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It's The Best Policy
Mar. 5th, 2013 01:01 pmMeanwhile, in the middle of everything else, it's time for another Letter From Your Veterinarian.
Dear clients,
I've told you this before, and I'll tell you again - Do Not Lie To Me. Seriously. In particular, do not lie to me about whether you're actually giving your pet their medication. Especially particularly when it's for a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition.
If you tell me you're not giving the meds, or not giving them as directed, I won't hate you. I won't yell at you, or punish you, or tell you you're a bad person, or take your pet away, or anything like that. The worst I will do is remind you, as politely as I can, that it's important to give the meds, and that they won't work as well on your counter as they will actually inside your dog.
If you lie to me, and tell me that you're giving them as directed, and haven't missed any doses, I will be forced to then wonder why your pet isn't getting better. And this will lead to one or more of the following situations:
1) I go on a hunt to find out what else may be wrong with your pet. This is likely to involve extensive diagnostics that take time (and precious bodily fluids) and cost money. Bloodwork, ultrasounds, timed tests that involve fasting and full days in the hospital, as I try to figure out whether your dog has concurrent infections, cancer, organ failure, or goodness knows what else. it This will lead to stress for your pet and significant expense (hundreds, possible thousands of dollars) for you.
2) I change your pet's medication dose and/or type. This is the potentially *really* bad one. If your pet is on half a pill twice a day, or 2 units of insulin, or suchlike, and it's not getting better, it may need more or different meds. If your pet is actually on zero units of insulin, and it honestly only needs 2, and I ratchet the dose up to 3 or 4 because I don't have the proper information, you have a potentially seizuring, critically ill animal on your hands. Or, if I change meds entirely, odds are I'm changing to one with more potential side effects and risks - there's a reason we don't use those things as our first choice.
3) I refer you up the line to a specialist. This is likely to lead to significant waste of time, money, and energy, as well as lead to possible medication problems, and will also wind up with you shuffling between multiple vets. And ultimately, if my complex, drug-resistant case winds up with a diagnosis of 'Client lied about meds,' I'm not the one who looks like an idiot. You are.
So. Truth means accurate treatment, higher chance of a healthy animal, and maybe a stern look. Lies mean potentially hundreds of dollars of unnecessary diagnostics, days of hospitalization, and serious risk to your pet's well-being.
We clear on that?
Good.
Love,
Your vet.
Dear clients,
I've told you this before, and I'll tell you again - Do Not Lie To Me. Seriously. In particular, do not lie to me about whether you're actually giving your pet their medication. Especially particularly when it's for a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition.
If you tell me you're not giving the meds, or not giving them as directed, I won't hate you. I won't yell at you, or punish you, or tell you you're a bad person, or take your pet away, or anything like that. The worst I will do is remind you, as politely as I can, that it's important to give the meds, and that they won't work as well on your counter as they will actually inside your dog.
If you lie to me, and tell me that you're giving them as directed, and haven't missed any doses, I will be forced to then wonder why your pet isn't getting better. And this will lead to one or more of the following situations:
1) I go on a hunt to find out what else may be wrong with your pet. This is likely to involve extensive diagnostics that take time (and precious bodily fluids) and cost money. Bloodwork, ultrasounds, timed tests that involve fasting and full days in the hospital, as I try to figure out whether your dog has concurrent infections, cancer, organ failure, or goodness knows what else. it This will lead to stress for your pet and significant expense (hundreds, possible thousands of dollars) for you.
2) I change your pet's medication dose and/or type. This is the potentially *really* bad one. If your pet is on half a pill twice a day, or 2 units of insulin, or suchlike, and it's not getting better, it may need more or different meds. If your pet is actually on zero units of insulin, and it honestly only needs 2, and I ratchet the dose up to 3 or 4 because I don't have the proper information, you have a potentially seizuring, critically ill animal on your hands. Or, if I change meds entirely, odds are I'm changing to one with more potential side effects and risks - there's a reason we don't use those things as our first choice.
3) I refer you up the line to a specialist. This is likely to lead to significant waste of time, money, and energy, as well as lead to possible medication problems, and will also wind up with you shuffling between multiple vets. And ultimately, if my complex, drug-resistant case winds up with a diagnosis of 'Client lied about meds,' I'm not the one who looks like an idiot. You are.
So. Truth means accurate treatment, higher chance of a healthy animal, and maybe a stern look. Lies mean potentially hundreds of dollars of unnecessary diagnostics, days of hospitalization, and serious risk to your pet's well-being.
We clear on that?
Good.
Love,
Your vet.
