Corporate America now taking over Pet Care (Veterinarian Clinics)

[Marlie]

I was astonished to learn my veterinarian, whom I've taken my guys to for fifteen
years, has just sold his business to a Company called VetCom. Corporate America is
now looking to monopolize the dog care industry too. The employed vets have to make quotas, etc., and are offered bonus plans. HMO's for dogs, except we pay all
the bills. This can't be good. Guess just another sign of the times. The cost
of vet care has skyrocketed and now it will all become business, not genuine care.

[Selatius]

1. Hey, gotta make money, y'know

It's the "American Way." What's good for the corporation is good for you. God, you've got to love capitalism. :sarcasm:

[BlueEyedSon]

2. So?

[Ezlivin]

3. I won't be happy until there's only one place in town to go for everything

Nothing less can really satisfy the picky consumer.

Think Wal-Mart on steroids.

I run a small business and I'm so happy about this I'm ready to fall on my sword to haste the day.

[Critters2]

4. For those who love our pets

this is disturbing. I had a cat who had chronic renal failure for 2 1/2 years. Happily, I also had a GREAT vet at the time, who went out of her way to find creative ways to treat him, who listened to my suggestions, who genuinely knew, liked, and cared about Ari. I shudder to think how different his treatment would have been if she had been working with quotas, expected to sell a specific food or med, generally "corporatized".

First we lose our neighborhood doctors, now our neighborhood vets. This is disturbing.

:scared:

[CAcyclist]

5. The really bad player here is Banfield, formerly VetSmart, a division

of PetSmart. Not only do they dictate a cookbook set of steps their veterinarians have to follow, but they are trying to influence the legislatures in several states to make it easier for them to bring over cheap labor from overseas - they don't need to worry that the vet they bring over from overseas doesn't have the same education as a vet here (often just a couple years in college) because they are going to dictate to that vet just how and what he will do.


And they have influenced the state boards - there's a California vet(Dr. A) I know of that successfully treated a dog that got sick from a mistake that a Banfield doctor did and Banfield complained to the CA veterinary medical board (VMB) after the owners complained to the VMB about Banfield. So the VMB basically went on a witch-hunt over Doctor A because, after all, the dog was saved, so she didn't do anything negligent - it was Banfield that was negligent. It's a horrific mess.

[Initech]

7. I would never ever trust my dogs to Banfield

Or any pet shop owned veterinary clinic for that matter.

[Dr. Jones]

9. Banfield SUCKS!!

Ever watch the movie "Beethoven?" Banfield staff is exactly like that evil vet in the movie (played by Dean Jones).

Took our cat there once, they charged BO KOO $$$, I'm talking more than it costs ME to visit the doc. ALOT MORE. Doc was rude and handled the cat very rough, didn't seem to care. The bills ran over $500, and all that was wrong with our cat was a simple flu. They ran all kinds of unnecessary tests, etc.

Really pissed me off. NEVER TAKE YOUR PET TO BANFIELD.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Yes well I've taken my Yorkie whom I love dearly to Banfield for

skin allergies and bouts of pancreatitis, also for her check-ups, heart worm tests and vaccinations. She's never been mistreated by any of the Banfield vets. Quite the opposite in fact. And they are upfront about the tests, treatments and the costs. They have cured her each and every time she has been under their care. I am satisfied with them.

[woo me with science]

10. another bad Banfield experience here

They seriously misdiagnosed one of our cats and we paid through the nose for it. I am not talking a difficult misdiagnosis, either. Going back, the symptoms should have been obvious. They were not any cheaper than our private vet, and they ran tests that had nothing to do with the presenting symptoms. I have to wonder about the quality of vets who would take jobs there rather than joining a private clinic or university service. We will not be going back.

[napi21]

16. I would never go to Banfield either!

I have a terrific vet who has a mobile practice, and along with the personal attention, and my kids never have to wait in a scary waiting room, she charges a lot less than Banfield ever though of!!!!

My DIL took her Sheltie to Banfield for a worm pill and Frontline Plus. Her final bill was $187.00!!!!! They even charged her $5.00 to dispose of the stool sample!

I can't believe people are still going there either!!!!

[gilpo]

13. My wife is a vet who used to work for Vetsmart...

I am actually surprised that they are still around by some of the stories she used to bring home about company management. The good news here is that many veterinarians, by their very nature will resist selling out to these companies. The vets that we know are mostly good people who care more about the animals than the money.

[T Wolf]

6. My daughter both works for a "large pet product corporation" and

is finishing her degree in Veterinary Technology, so she has a unique perspective on this.

She works in the "store" portion of a big box that also has an in-house Vet practice. She has observed that the people (professional and otherwise) hired by the practice are markedly inferior to those she has encountered in private vet practices and the "care" they deliver is pitiful.

The word within the veterinary profession is that working for a corporate practice is the kiss of death to your professional prospects and reputation.

Only by educating peopple to the inferior care their animal companions will receive can this movement toward corporatization of the profession be slowed. Spread the word.

Of course, the Wal-Marters of middle Amerika will not care. After all, they may save a buck or two and if their pet dies as a result, they can always get another one.

[Marlie]

8. The sad thing is

Many will not even realize they are taking their loved pet to one of these
clinics and will suffer both the wasted financial cost and devastation of losing their pet. I'm sure many will be duped into actually believing they are doing the
right thing, completely unaware of the situation.

[neweurope]

12. That's terrible. I dread the day this will happen in Germany...

as EVERYTHING happening in the USA will happen in Germany sooner or later.

We have horses, sometimes stray cats, hedgehogs too small to make it over the winter... Our vet, who fortunally lives very close by, is ALWAYS there for us, and I mean every time of night or day... So often with animals we have to rely on instinct, and on experience. A company who tells it's employees to take certain steps and only those steps could in many cases mean death for the animals.

That's terrible news. As always people will go to the cheaper ones - at first only for the usual stuff like vaccinations, claw cutting and the like, thinking that they can go to the real vets with the real problems. And it will be too late when they discover that the real vets have been run out of business. And we and our pets will suffer for it.

----------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Dover]

14. Rent or buy the movie (documentary) called, The Corporation

The corporations need to be the focus of protest and dissent, rather than targeting one of their newest acquisitions, the U.S. Government (infiltrated and then purchased by hostile takeover).

[Dover]

15. ..

[Bozita]

17. nightshift kick