I can see where you're coming from on this, but I just hadda say a couple of things. First of all, you want to be very careful about mixing the terms animal rights and animal rescue, as they are in a vast majority of cases very different things. Though they're not always mutually exclusive, most animal rescue groups (the ones actually interested in helping real, live animals in need, not hypothetical animals) steer clear away from the term animal rights.
Animal rights has been smeared, many groups avoid the term for political reasons. A lot of rescues aren't run by 100% animal rights activists. Antagonism towards animal rights could be a part of the cause that animal rescues don't proclaim animal rights in their official stance, even if the organizers believe it personally (and I have met animal rescue program directors who follow A.R. but won't say it publicly). Most public animal rights organizations are more on the political campaigning side.
And while I don't doubt that there is a GREAT NEED for veterinary care for animals in need, I'm not sure that there's necessarily a GREAT NEED for veterinarians. Most animal rescue groups that don't have enough veterinary staff (if at all) don't because they can't afford them. Unless there's a bunch of veterinarians who are willing and able to provide uber cheap services, that need is not going to get fulfilled. Or esp for the animal rightsy orgs, their philosophies don't mesh well with vet med... and most vets just aren't the right fit (simply because western medicine is like the antithesis of animal rights).
I agree with you wholeheartedly that there needs to be more veterinarians willing to donate their time and supplies to rescue groups. You could think of it in this perspective: There is a great need for animal rights veterinarians, who are willing to put helping animals further in front of profit and vacation time. I know almost all vets love helping animals and almost none of them are animal rights activists. I have also met non-animal-rights vets working tirelessly and donating months of their time to animal welfare organizations. These people are my heroes.
I really don't think that animal rights and veterinary medicine are exclusive. That doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe I should define my view of animal rights, so you guys can know where I'm coming from in better detail:
Animals have the right to be free from systematic suffering and pain. Pet ownership (when done right) is not contrary to my views. I recognize that many humans don't do well on a vegan diet, so within reason keeping livestock in humane conditions or hunting non-threatened wild animals isn't going to end, ever. However modern industrial factory farms are, in my personal view, something of an abomination. Some animal rights activists do not agree with my views since I recognize the reality that agriculture somewhat defines our species at this point and I don't think it will be abolished. Maybe you can call me animal welfare. Whatever. I really don't care about "labels" despite being surrounded by them. but
I know what I want to do with my life, which is reduce the suffering of other living beings.
Veterinarians are generally very kind hearted people who love helping animals... so there's a reason why certain niches like that aren't filled. So it's not a matter of these needy animals needing veterinarians as it is these needy animals needing $$$ for veterinary care (and rational people caring for them). I'm personally very passionate about shelter medicine and such, and would LOVE to become a shelter vet... but finding a job and making a living off of that is going to be very tough with my debt load.
It will be tough. I've been poor my whole life. No reason to stop now
😀 I want to be a shelter vet but having worked with shelter vets I do see the funding issues, they work part time, etc. So I'm going to specialize in a secondary area (most likely epidemiology, which can also have major positive impact for animals and humans alike), volunteer surgical hours on weekends to spay/neuter programs (yes you should check this out! at the s/n clinic I worked at, we had 1 staff vet and a bunch of volunteer vets who came in 1 day a month or so). I'll also be able to use my vacation time to go on volunteer trips for developing world spay/neuter projects such as Veterinarians Beyond Borders and World Vets.
Just as quickly as they're growing as a "movement," they're becoming public enemy number 1 to veterinarians in the private sector. Something to think about.
It's my understanding, and maybe someone can tell me if there's other reasons, that spay/neuter ops are disliked by private sector vets because they provide the same service at a much, much cheaper rate. However, these ops
only provide s/n/v, which there is so much need for especially for low-income owners/homeless pets, that private vets are not filling the need (as evidence by high shelter death rates). You said in the previous paragraph that unless there's a bunch of vets willing to provide their services uber cheap, the need isn't going to be fulfilled. These cheap, ethically-motivated vets are becoming more and more common, and according to you the private sector is not happy about it.
It makes me sad how quick some people on this forum are to bash others for their views. (Minnerbelle I don't consider your post bashing, it's civil and brings up good points, though I'm having difficulty with the idea that animal rights and veterinary medicine are exclusive). I've worked with animal welfare groups and animal rescue groups that are run on an animal rights agenda and those that run on an animal welfare agenda. I find no difference in their FUNCTIONALITY in helping animals. I hope that when I enter the workforce that my colleagues are tolerant of philosophical differences as we work towards a common goal.
