Hello from the vet

[thevet]

Hi All, I was trying to stay away but a couple of things are standing out here.  I wasn't going to say this because I already know what the other side is going to say, that I just want all the business and blahblahblah...
But why has anyone not looked at how other humane societies operate?  Why is everyone assuming that Saga has to shut down if they do not have a vet?  Go to www.belizehumanesociety.org.  Click on services.  Why can this organization exist without a vet but Saga cannot? 

Secondly, I have had several aquaintances/friends ask some questions so I am going to try to answer them here for all the others who are wondering the same thing.

I have never told the veterinary board that they should not allow Saga to have a vet license.  But I have made formal written complaints against them for malpractice - primarily using nonveterinarians and unlicensed veterinarians.  They have large signs outside the clinic with clinic hours posted and they have no vet!  Ever since I left those hours have not changed.  It is illegal to run a vet clinic without a vet.  They also tore down my signs which pointed people to the real vet, but we won't get into all that stuff because this was not my complaint to the vet board. 

[thevet]

My second letter of complaint was during a discussion amongst all the veterinarians in Belize.  About 5 other veterinarians responded and said that they do not think that humane societies should be treating people's pets at all.  Not one single veterinarian disagreed with this point.  The reason being that private vets cannot compete with the low prices the humane societies are able to provide using their donated money and drugs.  I know some people will say that we vets only care about money, but come on, this is Belize.  It is hard to make a living here as a vet.  Especially in San Pedro.  Which is why no Belizean vets ever want to work here and it is why there has never been a private vet clinic here.  So I believe that the veterinary board is looking at changing the rules for what shelter vets are able to do.  One vet wrote that all the humane societies she knew of in Belize already used local vets.  So obviously it is not as impossible as Saga has made everyone believe.

The next thing that happened was the spay/neuter weekend that Saga organized.  While I commend them for their number of spays and neuters they did not go about it the way they told the veterinary board they said they would.  They told the vet board they needed the vet licenses to work on shelter animals and strays and low-income families.  However, this is not what they did.  There are more details here I won't go into, but Saga broke more than one rule.  The result was they were overwhelmed and when an owner who could afford a real vet brought her very sick dog she was not referred to me.  According to the owner, the vets were busy so a Saga staff member who is not a vet diagnosed and treated him with expired medications.  The owner appeared at my clinic two days later and the pet died because by this point he was so anemic I could not save him.

[thevet]

So I wrote my third letter of complaint, urging the vet board to please do something about Saga's malpractice.  Saga is not saying, but I am assuming that this is why the vet board is reluctant to give them another veterinary license at this time.

The second thing people are asking me about are the claims from Saga that I am harassing and slandering them.  These are completely false.  People want to know if I really stood in Saga and yelled at Ingrid, "You are going down!!  And so is Saga!!"  This is ridiculous.  While I do sometimes lose my temper (you can hear me yelling at Peter a lot if you're near the house) I never did such a thing.  I have had three arguments with Saga staff/directors since October when all this began.  One with Katy, Ari, and Mary when they told me they kicked me off the board.  One with Ingrid at six o'clock one night over the phone when we were both at home.  And one in Saga's front yard with Katy, when I went over to meet "the new vet" a few months ago who turned out to be illegal.  This does not equal harassment.  They then went to the police and filed charges against me and told me I am not allowed on their property.

[thevet]

The last thing I want to point out is that I have offered Saga a 30% discount.  I would actually prefer that Saga have their own vet, because spays and neuters are a lot of work.  With the 30% discount it takes most of the profit out of it and I am working for less than I did when I was on staff there.  But I do not want Saga treating patients or running a clinic in between their legal vets.  I don't think it's right to bring foreign vets down and use a charity and donated funds to do operations on pets whose owners could afford to pay.  And I do agree with the other vets that humane societies, in Belize anyway, should be limited to treating shelter animals and rescue animals. 

We will just have to wait to see what the Veterinary Board decides.  There are so many ways that humane societies can operate.  For Saga to say they have to close just because their situation is changing just ain't true.  I do think that we will need to pull together as a community and we may need to help the Saga board figure this out and raise money because they are really on the wrong track.  Petitions and spreading lies are not going to be the answer.

So I am sure this will upset a certain group of people and more attacks are coming my way, but I also hope my friends and acquaintances have a better idea of what is going on and where I actually stand.

[Gela]

Hi Laurie, I've read the drama on the other board.  There is so much emotion behind each reply that it takes some time to peel away to facts.  I personally understand your intent with regards to SAGA and why you still remain on AC trying to provide much needed vet services.  I hope that in the near future, everything will be sorted out.   

[thevet]

Thank you Gela...

I am going to respond to a suggestion I received and print one of my letters of complaint to the vet board.  This letter was in response to an email sent by the Chairman after their board meeting.  He sent out an email asking for responses, which I thought was very helpful.  It started a conversation amongst all the licensed vets in Belize.  This is the letter that Marty printed on his board - except he printed two lines and he took them out of context.


dateMon, May 24, 2010 at 2:06 PM
subjectRe: Report from Vet Board May 2010

mailed-bygmail.com

In regards to humane societies and malpractice complaints:
 
In my case I made a formal written complaint against Saga Humane Society for malpractice several months ago.  They blatently promote their veterinary clinic hours and services despite the fact that they do not even employ a veterinarian!  They primarily use their 'Clinic Manager' to give vaccinations, dewormings, treat cases of tick fever, and skin conditions.  The reason I know this is because since opening my own private practice I see very few of these cases.  I also have seen patients who have been misdiagnosed and treated several times improperly by the humane society before coming to me for a proper diagnosis.  In addition, they have used a visiting unlicensed veterinarian and a veterinarian from Caye Cauker who did not have a work permit. 

 
I know that as a general rule humane societies are trying to do a good thing.  But they must be regulated just as private clinics are if they wish to compete with private veterinarians by seeing privately owned animals.  It is not a humane society's job to diagnose and treat privately owned animals.  Needs of communities change over time, and San Pedro no longer needs Saga Humane Society to function as a private clinic.  They are performing these services to make money, just as my own hospital does.  Unfortunately for me, they have a huge advantage in that they run on donations.  They receive donated drugs as well as donated money.  They sell expired drugs to clients and do not inform them that they are expired.  They give services by a non-vet and do not make it clear to visitors that she is not a veterinarian.
And they seem to answer to no one.
 
This particular humane society actually hurts veterinary medicine in San Pedro, in my opinion, by keeping prices low and continuing to pay temporary veterinarians a non-living wage.  As a result these vets never stay long, and San Pedro has gone through extended periods of time without a resident veterinarian on the island. The humane society is not effective at raising enough money to operate a quality veterinary clinic as well as taking care of stray animals in a shelter in San Pedro.  Their clinic has remained very poorly equipped and cannot offer good quality veterinary care to San Pedro. 
 
The cost of living is so high here that no private veterinarians have attempted to operate here until myself.  Add to that the competition of an unregulated humane society and the chances of survival here for me long term are very low.  My partner and I have invested a lot of money in finally getting San Pedro a proper veterinary hospital.  Our clients are very happy with us, but we struggle to get new clients due to a smear campaign by the humane society who presents us as out to hurt them.  We all know there are many many ways for humane societies to make money.  Competing with us for private patients does not have to be one of them.
 
I am quite disappointed that as the only permanent registered veterinarian in San Pedro my concerns were never addressed.  Saga Humane Society has been granted a temporary license for a full-time veterinarian now, without receiving any warnings or restrictions based on their past behavior.  Even now the new vet is seeing patients despite the fact that she has not yet obtained a work permit.
 
I understand that when Saga Humane Society can find a veterinarian to work for their low wages I will have to suffer through the loss of business.  But I should not have to suffer losses between these times, which I am sure will be quite lengthy.  It has taken them six months to find this candidate.
 
I am sure that I am not the only person with a complaint but I do hope that the board can act on it soon.  My business depends on it and it is my understanding that veterinary boards exist to support real veterinarians, not humane societies.  If San Pedro is going to have a private veterinary hospital, which it desperately wants and needs, we need your help.
 
Thank you for your consideration in this matter and I hope that I am not the only one whose complaints will be acted upon by this board.
 
Sincerely,
Laurie Droke, DVM
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