Sherry’s Corner

Veterinary Hospitals and Clinics are Small Businesses, not Non-Profit Entities

I think we often forget that veterinary hospitals and clinics are small businesses.  Further, these are also NOT non-profit.  I note this because often we expect the veterinary hospital to perform services for free or for a reduced cost because the cause is good and the need is great.  I remind readers of this because we live in an area where many hospitals have their foundation spirit in a family of caregivers.  In the early  years of vet hospitals, many saw the veterinarian’s wife scrubbing out cages and reception area floors, doing the billing and helping when needed in the surgery. There were emergencies and everyone in the community knew where to find help.  Ruth Gunther, Belle Kamsler and the late Anne Leighow played important roles in the health of the Valley’s animals.  Dr. and Mrs. DeVoe knelt in prayer before a surgery and in many emergencies.  The veterinary hospital involved people whom we knew.  And, in Berwick Tom Kowalchick still is the North Berwick Animal Hospital. 

      Today some hospitals and clinics are owned and managed by a large organization, such as the VCA animal hospitals and Banfield, which has over 100 hospitals in its conglomerate.  The employee veterinarian often does not set policy or determine how your pet is treated.  And, if the hospital has signed a contract with an animal emergency center, your pet will not even see his veterinarian when he needs him most. This makes for many interesting situations in pet care.  For example, I once was appalled to learn that veterinarians could refuse to treat and care for certain breeds of dogs.  Naively, I believed that if a dog was in pain or needed help, that the hospital staff would treat him and not discriminate because of his breed or that hospital’s previous history with animals of that breed. Not so, explained a veterinarian who was also a lawyer.  A veterinarian can refuse legally to treat any animal.  Also, I was amazed once to enter a reception area and see a well-known puppy store owner waiting.  She had four or five cages of puppies.  It never occurred to me that veterinarians had puppy store and puppy mill owners as clients.  Again, they are small businesses and treating animals is their choice and their business.  Also, reporting suspected cruelty and neglect is not part of their business nor is it part of the veterinary practice act in Pennsylvania (in some states it is).  The AVMA believes that it is the veterinarian’s responsibility to document and report such cases to the proper authorities.  On the other side of this policy is the fact that not all members of the veterinary profession are members of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).  And, most importantly, many veterinarians believe they should treat victims of abuse and “don’t tell”.  Their reasons are good.  If the owner believes the abuse will be reported he will not seek medical treatment for his animal. Also, having the patient under treatment gives the veterinarian the opportunity to educate the client.  Thus, “do no harm” isn’t as simple as it sounds.  Finally, what about the owner who removed a fatty cyst from his dog?  When it became infected and a veterinarian needed to treat the infection the owner was cited for cruelty. The cyst was probably benign, the veterinarian said.  Could this just have been a frugal owner who was up against the economics of a veterinary small business?  A thought:  In today’s economy it might be a good-will gesture and humane for area animal hospitals to offer low-cost health clinics.  Meanwhile, a bow to our area’s retired and past caregivers.  At lunch once with veterinarians I commented on the fact that they all ate soup as a first course.  An old trick, one told me.  If the phone rings and I can’t finish dinner at least I have some food in my stomach!  Good to the last drop.

NEW JERSEY COURT SAYS PETS HAVE A “SPECIAL VALUE” IN CUSTODY CASES. The N.J. court continued to maintain that the pet was “property” but that its value was in a different category which they termed a “SPECIAL SUBJECTIVE VALUE”.  The pet was “unique personal property”, according to a precedent-setting decision by the court.  A pug was the dog in dispute.

RED CROSS ENTERS INTO NEW PET AGREEMENT. The American Red Cross has entered into an agreement with the American Veterinary Medical Association to provide temporary housing for pets in case of house fires.  The Chicago chapter has been concerned about the number of pet owners who have been sleeping in their cars after these disasters.

FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH