Medic24
Well-known member
Aaaaaahhhh, We are so lucky , and blessed, many of you have read my posts praising the few vets we have in the area...The one that comes from Marion NC, has at least an hour's ride to get here...........and he has done it numerous times and without compliant. he is loved like one of our own extended family.
We also have a large clinic over the mountains into TN, that works on anything and everything. Good place to also get some help from the team approach.
We wince when we see any of the bills, but never complain, after all, the folks are educated at great expense, set up practice at great expense, and operate at great expense. So I don't begrudge any reasonable bill, and so far, they have been just that.
My wife, whom works in the medical field tells me she is often ashamed at the costs for care, especially to the elderly, and the truly poor. But she has little or no influence on that. But a vet still charges but a fraction of that.
She is not the rugged, farm and ranch type of woman, so, unless we are talking about a true emergency , she rarely comes through that gate. Her opinion is that is the reasons we have vets. and i can't say I blame her for that. And she loves ours................soooooooooooooo.
One thing I would like to add to this string is this.........gripe how ever much you want, but you can make the job easier for your vet, thus more willing to make return visits, and perhaps not charge so much for his wasted time. Make sure he or she has no gripes when they LEAVE your farm.
1) Have the animals that need attention penned ,and ready to go, this may also mean some additional help to be there, along with some more means of restraints as well......no vet I know of wants a wild animal on his or her hands.Nor do they want to be 'in there' by themselves.
2) Provide some facilities for them to clean up in, either a milkhouse, a wash room, or you bringing out some warm water, soap, and towels. And lots of em.
3) Don't expect your vet to work in a sh$thole, provide them with a clean and reasonably comfortable place to work. Imagine being on your knees trying to pull out a calf in a pen 12 inches deep of manure, or snow for that matter.
4) If it's a job for more then just the two of you, then darn it, get some willing help BEFORE hand! And make sure they are there for the vet to use.
5) Pay the darn bill NOW! You will have to pay it soon enough, make it the same moment the vet hands you the bill. And be done with it. Everyone is so much happier that way.
6) If you have any questions or concerns, ask before they leave, not at 1am the next morning.
7) And just something we do around here, We let them know how much they are appreciated, not only by telling them, but while they are here, a nice warm cup or coffee, a slice of homemade cake, a cold dope, or even an invitation to the next meal really lets them know they are well appreciated. If he or she smells it cooking while you are working, they need to be invited to be part of that meal as well..IMO. many won't remember that this custom was very common place until just recently.
8) Last but certainly not least, dont expect miracles, if you have waited to call them, until you have tried without success all of your remedies, and the poor animal is taking it's last breaths., yes, I doctor most of my own animals, and likely 90% of them successfully, but, when it comes to serious illness, or injury, I call him FIRST! , and when in doubt of the outcome of my own doctorings, I put a call into him to get him informed, and up to speed of what I am doing, and often let him make the call as to the need to visit or not. IMO, that shows some respect for him.
JMHO.................... :cboy:
We also have a large clinic over the mountains into TN, that works on anything and everything. Good place to also get some help from the team approach.
We wince when we see any of the bills, but never complain, after all, the folks are educated at great expense, set up practice at great expense, and operate at great expense. So I don't begrudge any reasonable bill, and so far, they have been just that.
My wife, whom works in the medical field tells me she is often ashamed at the costs for care, especially to the elderly, and the truly poor. But she has little or no influence on that. But a vet still charges but a fraction of that.
She is not the rugged, farm and ranch type of woman, so, unless we are talking about a true emergency , she rarely comes through that gate. Her opinion is that is the reasons we have vets. and i can't say I blame her for that. And she loves ours................soooooooooooooo.
One thing I would like to add to this string is this.........gripe how ever much you want, but you can make the job easier for your vet, thus more willing to make return visits, and perhaps not charge so much for his wasted time. Make sure he or she has no gripes when they LEAVE your farm.
1) Have the animals that need attention penned ,and ready to go, this may also mean some additional help to be there, along with some more means of restraints as well......no vet I know of wants a wild animal on his or her hands.Nor do they want to be 'in there' by themselves.
2) Provide some facilities for them to clean up in, either a milkhouse, a wash room, or you bringing out some warm water, soap, and towels. And lots of em.
3) Don't expect your vet to work in a sh$thole, provide them with a clean and reasonably comfortable place to work. Imagine being on your knees trying to pull out a calf in a pen 12 inches deep of manure, or snow for that matter.
4) If it's a job for more then just the two of you, then darn it, get some willing help BEFORE hand! And make sure they are there for the vet to use.
5) Pay the darn bill NOW! You will have to pay it soon enough, make it the same moment the vet hands you the bill. And be done with it. Everyone is so much happier that way.
6) If you have any questions or concerns, ask before they leave, not at 1am the next morning.
7) And just something we do around here, We let them know how much they are appreciated, not only by telling them, but while they are here, a nice warm cup or coffee, a slice of homemade cake, a cold dope, or even an invitation to the next meal really lets them know they are well appreciated. If he or she smells it cooking while you are working, they need to be invited to be part of that meal as well..IMO. many won't remember that this custom was very common place until just recently.
8) Last but certainly not least, dont expect miracles, if you have waited to call them, until you have tried without success all of your remedies, and the poor animal is taking it's last breaths., yes, I doctor most of my own animals, and likely 90% of them successfully, but, when it comes to serious illness, or injury, I call him FIRST! , and when in doubt of the outcome of my own doctorings, I put a call into him to get him informed, and up to speed of what I am doing, and often let him make the call as to the need to visit or not. IMO, that shows some respect for him.
JMHO.................... :cboy: