Recently I have been hearing some very upsetting things about the way people view veterinarians and the veterinary profession. I know that some people will always believe the things they've heard, but I'm hoping that maybe I can clear up a few things to encourage people to try to view vets in a different light.
And of course, there are many people that really do appreciate and respect vets, and I can promise you, vets appreciate you right back! But if you do happen to know people that might believe some of these misconceptions/myths,
please share this with them.
Myth #1: "Vet school is just a two year program out of high school, right?" No, no, no, no, no. To become a veterinary
technician, yes. To become a vet and to go to vet school, though? Let me just give a quick recap of what that entails:
1. Get good grades in high school so you can be accepted into a good university.
2. Take a minimum of 3 years to complete all of the vet school prerequisites (or in most cases, a degree) at said university.
3. Make very good grades the entire time.
4. Spend evenings, weekends, breaks from school, and holidays working your butt off in vet clinics, animal shelters, zoos, on farms, with volunteer groups, and in research labs in order to complete the THOUSANDS of experience hours necessary to even have a competitive application for vet school.
5. Complete appropriate entry exams and do well on them.
6.
If you are selected for an interview, prove yourself to be well-rounded, determined, and ready to handle the stresses of vet school.
7.
If you are accepted into vet school, complete a minimum of 4 years (a very difficult and stressful 4 years) of cramming as much information into your brain as you possibly can and getting as much clinical experience as you possibly can. Oh, and don't get a single F or more than 2 D's or you'll be kicked out.
8. Pass the boards.
Then you get to be a veterinarian.
Myth #2: "Vets aren't REAL doctors."Yes, they are. You don't get that fancy DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) behind your name unless you are a real doctor. Vets complete just as much schooling and just as intense/difficult of schooling as medical doctors do. Maybe even more intense. MDs only have to learn 1 species front and back. Vets have to learn at least 4 species just as well as MDs have to know humans, and there are many, many other species vets have to know a heck of a lot about. And I'm not even going to go into the differences in pace and difficulty level of the classes vet students take in comparison to med students, but just know that vets are more than worthy of the title "doctor".
I have an awesome shirt that says: "Real doctors treat more than one species."
Myth #3: "Anyone can be a vet as long as they don't mind killing animals."If you think anyone can endure everything I've just talked about, then sure. Anyone can be a vet. But that whole killing animals thing... I'll get into this more in a bit, but let me just make sure you know right now: vets DO NOT want to kill animals. Especially healthy ones. They DO mind having to do it, but because of irresponsible pet owners, they are forced to. Pet owners are the ones that neglect, abuse, over-breed, and abandon their animals. Not vets. Vets are simply left to clean up their messes by helping end the pain of suffering animals (whether that be by treating those animals or by euthanizing them).
And maybe it seems like vets don't mind euthanizing animals because sometimes they don't really react emotionally to it, but trust me, the emotion is there. Vets are professionals, and they can't really just break down and cry every time they are asked to euthanize an animal. Compassion fatigue is also a very real thing (that's when vets have seen so many sad things, have been called 'terrible people' so many times, and have had to try to desensitize themselves to death for so long that they finally break down and have to get away from it all).
Myth #4: "Vets are rich."This one gets me every time. I'm sure there are a few wealthy vets out there, but your standard, hometown veterinarian? No way. Not unless they've gotten super lucky somehow. Here are a few numbers to help explain why that is:
Average salary of a well-established vet: $85,000
Average salary of a vet coming out of vet school: $50,000-$60,000
That doesn't seem too bad, right? But compare that to what medical doctors make ($160,000; we're talking general practitioners here), and then keep in mind that vets have to go through just as much schooling as those MDs....
Average student loan debt of a vet student: $150,000-$250,000
So yeah... if you think vets are rich, you are sadly mistaken. Do they do okay for themselves? Maybe. Do they sometimes struggle to pay their staff, keep their business afloat, and support their families? Most likely, yeah.
Myth #5: "Vets are greedy bastards and are only trying to make a profit."This could not be farther from the truth. I mean, yeah, vets try to make a profit because they
have to make a profit or they wouldn't have a job (and in some cases wouldn't be able to feed their families), but are they greedy bastards? Definitely not.
Obviously not. They paid
thousands of dollars and put themselves through the school version of hell to help people and help animals because that is their passion! If a vet could provide their services to you for free, I don't know a single one that wouldn't do it. But it's not like they get financial support from the government to help pay for their clinics or treatments. They need you to help them help you!
It seems like there are generally two types of pet owners: those who consider their pet a member of the family and those who...well, don't.
For those who have pet family members: You love your pet like it's your child. Of course you want to give it the best care possible, but vets are so expensive. But when you really think about it, are they?
Pretend health insurance wasn't a thing for a second, and imagine how much money you would spend taking your kid to the doctor. You'd easily drop a couple hundred dollars on one visit. Does that $40 exam fee seem so bad now?
What about when your kid breaks an arm and has to have surgery? Say goodbye to thousands (or even tens of thousands) of dollars. That $200 bone pin on your dog seems a lot more affordable, huh?
Of course, most people have health insurance for their families and themselves, and there are all kinds of programs to help with human healthcare. But animals? Well, there is pet insurance, but not many people take advantage of that opportunity, and no one really helps vets to pay for treatment costs, so they can't just do it for free.
For those who don't really consider pets to be part of the family: You either have that pet for a purpose (maybe monetary, maybe for a companion that's just not as important to you as your family) or because you feel obligated to have it (it's owner passed away or you don't want to take it to an animal shelter).
Maybe there's another reason, but either way, think of that pet as something not living for a second. Like a car. Maybe you don't really want it, but it's yours, and you can't really just throw it away. And you don't really want this car to be sitting in your driveway falling apart for everyone to see, do you? So if it breaks, you take that car to the mechanic to get it fixed. Do you get mad at the mechanic that it's going to cost him $300 to fix your car? No, it's his job. So you give him the money or maybe you try to find someone that wants that car a little more than you. Why should getting a pet the care it needs be any different?
I talked to a vet from the UK about this topic, and he really sums it up nicely: "My opinion is, if you can't afford even a tiny emergency fund/a few pounds a month in pet insurance, don't have the pet. Don't screw over someone who spent 5-8 years of their life studying and getting in life-long debt just to do this job and then tell them they're horrible people for earning a living."
Side note: I've heard people say things like, "Getting a dog fixed used to be cheaper. Vets are just trying to rip us off." What? You think vets are immune to inflation?
Myth #6: "Vet don't really care about your animals. They're just ripping people off."Once again, you would either have to be completely insane or absolutely LOVE animals to put yourself through everything you have to go through to be a vet. Vets LOVE animals. They would not be doing what they do if they didn't. And they work so hard to help you and your pets in every way they can. You have no idea how much this kind of attitude hurts even vet students. It's completely disheartening and makes us feel like it's all for nothing because people who think this are a) very ungrateful or b) won't let us help their pets.
I think one reason people might jump to this conclusion is because they take their pet to the vet to find out what is wrong with it, and the vet wants to run a lot of tests that can sometimes be expensive. It's not because the vet is trying to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. It's because the vet wants to cover all of their bases and find out what is wrong with your pet. Because they
care about your pet, and they
care about you. If you have a limit to how much you can spend or are willing to spend, be upfront with your vet about it. Don't let financial regret and spitefulness ruin what could be a wonderful relationship with your veterinarian. And if you are upfront about it, that vet is still going to do everything in their power to help you.
Myth #7: "Vets don't really know what they're doing. All you really need is the internet or a good breeder to reference."Actually, vets are quite qualified and absolutely know what they are doing. And if they are unsure about something, they will refer you to a specialist or consult with another vet. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is when a pet owner puts all of their faith in Dr. Google or their breeder, and then wonders why their pet dies suddenly (or better yet, blames it on the vet). The internet is full of false information, and animal breeders are NOT medical professionals. Vets are, and they know their shit (literally).
And yeah, even the best vets make mistakes sometimes, but don't let that one mistake or your bitterness after the death of a pet change your entire relationship with and opinion of vets. Realize that vets are human, and if you give them the chance, they can become one of the most trusted and valuable people in your pet's life. And maybe even in your own.
