intersting article....

[Easnadh]

.... and by interesting I mean angering..... I though you all would enjoy reading this lovely piece of "advice" written by a financial planner...

http://news.yahoo.com/simple-ways-v...011.html?goback=.gde_1819833_member_245854122

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[ChittyBang]

Makes me wanna head over to "AMVA.org" to learn more!

 

[DVMDream]

Whenever I see something like this, I like to read the comments. Looks like no one is taking the guy seriously and most people think he is a *****, which is good.

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Smdh

 

[Kpowell14]

Wtf. Smdh. Rofl.

 

[dyachei]

the comments, although well-intentioned, are almost as misguided.

 

[DVMDream]

the comments, although well-intentioned, are almost as misguided.

True, but still some are better than the original article. At least no one is taking the dufus seriously.

 

[dyachei]

True, but still some are better than the original article. At least no one is taking the dufus seriously.

oh, I agree with that part. It just pains me to hear about any vet being told they are money-grubbing.

 

[DVMDream]

oh, I agree with that part. It just pains me to hear about any vet being told they are money-grubbing.

Yes, me too. Even worse when you are told to your face and yelled at by the client. Takes everything in me to not yell back at them.

ETA: How is the finger today?

 

[dyachei]

Yes, me too. Even worse when you are told to your face and yelled at by the client. Takes everything in me to not yell back at them.

ETA: How is the finger today?

well, it's gonna be a little awkward tomorrow. its my middle finger and I can't bend it....No infection yet though.

 

[DVMDream]

well, it's gonna be a little awkward tomorrow. its my middle finger and I can't bend it....No infection yet though.

No infection is good... I had a similar bite, middle finger at the knuckle a few years ago, really sucks.. Hope it heals fast.

 

[LetItSnow]

Huh. I guess I'm the only one who didn't see the article as that bad? I mean, it's not like he really painted vets in a bad light; vet care *is* expensive. Hell, I can't afford the dental my dog needs.

Many of his points were valid. And, I appreciated that one of his points was: keep your pet in good shape. That's a goal we're working towards, too, right? And, he suggested lowering your other pet costs to free up money for care (though, I would have preferred he said something like "your cat doesn't need 50 toys" instead of "consider learning to make your own pet food.").

I did laugh at the "Find a college of veterinary medicine" advice. I dunno about other teaching hospitals, but our hospital is more expensive, not less.

And I don't appreciate the "Set up a payment plan with your vet" comment. Vets are vets, not banks. It's rude to try and shift the burden of your payment onto them; they have their own bills to cover. If you need to stretch out your payments and are willing to take on debt (which is what you'd be doing by asking your vet for a payment plan) then you need to find an appropriate credit-issuing agency (local bank loan, credit card, care credit, whatever).

So, all in all, he had some bummer advice in there that sucked, but overall I thought his tone was fair to vets and he did have an theme of taking appropriate care of the animal. It sure seemed a lot better than some articles that try and make vets look like money-grabbing shysters.

*shrug*

 

[dyachei]

Huh. I guess I'm the only one who didn't see the article as that bad? I mean, it's not like he really painted vets in a bad light; vet care *is* expensive. Hell, I can't afford the dental my dog needs.

Many of his points were valid. And, I appreciated that one of his points was: keep your pet in good shape. That's a goal we're working towards, too, right? And, he suggested lowering your other pet costs to free up money for care (though, I would have preferred he said something like "your cat doesn't need 50 toys" instead of "consider learning to make your own pet food.").

I did laugh at the "Find a college of veterinary medicine" advice. I dunno about other teaching hospitals, but our hospital is more expensive, not less.

And I don't appreciate the "Set up a payment plan with your vet" comment. Vets are vets, not banks. It's rude to try and shift the burden of your payment onto them; they have their own bills to cover. If you need to stretch out your payments and are willing to take on debt (which is what you'd be doing by asking your vet for a payment plan) then you need to find an appropriate credit-issuing agency (local bank loan, credit card, care credit, whatever).

So, all in all, he had some bummer advice in there that sucked, but overall I thought his tone was fair to vets and he did have an theme of taking appropriate care of the animal. It sure seemed a lot better than some articles that try and make vets look like money-grabbing shysters.

*shrug*

I think the biggest issue for me was that 50% of his solutions were to set up payment plans or have someone else pay for you. Those aren't good solutions.

 

[LetItSnow]

I think the biggest issue for me was that 50% of his solutions were to set up payment plans or have someone else pay for you. Those aren't good solutions.

*shrug* I see only 3 out of 12 that are arguably a debt scenario. There are others that are along the "have someone else pay for you" line if you're including the ones where he says to go to organizations like a rescue shelter. But if there are organizations specifically set up to help people who can't afford care ... I don't see that it's a bad thing to utilize them.

What advice would you offer people differently who find themselves unable to afford veterinary care? Withhold the care? Don't look for help? Don't adopt (and let the animal get euthanized because of overcrowding)? What about people who adopted when they had an income and subsequently lost it? What advice would you give them?

I mean, we're all on board with "Don't whine to me about the cost when you show up in your BMW with Starbucks in your hand" ... but what advice do you give all the people who really are stretching?

 

[DVMDream]

Many of his points were valid. And, I appreciated that one of his points was: keep your pet in good shape. That's a goal we're working towards, too, right? And, he suggested lowering your other pet costs to free up money for care (though, I would have preferred he said something like "your cat doesn't need 50 toys" instead of "consider learning to make your own pet food.").

This was the part I had a bit of an issue with... Obviously having a fit, healthy pet is key, but he precedes that statement with the point on saving money on food. The last time I checked, nutrition was a vital part in keeping a pet healthy and if there is one thing you don't really want to cut corners on, it is a good balanced diet for your pet, which is expensive, just like it is for humans. It is expensive to eat healthy and provide a good, balanced diet for any animal. He should have emphasized that your cat doesn't need a $150 scratching post and your dog doesn't need a basket full of toys.

 

[dyachei]

*shrug* I see only 3 out of 12 that are arguably a debt scenario. There are others that are along the "have someone else pay for you" line if you're including the ones where he says to go to organizations like a rescue shelter. But if there are organizations specifically set up to help people who can't afford care ... I don't see that it's a bad thing to utilize them.

What advice would you offer people differently who find themselves unable to afford veterinary care? Withhold the care? Don't look for help? Don't adopt (and let the animal get euthanized because of overcrowding)? What about people who adopted when they had an income and subsequently lost it? What advice would you give them?

I mean, we're all on board with "Don't whine to me about the cost when you show up in your BMW with Starbucks in your hand" ... but what advice do you give all the people who really are stretching?

he's not telling you to go to organizations that are meant for hand-outs. He's telling you to go to shelters and rescues where they are already strapped for cash. My suggestion is to be honest with YOUR vet about your finances. I work with people daily that can't afford it. There are charities you can get in touch with for help paying for vet bills if you truly can't afford it. That's the difference. We have a fund where we can pay for major surgeries if you can't afford it and can prove need. We use it regularly.

 

[LetItSnow]

he's not telling you to go to organizations that are meant for hand-outs. He's telling you to go to shelters and rescues where they are already strapped for cash. My suggestion is to be honest with YOUR vet about your finances. I work with people daily that can't afford it. There are charities you can get in touch with for help paying for vet bills if you truly can't afford it. That's the difference. We have a fund where we can pay for major surgeries if you can't afford it and can prove need. We use it regularly.

Yeah, but if you read his comments, for most of those he's suggesting going to them to ask for connections. That seems like a great idea to me, because those places are often well-connected. About shelters: "Most are happy to pass along the names of the vets they use." About the Humane Society: "The organization has assembled a database of private and state agencies that may be able to offer help." About local pet stores: "workers at your local pet store may have suggestions that could be helpful."

*shrug* Dunno. Seems pretty reasonable to reach out and look for alternatives.

And yes, of course I agree you should be honest with your vet about your finances.

 

[DVMDream]

Yeah, but if you read his comments, for most of those he's suggesting going to them to ask for connections. That seems like a great idea to me, because those places are often well-connected. About shelters: "Most are happy to pass along the names of the vets they use." About the Humane Society: "The organization has assembled a database of private and state agencies that may be able to offer help." About local pet stores: "workers at your local pet store may have suggestions that could be helpful."

*shrug* Dunno. Seems pretty reasonable to reach out and look for alternatives.

And yes, of course I agree you should be honest with your vet about your finances.

I don't agree with the pet store one, most of your workers in your pet stores are teenagers that really will say whatever they *think* is right. Also, he is suggesting it as a way to get medications from the pet store for your pet, which is a bad idea.

 

[dyachei]

Yeah, but if you read his comments, for most of those he's suggesting going to them to ask for connections. That seems like a great idea to me, because those places are often well-connected. About shelters: "Most are happy to pass along the names of the vets they use." About the Humane Society: "The organization has assembled a database of private and state agencies that may be able to offer help." About local pet stores: "workers at your local pet store may have suggestions that could be helpful."

*shrug* Dunno. Seems pretty reasonable to reach out and look for alternatives.

And yes, of course I agree you should be honest with your vet about your finances.

Yeah, but "workers at your local pet store" opens the issue to getting veterinary advice from them, too. I wish he would have worded it better, you know?

I definitely think it's reasonable to look for alternatives.

 

[LetItSnow]

I don't agree with the pet store one, most of your workers in your pet stores are teenagers that really will say whatever they *think* is right. Also, he is suggesting it as a way to get medications from the pet store for your pet, which is a bad idea.

Eh. Sometimes, sure. But it's cheaper (for example) for me to get Frontline Plus from my local pet store than my pet ... so it'd be good advice to send someone who is struggling with animal care costs that way. But yeah, I think it's generally a poor choice to ask for medical advice from convenience store clerks. That said, they talk to one owner after another - they very well may have heard of this awesome new sliding-fee scale clinic that just opened down the road.

Yeah, but "workers at your local pet store" opens the issue to getting veterinary advice from them, too. I wish he would have worded it better, you know?

I definitely think it's reasonable to look for alternatives.

Yes. There were definitely things that were wrong or worded poorly. I'm just not inclined to jump all over someone because I didn't like every single point they made.

I'm not really sure what he was talking about with "Administer medications yourself." If he means things like topical antiparasitics ... well ... yeah. If he was talking about going to a feed store to get an antibiotic to dose out because you think your cat might need it ... different story. I couldn't really figure out where he was going with that one.

 

[DVMDream]

Eh. Sometimes, sure. But it's cheaper (for example) for me to get Frontline Plus from my local pet store than my pet ...

Your pet charges you money? How much does your pet make a year? I wonder if I can get my cat to do this....

 

[dyachei]

Eh. Sometimes, sure. But it's cheaper (for example) for me to get Frontline Plus from my local pet store than my pet ... so it'd be good advice to send someone who is struggling with animal care costs that way. But yeah, I think it's generally a poor choice to ask for medical advice from convenience store clerks. That said, they talk to one owner after another - they very well may have heard of this awesome new sliding-fee scale clinic that just opened down the road.



Yes. There were definitely things that were wrong or worded poorly. I'm just not inclined to jump all over someone because I didn't like every single point they made.

I'm not really sure what he was talking about with "Administer medications yourself." If he means things like topical antiparasitics ... well ... yeah. If he was talking about going to a feed store to get an antibiotic to dose out because you think your cat might need it ... different story. I couldn't really figure out where he was going with that one.

Eh, I wasn't jumping all over it, just think it was a little misguided. And the medication thing had me questioning it, too. I guess I expect people to be able to give oral meds, topical meds, and those sorts of things. Injections? probably not. It's not technically difficult, but we bear the responsibilities behind those injections working with few exceptions (insulin comes to mind)

 

[LetItSnow]

Your pet charges you money? How much does your pet make a year? I wonder if I can get my cat to do this....

Ha. Yeah. Typo. It sure felt like that toward the end with Ivy, though. Between her Cushings meds and her daily Metacam (though in fairness I didn't pay for the last 4 months of Metacam courtesy of a very, very compassionate B-I rep), and then the usual heartworm/etc ...

 

[DVMDream]

Ha. Yeah. Typo. It sure felt like that toward the end with Ivy, though. Between her Cushings meds and her daily Metacam (though in fairness I didn't pay for the last 4 months of Metacam courtesy of a very, very compassionate B-I rep), and then the usual heartworm/etc ...

Yeah, felt like that with my dog at the end, except he went from being healthy one day, then sick, then surgery, then passed away 5 days after first getting sick. It is horrible. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Foxhunter]

I love this comment.

You get what you pay for. This mentality is why I am no longer in private practice.

I see this joker is a financial planner. Let's see, for financial/tax advice: 1. Hire a rural/small town financial expert 2. Ask a college business major/MBA student for advice 3. Ask your Facebook friends to chip in to pay for your financial planning/tax services 4. Pick your own stocks/prepare your taxes yourself 5. Set up a payment plan with your financial planner/accountant

Doesn't sound like such a great idea, does it?

 

[StartingoverVet]

Your pet charges you money? How much does your pet make a year? I wonder if I can get my cat to do this....

My older dog got one paycheck in her life. I have to admit, I enjoyed that paycheck more than any other one I got (she was a model at a photo shoot for a virgin records ad).

It was so much fun (photo shoot at Paramount studios backlot, free food, etc) I wanted to do it all the time.. now I see why people love "the business" in L.A.

Mostly it was hanging around giving my dog treats while we waited, eating, and reading a book.

Best $500 I ever made.

Too bad she never got another job.

Sorry for the , just brought back such good memories and made me smile (meanwhile she is asleep next to me).