Sorry, but I'm calling BS. I'm a veterinary student, and also have worked at an emergency veterinary clinic for going on 3 years. In order to attempt to resuscitate an animal, standard practice is to get written consent for emergency work, usually a blanket authorization for up to some set amount, for example, $300. Otherwise, a client can walk out without paying you pretty easily.
Additionally, one of the best things that veterinary medicine has that human medicine lacks, besides compassion, is preventative medicine. Physicians and big insurance companies are just now starting to realize that annual checkups actually keep healthcare costs lower by helping to detect less serious clinical signs early in the course of a disease.
That old veterinarian went to school when it was practically free, the program would take anyone off the street practically, and all you had was a bottle of penicillin and some organophosphates (posionous pesticides) in the pharmacy. Additionally, they didn't bother to teach them about "pain management" since it was pretty widely thought to be negligible. Sorry, nowadays undergrad and vet school can very easily run you into debt up to $200,000. Sure, get his care for $15 cheaper. Oh, wait, he's charging you for that sage wisdow, such tidbits as "in my day...." Good thing he's not trying to charge you for useless advice. Oh, and you can be sued for not administering pain management.
In the interests of fairness, vaccination is being pushed back to every 2 or 3 years by most clinics in the country, but not because of this article, surprisingly, but because medical studies have shown protection lasts longer. Want more studies? Find someone to fund them.
Oh, one last thing, about those annual check-ups, please see the link.http://www.cdc.gov/health­ypets/Merial_CDCBroch_rsgWEB.p­df
It contains the reasons why that staggerring $130 you're asked to pay once a year might be worth it to prevent blindness in your children. The brochure is based on recommendations the CDC has made. BTW, roundworm infections in puppies are so common, it's assumed that all puppies are born with them, and that's why they're dewormed. If you don't do this, you can be successfully sued if anyone associated gets ill. Please, let me know if you want your dog to be shedding worms that can cause a variety of very serious, hard to diagnose diseases. RANT OVER
p.s. I really do have a hard time believing her "respect" for the veterinary profession, since she puts in an old carmudgeon and lets him be the foil for saying a lot of offensive shit. Do you not want people to offer you better services at a fair price? You seem to lack any sort of gratitude for getting emergency treatment at $2000, which is impossible by human standards, unless you're reading this in Canada.

If going to vet school can produce $200k of debt do not go to the vet school. But you do, since you expect to rack up that $200k pretty fast once you start preying on the emotions of old ladies with cats.

People just don't realize that most of us Veterinarians are not "money grubbers" but are trying to make a living like the rest of you. I don't live in a mcmansion or anything extravagant. . .I didn't take a vacation this year.. took 3 days off.

Most of us try to do the very best we can. . for the animal as well as the owner. No one gives us anything and we can't work for free...plus our staff won't work for free and expect health insurance and retirement benefits. Anyone who cuts fees soon realizes that they can't pay the bills and can't make a living. I worked at shelters for many years as a way of "giving back" but unfortunately find that most people do not respect what we do.

Ridiculous

People change with times. What you may not realize is that the young generation - the current vet students like the one who wrote the original post ARE the money grubbers, who will gladly pay $200k in education costs hoping to score big right after they are out of the school.

The situation is similar to that in a lot of professional fields. I remember when you had to be a complete science geek to want to have anything to do with computers and my dad almost got a heart attack when he found out I'v chosen computer science over medicine.

These days a high quality industrial software designer can get as much as 150k a year and the universities are stuffed full of wannabes, who never wrote a single computer program until getting into the college - I myself started at the age of 11. Like in the filed of veterinary I see a lot of unethical money grubbers in my field who take on tasks they have no hope of completing, racking up costs in the millions and leaving customers with nothing to show for it.

The fact that you are a reasonable person who chose veterinary for the inherent desire to help the animals has nothing to do with the business-minded young of today.

Wow, so apparently people don't want to discuss reality, but want to somehow reference everything to their own biases. Two responses.
To Paxterminus: Software engineers and veterinarians have almost nothing in common. Sorry. Completely different professions. Anyone who goes into veterinary medicine for the BIG MONEY would have to be mentally challenged. Then you wouldn't get into vet school. For the education, which is only slightly cheaper, but more selective, than medical school, you make very little money. I knew this as I entered school, and have no issue with it. However, my point about tuition is that old school vets did not have the financial burden. Does that mean prices are going to rise as the new kids come out? Figure it out, it's just a response to increased debt. Do we make nearly as much as physicians, lawyer, accountants, or other licensed professionals? Only if we're economically savvy. Are we dishonest? Nope. Do the research, software engineers don't even make the list when they rank consumer confidence. They also aren't held to a higher legal standard of care, investigated by the DEA for pharmaceutics, or licensed by the state.
Your comments about "our generation" are dated. I don't care what generation you're from, it's all the same crap. You make what you think is a fair salary. Good for you. If you don't want to pay for animal care, don't. Don't insult me, I've volunteered my time at shelters, worked for a pretty pathetic salary as a technician, and rescued multiple animals with my own money.
If you want to trade personal insults, such as calling me a money grubber, I would be glad to meet you and we can put on some boxing gloves and figure it out. If you're not willing to do this, then please, shut up, and try to listen to what I'm saying.
In five years working in the field I have never seen any unethical behavior. Normal incompetence, sure. Laziness, yeah. Lying to fleece some people of money? No. Please, work in a clinic for a little while if you want to know.

Score big? Really? With an average starting salary of $65,000/year? I think not.

Who the heck "gladly" pays $200k to go to school? Who do you think should go to veterinary school? I guess you think only the independently wealthy kids? I'm exceptionally confused by your post. Or I get it but think it's completely idiotic.

Secondly, don't compare being a veterinarian to being a computer programmer. Ever.

Don't you understand? This article isn't about saying no to your vet. It's not even really about whether veterinarians are money grubbing emotional blackmailers.

This article is about Emily Yoffe. All of her articles are really just about her, serving only to broadcast her social importance. She is someone with money and all the right opinions.

She explicitly states that she did not refuse treatment for her animals. Such a refusal might be considered selfish. But she is equally explicit about how much her selflessness cost her.

Read her column on Al Gore in the washington post. She basicly accuses him of being a traitor to his class.

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For god's sake, she's from Newton, MA. Home of a country club called "The Country Club". It was first in the nation. Wonder when it began admitting Jews.

paxterminus,

There is no "big score" out of vet school. My "big score" out of vet school two years ago was $40,000/year, typically with a 60 hour workweek and on-call duty. Do the math, numbnuts, and that works out to $12.82/hour. But that's totally fine, because I'm only $110,000 in debt.

Ever since I was 5, I wanted to be a vet. While in middle school, I would volunteer at my local shelter and began working with my family vet in high school. It was then that I was basically told that it is not worth it to go into vet medicine! My family vet is an amazing guy, but he explained that with the cost of vet school and the meager starting salaries, it is not the type of profession that one goes into to get rich.

I still started college pre-vet, but I ended up falling in love with my political science classes and went to law school (yes, another lawyer, just what this world needs!). But my point is that all the vets I know, including my former classmates who are finishing up with last year of vet school, are as far from money grubbing as you can get! (And trust me, I know money gubbing -- I'm an attorney!) No one becomes a vet to get rich; you become a vet because you love animals and love medicine (I was lacking in the latter). and since you love animals, you do whatever you can to help them!

Just thought this convo could use a non-vet opinion. I'm sure there are some bad apple who prey upon people's attachment to their animals, but every profession has those! As a general rule, I think vets are special people!

Thanks T-rex, I appreciate that. I think the article was in part trying to appeal by attacking what is a normally popular profession. All that iconoclastic appeal and what not. Good luck in law!