YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - 2 Emergency Visits, 1 Neurologist Visit $3000.00 Still have no clue

Ellie May · 02-17-2011, 05:00 PM

I'm not sure that I can word this right, but will try.

There are a portion of vets who are incompetent or who like money a little too much or who just don't care. I agree. Now what I'm seeing though is most vets getting grouped together into a "runs too many tests" category. Who decides how many tests is a good number to run? There are, of course, a few things that can be treated without testing as long as the drug isn't going to makes things worse if the diagnosis is wrong. Really though, this isn't that often. I really prefer not to drug my girl without knowing that I need to. And I like giving the right drug the first time. You can treat worms without a fecal if you see them in the stool, but when talking about UTIs, pain, GI issues, there are just too many variables. Vets don't have crystal balls and I'd be concerned if they acted like they did.

Fifty dollars for 7 pets is $7 per pet. So then, no blood work or anything for early detection of disease? There is simply no way that a facility could be maintained for that. Even if a vet makes housecalls, most still have an office. At a minimum there really should be a small lab on-site, anesthesia and surgery equipment (tens of thousands of dollars), xray (digital), a wide selection of drugs, scales, kennels, computers (for digital xray), tables, and that is just to name a few things. That is the standard of care I expect for my dog. I would rather pay what it is worth and have peace of mind that problems can be taken care of when my dog gets sick. The cheaper that vet care is, the more likely something that is important (but expensive) is missing. For instance, injectable anesthesia is cheaper than gas, but not maintaining with gas is not a good idea.

I'm a pre-vet student and spend quite a bit of my time around vets. They run tests even for seemingly obviously things because 1) they believe it is right and 2) if they are wrong they will probably get sued if something is missed. So I guess they are either inept or money grabbers?

This is one of the most trying professions on earth and I don't like to see so many accused of something they aren't guilty of.

02-17-2011, 05:00 PM	#24
Ellie May And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI Posts: 17,928	I'm not sure that I can word this right, but will try. There are a portion of vets who are incompetent or who like money a little too much or who just don't care. I agree. Now what I'm seeing though is most vets getting grouped together into a "runs too many tests" category. Who decides how many tests is a good number to run? There are, of course, a few things that can be treated without testing as long as the drug isn't going to makes things worse if the diagnosis is wrong. Really though, this isn't that often. I really prefer not to drug my girl without knowing that I need to. And I like giving the right drug the first time. You can treat worms without a fecal if you see them in the stool, but when talking about UTIs, pain, GI issues, there are just too many variables. Vets don't have crystal balls and I'd be concerned if they acted like they did. Fifty dollars for 7 pets is $7 per pet. So then, no blood work or anything for early detection of disease? There is simply no way that a facility could be maintained for that. Even if a vet makes housecalls, most still have an office. At a minimum there really should be a small lab on-site, anesthesia and surgery equipment (tens of thousands of dollars), xray (digital), a wide selection of drugs, scales, kennels, computers (for digital xray), tables, and that is just to name a few things. That is the standard of care I expect for my dog. I would rather pay what it is worth and have peace of mind that problems can be taken care of when my dog gets sick. The cheaper that vet care is, the more likely something that is important (but expensive) is missing. For instance, injectable anesthesia is cheaper than gas, but not maintaining with gas is not a good idea. I'm a pre-vet student and spend quite a bit of my time around vets. They run tests even for seemingly obviously things because 1) they believe it is right and 2) if they are wrong they will probably get sued if something is missed. So I guess they are either inept or money grabbers? This is one of the most trying professions on earth and I don't like to see so many accused of something they aren't guilty of. __________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶