*getting on soapbox directed at author of article linked to*

I have no doubt there are bad vets out there, and maybe the UK has more of them I don't know...however I have ALOT of problems with this article!!

"We have daschunds bred with elongated spines so they look 'attractive' for their breed. But these sausage dogs are prone to slipped discs and back problems which, in turn, makes more money for vets who do many operations a year to 'help' these issues"

This article blames the vets for dogs with health issues in the breeding? Honestly that's like blaming our dentists because we are born with bad teeth!

"A humane death would not be the course of treatment offered to its owner. Well, at any rate, not yet. After all, didn't I realise the advances that had been made in veterinary medicine? There were 'options' that could extend this old dog's life."

A good vet is supposed to offer ALL possible options irregardless of finances and let the client choose. To do less is to presuppose the clients income and cheat them from an option they may have wished to pursue. It's not the vets job to decide, it's the vets job to give the client all their choices (and risks) and let them decide what course they want to pursue.

Believe me I've seen clients request referals to the pet cancer place from clients who you wouldn't have dreamed could afford such a thing, driving a rusted out bucket of junk that barely runs, let alone I don't know that it was good for the pet who is usually a mutt. I've seen clients who drive BMW's, wielding smart phones, dressed to the nines, with a overpriced 'purbred' not opt for a couple hundred dollar one time life saving surgery.

"So your vet discovers your cat has a seemingly innocuous chipped tooth? I have known of cat owners told that despite the fact their cat is perfectly fine - and frankly animals in the wild break their teeth all the time and do not need expensive dentistry work - that to remove the tooth is justified 'just in case' it later causes a problem."

Ok, I've also seen cats with torn off legs purring but that doesn't make them happy, I've seen dogs with teeth so loose the tartar was the only thing holding them in still manage to eat, I've seen cats drooling with ulcers in their mouth so bad I don't know how they ate but that doesn't mean they aren't in pain!

Animals are very good at hiding pain, and if a tooth has a sharp broken surface or is exposed to the root, I don't find that 'innocuous' myself. It means the vet is doing their job educating the owner to problems and giving the owner their options! If the owner doesn't want to elect to pursue that option, it is their right not to.

I don't know about the UK, but in the US you are entitled to a second, or even third opinon and the current vet cannot leagally withold your records or refuse to let you go to another vet.

And while I know this is an unpopular thing with most pet owners, a vet is doing a JOB. Even if they love animals to death, foster 50 animals themselves, donate countless hours to the humane society, they are still doing a job. A job which requires forking over a LOT of money each week/month for electricity, heat, telephone, internet, computers, employee wages, equipment, maintanence, taxes, workers comp, social security, health care, supplies, stocking the pharmacy (you don't even want to know what those bills run), licensing, and a ton of other things. Not to mention vets that are also the owner have to pay for their own health insurance. That's not including the THOUSANDS of dollars they are in debt with when they graduate from all the schooling necessary to know how to help the animals.

They are doing a job, a job they happen to love, but still a job. And why do we do our jobs? So we have income to support our families, to care for our children, to care for our own pets, to pay our own bills, isn't that why we work? Sometimes we have a job we like, sometimes we have a job we just happen to be good at. Why should a vet be any different?

*getting off my soapbox now*