The veterinarian appreciation thread

[frorider]

https://slate.com/human-interest/202...dogs-cats.html

For years our dog got care from Dr David Monroe here in Tahoe, truly excellent and empathetic.

It’s a tough job, and the suicide rate is heartbreaking.

[ötzi]

So, they like vegetables, who cares?



j/k

[ötzi]

Nah, we had the same vet for over 20 years, Chet Anderson. Then he sold his clinic and retired. But he was great. A real country vet but super smart. We've had good luck since but Chet was the man.

I never knew about the suicide rate, I find that kind of odd but I guess you never know how thngs affect people

[XXX-er]

The gf's parents were both Vets, they met over the autopsy of a dead pig and sparks flew

[old goat]

Dave Swalander at Sierra Pet Clinic in Truckee took care of our last two dogs. Great doc, great person. He fixed both of our cockapoos torn knee ligaments so she could jump again--even though she wasn't supposed to. That was her joy. Fortunately when it came time for both of them to be euthanized (both were 15) we were down in Sacrmento and went to docs that didn't know the dogs. Maybe that's a little easier. They were just as kind as if we had been seeing them the whole 15 years.

[Core Shot]

The gf's parents were both Vets, they met over the autopsy of a dead pig and sparks flew

I’m guessing that was school necropsy and not actual pet pig necropsy.

[XXX-er]

One of them was an urban pet vet and the other did the large animal science

[Core Shot]

One of them was an urban pet vet and the other did the large animal science

And neither one did an autopsy

#necropsy

[XXX-er]

You seem to know a lot about fucking dead animals ?

[evdog]

I never knew about the suicide rate, I find that kind of odd but I guess you never know how thngs affect people

A friend of mine is a vet, and is now general manager at a vet hospital that is part of a large corporate chain (as many hospitals are). He was telling me about it. Imagine seeing many owners come in and their animal is sick, but the owners cannot afford the treatment that it needs. Or even if they can pull the cash together there is no guarantee their pet will survive. And unlike human hospitals, vet hospitals are not required to treat someone who cannot afford it - rather, corporate chains often require payment up front. This all puts pet owners in a very difficult position and many make the tough decision to have their pet put down rather than treat it. Now imagine you're the vet who sees this on a daily basis. All you want to do is help but corporate policy won't let you. I can imagine this takes a toll on people.

[frorider]

Yeah that was what the article was saying.

[Ted Striker]

Vets are saints. Speaking of which, where is Dr Hutash? Haven't seen him post in a while.

[old goat]

Vets are saints. Speaking of which, where is Dr Hutash? Haven't seen him post in a while.

I've seen him in the Mammoth thread.

It's a dilemma. On the one hand we raise animals to kill for food. On the other we perform expensive operations on them to prolong their life and improve their quality of life. Philosophically--a household dog or cat has no understanding or fear of death. In many cases their only attachment is to their humans. (I do know that when we lost one of our dogs, the other, who knew the first one since she was a small puppy, missed her.) Is the pain and restrictiions of a major operation justified for a pet? Do we owe the same duty to keep a pet animal alive that we owe to a human family member? I don't think there's one answer, and I know there's not an easy one. What I know for sure is that we owe them freedom from pain, suffering, and fear,as much as possible given that we live in a world full of those things.