Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Final thoughts for 2011


Listen to internet radio with Roger Welton DVM on Blog Talk Radio

Airs Wed December14, 2011, 9PM EST. Listen to this podcast directly from my show page by CLICKING HERE.

Dear Listeners, Viewers, and Readers:

This will be my final podcast of the year, where I will be reflecting on the year’s triumphs, failures, lessons learned, and outlook for 2012.  From the stagnant economy and how that affects the pet care industry and pet owners alike, innovations like stem cell therapy and low level laser becoming mainstream medicine, to the abysmal persistence of puppy mills and dog fighting in our country, I plan to cover all the good and bad of 2011.

We also have 4 very interesting listener e-mails to address throughout the show, so be sure to tune in. 

As always, I invite you to post comments right here at the blog or submit e-mail comments/questions to be addressed by me on the air, by sending them to comments@web-dvm.net.

I thank all of my fans for another year of your kind and enthusiastic support, and I thank you as always for caring about what I have to say!
Happy holidays and best wishes to you and yours!

Sincerely,

Roger Welton, DVM

Dr. Roger Welton is the President and chief veterinarian at Maybeck Animal Hospital in West Melbourne Florida, as well as CEO of the veterinary advice and health management website Web-DVM.net.

2 comments:

Ginnie said...

I can understand that hearing people's financial "tales of wo" as you called them over and over again can get old. I also agree that people just have to stop complaining about the economy and just pull ourselves up one way or another, because no one is going to help us. But...don't you think it is a little insensitive of you to complain on the air about people venting in their office because they are frustrated that they cannot afford the care their pet needss? I am a fan, BTW, but just curious.

Roger Welton, DVM said...

I attended a lecture once on the pschycological toll its takes on sympathetic veterinarians as they listen time and again to people's financial troubles when we make medical recommendations that they may have trouble affording. The net effect is that without even realizing it, over time we begin to regress our medicine, doing things like skipping steps or helpful diagnostics, choosing a cheaper medication that may not be as safe or effective, only because in the back of our minds, we are thinking "save client money" over "recommend the best veterinary care you are capable of providing." In the end, no one benefits from that.

It was this same lecturer that instilled in me the notion that when I enter an exam room I am not the pet owner's financial advisor, but their veterinarian. I owe it to them to offer the best care. If they canot afford it, then I can work backwards, skip steps or diagnostics, regress my medicine as much as I need to to fit a challenged budget. But I MUST NOT start off that way, and to seek out a less costly "plab B" I do not need to hear about people's fiancial troubles. A simple, "I cannot affor it, you have anything else we can do," would suffice.

If a person needs to vent, they should do so with family members, their psychiastrist, or their friends. Some of these pet owners barely know me, and I am getting the play by play story of their financial downfall over the past 4 years. It is not the time, nor the place. And what I find is that, it is not often simply a need to vent, but more an attempt to guilt me into giving free services...and after now going on year 4 of our bad economy, I am tired of it, as are many of my colleagues.

That was what I was getting at in my broadcast. My heart goes out to people who are torn between a very tight budget and what needs to be done for their pets. But at the same time, there are means available that pet owners can better this reality, solutions I outlined in this broadcast that so many choose not to take advantage of. If they choose not to pursue solutions and instead just cry to me every time their pet is sick and they cannot afford the treatment, that is not my fault, nor should it be my problem. My business may be an animal hospital, but it is a small business that must pay its bills, employees salaries, and employee benefits - and I will not get into specifics, but the economy has made this harder than ever before in my career. To waste my time complaining about it is futile. My time is better spent working harder and finding ways to overcome the recession without end. I suggest others do the same.