I have nothing against female veterinarians, I'm sure there are a ton of great and knowledgeable women vets out there, but the men I once knew who examined my dogs and cats and give me the hard truth concerning their condition are getting scarce. The vet I loved and trusted has been replaced by a woman who sits on the floor to look my sick dog in the face, croon "poor baby!" over and over, and then suggest an ultrasound for $300, along with a host of medications and follow-up visits. I wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or cry. (Actually, I am crying because this vet only suggested expensive tests and treatments that could only delay the inevitable. We made the hard decision without her.)
So, I looked it up and found that male veterinarians are indeed a vanishing breed. I read somewhere that three out of every four new veterinary students are woman and this article backs up that statistic along with giving several possibilities as to why men are dropping out of this field. I found it interesting anyway.
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I never thought of it, but now I do I see you're right. Most of the vets who have practises around here ARE women! I read part of the article and I guess what it says is true enough - medical personnel without the appropriate salaries.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
abcw team
our cats last 2 vets are women :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI guess now that I think of it, my Grandaughters vet is a woman also as are the breeders.
Some decisions are hard but right in the end.
There are only 29, maybe 30 schools of veterinary medicine in the U.S. They can choose the cream of the crop. Looks like the gals are rising to the top!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
JEB
We have a cousin who is a veterinarian, also a great-granddaughter of Harriet Shafer Willis. She is a graduate of Ohio State and has her own practice.
ReplyDeleteIts good that women are able to have more lucrative careers now instead of being limited to roles as nurses, receptionists and maids. Maybe someday the salaries will be comparable to those of men.
I'm not sure if it's not a generational thing, because I could make similar observations about human doctors of a certain age.
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
I hear ya, Roger.
DeleteOur friends on the Islands of Micronesia laugh at the idea of taking a cat to a doctor -- as for brushing their teeth....!!!?? We don't know how privileged we are.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if being privileged is always good... I can't afford this kind of privilege. And hey, I never brush my animal's teeth! Even so all my dogs have had "nice teeth" according to the vet. Must be that crunchy food and all those raw hides I'm not supposed to give them.
DeleteI had no idea...
ReplyDeleteI think vets are waaaay too expensive, anyway..
My son's cat is a diabetic, and he has to give him 2 shots a day...special food and it has cost him a TON of money...
No more pets for me!!!
Cheers!
Linda :o)
I like having a cat. I just wish pets were a little more affordable.
DeleteInteresting post. We take our cats and dogs to a male vet who is very sympathetic but still truthful and practical about our animal's illnesses and treatment options.
ReplyDeleteI've never brushed an animal's teeth - I only occasionally brush their coats!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
I have no pets anymore , but they are expensive indeed. There is nothing wrong with being caring, but when they are old and suffering the best thing you can do for them is letting them sleep and deliver them from pain. I must confess that I was always sad when one of the pets died, but it is inevitable that we outlive our pets.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Peace / Vrede be with you.
Wil,ABCW Team.
Thank you, Wil.
DeleteVery interesting article, what will happen to all the horses and the like if women do not become vets around farming communities? I remember stories about all the male vets coming out to deliver a horse during the middle of the night. We don't have pets anymore either.
ReplyDeleteann
Who knew, at one time it was very much an all male profession. Nothing beats years of experience so a $300 ultrasound sounds like someone who has no idea.
ReplyDeleteJoy - ABC Team
New Zealand people like animals, Pet medical cost is greater than humans. We still have a lot of vetniterans
ReplyDelete