10/07/2024
Tierärzte sind auch Menschen und haben auch Gefühle.. wir können uns auch in schweren Zeiten mit Anstand und Respekt begegnen 🙏
BE KIND
Almost every day I see a post or comment in a local Facebook group bashing a vet or vets in general. "If they loved animals they would do it for free", "money hungry", "heartless", "taking advantage of people's sick pets", etc.
To these people: we hear you. Vet care is expensive. You are stressed. Sometimes vets don't have the answer. Sometimes you don't get to see your favourite vet. Sometimes they get it wrong.
Vets are humans not machines. The amount of medical knowledge they have to hold is intense. The stress and pressure they feel to make your beloved pet well again is very real. The anguish they feel when they can't save an animal because medicine just isn't there yet or the owner doesn't have the funds to treat is VERY real.
A vet studies for a minimum of five years full time to become a veterinarian. In that time they have to learn the anatomy and physiology of every domestic species you can think of, what makes them sick, and how to fix it. They are your pet's GP, surgeon, dentist, anaesthetist, radiologist, psychologist, nutritionist, ob-gyn, and more. They are a DOCTOR and they fought to become what they are today. In fact they have a massive student loan as a token of their hard work.
Vets and Nurses are perfectionists and have an impossibly high standard of care. They beat themselves up when they get something wrong. They agonise about not knowing enough. Not being enough. So they study some more, while they work insane 60+ hour weeks to cover their own living expenses.
How can you say they are money grabbers without ever knowing what it costs to run a practice? Vets graduate and get paid peanuts for their knowledge and long hours. And what about the vet nurses and support staff? They don't get paid enough because the clinics are trying to keep costs down for pet owners. Often vet nurses and reception staff have to make it on minimum wage and work 2 jobs. If they were paid what they deserve there would be even more complaints. Don't our vet & nursing staff deserve to have a home? Enjoy leisure time? Raise a family? After all they have done for us isn't that the least they should have? A fair wage and safety from the social media onslaught?
Vets are human. Vets are on social media and they have feelings. They put enough pressure on themselves without being called money grabbing and heartless so PLEASE stop and think about what you're writing and saying
If you don't understand why you are being charged a particular fee, ask. If you would prefer to see the same vet each time, ask. But remember, vets are human. They have sick days. They take breaks (well, they should). If you aren't sure your vet has got it right, talk to them! They appreciate your right and need for a second opinion. They usually ask colleagues for their thoughts anyway! When you take a sick animal to the vet, you have an entire team behind your pet and they will fight as hard as you let them and then some.
pet insurance is a really good idea. If you choose not to have it that's fine, but please don't blame your vet for the cost of treatment when your pet gets sick. Vet care isn't subsidised and it costs what it costs as there is no government support or Medicare . Your vet can do everything for your pet that a human doctor can do for their patient, but the government doesn't pay for it. There's no such thing as socialised health care for animals.
And after all of this they still love our pets just like their own. They take their work home with them. They care. Not just about our animals but about their human guardians as well. They hurt for us when we are sad, anxious, or scared. Vets are human and sometimes their compassion destroys them.
The message here is please be kind. We need our vets and nurses. The reality is the su***de rate in the profession is high and that needs to be addressed. So please show some kindness. There is absolutely no need to bash a vet on social media or to their faces. They read what you write and it hurts. Vets are human.
If you see a post, say something. Don't join in the attack. Don't sit back and let it happen. It's not okay.
💜 😎 🐾 👌🐶