Do you have a burning question for your veterinarian? We thought you did! In part two of “Inside The Mind Of A Veterinarian,” we asked Dr. Mark E. Silberman (MES ) of Southwest Animal Clinic to share his thoughts with us regarding a range of topics.
You can check out Part One here.
If you want inside Dr. Silberman’s mind and you have a question we didn’t ask, just e-mail him at askthevet@houstonpettalk.com. Dr. S’s practice is at 4570 Bissonnet, 713.668.4466. We’ll be back next Friday with more questions and answers from Dr. S.
HPT: Is quality for a reasonable price possible in your industry?
MES: Yes. If we can keep the overhead down. Every veterinary clinic is basically a “mini” hospital stuffed with all kinds of equipment. X-ray units, ultrasound machines, EKG units, otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, blood pressure devices, intraocular pressure machines, cryosurgical units and lab machines. Just the bathing tubs, runs and cages alone can cost a fortune. Surgical suites with anesthetic machines and pulse oximeter monitors along with surgical instruments all cost a lot. If a veterinary practice were to eliminate some of this overhead by referring cases that involved rarely used equipment and concentrate on the most common medical conditions (Dernatologic and Gastroeneteric) then it could offer quality for less.
HPT: What aspect of veterinary medicine frustrates you the most?
MES: Not getting the chance to properly diagnose and treat a condition because of financial limitations. This same frustration is experienced by pet owners.
HPT: When do you know when to put a muzzle on?
MES: The pet or the owner?
HPT: Ha Ha. The pet obviously.
MES: You can pretty much tell by the posture of the dog, tail position and ear position. Sometimes the owner will actually suggest you use a muzzle. Others will deny that their pet is a possible “biter”, then when the dog attempts to take my face off they always say the same thing….”Why, he’s never done that before!”
Be sure to check back next Friday for more questions and answer from Dr. S.