So--to all 2 people who read this blog, what do you think about vets selling drugs?
Perhaps this is more of problem in the equine part of the industry, but commonly I am asked to sell drugs to people who like to "play" veterinarian. They are diagnosing and treating their own horses. One guy today was injecting his own joints! He wanted me to sell him all the necessary drugs, sedation, and syringes for him to do it. Maybe I'm just being a prick, but if I'm going to do that, then I'm going to inject the joint too-- then at least I know it's being done correctly, humanely, and cleanly. Furthermore, if there are complications (let's say at 12am, because they're never at normal times), do I have any obligation to help these people? I feel sorry for the horse, but that puts me in a tough position.
Sorry, but I paid $130,000 to learn how to do that, I'm not going to sell you drugs so that you can do it on your own. Don't chastise me for being "young" and "scared". Don't misinterpret it--I'm just being ETHICAL.
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Writing Letters
Even in my short career, there have been many times people have asked me to write a letter: to describe a prepurchase exam, to describe something to a farrier, to state the condition of humane cases, etc. So when a client called our practice wanting us to write a letter, it didn't throw up any red flags. However when I arrived on the farm, it was clear to me that this was something different...
As the first order of business, the owner wanted me to palpate a mare that was VERY pregnant. They decided that she was not in fact pregnant because she "shoulda had it by now". Ok. Not the soundest logic, but whatever. I stuck my arm in about wrist deep and confirmed that she was indeed very pregnant. (The fetus was large to say the least.) What was the most striking about the mare is that she was extremely thin. (2-3/9 BCS). This is what they wanted me to write a letter about. Apparently someone had called the Humane Society about this mare due to her condition. They wanted me to write a letter stating she was healthy. I told them I'd write them a letter, but it would not say what they probably wanted it to say.
After talking with them, I found out that this mare (a small Quarter Horse type mare) was bred to a Percheron "by accident". They apparently rescued (I use this term loosely) this stallion as a weanling; it is now 7 years old. They were unaware that it was a stallion and put the mare in the same pasture with it. Apparently they thought the testicles of stallions just fell off at some point during their young life; thus, magically rendering them sterile.
So writing this all down is filling me with rage all over again. At any rate, we had a long discussion about proper feeding, how much hay is adequate, improper breeding, and the birds and the bees of the horse world. These people were just plain ignorant, and unfortunately not interested in learning anymore.
Needless to say, I didn't write any letter. It's better that way.
As the first order of business, the owner wanted me to palpate a mare that was VERY pregnant. They decided that she was not in fact pregnant because she "shoulda had it by now". Ok. Not the soundest logic, but whatever. I stuck my arm in about wrist deep and confirmed that she was indeed very pregnant. (The fetus was large to say the least.) What was the most striking about the mare is that she was extremely thin. (2-3/9 BCS). This is what they wanted me to write a letter about. Apparently someone had called the Humane Society about this mare due to her condition. They wanted me to write a letter stating she was healthy. I told them I'd write them a letter, but it would not say what they probably wanted it to say.
After talking with them, I found out that this mare (a small Quarter Horse type mare) was bred to a Percheron "by accident". They apparently rescued (I use this term loosely) this stallion as a weanling; it is now 7 years old. They were unaware that it was a stallion and put the mare in the same pasture with it. Apparently they thought the testicles of stallions just fell off at some point during their young life; thus, magically rendering them sterile.
So writing this all down is filling me with rage all over again. At any rate, we had a long discussion about proper feeding, how much hay is adequate, improper breeding, and the birds and the bees of the horse world. These people were just plain ignorant, and unfortunately not interested in learning anymore.
Needless to say, I didn't write any letter. It's better that way.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Emergency Coverage
It's been a while since I posted. I think it's mostly because the last few days have been enjoyable, and I've had little to complain about. The weather has been good, there hasn't been an insane amount of calls, nothing crazy weird, or unexpected. I guess that means that my karma is coming. Oy.
I would like to bring up a subject that has been bothering me though and see what you all think. A nearby all equine veterinary clinic decided last fall that they would no longer see emergencies. I understand this-- it's VERY easy to get burnt out quickly with emergencies, and sometimes you just have to put yourself and your family first.
As far as I can tell, the decision was arbitrarily made and none of the clientele were informed. In fact, if you call the office one minute after 5:00pm, the phone just rings and rings. There's no message, no notification that they will not be calling you back, no name and phone number of a veterinarian that will see emergencies, nothing. Many times, our clinic has received emergency calls from these clients who are downright enraged by the situation. We have even picked up a few clients who have made the switch to us because of the lack of emergency coverage and poor communication about the decision to stop providing it.
My hunch is that this clinic did not inform their clients because they do not want to lose any business to us (the only people in the area that see 24 hour equine emergencies) or to anyone else. Do you think it is unethical to leave your clients high and dry like this? Does not providing the name of an emergency clinic count as "failing to provide emergency service" as it says in our licensure rules and requirements? I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts. The whole situation irks me to no end.
I would like to bring up a subject that has been bothering me though and see what you all think. A nearby all equine veterinary clinic decided last fall that they would no longer see emergencies. I understand this-- it's VERY easy to get burnt out quickly with emergencies, and sometimes you just have to put yourself and your family first.
As far as I can tell, the decision was arbitrarily made and none of the clientele were informed. In fact, if you call the office one minute after 5:00pm, the phone just rings and rings. There's no message, no notification that they will not be calling you back, no name and phone number of a veterinarian that will see emergencies, nothing. Many times, our clinic has received emergency calls from these clients who are downright enraged by the situation. We have even picked up a few clients who have made the switch to us because of the lack of emergency coverage and poor communication about the decision to stop providing it.
My hunch is that this clinic did not inform their clients because they do not want to lose any business to us (the only people in the area that see 24 hour equine emergencies) or to anyone else. Do you think it is unethical to leave your clients high and dry like this? Does not providing the name of an emergency clinic count as "failing to provide emergency service" as it says in our licensure rules and requirements? I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts. The whole situation irks me to no end.
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