And that’s just priceless, I’ll laugh all day over that one.
Seriously though, although I understand you do what you have to do as part of your job, is there a similar standard of ethics in the vet business as in the human business? Is there some level of doctor/patient confidentiality that can only be broken by a court order, a subpeona or by someone asking really really nicely?
Per the OP, I don’t think people should be “legally” required to report suspected mental issues, but perhaps a persons level of ethics would warrent it. If someone flat out told me they were going to go off themselves, I don’t think I would be leagally liable for not telling anyone, but my personal ethics would demand I tell someone. Of course IANAL nor am I a mental health worker.
My practice has a personal policy that is fairly strict, but there are no laws that back me up, and it can be a real hassle. It is common for Joe Blow to call asking for info on a neighbor’s pet. We do not divulge anything (even confirming that the neighbor is a client) without either the neighbor’s permission, or a court order.
I had detectives come in asking about a client. I would not discuss a thing with them without a court order, which they returned with later that day. The client was breeding dogs and selling puppies (many dozens) without reporting the income. The detectives also “knew” that he was selling drugs, but could not prove it. So they went after his unreported income instead.
That’s cool then, that you have a personal policy to make up for a lack of a legal policy. I know a few doctors, family practicioners in fact, that could use a policy like that, they will gossip about whoever has what and what they are taking for it to just about anybody.
So the client went down like Al Capone. I am imagining his marketing stratigey - “Free Doberman with every dime bag, ask about our Chihuahua / Mexican Gold combo special”
Paramedics told me about a case they dealt with where a client of mine attempted home-euthanasia. The man hooked up a vacuum cleaner hose to his car exhaust and put the other end into a garbage bag that contained the pet carrier his dog was in. Attempted this in February, with the garage door closed. His spouse found him unconcious and called 911.
I have a few patient records with the notation, “DSTO”. Yep, dog smarter than owner.
If a person is mean enough or mentally ill enough to kill their own pet with their bare hands, they are probably not going to bring the animal into the vet in the first place and spend the money. So I don’t think that it is a very likely scenario that they will do it themselves if vetbridge refused. I think they would drop it at the pound, or drop it off in the “country,” where it will at least have a chance.
I know there is no way in hell my vet would ever put down a perfectly healthy animal for ANY reason. He’s too ethical.
“Drop it off in the ‘country’ where it will at least have a chance”? A chance of what? Starving to death? Getting hit by a car? Becoming dinner for another animal? Hunting is an instinct, yes, but it is also a learned skill, and many animals who have only hunted for the food bowl don’t live long enough to learn it.
The vets I have worked for will try to talk an owner out of euthanizing a healthy animal and allowing them to find a home for it, but if the owner insists on euthanasia it is his the owners) right to do so. I have heard owners flat out tell the vet “no one will take as good a care of her as I do and I’m not going to take a chance.”
Another thought on the aunt/neice issue: if someone is going around asking questions or making remarks about how I spend my money, I would most certainly want to know about it. That way I can make sure they’re mentioned in my will. With the notation “Hi, Neice” and not a thin dime of my money.
Having been involved in veterinary medicine for over 2 decades, I will just say that what you say here is entirely not true. At least once a week I see a pet owner who brings in a sick animal for diagnostics. When testing gives a poor prognosis, the person asks the price for euthanasia, and takes the animal home since “bullets are cheap”.
Animals “dropped off in the country” wind up feeding scavengers and driving up car insurance rates. Personally, I think that someone who does the “drop off in the country” shtick is far more cruel than the person that puts a bullet in the animal’s head. And besides that, my practice is “in the country”.
If I take this thread home and shoot it directly between the eyes with a 12 gauge, does that make me mentally ill or inhumane?
Wouldn’t wanna’ have Dope cruelty…
