Who we are
In September 2023, Mr. Mister was admitted through the ER of a well-known, corporate-owned and branded veterinary hospital (VCA, owned by Mars Corporation) for dehydration and elevated kidney values.
During his stay, breathing complications arose, and that’s when we were advised that the veterinarian managing his case was not able to administer medication without permission from their supervisor, who was not at the hospital, and who (we were told) was unreachable.
Over the following 48 hours, we asked repeatedly to speak with the supervising vet. To this day, an entire year later, we have never met them or spoken to them.
If only we had known that…
…the veterinarian assigned to manage our case was an entry-level intern…
…with less than 3 months of experience as a veterinarian
…who could not make treatment decisions without permission from a supervising veterinarian
…who we were told was not in the hospital and could not be reached.
…VCA is owned by Mars Inc., which is a privately held company owned by the Mars Family…
…a family who’s wealth has increased by almost 50% (~$40 BILLION) since they acquired VCA in 2017.
…a family that has appointed a non-veterinarian as CEO, Patty Wu, who has spent her career at companies not related to animal care, including Walmart, General Mills, and Mattel.
…ACCORDING TO THIS 2022 AVMA ARTICLE, veterinarians at VCA Animal Hospitals receive COMPENSATION for production…
The AVMA article notes: ‘Production is essentially the fees generated and collected for services when the doctor is formally involved in the delivery of those services.’ We do not know the specifics of the VCA compensation plans at this time. These plans MAY (but again, we do not know for sure) include selling procedures and lab tests. they MAY mean that vets get production credit for having high caseloads. It is our opinion that this type of compensation plan that may encourage supervising veterinarians to take on an overload of patients, and push more work onto a salaried interns, thus increasing the likelihood of neglect and malpractice. That’s our opinion and concern.
…a board certified veterinarian Would have been assigned to Mister’s case…
…if only we had gone to a different hospital.
…a hospital owned by a Veterinarian who has dedicated their life to animal healthcare
…a hospital that does not assign entry-level interns to critical cases, and only hires experienced, seasoned veterinarians (many board-certified). Veterinarians who are empowered and capable of making care decisions, incorporating their perspective, additional education, and extensive experience.
…Veterinarians who do not rely on entry-level interns for all pet parent communication, who willingly and pro-actively speak with pet parents, and collaborate with pet parents when making treatment decisions.
…Veterinarians who do not demonstrate being overwhelmed, overworked, and tired when faced with an unexpected complication.