It makes me laugh when I hear 4 and 5 year old children talk about wanting to become a veget…vetrim…veteriminary…doctor for animals.  I think at that age I wanted to be an engineer.  That promptly changed in high school when I took my first part time job as a veterinary assistant (and I decided that I really disliked math).  The year was 1986, when a practice might be considered state of the art for having an in-house blood chemistry machine.  I remember dunking x-rays into fixer and developer tanks and having to air dry them on a rack in the dark room.  Nowadays, you would be hardpressed to find a clinic without in-house chemistry and CBC machines.  While there are x-ray processors in most hospitals (eliminating the need for those hideous dunk tanks), many are beginning to upgrade to digitial x-ray machines.  Talk about cool technology, the digital radiograph can be magnified with minimal loss of detail and manipulated to provide optimal interpretation.  Better still, these digital films can be emailed to veterinary radiologists and specialists for interpretation. 

(This is an example of a digital radiograph taken of one of my technician’s dogs after it was hit in the head by a passing car.  See if you can spot the jaw fractures and the fractured tooth)

Since I graduated veterinary school in 1996, we have seen other dramatic changes in technology that have brought veterinary medicine into the 21st century.  These advances have allowed speciality medicine to transition out of academic environments and into public venues.  There are veterinary specialists in all the same fields as human medicine (e.g. cardiologists, neurologists, internal medicine, ophthalmology, etc. )  Speciality centers have opened up all across the country providing state of the art services such as digital radiography, ultrasound, MRI, CT, endoscopy, state of art laboratory equipment, and high-tech surgical tools that allow veterinary specialists to mirror many of the same things their human counterparts are doing. 

My generation of veterinarian graduated accustomed to being able to refer patients to any of the speciality fields that a patient required.  It is now considered “standard of care” to offer referral as an option.  This is due in large part to the accessibility of referral centers in local communities.  

Now for the catch, which I am sure you can guess at this point.  High tech definitely equates to higher cost.  Even though the cost of some of these technologies has been reduced into the accessible range, a $1500 to $3000 bill at a speciality care center is not uncommon.  I have mentioned in past blog entries that it can be really frustrating practicing as a veterinarian with your hands tied by financial constraints.  As veterinarians, we want ALL owners to benefit from the wonderful advances that have taken place in veterinary medicine.  VetCareComplete’s insurance policies will allow you to visit any vet or specialist that you choose, providing you with comprehensive coverage and reimbursement taken directly from your veterinary bill, not a benefit schedule.   This will maximize your ability to take advantage of all the technologies and speciality fields that are available today and in the future.

VetCareComplete is firmly committed to supporting veterinary research, residency programs, as well as scholarship programs for the next generation of veterinarian and veterinary specialist. 

Yours in support of the veterinary profession,

Dr. Keith