He girlie- sooooooo sorry I missed this thread. I have SUCH mixed feelings on the board-certified thing. That said, we live in a smaller area. There is a referral center here with several board-certified surgeons. These surgeons are all relatively young and have only recently been boarded. You must be in practice five years before you can look into becoming board-certified, so while they do have experience in veterinary medicine and surgery, five years is not much considering the different procedures and possible complications due to practicing medicine and being a surgeon.
Anyway, we chose a surgeon who is not a board-certified surgeon. He is an orthopedic specialist for outdoor and sporting dogs. He has owned this practice since 1982. He is the only vet in the Northwest (aside from the one vet school here) that does a canine total hip replacement, his practice is a national referral center for four different orthopedic procedures, he is frequently a speaker at AVMA meetings, is certified in TPLO and designed and produced the TATE elbow (total arthroplasty of the elbow). He called me himself when I was inquiring about surgery. My husband's colleague (a board-certified equine surgeon) has taken two of his dogs there for surgery, despite the fact it is three hours away and there is a referral center right in town. My personal vet said he wouldn't hesitate to have Randy do any surgical procedure on any of his clients.
What have the three board-cert surgeons here in town done? Um, published some journal articles. Sorry- but there is no question who the best choice for me was.
I think people get too hung up on the board-cert. thing. Yes, it is an extra credential, but honestly, Nancy is correct- they only need to perform to the minimum standard. Is this a better option than your typical small town practice where they still are 10 years behind the most recent veterinary research? Absolutely.
I am just saying look at the whole entire picture. I am so glad you made your decision the right way- you sought out reviews and experience with that particular surgeon, and did your research. I think you made the best decision for YOU which is the most important!!!
Let me know when your date is set. Ranger is five weeks post-op today! |