Solutions for Pet Healthcare
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July 2011 Puppies and fluffy bunnies Being a vet may be about treating puppies and fluffy bunnies, but it's also about being financially honest with clients, even when the economy isn't going well and business may be suffering. 
A fair balance 
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Welcome EpiVet is interested in providing practical solutions to everyday problems, and this site looks at the veterinary sector from different perspectives: namely clients', business, vets', vet students', and primarily the patients'. These different perspectives do clash and at times the solutions require compromise. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons also receives strong criticism from the profession, but this isn't unexpected for a professional regulator. EpiVet uses expertise from within the veterinary industry to assess some of the issues. Am I getting the best deal at my vets? Which practice is best? Should I think about changing my vet? Patient's Page  How can I become a vet if I've failed to get into vet school? Student's Page When should I consider complaining about a vet? Client's Page
Vets have a responsibility to be honest and morally ethical, as well as upholding the welfare of animals. [Vets take a jolly dim view of colleagues who take unethical and frequent advantage of circumstances for their own commercial gain.] For example, the RCVS states that vets must advertise their top ten selling items within their practice (ie. on the reception room noticeboard or in a window) and these can be items that are usually heavily discounted. The most expensive invoice items however, are diagnostic tests, all operations (other than neutering), and all of the unusual drugs that are supplied. Practices with a lot of staff and new buildings and/or new equipment may want to fully utilize this equipment and to maximise surgery time (ie. operations). Always query whether a test is necessary, and always ask if there's an alternative to an operation. You can also negotiate the price of unusual drugs - a prescription that a vet now writes can be charged for, but on unusual (and usually expensive items) obtaining a prescription can save you more money than the cost of the prescription. If the practice won't bring the price of an unusual drug down, then take the prescription elsewhere ie. to another practice or an online supplier. [But please remember, if your vet is actually being reasonable about the price, do show loyalty to him/her because you'll need a vet at 3'oclock in the morning, when your dog is next ill.] For more details on what to look out for, please see the menu item Saving Money above.
Examine submitted comments to see which practices people say that 'operate from heaven' and which practices are said to 'operate from hell'.
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Does the RCVS need reforming, and if so, why? There are some very good reasons why more vets commit suicide in the UK than any other group of people ie. vets are twice as likely as doctors, and more likely than dentists, etc. These reasons are discussed and may not quite be the ones that you would have guessed. 
Did they have to slaughter so many animals in the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic? 
When can computer disease models really predict the future, and when are computer models no good?   What about swine flu and bird flu? 
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Is my vet being reasonable?
Which vets do people use?
Other sectors: <
A tragedy to be averted.
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