the dog. Because it was in shock and was a very small dog it was very hypothermic and no amount of heating could get its body temperature up enough for the owners to safely transfer it to the emergency hospital for overnight care after the operation. So he stayed until it was a bit warmer, and then drove the dog 45 mins to the emergency hospital so it could be monitored overnight. He arrived home at 1pm, and left for work the next day at 7.30am. For this he did not receive a single penny in overtime, nor any time off in lieu.
On the same day a new client who wanted to book his dog in for a heart scan (routine check, not emergency) came inside the practice and was asked to wait outside due to COVID restrictions (standard procedure at the moment for all clients). He lost his temper and shouted and abused the receptionist and nursing staff. When my husband found out he contacted the client and said he would not be welcome at the practice due to his behaviour towards the practice team and would be refunded his £100 deposit. When the client returned to collect his refund he abused the staff again. No doubt he has taken to social media to complain about the shoddy treatment he has received. When you read these stories on social media PLEASE PLEASE remember you are only hearing one side of the story.
Two vets in the UK that I know of have taken their own lives this week and the profession is facing a mental health crisis. It's about time vet fees rose to reflect the real costs and allow vets and vet nurses to be paid a decent wage commensurate with their training and expertise. But if people can't tolerate the fees now there is no hope of that.
Thank you to all of you who appreciate your vets. Sadly those who don't are probably not on this thread!

Unfortunately, working long hours for nothing is part of life for lots of people, especially those on a salary, rather than hourly paid.

 

[spacefaer]

We had puppies from our working cocker bitch 5 yrs ago. A scan to check she was actaully pregnant was done by local SA vets in town. The cost was the same as her eventual cesarean done on the night of easter Sunday (bank holiday) by an excellent vet working for rural SA and farm vets.

The town vets assume your dog is insured, the rural vets assume that they're not.
I have had different treatment options offered by equine vets depending on whether I was paying for it or an insurance company was.

 

[Polygon]

Unfortunately, working long hours for nothing is part of life for lots of people, especially those on a salary, rather than hourly paid.

Sure, but when those people get accused of doing it only "for the money" or of overcharging, not caring, having a nice car/house/holiday paid for by their clients (haha such a laugh to hear that one...) etc. that kind of stings, no? I do understand vets (and vet nurses) are not alone in this, but that makes no difference at all to the point I'm making.

 

[milliepops]

I have had different treatment options offered by equine vets depending on whether I was paying for it or an insurance company was.

I have too, but that's been because insurance (for me) opens up additional options so I find that quite a normal response tbh. i fully accept that my uninsured horses don't get the same opportunities, vet wise, as my insured ones, and that's in my control.

 

[TPO]

Sure, but when those people get accused of doing it only "for the money" or of overcharging, not caring, having a nice car/house/holiday paid for by their clients (haha such a laugh to hear that one...) etc. that kind of stings, no? I do understand vets (and vet nurses) are not alone in this, but that makes no difference at all to the point I'm making.

I do totally get this point and I have been very guilty of saying that I've paid for my vet's private jet/yacht/Ferrari but that was VERY much a joke about my walking vet bill of a horse and nothing to do with the vets rates. I didn't begrudge my current vet a penny of it; he earned that and some.

Sometimes us skint and broken owners need to make a joke to get us through too and its not intended at the expense of the vet.

I can hand on heart say I have only known of one person in all my time on yards to grudge the amount the vets charged and try to avoid the bill. Most people know that vets are expensive and it's part and parcel of having horses.

Like I said previously I'm not one for sharing anything personal on social media. For some reason when a post on fb popped up looking for vet recommendations I felt compelled to wrote a novel (not like me...) rather than just name my practice. I then thought perhaps that spiel would be better on their page as a review. Bad news spreads quickly enough and just maybe if someone is swithering or has been badly treated they might read a bit of my novella and decide to try my practice. But it's the same thing isnt it because on that thread there was someone recommending the "bad" practice. I know this person really well and she is a novice but random internet people dont know that.

Reporting vets is also really hard, even more so than a farrier and thats saying something! I really wish I could have done something about the practice I was with but it just seemed insurmountable. I'd already had years of things that only really came to light with hindsight as I learnt more and spoke to other people about things. I was totally broken and exhausted because of their actions, failings and what not.

I'm sure good vets would quite like the bad vets called out too.

So yeah I think what I'm trying to say is that it's the source and I dont know how you verify that and how do you share balanced reviews with the threat of libel hanging over you?

Just like not everyone on a yard who finally speaks up is a "big mouth know it all" not everyone with a bad vet experience is a "bill dodging trouble maker"

 

[Polygon]

[

Just like not everyone on a yard who finally speaks up is a "big mouth know it all" not everyone with a bad vet experience is a "bill dodging trouble maker"

Oh most definitely not, you're quite right on that. But I suppose part of the trouble is, due to data privacy and professional obligations, vets (or vet practices) can't go on social media and name Mr or Mrs so-and-so as being an abusive client, or a bad debtor, or whatever, but clients have no such restrictions on going on social media and naming individual vets as being guilty of all sorts of negligence or malpractice, with no proper right of reply or balance of evidence or anything. Imagine being that vet and having your name dragged publicly through the mud when there may have been no errors at all. Pets do die despite best intentions, some don't respond to treatment, some get misdiagnosed, some have big bills due to the type of treatment needed - none of that is necessary negligence it's just part of life. If you read Rachel Johnson's recent article in The Spectator it's a classic example of the problem vets are facing. Her vets saved her dog's life when it ate a peach stone and had to have surgery to remove it. She claims vets charge whatever they like because they "have pet owners over a barrel". I mean, wow. Perhaps what she really meant to say was "thank you for saving my dog's life, I really should keep him out of the kitchen bin"? But, whatever Rachel.

 

[meleeka]

Sure, but when those people get accused of doing it only "for the money" or of overcharging, not caring, having a nice car/house/holiday paid for by their clients (haha such a laugh to hear that one...) etc. that kind of stings, no? I do understand vets (and vet nurses) are not alone in this, but that makes no difference at all to the point I'm making.

My OH gets that all the time in his business (he’s not a vet). We often joke that if we could just not have to deal with customers he’d love his job (despite the long hours and crap money). ?

 

[SOS]

There’s been a lot of chat about vet bashing recently. Somewhat spurred by Rachel Johnson’s article in the Spectator. Where she begrudgingly sends money whilst on holiday in Greece for her dogs surgery as they’ve allowed it to eat a peach stone.... it’s quite a read...

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/all-these-lockdown-puppies-come-at-a-price

This was one of the most popular responses. In general I agree...

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/vetr...5/no-doggy-nhs-a-response-to-vet-bashing/amp/

 

[Griffin]

Depends on the vet and the animal. It's only recently I've come around to the realisation that injection-only is unnecessarily painful (they don't use a vein, it's into the heart with hamsters) and will in future always ask for gas first. I just wasn't aware that was an option before. In my experience (3 hamster euths) and anecdotally, most vets will do injection only unless specifically asked. My last poorly ham (big massive tumors) I enquired over the phone and they said they would gas first but she went downhill rapidly overnight and passed at home in the end.

I am sorry to hear about your hamster experiences, they are such lovely little characters. The local vets I have used to euthanise a hamster has always used gas first. With my Roborovski, the vet actually left him in his little hamster house to gas, so he went very peacefully without any stress.

 

[Cortez]

There’s been a lot of chat about vet bashing recently. Somewhat spurred by Rachel Johnson’s article in the Spectator. Where she begrudgingly sends money whilst on holiday in Greece for her dogs surgery as they’ve allowed it to eat a peach stone.... it’s quite a read...

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/all-these-lockdown-puppies-come-at-a-price

This was one of the most popular responses. In general I agree...

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/vetr...5/no-doggy-nhs-a-response-to-vet-bashing/amp/

I'm starting to rather not like her.....

 

[Goldenstar]

Nobody is that stupid, heedless and I can’t think of the word ,are they ?

 

[scats]

I actually think horse vets are amazing value, compared with small animal vets!

 

[suebou]

I’m pretty supportive of the whole vet profession but have been left gobsmacked today. My daughter is a head nurse, her role is extremely responsible, including anaesthesia (under vet direction) nursing, clinics etc etc. She is working more than her contract, which is vague and incomplete, but is salaried, if she goes over fifty hours a week she can claim overtime. Her hours are v long, she worked all through lockdown under difficult conditions and today her company(large but not cvs) announced that a year is actually 52.18 weeks and therefore all overtime payments have been reduced by 5p an hour.......obviously not just her but please be assured any excess charges are not going to the employees!

 

[Gingerwitch]

I have too, but that's been because insurance (for me) opens up additional options so I find that quite a normal response tbh. i fully accept that my uninsured horses don't get the same opportunities, vet wise, as my insured ones, and that's in my control.

Mine get what they need when they need it. If I want a scan or an operation I give the get go. I will not wait for someone to tell me what I can or cannot have done with any of mine.

 

[milliepops]

Mine get what they need when they need it. If I want a scan or an operation I give the get go. I will not wait for someone to tell me what I can or cannot have done with any of mine.

I think that's different.
Nothing gets neglected ? and no one has to wait.
I just choose not to fork out thousands on some of them , whereas others I'm much keener to have the maximum resources for.

 

[meleeka]

.obviously not just her but please be assured any excess charges are not going to the employees!

I think that’s pretty obvious. A quick look at CVS annual account shows they make big profits each year and those profits are increasing. I can understand why some vets prefer to work for independent practices who are satisfied with a modest profit.

 

[HashRouge]

My OH gets that all the time in his business (he’s not a vet). We often joke that if we could just not have to deal with customers he’d love his job (despite the long hours and crap money). ?

Try being a teacher, there's a website called Rate My Teacher when students can go and rate their teacher as though we were a film on Amazon!

 

[Redders]

I’m a vet. A new one. Graduated in June.
I am small animal, everyone expected equine but I can’t cope with the owners who are convinced that I will treat their animal differently if it’s insured/not insured and I don’t agree with the yearly time limit on insurance policies forcing treatment or investigations before time limit is up. I have a scientific mind and I will want as much information available to me as possible to make a diagnosis and treatment plan going forward. When I ask if an animal is insured it is because I need to know what we can and can’t afford to do. If I can’t do diagnostics, I can’t say if I am treating the right thing. And if I do make an educated guess and I’m wrong, well, it’s me who ends up being told I got it wrong and have an upset owner with an animal who is potentially sicker as a result. And I do not want that. If animals are insured (or an owner can afford the required diagnostics) then I know I can do the absolute best for the animal. If they aren’t, well, I try my best but my eyes aren’t microscopes, my ears aren’t an ultrasound scanner, and my hands aren’t x-ray machines.
I am paid 29k. I insure all my animals and I have £25 max left over at the end of the month to spare in part because of that, and I shop in lidl and never go out.
I haven’t finished work on time once in the last six weeks. I havent had my lunch break in the last week, before that I managed to get it once or twice a week.
I get in early in order to make all the call backs needed.
None of that is paid or time given back.
I had an owner accuse me of money grabbing and him paying for my holwhen I offered treatment for an eye disorder I had diagnosed. He was driving a brand new Mercedes and told me he had spent 2,500 to buy the dog a year ago. I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t afford to put petrol in my car for the rest of the month, or afford to buy another milk after I had spilt it and so was rationing it. And I can’t afford to save for a holiday, or even afford to renew my passport which ran out in 2015! So no. The money doesn’t go to me. Online prices don’t have to factor in professionals salaries and the overheads of a functioning practice and have much bigger buying power so can sell it for LESS than my work buy it in. If you want a prescription, ask for one and I will do it happily, but I won’t do it if an animal needs it TODAY and not when it gets delivered in two days time.
I have been really really struggling with the profession I have worked so hard to be part of.
jokes about paying for vets holidays, eye rolls at prices, anger that you weren’t called back within 10 mins, abuse towards the admin team, an owner telling me they had already diagnosed conjunctivitis so why did I have to charge, a guilt trip by an owner with no money for vets but money to spend on a designer puppy from a puppy farm who is sick telling me I am ruining her child’s birthday and if I loved animals I would do it for free, the last minute please squeeze in so they don’t have to pay an OOH fee appointment where I spend ages in time I am not paid for to be told that they can’t afford it and I should do it for free and then when I say I can’t I get told a good vet could work out what was wrong and fix it for the cost of a consult or would do it for free because they have only had it two days. The constant worry that when I trial treat because an owner can’t afford diagnostics and it doesn’t work that I can easily be reported to the RCVS and even if an investigation finds no wrongdoing, I still have that hanging over me.

while you may think it’s a joke about paying the vets mortgage or whatever, and you may mean it purely as a joke, we hear it all the time and it just makes me feel awful and awkward.


The young vet Rachel, who killed herself this week, only graduated 2 years before me. From my university.
I am not sure if I can manage being a vet with all the extra guilt and stress. I just wanted to help animals.

and you know what, my knowledge, time, expertise (even though I only graduated recently), attention, care and manner with your pet is actually worth way more than the £45 consultation fee my practice charges. It’s not unfair or money grabbing. 20% of that is for my knowledge. The rest goes on the x ray machine to help me diagnose the broken limb, the blood machine to enable me to find out what help your pet needs when you turn up with them limp in your arms, the fluid pumps to deliver lifesaving medication, the monitoring equipment in the operating theatre to ensure your pet is a safe as possible during procedures etc etc etc etc etc all the things needed to enable us to save pets whn

 

[daffy44]

Sadly the Rachel Johnstone thing doesnt surprise me at all, years ago I was a small animal vet nurse working in a London, we were based in an area of London where we were had the extremely wealthy on one side, and council estates on the other side, so we had a real mixed bag of clients.
One day a very wealthy, well known clothes designer came in with her dog, her poor dog had a horrendous mouth, gums vividly red, inflamed and infected, and his teeth were smothered in chunks of brown plaque, the dog couldnt eat, and was struggling to swallow its own saliva. The vet told her the dog required immediate attention, a GA, and a very comprehensive teeth cleaning and antibiotics, she was given a cost estimate of approx £400 (this was quite a few years ago!) Designer kicked off and went nuts at us, screaming and shouting that we were robbing her, the dog didnt need treatment etc., its worth mentioning that a pair of trousers in her shop cost more then we had quoted her for her dogs treatment. She was dragging the poor dog out of the surgery when the head vet told her she was free to leave, but he would be reporting her instantly to the RSPCA, and she would have the dog taken away from her. It was only this that caused to to eventually give in with very bad grace, and a fair amount of abuse, and allow us to treat the poor dog.

She was the worst, but she was not alone in how she behaved.

 

[BronsonNutter]

Well, this has been on the whole a nice thread to read.

I am a vet, on the whole my clients are lovely and there are many of them that I would class as 'friends' now - unfortunately for them that usually means that their horse has had too many problems! Some clients are wonderful, will do everything you ask, do their absolute best for their horse, never complain even if not all of the pieces of the puzzle are put together straight away, even if the outcome is not the best. If that sounds like you, thank you!

However, some clients are terrible. In my experiences the ones that have pushed me to the brink (and very nearly over in the last case) have always been the ones where you have done nothing *wrong* - the last case I found something I was concerned about and recommended referral to a specialist in that field for their opinion and further imaging. I got shouted at down the phone for 37 minutes (phone on desk on speaker), threatened with being reported for misconduct, told I was wrong, accused of lying for my own gain (I hadn't actually charged them any extra for this, and receive absolutely nothing for making a referral). My boss was away and I fitted them in at late notice as a favour.

For context on vets wages, I live in accomodation owned by the practice. It is roughly the same size as a static caravan, occasionally the roof leaks, half the plaster and paint have fallen off, my worktop is balanced on top of my fridge and the heating is intermittent. I can't afford to move out (maybe if I didn't have the horse...) - that is with full time work, some weeks over 100 hours.

 

[fredflop]

I’d imagine people generally have issues with vets/any professional that are seen as money grabbing.

I know of a vets practise that will rinse every last penny out of insurance money; if multiple clients are in one visit, they try and charge each client the full call out charge. Examination charges of £30/40/50 for the vet to take once glance at the horse over the stable door as say, yes I will give you some bute for that.

in my professional job, I am invoiced out at £45 an hour. I also have worked incredibly long hours, and by the time I’ve paid all the bills there’s nothing left. I find people that have tunnel vision about their industry rather annoying. (Teachers often seem to think that they are the only hard done by professionals.) the fact is that this is pretty much how most professional jobs are these days.

as for small animals, I keep rabbits and have done for many years. it is often obvious a day before they pop their clogs it’s going to happen. However in this scenario I generally don’t take them to the vet. The car ride, and the vet handling them is far more stressful than the animal just passing peacefully at home.

I had one that was on his way out, and I took him to the vet to PTS (although the vet did say he could do some tests). I knew the rabbit was dying, and he was old, so tests were pointless. I can’t quite remember what happened but the shock of going to the vets pretty much killed bunny. I wish I’d had left him where he was.

 

[KEK]

Thanks for this thread. The vet bashing really, really needs to stop. I am a vet. My husband is a vet. We have both been horse vets in the past, now small animal. On Monday my husband was on a 9.30-8pm shift. He messaged me at 7.15pm to say a dog had been brought in which had been run over and had a ruptured diaphragm. He would not be home at 8.30pm as expected and could I apologise to our two daughters aged 10 and 6 and give them a goodnight kiss from him. He and 6 of his team stayed behind to operate on the dog. Because it was in shock and was a very small dog it was very hypothermic and no amount of heating could get its body temperature up enough for the owners to safely transfer it to the emergency hospital for overnight care after the operation. So he stayed until it was a bit warmer, and then drove the dog 45 mins to the emergency hospital so it could be monitored overnight. He arrived home at 1pm, and left for work the next day at 7.30am. For this he did not receive a single penny in overtime, nor any time off in lieu.
On the same day a new client who wanted to book his dog in for a heart scan (routine check, not emergency) came inside the practice and was asked to wait outside due to COVID restrictions (standard procedure at the moment for all clients). He lost his temper and shouted and abused the receptionist and nursing staff. When my husband found out he contacted the client and said he would not be welcome at the practice due to his behaviour towards the practice team and would be refunded his £100 deposit. When the client returned to collect his refund he abused the staff again. No doubt he has taken to social media to complain about the shoddy treatment he has received. When you read these stories on social media PLEASE PLEASE remember you are only hearing one side of the story.
Two vets in the UK that I know of have taken their own lives this week and the profession is facing a mental health crisis. It's about time vet fees rose to reflect the real costs and allow vets and vet nurses to be paid a decent wage commensurate with their training and expertise. But if people can't tolerate the fees now there is no hope of that.
Thank you to all of you who appreciate your vets. Sadly those who don't are probably not on this thread!

Well said. I'm also a small animal vet and I agree totally.
My biggest concern with the profession is the lack of pay. It's totally disproportionate to the amount of skill, stress, above-and-beyond hours etc. I'm on $46/hr (£25) and I've been out for 14 years. Have further qualifications in rehab and behaviour and do a lot of these consults. Have just been declined a raise and told I will never get one.
I wish I had chosen a different profession.

 

[KEK]

I’m a vet. A new one. Graduated in June.
I am small animal, everyone expected equine but I can’t cope with the owners who are convinced that I will treat their animal differently if it’s insured/not insured and I don’t agree with the yearly time limit on insurance policies forcing treatment or investigations before time limit is up. I have a scientific mind and I will want as much information available to me as possible to make a diagnosis and treatment plan going forward. When I ask if an animal is insured it is because I need to know what we can and can’t afford to do. If I can’t do diagnostics, I can’t say if I am treating the right thing. And if I do make an educated guess and I’m wrong, well, it’s me who ends up being told I got it wrong and have an upset owner with an animal who is potentially sicker as a result. And I do not want that. If animals are insured (or an owner can afford the required diagnostics) then I know I can do the absolute best for the animal. If they aren’t, well, I try my best but my eyes aren’t microscopes, my ears aren’t an ultrasound scanner, and my hands aren’t x-ray machines.
I am paid 29k. I insure all my animals and I have £25 max left over at the end of the month to spare in part because of that, and I shop in lidl and never go out.
I haven’t finished work on time once in the last six weeks. I havent had my lunch break in the last week, before that I managed to get it once or twice a week.
I get in early in order to make all the call backs needed.
None of that is paid or time given back.
I had an owner accuse me of money grabbing and him paying for my holwhen I offered treatment for an eye disorder I had diagnosed. He was driving a brand new Mercedes and told me he had spent 2,500 to buy the dog a year ago. I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t afford to put petrol in my car for the rest of the month, or afford to buy another milk after I had spilt it and so was rationing it. And I can’t afford to save for a holiday, or even afford to renew my passport which ran out in 2015! So no. The money doesn’t go to me. Online prices don’t have to factor in professionals salaries and the overheads of a functioning practice and have much bigger buying power so can sell it for LESS than my work buy it in. If you want a prescription, ask for one and I will do it happily, but I won’t do it if an animal needs it TODAY and not when it gets delivered in two days time.
I have been really really struggling with the profession I have worked so hard to be part of.
jokes about paying for vets holidays, eye rolls at prices, anger that you weren’t called back within 10 mins, abuse towards the admin team, an owner telling me they had already diagnosed conjunctivitis so why did I have to charge, a guilt trip by an owner with no money for vets but money to spend on a designer puppy from a puppy farm who is sick telling me I am ruining her child’s birthday and if I loved animals I would do it for free, the last minute please squeeze in so they don’t have to pay an OOH fee appointment where I spend ages in time I am not paid for to be told that they can’t afford it and I should do it for free and then when I say I can’t I get told a good vet could work out what was wrong and fix it for the cost of a consult or would do it for free because they have only had it two days. The constant worry that when I trial treat because an owner can’t afford diagnostics and it doesn’t work that I can easily be reported to the RCVS and even if an investigation finds no wrongdoing, I still have that hanging over me.

while you may think it’s a joke about paying the vets mortgage or whatever, and you may mean it purely as a joke, we hear it all the time and it just makes me feel awful and awkward.


The young vet Rachel, who killed herself this week, only graduated 2 years before me. From my university.
I am not sure if I can manage being a vet with all the extra guilt and stress. I just wanted to help animals.

and you know what, my knowledge, time, expertise (even though I only graduated recently), attention, care and manner with your pet is actually worth way more than the £45 consultation fee my practice charges. It’s not unfair or money grabbing. 20% of that is for my knowledge. The rest goes on the x ray machine to help me diagnose the broken limb, the blood machine to enable me to find out what help your pet needs when you turn up with them limp in your arms, the fluid pumps to deliver lifesaving medication, the monitoring equipment in the operating theatre to ensure your pet is a safe as possible during procedures etc etc etc etc etc all the things needed to enable us to save pets whn

I wish I could say it gets easier...