Up thread I posted about funding a large animal vet if I won the Lotto. However, maybe this is something that should be done locally. Organizations like riding clubs, cattlemen’s groups, local Farm Bureaus, etc could fund raise to offer enticements for a large animal vet to practice in their areas. Local governments in rural areas could offer tax breaks to large animal vets.
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I live in a suburb northwest of Chicago. I am thankful that there are at least 3 equine vet practices that travel to my barn. Several solo vets also come here. And the barn is 2 miles away from the well respected haul in clinic. I told my vet he isn’t allowed to retire until I am horseless. My vet has reasonable call charges–$50 for appointment based calls, less if you can split the charge with another boarder.
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The further down the funding chain, with individual horse owners being the bottom, the more pressure the newly recruited vet will be under. By pressure I mean expectations and demands of the vet to prioritize an individual owner(s) farm calls over those other owners who are perceived as not contributing as much to the recruitment funding effort.
Or let’s just call it a sense of entitlement.
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I thought the following might be of interest… my apologies if already posted somewhere in this thread.
Off now to buy pizza for my both my small-animal vet and my large-animal vet.
https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/articles/the-case-for-veterinary-midlevel-professionals/
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I was just reading through all this and thinking that the veterinary field needs something akin to a Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant! This would open the door for a lot of people who aren’t “smart” enough to get into vet school (or don’t want to go to vet school, or who can’t afford vet school, or who don’t want to be in college for 8+ years), but have the intelligence, experience and passion for animals to pursue this type of career! I know many vet techs who leave veterinary medicine because the pay is low. I’m sure many of them would happily pursue a PA or NP type role.
I’d also add that where I grew up in rural Montana there weren’t any vets I know of who did farm calls. At least not for horses. My mind was blown when I moved to Texas and learned that vets would COME TO MY HOUSE! My parents lost a couple horses to colic, but we were mostly fortunate and didn’t have many issues.
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I actually had several friends in undergrad who desperately wanted to be vets but went on to become NPs because they couldn’t get into vet school. Most often because they got B/B- in organic chemistry and that pretty much sunk their chances.
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Even small animal is affected by shortages around here atm. Tufts Grafton is not open for emergencies right now. Their website says to check for updates daily.
I called another clinic for an opthalmology appointment. They are booking into late December.
Indeed. My cat needs dental work from a specialist. Next appointment is in six months.
My regular small animal vet is no longer accepting new patients. It’s getting tough to find the care you need.
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I don’t know if many know this but the military will pay for medical school and veterinary school if you give them a couple years of service in return. It is one way to get your education paid for.
“Qualifying students can receive full tuition for any accredited medical, dental, veterinary, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychology or optometry program, plus a generous monthly stipend of more than $2,400+.” Healthcare School Scholarships | goarmy.com
Just have to be willing to give a few years of military service in return.
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If you make an appointment with Dr. Marion at Tufts, your regular vet can reach out to her and she will likely tell him what to do in the meantime. She is super nice and the best in the are by far. I’ve had more pets with eye issues, both horse and feline, that I’ve seen a lot of the ophthalmologists in the area. Dr. Clode is also great. I had zero luck with Cassotis.
Several clinics near me have closed to emergencies, including Tufts. The only one left is hiring and the wait there is incredible.
I like the idea of Veterinary nurse practitioners. But to do that, the powers that be need to figure their shit out about techs. Some techs have no training, some have degrees, some have passed tests, etc. etc. But there are techs out there that are truly skilled and probably better at spaying/neutering than some vets! And most of the stuff that Vets do- vaccines, basic suturing, dental work, etc, could be done by a tech if there was some kind of licensing involved. When I worked for a vet I feel like half the visits he saw where uncomplicated vomiting and/or diarrhea. By the time I left I knew what he was going to do and could have done it myself.
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I didn’t even try Tufts for the eye appointment. I have tried to get both ortho and cardiac appointments there recently, and was unable. They aren’t taking new cardiac patients right now. Booked through the end of the year, with 25 people on a wait list.
The appointment I got in Dec is with Dr Halse in Woburn. My girl has too much haw showing, so it keeps getting inflammed due to dust/dirt/pollen getting in there, and she has ended up with several infections.
If the horse is insured, you aren’t allowed to just shoot them (or even administer medications yourself) because you won’t be reimbursed. You need the evaluation of a certified vet, the insurance has to be informed immediately and a post mortem report has to be provided.
It must depend on the insurance company because I assure you they were reimbursed. The company was notified that the horse was being euthed and their insurance rep was present at the necropsy.
Perhaps times have changed. This was a few decades ago. I certainly hope that if you call your insurance company and explain the situation to them, that they would not recommend that you allow the horse to suffer from an obviously unsurvivable injury for hours.
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IIRC, the shift in gender was partly driven by the decrease in lifetime earnings. Fewer men applying, because there were more lucrative career opportunities at a lower financial and lifestyle cost.
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That alone would not exclude them from consideration.
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I have spent the years since I left practice teaching veterinary technicians, and the basic VT associate degree holder is, IMHO, not qualified to be considered as an NP type.
There are a growing number of techs with further training who have earned specialty qualifications (such as equine, emergency/critical care, anesthesia, etc.) who might fit that role, but again, you’re back to more educational debt, (plus, those techs are in high demand in clinics, and not on the road) and, I would suspect, IRL, that clients would balk at paying fees for a tech that would make that a realistic approach.
I spent ~20 years in solo ambulatory practice, and I loved it, but being on call 24/7/365 takes a toll, physically and mentally. I had the best clients you could ask for, but I don’t have any difficulty understanding why the burnout rate and the incidence of suicide in my profession are so high.
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I think it goes hand in hand.
A lot of women pushed to get into the profession back in the day.
@MorganMaresVT
I actually had several friends in undergrad who desperately wanted to be vets but went on to become NPs because they couldn’t get into vet school. Most often because they got B/B- in organic chemistry and that pretty much sunk their chances.
[/quote]@Ghazzu That alone would not exclude them from consideration.
I got two Cs in Organic Chemistry, but was admittedly almost straight As in everything else and worked as a veterinary assistant for two years while also juggling three other part time jobs and a full college course load. They probably accepted me because they were like “look, this one is already working herself to death and still managed a customer service smile all through our interview process!” 
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Agreed. Most vet tech programs are far too flexible on who they graduate. Most of the “great” techs who come out of them were already at work as assistants and are going to tech school to get a pay bump. In general, your average tech school does not provide enough of the hands on training required to create a competent tech from scratch. I would love to see a veterinary nurse practitioner level, but it needs to be an undergraduate program followed by a strenuous two year, hands on graduate degree at a school with a certification process similar to that of veterinary school - the way human nurse practitioners are trained.
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Yeah, that is a tough one. I had a favorite Vet move due to being in a multi vet practice and he was offered a lot more money and the ability to practice how he wanted to. He personally had no problem driving about, and enjoyed the variety. All that said, there is a fine line in providing life saving procedures for animals which is a calling and commitment and just saying its a business. Its also not realistic to think every horse owner has their own trailer, as they don’t. Clearly your Vet has drawn the line in the sand, and does not care if they lose some business with the haul in requirement. its also possible that for routine Vacs, that they might be able to set a day where they do all the farms in the area on one day a few times a year. But the haul in Vet protocol is why so far I board at barns that have trainers or other boarders with trailers, willing to lend a hand. But when my horse is retired or I retire from lessons, I do plan to board at more of a retirement farm, and then will feel the need to to have a trailer or have a trailer service for hire. Yes the cost of getting a Vet degree does play into their decisions. But at the same time, maybe its time for clients to realize the stress they are under both financially and time schedule , and find ways to do more to show appreciation as well as minimize unneeded travel. I don’t have the solution, but after losing my favorite Vet , I still feel the loss and wonder if more could have been done to keep him in the area. And unlike the majority of boarders at training barns, I don’t use just one Vet or only the barn Vet . I prefer to have input from different Vets that graduated from different Vet schools if there is a serious issue and that has worked out well for some stubborn issues. If I was in a more remote area, I would have to make do with what was available in the area I guess.
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