Dr Belinda Beynon Veterinarian

19/03/2024

I have been asked to share this from my private page. For those of you who are on both, I have edited this a bit more tightly than my early pre-caffeinated ramblings of the morning.

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At Christmas time I was given a massive and incredible gift.

Every day I am grateful for the incredible kindness of two humans who have never even met me in person, and the difference that they have made to my life.

Since then I have looked for ways to pay it forwards.
I have found small things.
A coffee here.
Paying for someone’s shopping, when they couldn’t, there.
I am not of great means, but I do what I can, when I can.

Yesterday I had a very very sad case at work. Other Vets will understand- a young blocked cat.

His owner was beyond devastated.

She simply couldn’t afford the treatment- it is not cheap- and was going to lose her cat, because blocked cats (for the non vets) are an ‘all or nothing’ emergency treatment, and require lifelong management.

And so, for this cat, we had to euthanase.

Prior to euthanasia we provided kickarse pain relief and the client was with us for well over 2 hours while she tried to find some funds for a deposit to use Centrepay (not many clinics do, but my current main job offers it).

She tried SO hard to save her cat. She was sobbing all the time. She was distraught. We offered water, we offered tea. We proffered tissues.

She could not afford private cremation for her cat. She had two small kids at home, and this was also really distressing her….that her cat would never go home again.

So I offered to pay for the cremation. So her cat could come home again. My manager then chipped in too and we did it together.

If I could have paid to fix her cat, and send him home, I would have. If I still had my own hospital, this is certainly one case I would have done as a charity. But I don’t so I couldn’t.

Later in the evening I was asked ‘why’ I did that small kindness, when there are so many people who have to make so many hard decisions, and I don’t offer THEM financial help, and the answer was very clear to me.

And it shows that I am NOT a selfless human being in any way.

In this job, if you do it for long enough, the clients can often feel like the enemy. We do it for the pets but, truthfully, the clients can give you the sh*ts. On a good day the interactions, on balance, are neutral.

People, on the whole, suck big ones. And I say this after 33 + years of trying to pretzel myself in to a shape that clients like. Sometimes I am hated, sometimes I am adored.

But this client, through all of her distress was honest. She was grateful. She apologised over and over for taking up my time. And NOT ONCE did she blame me, or my profession, for the fact that saving pets lives costs money, and, sometimes, lots of it. She just kept sobbing and asking me if she was a bad person because she had no money. And I did my best to reassure her that she wasn’t.

And so I paid a little bit forwards for her, to (hopefully) soften her pain and help her kids.

And one of the nurses drove her home so she didn’t have to catch the bus, still sobbing. And this owner DONATED her cat carrier for someone ‘less fortunate’ than her…..

Occasionally I am reminded that my profession, of which I am alternatively proud and hate strongly, can offer true difference to those in need.

But my god it’s easier to do when the people at the other side of the table are kind.

I do believe that having pets is a privilege, not a right. I know that’s not popular. Ideally I believe that you should be able to provide basic funds in a predictable emergency.

But if you can’t, and many can’t, I believe you have to own that choice and you make the hard decisions without blaming the staff who are trying to help you and your pet. Sadly that rarely happens.

But yesterday it did. The woman’s life is hard, through no fault of her own. But she made the hard decision to prevent her cats suffering. And she didn’t blame me for it.

And that makes ALL the difference.

Pic of Pie, who I come home to.

08/08/2023

Dr Kirsten from Dental Vet has done a great job explaining the pathophysiology of infundibular caries.

This is a superb example of why a qualified VETERINARY equine dentist should examine your horses mouth regularly. Only then can this sort of pathology be evaluated and treated.

A healthy mouth is a key part of keeping our horses well, happy and pain free as they develop and age.

https://fb.watch/miqurAx0tH/

18/05/2023

Written by colleagues in my state, in response to the ACA article.

I have written similarly before, but they have done so far better than I.

Well said 👏

Let’s have a really open discussion about the cost of veterinary care.
Many of you may have seen the article on “A Current Affair” about the $37000 vet bill for a French bulldog. It raises a lot of points which A Current Affair failed to address in a meaningful way, and instead was simply a bit of sensationalistic journalism. So lets talk through some of the issues that need to be discussed from this article, and what lessons we can all learn from them.
1. Vet care is not cheap. Veterinary care can cost a lot. There are no government subsidies for veterinary work, so clients need to pay what it costs to provide these services. Our fees are also subject to GST, so there’s another 10% added to every bill. The equipment we use is very expensive – for example, our ultrasound machine is worth around $60000, our xray machine $50000, our anaesthetic monitor $15000. Even our computer related costs are around $30000 per year. All these costs need to be covered by pet owners, as this is the only source of income for clinics.
2. Vet care can be a lot more expensive than it used to be. Just like every industry, we have been hit by inflation. Medications and equipment are all more expensive than they used to be. We also have access to equipment and treatment options that previously didn’t exist. MRI and CT scanners, monoclonal antibody therapies, advanced cancer treatments, etc. When I graduated these just weren’t a thing in veterinary science, so rather than having expensive tests and treatments available, the pets were often euthanased as there was no viable and humane alternative. Now we can treat cases like never before, but this progress comes with a cost. Where people’s budgets don’t allow for the “best” treatment options, we still have the ability to use some older or less expensive options with the understanding that the results may not be as good.
3. Dogs with extreme features are likely to cost more. Let’s look at the French bulldog for example. The dog in this article initially had a back issue. French bulldogs almost always have deformed vertebrae (a Finnish study of 1000 French bulldogs showed 999 dogs had abnormal vertebrae, so just 1 in 1000 had a normal, healthy spine). Due to the extreme shortening of the face, this dog subsequently developed breathing problems (around 90% of French bulldogs have breathing issues to the point where surgery is indicated), so the dog needed a tracheostomy tube inserted and intensive care to manage the airway and the spine. These problems only existed because of the breeding for extreme characteristics. We see many problems in dogs which are only present because of their extreme feature, from breathing problems in brachycephalic dogs through to back problems in dachshunds. To minimize vet costs, please thoroughly research problems in the breed you are interested in and then find a breeder which is actively improving the situation for that breed. As a very general rule, the more extreme the features of the breed, the more likely the dog is to have problems.
4. There are different levels of care available, and this comes with different costs and outcomes. In the A Current Affair case, the owners were informed of the likely costs, given a range of alternative treatment options, gained a second opinion, and still chose to go ahead with the treatment fully aware of the associate costs. We all realise that, for most people, this sort of fee is not possible. However, for some people, the cost is affordable and they are happy to spend the money to give their pet the best possible chances. Where costs are limited, vets will endeavor to do the best they can for the animal within the owner’s budget.
5. Consider pet insurance. One of the best ways to ensure your pet can experience high quality care without costs being a limiting factor is to have pet insurance. We recommend getting pet insurance from an early age so that there are as few “pre-existing conditions” as possible.
6. Most vets give an estimate for any procedure. Although we sometimes run into unexpected problems, we always try to give an accurate estimate for any procedure that we are undertaking. That way the owners can understand how much it is likely to cost, and we can discuss alternative options if the “best” treatment is out of the client’s budget. It’s not for us to judge clients based on what they can or can’t afford. We will focus on doing what is best for the animal and the owner with the resources available.
7. We are so used to not seeing the true cost of human health care that we don’t realise what great value vets deliver. With COVID still present, it gives us a good example. An antiviral, Molnupiravir, costs $30 for a course courtesy of the PBS. If charged to the patient at full price it would cost $1109.31. For a non-complicated caesarean the true cost for a human is over $11000, though the average amount a person actually pays is $450 (figures from Department of Health). For a vet to perform a caesarean the cost is around $2000. So, although the human procedure actually costs around five times as much as the dog procedure, the human patient only pays around a quarter of what a dog caesarean costs.
8. Don’t tell us we “only care about the money”. No-one enters this profession to get rich, and almost no-one becomes wealthy by being a vet. The average vet in Australia earns less than $100000pa, so although it’s not a bad wage it’s not excessive considering we have at least 5 years university training, graduated with between $50000 and $100000 in student debts, and are often working weekends, nights and public holidays. Last year vets were ranked as the 318th highest paying job in Australia – that leaves a lot of other things we could do if we “just cared about the money”.
9. Follow your vet’s advice. The dog on A Current Affair had been advised to have surgery on its airway at least 12 months ago. Had they followed their vet’s advice many of the complications they encountered with their dog may not have eventuated.
10. As vets, we need to get better at educating clients about what veterinary care may cost. To help with this, we have now started including a Prices section on our website. For many things the prices shown are rough guides as it can vary from case to case, but it’s at least a starting point. As time permits we will try to add more information to the page so people can be better informed. Our Prices section can be found at https://1wq08drwk0e.typeform.com/to/gxeQpXA4?typeform-source=bunburyvets.com.au

16/05/2023

04/09/2022

Those of you who know me, know my horses are my world, second only to my son. They might not get ridden much (ever) but their physical comfort and emotional welfare are everything to me.

The post below is by my Equine Veterinary Dentist.

She has discovered pathology in my horses mouths that I would never have expected….leading to treatments to help prevent future fractures.

Is she more expensive that a lay dentist? Yes, of course. She has veterinary skills that have taken years to develop. She has a phD in the field. She has invested in equipment that allows her to make these diagnoses.

If she finds a problem is it (relatively) expensive to fix? Yes. But not relative to the ‘expense’ of allowing a horse to suffer. And in honesty I genuinely think the cost of dental treatments is incredibly reasonable.

I have sat with my horse while they have had investigations and treatments, and for the medical time invested the cost seems very reasonable to me. And those who know me, know I am of extremely minimal means these days 🤓

If you own a horse, please budget 500 a year for basic veterinary dental assessments. That’s $10/week/horse.

Use a qualified equine veterinary dentist to perform those assessments. Make sure you and your horse get your moneys worth.

You most likely won’t spend all of it every year. Roll the balance over in to a special account. Then, the day that significant pathology is discovered, you will be ready.

When I graduated back in the sad old dark ages, equine veterinary dentistry was rasping the teeth and having a good old feel while we held the horses tongue between its teeth to keep its mouth open. Poor poor horses.

Equine Veterinary Dentistry today is, and should be, its own veterinary field and the key, I believe (along with low sugar diets, and a more natural lifestyle) to keeping our horses physically healthy, and emotionally happy, well in to their middle years.

The poor horse below is extremely lucky to have landed in a home who takes her dental health seriously.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=771655097344573&id=100035002702271

29/12/2021

I missed the ACA article as I consider their work to be sub-journalism.

But kudos to the professional response from VSS.

When will people start taking responsibility for their actions?

In response to a recent article that aired on A Current Affair last week, we have issued the following statement.

As a veterinary industry, we will stick together.


https://www.nomv.org/

01/08/2021

These guys are our sort of people… 💜

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-02/whats-your-story-brisbane-senior-dogs-sanctuary/100296224

Karen and Jamie Goullet's home has been a happy retreat for senior dogs north of Brisbane for 15 years.

27/07/2021

Sqqqquuuueeee!!!

I’ve been pretty quiet recently.
Not much to say publicly and lots of work to do.
Most of you know how the last few years have been for me and I’ve been head-down/bum-up.

It’s been a hard few years and I have a light at the end of the tunnel.
2 weeks ago I lost one of my furry loves.

I met my newest love on Sunday when vaccinating a litter.
I was definitely not looking, but fate intervened.

Her name will be ‘Pie’ and she is the wee black and white lass in the middle.

It’s fair to say that I am smitten 💜

X### Dr B