A Great Vet Can Be Hard to Find!!!
First, let me say that I am NOT anti-veterinarian. I just insist on having veterinary care from a vet who
stays current on not only procedures, but also on vaccination protocols, keeps up with his/her
continuing education above and beyond what might be required by governing or regulating bodies. I
prefer to have a vet who actually owns pets, and if he/she is a breeder vet, even better!!! And to find
one who thinks out of the box and will go the extra mile when confronted with a “mystery” illness of
some kind.
Sadly, this kind of vet is really, really hard to find. It took me about four years, and I tried about six vets
before I found two I could work with – one I use for basic, routine things, and another I use for all things
reproductive, and anything unusual. She is a breeder vet - - - she gets it! Lol!
The other thing that is hard to find, especially in the rural area of SC where I live, is a vet who doesn’t
herd me into the same class of dog owner as the average ignorant rednecks, which are present in
abundance here; a vet who will give me the respect I have earned and acknowledge that I know my
breed, probably better than he does; a vet that doesn’t treat all breeders like pariahs! Sometimes I
think some of them forget that without breeders, they would not have jobs!
You are your pet’s only voice - - use it!!!
Let me just say that when you are choosing a vet – ask questions! When is the last continuing education
course he attended, and what was the topic? Does he have pets himself? If so, how many, and what
species? Is he on board with the growing practice of not over-vaccinating our animals? Does he want to
vaccinate your dog for everything under the sun, or stick with the core vaccines? Does he even know
what the current vaccination protocol is that is taught by every single accredited veterinary college in
the country? I do!! How does he feel about spaying and neutering?
Remember that a vet is, after all, just a human being like the rest of us, not a deity. He is fallible. He
probably knows dogs and cats as species better than the average dog owner, but he may not know
breeds specifically. For instance, neutering/spaying a small breed at six months is fine, but
neutering/spaying a large breed dog is not – wait until about a year to allow the dog to fully mature, and
allow the growth plates to close to lessen the chances of hip dysplasia.
Your pet can’t talk, he depends on you to do what’s best for him! Please remember that your pet is
YOUR pet, not your vet’s and the ultimate decisions about the care of that pet lies with you, not the vet.
Ask questions! Speak up – be your pet’s voice! You have to be!