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Podcast comment on “Houston…”
Sorry, couldn’t find a designated general spot to comment on podcasts, so I’ll leave it here.
The idea that there are fewer vets coming out of universities is an eye opener, not to mention frightening. I get it but the statistics are startling. (As a side bar to the quality of new vets, one hopes they will quickly advance in their skills, and I sincerely hope none of them knew their chair didn’t have high opinions of the majority. How disheartening. Does that speak to the student or the quality of their education? Hmm.)
On some FB help group or other a couple years ago, a horse owner posted a problem that sounded serious enough to warrant a vet visit. I think she said the nearest vet was at least three hours away and couldn’t come and she was desperate for advice. I remember thinking how awful that would be. It stuck with me.
I’ve always had easy access to vets, first near Columbus, Ohio for 40 years, then here in metro Atlanta for the last 10 or so. In Ohio my vets taught me how to give shots, draw blood, sew wounds, and wrap wood blocks onto a foundering pony’s hooves so he could have some relief, just in case I need those skills in a pinch. A lot of those skills only live in my memory now but I’m forever grateful they took that time to teach me. I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than an hour after making an emergency call. I had taken a couple of horses and one dog to Ohio State over the course of 20+ years. In the last four years I’ve had two horses spend a week each at the UGA large animal hospital. OSU was less than an hour drive and I had my own rig to get us there. The trip to UGA was nearly two hours one way which I thought was nuts, especially in an emergency, and since I now board and don’t have a trailer any more, I have to rely on friends’ generosity. One of the equine vets in our area built a small hospital. I asked my vet if they were equipped to handle the issue we were dealing with at the time since their practice was only 20 minutes away but was told they still didn’t have a surgeon. They couldn’t find any. He said most of them elected to go work for the big hospitals. Made sense. However, it still didn’t occur to me that veterinary medicine might be facing a crisis.
Around that time my husband and I began discussing leaving Georgia. My main requirements were to be within 30 minutes of a vet hospital, preferably affiliated with or near a university, have a choice of veterinarians, and have access to good human healthcare. Well, all that has a not so dotted line to high real estate prices and of course those have gone through the roof. I plan to get another truck and trailer so I’m not at the mercy of friends in an emergency, and those prices also are ridiculous. If I, who is my 60s, am cringing at the exorbitant costs that I hoped to not have to have again, how on earth are newly minted vets with huge tuition debt loads, who want the same amenities and probably more, supposed to manage? Crisis, indeed.
My niece just entered her first year of college. She intends to specialize in veterinary radiology. I wonder if she’ll stick it out.
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1 Reply
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Thanks @KarenM for this perspective. I probably would not have revived this subject because of its painfulness for many horse owners, but then the email came from the AAEP.
It is interesting the differences in the generations. I am reading a book on how the brain works and I am starting the chapter discussing the generations of the last century – the “silent,” the “baby boomer,” the “millennial,” “X,” etc and where in the brain they generate thought. It appears that the latest generation is heading away from the hard work and material things of the baby boomers back to the “quality of life” thought process – family and friends being more important than work. But then they also want some of these material things and are unable to afford them with a light work load. It is a quandary.
But the horse owner bears part of the blame. They want the advanced diagnostics brought to their barn or within easy reach. This cost money many are unwilling to spend either in the service bill or the real estate cost. Unfortunately they too are unwilling to do the work necessary to prevent most of the illnesses in their horses (present company excepted). Worse, these owners receive poor guidance from the leaders in this industry.
For example, yesterday I visited a farm where I had discussed nutrition. However two other experts (one a prominent veterinarian) had advised away from soybean meal but never gave a reason. The owners took these advisements over mine and 6 months later, the horse was still suffering. I repeated my advice with the associated logic (and received no money for a test or supplement or feed). We will see if, in 6 months, it works.
It is reasonable to think that if we can prevent most illnesses and disease the need for a doctor is lessened. This is the purpose of this website and advocates like all of us here become ambassadors of this information. The need has never been greater and I am grateful to all of you helping me hone my message and distribute it. “Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World” needs all of you.
Thank you, Doc T
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