Brainstorming
Apr. 15th, 2007 02:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian for a lot of reasons, but the primary one was that I liked solving puzzles and fixing things. I wanted to make animals better, put things back together, solve problems. Now that I am a vet, though, I realize that a lot of what I enjoy most in the job, and what I wish I had the chance to do more of, is prevent problems in the first place. I get to do some of that with vaccines and preventive medications, and I get to do a lot of preventing repeat problems by educating people after the fact, but none of this changes the fact that half of the preventable problems I see come from people not educating themselves before they buy a pet.
A lot of this isn't the pet owner's fault, to be honest. People are bombarded with images in the media of cheery, well-behaved, pre-trained dogs and cute, tidy, talking birds. They go to pet stores that fail to educate them about the proper care of any animal, they find inaccurate information on the internet, and they're surrounded with pets that are easy to buy and come with little, no, or inaccurate instructions for follow-up health care. And, six months or six years down the road, either I wind up examining an animal with a laundry list of problems that could have been avoided entirely or the animal winds up in a shelter because the owners had no idea that it would be such a challenge and expense to care for.
I have an idea, though. I'm not quite sure how it would work, or whether I'd be able to find a clinic willing to implement it or people willing to make use of it, but I think it might just save a lot of time, money, animal suffering, and human heartache if it works.
I'd love to set up some kind of pre-purchase counseling program, where people looking for the pet would get a 20-minute sit-down visit with the doctor. They'd be able to talk about what kind of pet they think they want, and what qualities they're looking for, and let the vet know all about their lifestyle and space and circumstances. And the vet would be able to put together a list of a few animals or breeds that they think might meet their criteria and suit their living situation. They could also give them an idea of cost of care, and what kind of husbandry and preventive medicine would be necessary to care for the critters in question.
We'd have to charge a nominal fee, of course, to make up for the time spent, but that cost could be refunded at the first office visit. And then they'd start out the pet's life with a relationship with a veterinarian, and reasonable ideas of what to expect from the critter. There are still a few stumbling blocks - it's hard to market veterinary services to people who don't already own pets, for instance, and we'd have to be careful to explain that our suggestions aren't guarantees of a perfect match, and that we can't be held legally responsible if you turn out not to like your new puppy/turtle/guinea pig - but... I think it might work. And the education about caring for the animal would be incredibly valuable.
What do y'all think? I admit I'm probably not the best critic of the plan, being unable to look at it from the outside - does it sound like something you might go for, given the appropriate situation? Or can you think of ways to make it better?
A lot of this isn't the pet owner's fault, to be honest. People are bombarded with images in the media of cheery, well-behaved, pre-trained dogs and cute, tidy, talking birds. They go to pet stores that fail to educate them about the proper care of any animal, they find inaccurate information on the internet, and they're surrounded with pets that are easy to buy and come with little, no, or inaccurate instructions for follow-up health care. And, six months or six years down the road, either I wind up examining an animal with a laundry list of problems that could have been avoided entirely or the animal winds up in a shelter because the owners had no idea that it would be such a challenge and expense to care for.
I have an idea, though. I'm not quite sure how it would work, or whether I'd be able to find a clinic willing to implement it or people willing to make use of it, but I think it might just save a lot of time, money, animal suffering, and human heartache if it works.
I'd love to set up some kind of pre-purchase counseling program, where people looking for the pet would get a 20-minute sit-down visit with the doctor. They'd be able to talk about what kind of pet they think they want, and what qualities they're looking for, and let the vet know all about their lifestyle and space and circumstances. And the vet would be able to put together a list of a few animals or breeds that they think might meet their criteria and suit their living situation. They could also give them an idea of cost of care, and what kind of husbandry and preventive medicine would be necessary to care for the critters in question.
We'd have to charge a nominal fee, of course, to make up for the time spent, but that cost could be refunded at the first office visit. And then they'd start out the pet's life with a relationship with a veterinarian, and reasonable ideas of what to expect from the critter. There are still a few stumbling blocks - it's hard to market veterinary services to people who don't already own pets, for instance, and we'd have to be careful to explain that our suggestions aren't guarantees of a perfect match, and that we can't be held legally responsible if you turn out not to like your new puppy/turtle/guinea pig - but... I think it might work. And the education about caring for the animal would be incredibly valuable.
What do y'all think? I admit I'm probably not the best critic of the plan, being unable to look at it from the outside - does it sound like something you might go for, given the appropriate situation? Or can you think of ways to make it better?
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Date: 2007-04-15 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-04-15 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-15 07:06 pm (UTC)Anyway, I think that if you give information to people about pet ownership, some people will use it. Some people will completely disregard it, just as they do the fine manual they get with their electronics. In the long run, you might be able to save trouble for some animals, and that's a good thing. You just have to accept that, as Dorothy Parker said, "You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think."
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Date: 2007-04-15 07:10 pm (UTC)If you're able to implement something like that and it does well, you might even think in terms of packaging the program to offer to other veterinary services, animal rescue operations, and similar places around the country to teach them how to set up an effective preventative program of their own.
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Date: 2007-04-15 07:21 pm (UTC)I'm told there is a veterinary public health field, although I know nothing about it. I'm curious as to that field's approach (as if an entire field would have ONE approach, ha!) to things like wellness and prevention and other issues you touched on in your post.
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Date: 2007-04-15 07:40 pm (UTC)Offer it through the local high schools. Or middle schools.
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Date: 2007-04-15 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-04-15 09:04 pm (UTC)I could imagine that one might better overcome inertia if financially it were a minor net positive rather than a breakeven? (eg, costs $50, but get $75 off your first vet visit). It gives those who don't have the knowledge to know that this would be a good idea an incentive to do it anyway. It'd require the practice to absorb the difference, though. For someplace actively seeking new clients, it'd probably be worth it?
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Date: 2007-04-15 09:46 pm (UTC)As to legal responsibility, if you give advice in the negative, you should avoid most of that. "I wouldn't recommend a greyhound for your efficiency apartment."
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Date: 2007-04-16 12:06 am (UTC)If it's something I can help with, let me know. At least, if you can give me an idea of what your concerns are, I might be able to help you come up with the right questions to ask....
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Date: 2007-04-15 10:44 pm (UTC)Side question: does your practice do bunnies? Thula has never been to a vet, which means she's far overdue, and she's been acting really squirrely ever since we moved, which is another reason to have her peeked at. I would much rather take her to someone I know than someone I don't, but I understand rabbits have some funny and unusual health issues and it is a good idea to check if the vet is comfy about them first. ::worry::
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Date: 2007-04-16 12:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-15 10:50 pm (UTC)Good point in the comments - these needs to be offered at the pet store level, the shelters already do a pretty good job, as do many of the rescues.
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Date: 2007-04-19 04:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-19 05:31 pm (UTC)But the basic idea is an excellent one, that would probably help a lot of people and a lot of pets. (And, quite likely, the vets themselves -- it seems like a win/win for everyone.) And I don't see any problems that couldn't be dealt with...