Dr. Chris Bern
21 Years Experience
Cartersville, GA
Male, 49
I have been a practicing veterinarian since 1997, but have been in and around the profession since 1984. I am a general practitioner and see most pet species, from dogs and cats to parrots and snakes. In my job I do everything from routine vaccinations to complex surgeries and difficult medical cases. Becoming a vet takes hard work and dedication but can be very rewarding.
Ask them to show you statistical and scientific proof. And I'm not talking about a blog, opinion piece, or a naturopath who is against all traditional medicine. Ask them for peer-reviewed journal articles which have been scientifically proven to support their belief.
I'll help you out here....they won't find that evidence.
Are there risks to vaccinations and preventative medications? Sure. But ask them for something that carries no risks at all....such things don't exist. With modern medicines we have decidedly saved lives and prevented diseases in countless numbers. Ask anyone whose dog has died of parvo virus if they would have preferred to have had the puppy vaccinated. Ask anyone who has had to spend hundreds of dollars on heartworm treatment if they would have rather purchased preventative.
Vaccines to NOT cause cancer and do NOT increase the likelihood of autoimmune diseases. These claims have been studied and found to be false. Monthly heartworm and flea preventatives are safe and effective for the vast majority of pets (when used appropriately) and have saved millions of pets from serious disease.
If these people continue to question you, direct them to my blog (avetsguidetolife.blogspot.com) and I'd be happy to have a discussion with them.
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You should go and look at a similar response I made to another case comment a few months ago. This kind of question should NOT be asked on the internet. There is no way that I or any other doctor can tell what is going on with your pet. Any ideas? Yes, quite a few. In fact, I can think of several dozen conditions that could cause a symptom like this, none of which I could conclusively diagnose without an exam and likely some blood tests. The bottom line is that you need to contact your vet and take your dog in for a full exam. It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis on the internet, especially with limited information.
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Rapid-fire questions, so rapid-fire answers!
In the US it takes a total of 7-8 years. Undergraduate college is 3-4 years and vet school is 4 years.
Lots of Biology classes! In vet school you have a pretty set curriculum with a few optional courses. Each vet school has slightly different entry requirements, but you'll end up needing lots of Biology, Chemistry, and Math.
I work around 45 hours per week.
I love getting to instruct clients and staff, imparting new knowledge and seeing them really understand it and apply it.
Benefits depend on the employer. I have health insurance, paid time off, a budget for continuing education, and similar basic benefits. But this can vary greatly.
Family time depends on the week! Mostly I do, though I can't always predict when I'll be home in the evening. Last-minute cases or a busy day can make me very late.
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You don't have to like math, but you do have to be good at basic algebra. Personally, I don't like the subject. But I have to calculate drug dosages, fluid rates, and similar things multiple times every day. If I get them wrong I could severely under- or overdose a patient.
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Stand-Up Comedian
What's your worst bombing story?
Aircraft Mechanic
Did you ever catch something critical right before a plane was about to take off?
Toymaker
With all the high-tech kids toys, is there still a demand for traditional ones?
First, the picture isn't showing up. Second......my opinion is that you need to take your pet to a veterinarian. I know this may come across as rather snide, and I'm sorry for that, but if your pet has a health problem you need to take her to a vet, not look for free information on the internet. Even if I could give an accurate opinion (which I can't via a computer) there would be no way to properly treat either problem outside of a veterinarian's prescription or in-person advice. Taking the time to seek advice and opinions online may seem like a good idea, but it will NEVER take the place of a doctor seeing a pet in person, and may only delay proper treatment.
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This is always a tough situation. Veterinary clinics operate on a very small profit margin, so believe me when I say that most vets aren't wealthy and are happy to make ends meet. Because of this vets can't really afford to treat pets who come through the door with no method of payment. A vet who does this frequently will go out of business quickly (and it's happened many times). When a vet expects payment, it's simply because they have many bills to pay, not because they are "money hungry".
There are several options for clients with money difficulties. Pretty much every vet accepts credit cards, and many also accept Care Credit. Some vets may have an emergency fund filled by donations from other clients, but it's rare to have that set up. We will sometimes see if people can borrow money from friends and family. Some shelters and rescue organizations can help out in treating pets for people who are genuinely in need.
But the situation inevitably comes up that a client doesn't have money or credit, yet the pet needs treatment. Remember that the responsibility for care is on the pet owner, not the vet. The person who accepted that pet into their family is the one who is supposed to provide care for the pet, not the doctor. We as vets provide a professional service and it's only fair to pay us for the time and facilities that we have invested. In these cases we often refuse treatment. Or we may do minimal care such as placing a bandage and sending home antibiotics, even if we don't think these are sufficient. We try to help out as much as we can without putting our livelihoods in danger.
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Great questions!
First on vaccines....Since I started practicing back in the late '90s the attitude around vaccines has changed quite a bit, as has the science behind them. What we use in the 2010s are not the same as what we used 20 years ago. Vaccines are safer and more effective, with longer accepted duration of immunity (for many of them). Most vets have also gone to more of an approach of looking at the lifestyle risks of pets in determining which vaccines are needed. Do we over-vaccinate? Personally I don't think so. However, we do need to be judicious as to which ones we give. One of the reasons why pets live longer, healthier lives is because of preventative vaccination. If we stop using this important health tool we'll start seeing greater epidemics of disease. Simply put, vaccines save lives. Don't believe me? Talk to my many clients who failed to get their dog vaccinated for parvo and watched them die.
Heartworm preventative is ABSOLUTELY essential! The medicines we give are not toxic to the dogs, and this is a 100% preventable disease. At my location alone we've had 10 dogs test positive in the first 7 months of this year alone. I've treated far too many dogs for heartworms over my career and there is no reason for this. Heartworms are deadly, extremely expensive to treat, and completely preventable.
I realize that it's easy to look at a healthy pet and wonder if vaccines and heartworm prevention are worth it. But spend some time around dogs who have died of preventable diseases and you'll change your mind.
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