Just curious -- How many veterinarians . . .

[ga.prime]

There's a huge demand for those small animal vets and not enough supply so they can charge pretty much whatever they want. The problem is not enough vet schools or capacity in the existing vet schools resulting in a lack of competition for licensed vet services.

 

[Sir Loin]

ga.prime

Re:

You thinking Sir Loin?

No! I'm not a vet, nor have I ever claimed to be one.
Although a few years back !960 70 ) I did work for a vet and have doctored my own cattle, and neighbors, for as long as I can remember.
I'm just a 3rd generation, self educated fool/cattleman.
But thanks for the thought. :tiphat:
SL


TexasBred

Re:

SirLoin is not a vet.

True!

He's just on a crusade to have corn gluten feed banned.

Not true! I believe corn gluten can be fed under the right conditions.
IE in a feed lot situation for a period of 60 to 120 days before slaughter, as it was intended and not to lactating cows or young calves.
As to the amount that can be feed in feed lots, that is still up in the air. Some say nore, some say 10% and some say 40%, but IMO none should be feed to bred, lactating cows, dairy or beef or young calves.

And that is exactly what I have read and posted and have seen with my own eyes.
If you don't want to believe dieticians and university after university that I have posted about feeding high levels of sulfur, that is completely up to you.
The only thing I ask is that the feeds come with a proper analysis sheet and that the sacks/bags that contain it are properly identified and shows the sulfur content.
All I am asking for is a little "truth in advertising" and labeling.

SL

 

[regolith]

well, it's nice to have that cleared up.

Strongly in agreement about truth in labelling &c - I've heard the explanations; it still annoys me to read 'contains ingredients derived from these groups in varying quantities according to what will most cheaply meet the nutrient specifications'

 

[dun]

Dang... and here I thought it was gonna end "does it take to change a lightbulb?"


:banana: :lol:

None, as their brilliance lights up a room . This is referring to the really good LA vets ,that truly are a blessing to have .. :tiphat:

After dealing with SmallAnimal vets with Niks latest injury while our real vet is away ,I have come to the conclusion that all they learn in vet school is how to spay ,neuter and give needles .. I think they major in business and minor in medicine as they sure as h@ll know how to mark up costs 1000% .. :bang:

You got that right!!!! :nod: :clap:

Not all SA vets are out for the fast buck or to stick it to you. I'm sometimes concerned at the low prices our vet charges. But she's happy and makes a living and happens to be a great vet.
We had gotten a pup and when she was on vacation he qot the squirts. Took him to another vet, 185 bucks later she gave us some pills for him. We've had far more done with our regular vet and it costs about 1/10 as much

 

[TexasBred]

And that is exactly what I have read and posted and have seen with my own eyes.
If you don't want to believe dieticians and university after university that I have posted about feeding high levels of sulfur, that is completely up to you.
The only thing I ask is that the feeds come with a proper analysis sheet and that the sacks/bags that contain it are properly identified and shows the sulfur content.
All I am asking for is a little "truth in advertising" and labeling.

What you have read are "recommendations". Apparently you neither understood them nor followed them. What the feed companies put on feed labels meet ALL state requirements but may vary from state to state. There is no misleading nor violation in the labels. You do, I hope, realize that certain feeds can also contain sulphur below recommended levels. You may have feed some of them as well and never known it. :mrgreen:

 

[Sir Loin]

TexasBred


Re:

You do, I hope, realize that certain feeds can also contain sulphur below recommended levels.

I do! What's your point?

You may have feed some of them as well and never known it.

No, I knew it because it was listed in the ingredients. That is up until about 4 years ago when "sulfur" became no longer listed as an ingredient.
What's your point?
You do know that cattle do need some sulfur, don't you?
SL

 

[TexasBred]

SL, sulfur is seldom listed as an ingedient on feeds because NONE is added to the mix. The various components of the formulation (such as CGF or soybean meal) contain enough naturally occuring sulfur to meet the needs of the cattle without adding any additional levels. NOW if you feed a mix containing NPN you might see sulfur in the list of ingredients as some has been added to help utilize the NPN.

 

[hillsdown]

There's a huge demand for those small animal vets and not enough supply so they can charge pretty much whatever they want. The problem is not enough vet schools or capacity in the existing vet schools resulting in a lack of competition for licensed vet services.

Not here there isn't, I think our city has the most SA vet clinics per capita in all of the province. HUGE difference between a vet that can only spay and neuter and call quill removal surgery ,than a sa vet that can actually figure out and treat a problem . Trust me, I have dealt with specialists that are really good vets ,the majority of the ones we have in town are not them.

If you just want to treat cats and dogs , then I expect you to be pretty d@m good at it and know what the h@ll you are talking about.

Our vet wanted to open a LA clinic in a small town closer to us and council wouldn't give him a business license because there were 2 clinics there already and it would be too competitive. This is an area where you can not throw a rock without hitting a dairy operation . :roll:

 

[dun]

There's a huge demand for those small animal vets and not enough supply so they can charge pretty much whatever they want. The problem is not enough vet schools or capacity in the existing vet schools resulting in a lack of competition for licensed vet services.

Not here there isn't, I think our city has the most SA vet clinics per capita in all of the province. HUGE difference between a vet that can only spay and neuter and call quill removal surgery ,than a sa vet that can actually figure out and treat a problem . Trust me, I have dealt with specialists that are really good vets ,the majority of the ones we have in town are not them.

If you just want to treat cats and dogs , then I expect you to be pretty d@m good at it and know what the h@ll you are talking about.

Our vet wanted to open a LA clinic in a small town closer to us and council wouldn't give him a business license because there were 2 clinics there already and it would be too competitive. This is an area where you can not throw a rock without hitting a dairy operation . :roll:

Sounds like you need cuncil elections along with enough people that actually care.

 

[djinwa]

After dealing with SmallAnimal vets with Niks latest injury while our real vet is away ,I have come to the conclusion that all they learn in vet school is how to spay ,neuter and give needles .. I think they major in business and minor in medicine as they sure as h@ll know how to mark up costs 1000% .. :bang:

I guess it's time to confess that I did a brief stint of veterinary practice years ago. I think comments like the above were much of the reason I left and did other things. People pretty much want everything for nothing, and then don't understand how things can go wrong. Any respect you thought you deserved quickly went out the window.

Some of my memories: Doing C-section with the cow tied to a fence by the light of the pickup headlights, dipping arms in disinfectant solution in freezing weather. Driving an hour to see a horse with cut on leg, only to chase it around for a half hour trying to catch it. I often had to remind myself that I had a big degree somewhere.

Vet school is alot of book work crammed in, and at least I left without much practical - was a shock to get out there and realize I didn't know what I was doing. In human medicine, you do another few years of residency to get experience and assimilate what you'd learned, but nobody wants to pay for that with animals.

I recall a final exam for one class, I had a stack of binders full of typed notes a foot tall. With 5 other classes, didn't have time to flip through it, let alone study it.

Of course, to those who haven't gone to veterinary school, it all seems so simple, and they can't figure out why there is something a veterinarian wouldn't know, or how they could make a mistake. Which is why I've been reluctant to admit my background.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

After dealing with SmallAnimal vets with Niks latest injury while our real vet is away ,I have come to the conclusion that all they learn in vet school is how to spay ,neuter and give needles .. I think they major in business and minor in medicine as they sure as h@ll know how to mark up costs 1000% .. :bang:

I guess it's time to confess that I did a brief stint of veterinary practice years ago. I think comments like the above were much of the reason I left and did other things. People pretty much want everything for nothing, and then don't understand how things can go wrong. Any respect you thought you deserved quickly went out the window.

Some of my memories: Doing C-section with the cow tied to a fence by the light of the pickup headlights, dipping arms in disinfectant solution in freezing weather. Driving an hour to see a horse with cut on leg, only to chase it around for a half hour trying to catch it. I often had to remind myself that I had a big degree somewhere.

Vet school is alot of book work crammed in, and at least I left without much practical - was a shock to get out there and realize I didn't know what I was doing. In human medicine, you do another few years of residency to get experience and assimilate what you'd learned, but nobody wants to pay for that with animals.

I recall a final exam for one class, I had a stack of binders full of typed notes a foot tall. With 5 other classes, didn't have time to flip through it, let alone study it.

Of course, to those who haven't gone to veterinary school, it all seems so simple, and they can't figure out why there is something a veterinarian wouldn't know, or how they could make a mistake. Which is why I've been reluctant to admit my background.

Thanks for coming out of the closet !!! :clap: What did you decide to pursue after that?

I had a wonderful pair of vets in Idaho, doing both SA and LA. The Sr. partner was killed in a car accident. The Jr. bought out the business. Although his first and true love was the LA practice, it was the SA clients that kept the practice going, paid at the time of service, etc. He was gracious enough to continue on with a few of us with LAs and goats, but he didn't want the word spread around.

 

[hrstrader]

My wife is a vet. She doesn't help nor condone anything that I do. I grew in the horse trading industry on one side and a cattle trader on the other side. My (our) closest 4 friends are husband/wife teams, they help me if I have any problems that I can't handle or need medicine. I've castrated horses, cows and other intact animals since I was about 12. I'm more efficient and a lot less stressful on an animal than any of them. I do most of all my own vet work, it works out better, no one to be upset with if something happens.

 

[Sir Loin]

djinwa

I know where you are coming from!! Been there, done that!
I was never a vet and most of the time I did it as a favor for a friend or neighbor.

Maybe it is time for you and I to tell some of our horror stories.

First let me say this:
If I were a vet and showed up at your place and the animal was not at least in a pen ready to go into a head gate, that would be the last time you would ever see me!!
HELLO! I came to treat your animal NOT run around all over heII trying to catch it!

Second:
Stay the heII out of my way and don't ask me a thousand questions while I am working.
And get your noisy kids, wife, neighbors and barking dogs the hell out of here.
When I ask you a question I expect an answer. If you don't know, say you don't know, don't guess.
If you know the answer but are afraid it will make you look stupid, tell me any way, or your animal just may die.
I am here to help you, not judge you!
Fact is, you are most likely to know what caused the problem, not me.
When I am finished making my diagnosis I will inform you of my findings, even if you don't like it.
But remember, "I am not a miracle worker"!
If you would like to get a second opinion, please do, as I am a strong believer in two heads are always better than one.

Now that should get the ball a rollen!
SL

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I actually sent the following to djinwa as a personal message, but I don't think it'll hurt anyone, past or present, to share it. It's one of my favorite vet stories:

***
". . . You might appreciate this story!

This happened 15 yrs. or so ago, with the vet (Dennis) we loved that was killed in the car accident. My sis and her husband were just starting to get rolling with their cattle operation. A steer they bought at auction had pink-eye, so they called Dennis to come out and treat him. They had some very simple sort of chute set up, with a short alley. Well, the steer came down the alley, balked, fought, and got his head stuck in one of the U-shaped bottom legs on a panel, and that's the position he was in when Dennis got there. They couldn't get force him out of it. Dennis said, "Get your pickup, and we'll pull the panel off him." Bro-in-law Mark said, "My truck's in the shop!" So, Dennis brought his rig in, and they got the steer roped somehow and disentangled from the panel. And then Dennis noticed that the steer still had a down testicle! So he had to treat the beef for pink-eye and re-castrate him. That story was told at his funeral. So, I know what you're saying!"

Rest in peace, Dennis Dixon, DVM, Meridian, Idaho -- Who could always maintain his sense of humor!

 

[hillsdown]

After dealing with SmallAnimal vets with Niks latest injury while our real vet is away ,I have come to the conclusion that all they learn in vet school is how to spay ,neuter and give needles .. I think they major in business and minor in medicine as they sure as h@ll know how to mark up costs 1000% .. :bang:

I guess it's time to confess that I did a brief stint of veterinary practice years ago. I think comments like the above were much of the reason I left and did other things. People pretty much want everything for nothing, and then don't understand how things can go wrong. Any respect you thought you deserved quickly went out the window.

Some of my memories: Doing C-section with the cow tied to a fence by the light of the pickup headlights, dipping arms in disinfectant solution in freezing weather. Driving an hour to see a horse with cut on leg, only to chase it around for a half hour trying to catch it. I often had to remind myself that I had a big degree somewhere.

Vet school is alot of book work crammed in, and at least I left without much practical - was a shock to get out there and realize I didn't know what I was doing. In human medicine, you do another few years of residency to get experience and assimilate what you'd learned, but nobody wants to pay for that with animals.

I recall a final exam for one class, I had a stack of binders full of typed notes a foot tall. With 5 other classes, didn't have time to flip through it, let alone study it.

Of course, to those who haven't gone to veterinary school, it all seems so simple, and they can't figure out why there is something a veterinarian wouldn't know, or how they could make a mistake. Which is why I've been reluctant to admit my background.

My post was pertaining to small animal vets only ,aka the only spay and neuter dog/cat vets . I guess you all are blessed not to have a city full of them that claim to be experts in dogs and cats yet have never done an ultra sound nor heard of FHR surgery , or cannot run a cath into a female dog . :roll:

My LA vets that also do SA work are a God send .I have worked with them as well as specialists with Steffie and now Nikki . WE do go the extra mile with our pets ,when most would end their lives with a bullet. When I call our vet out they know I need help as I am quite competent on my own , the days of anyone roping a cow on a tree to do a c section do not exist around here if you are vet, they would never come and I would never ask. If you all knew how far we have to drive to them or them to us you , well lets just say that those of you that beotch about the closest good vet being a 100 miles away is a huge laugh. A good vet is a definite blessing and they are treated that way by us as well.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Agreed Hillsdown. I have a wonderful friend here who does both SA and LA -- but her LA is limited to horses. She will not mess with cattle or hogs or goats or sheep. We have other good cattle vets in the area, but in talking to friends/co-workers that deal with hogs, goats or sheep -- they don't really have anyone. And not a poultry vet, either. One of my dearest friends in the world is not a vet, but knows more about goat vetting than most vets, and most all the USA small ruminant practitioners know of her or about her or have asked her advice -- she runs a small ruminant practitioners site, and she's the only non-vet on it. I was fortunate to have her as my mentor when I was doing the goat thing.

 

[hillsdown]

BTW "djinwa" IF YOU ARE GOING TO QUOTE <QUOTE MY WHOLE POST AND DO NOT TAKE IT OUT OF CONTEXT.

None, as their brilliance lights up a room . This is referring to the really good LA vets ,that truly are a blessing to have ..

 

[TexasBred]

Like anything else you'll have good ones and bad ones...some that are people people and some that are loners and don't say much. I've had some of each. The good ones you hang on to, pay what they bill you and and as SL said "just answer the questions and stay out of the way". YOU don't want ot run them off. The poor ones..well you just don't call them out anymore. Most have about all the work they need anyway so they will gladly hand you off to someone else if necessary. I once thought I wanted to be a vet... just couldn't get into the vet school....got accepted to medical school but couldn't get in vet school. :lol2: :lol2: Ok let's here some more vet stories.

 

[Sir Loin]

OK, I was around 19 and just got cleaned up and dressed to go out on the town when I got a call from a neighbor who said:
Got a cow calving and I can't pull it, can you help me?
OK, no problem. Go help him pull the calf and off to town I go.----------- WRONG!!

When I got there he had both ropes in position as I had shown him several times before so I stepped up on the ropes, took one step closer to the cow and to my surprise out popped the calf like a bullet and hit me square in the face and chest.

It seems he forgot to tell me, while I was on my way over he got both front legs straightened out before he put the ropes on, but had not tried to pull it as yet.

Needless to say I had to go home shower and change before going out.

SL

 

[highgrit]

Sure glad our vet is a good teacher. He tells us what, when and how to do most things. Answers all our questions and even calls us back.