Yes, I have definitely, since we got a new vet, started to appreciate them. Our previous small animal vet was a provincial large animal who opened an evening "afterhours" type clinic (6-9pm walkin) for small animal out of the basement of his home. I liked dealing with him for small animal because he knew that we knew our stuff with large animal (you learn pretty quickly when you show up to check out a horse whether the owner has any clue and/or can handle their animals or has any sense of animals whatsoever) and immediately talked to us like we did. With other small animal vets, I always got the feeling they were talking to you condescendingly, etc...

It all finally "clicked" with me a few months ago when my sister took her great dane in on a Sunday afternoon after she had been acting strange and off her feed for a day - there was a little boy and his mother and their shitzu in behind them, and the dog's jaw had gotten stuck open, his tongue was white and he was whining.... IT HAD BEEN STUCK OPEN SINCE FRIDAY MORNING but instead of seeing a vet then when it wouldn't cost too much, they waited til a Sunday afternoon when it was an emergency call because "geeze, it didn't fix itself in the first place" - so I can see it's safer as a small animal vet to automatically assume your clients are complete idiots about animals until they prove themselves otherwise.

I shadowed a large animal on his rounds when I was in the ninth grade and saw more cow asses than I care to see again in my life.


"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Suess