F....Animal Vets

I think you're right about CYA and lawsuits. They want to make sure they don't leave themselves exposed to a big suit. Sign of the times I guess.

I do not think we can blame those greedy lawyers (actually their greedy clients) for this one. Generally speaking, vets are not exposed to big lawsuits. I cannot, for example, get $1M if a vet commits malpractice and kills my dog. Typically, if a vet seriously harms or kills your pet, you are only entitled to compensatory damages (i.e., the cost to buy the dog). I guess if you own a prize-winning racehorse and a vet kills your horse, you might have a claim, but otherwise you generally do not.

I do not think we can blame those greedy lawyers (actually their greedy clients) for this one. Generally speaking, vets are not exposed to big lawsuits. I cannot, for example, get $1M if a vet commits malpractice and kills my dog. Typically, if a vet seriously harms or kills your pet, you are only entitled to compensatory damages (i.e., the cost to buy the dog). I guess if you own a prize-winning racehorse and a vet kills your horse, you might have a claim, but otherwise you generally do not.

True that, you don't win much from dog lawsuits. Takes away the incentive to cover ass, doesn't it. Maybe they are just gouging?

I think to be a Vet you most likely love animals. If you know everything to help save the animal you are going to tell the person. In the end it is our duty to say yes or no to the treatment.

Sadly it is like owning a car. If a mechanic tells you how to fix it you have the choice of doing that or having a broken car. Problem with animals emotions is a big variable in this decision.

Maybe you were trying to be funny or maybe you weren't, but all the same I don't find that cool. My sister's friend had a dog once who lived absolutely fine (It was a little weiner dog, I forget what their true name is) who got out of the yard once and she disappeared for a couple days and they discovered she got ran over near a school about a mile away from where she lived. That's the worst kind of pet death there is imo, one day you have a fine, healthy, normal pet and the next they get out and boom they're gone.
I was joking.

I do not think we can blame those greedy lawyers (actually their greedy clients) for this one. Generally speaking, vets are not exposed to big lawsuits. I cannot, for example, get $1M if a vet commits malpractice and kills my dog. Typically, if a vet seriously harms or kills your pet, you are only entitled to compensatory damages (i.e., the cost to buy the dog). I guess if you own a prize-winning racehorse and a vet kills your horse, you might have a claim, but otherwise you generally do not.
If I'm correct some states maybe most or all look at pets as personal property. I'm not sure if it was a case in Virginia or in another state which received national attention but it involved a pet owner suing for a large sum of money due to the death of their pet. Not sure how far it went up in the court system but the final ruling was they are personal property.

firstdown I knew you were j/k don't feel bad.

It reminded me of watching a horror flim. People can watch other people getting slaughter all day in the movie but as soon as a animal or pet is killed the "gasps" come out.

I guess it is because animals are so innocent in our eyes.

If I'm correct some states maybe most or all look at pets as personal property. I'm not sure if it was a case in Virginia or in another state which received national attention but it involved a pet owner suing for a large sum of money due to the death of their pet. Not sure how far it went up in the court system but the final ruling was they are personal property.

As far as I know, all states treat pets as personal property. I'm glad you know the end result of the case. Most people think that if person A sues person B for $1 billion upon some ridiculous claim, then person A gets $1 billion. It's no wonder why people think our legal system is far more out of whack than it really is.

I'm with everyone here...

There was an article in the Washington Post recently about exactly what everyone is talking about...


Pets, Vets and Debts - washingtonpost.com (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/25/ST2008042501556.html?sid=ST2008042501556)

I recently tried to get my little black pug spayed and a simple 65$ fee turned into close to 500$ in about 3 min. The lady was throwing all of these extra options... IV fluids, antibiotics, extra pain medicine...


They tack on fee's like crazy... I would be more inclined to pay some flat rate then be berated with all of these unnecessary options like I was buying a used car or something.

Making me very frustrated...

I know the pain of Vet visits. We inherited my wife's bichon frise because her stepdad was moving and said you either take it, or she goes to a rescue. The dog has a soft spot in my heart because it's my wife last connection to her Mother, who passed 4 years ago.

Overall the dog is in great health (she's 13), but the dog goes to more specialists than I do. She has skin and eye problems, so she's sees a dermatologist and an ophthalmologist. Eye drops for her right eye, and steroids for her skin problems. But I guess it could be worse.

But these specialists do not nickel and dime us to death like the regular Vet does. Drives me nuts the amount of stuff they want you to do.

One way to avoid vet costs is to get a mut; purebreds tend to have an awful lot of problems. In-breeding does that sort of thing.