Dear Editor,
On October 4, 2013 CBC Marketplace aired a show titled “Barking Mad,” which shone a negative light on the veterinary profession. The segment took a dog with a hidden camera to 10 Toronto veterinarians to see what health recommendations were suggested in the first check-up. According to the show’s host, the veterinarians provided various recommendations that did not align. The host also “surveyed” the 10 veterinarians asking them questions about vaccinations, exams, and medication. They made several statements based on the 10 veterinarians they questioned, calling the data “black and white.” Nothing is “black and white,” as the report suggests.
I disagree with the statements and overall accusations made against the veterinary profession in this news broadcast. This is not what we, at Trupanion, have seen in our 15 years of experience with veterinarians. We have hundreds of thousands of pet health claims that contradict this newscast and offer much evidence of the incredible value pet owners receive from the work done by veterinarians who have treated, healed, and in some cases, saved their beloved pet.
CBC Marketplace surveyed and evaluated only 10 veterinarians out of 12 500 currently in small animal practice in Canada, who serve nearly 10 million pets each year. This is 0.08% of the general veterinarian population. We know veterinarians as an honorable and trustworthy group of people. We expect there will be an outrage from pet owners who have had generations of pets lovingly, competently, and compassionately cared for by their family veterinarian. The data cited is narrowly constructed to advance a negative point of view and we believe it is unfair for the CBC to attack the profession in this way.
It’s disheartening to see this respected and trusted profession criticized through a sensationalized news story by some members of the media who fail to provide tangible evidence to back their statements. Just as CBC surveyed Toronto veterinarians, we set out to survey our policy holders in Canada in an effort to obtain evidence of the quality of care and attention veterinarians provide our pets. However, unlike CBC’s sample size of 10, we surveyed thousands of policy holders.
We sent policy holders in Canada an e-mail survey with 3 short questions. Of those who responded, 93% said they always receive a great level of service and care from their veterinarian. When asked if they trust their veterinarian to give the best veterinary care, 94% said yes. Lastly, 93% said they would recommend their veterinarian to their friends and family to treat their pets. We support veterinarians across the world in their efforts to maintain the health and wellness of our four-legged family members. We’ve posted this information to our company blog and encourage pet owners everywhere to share their veterinarian experiences on our blog.
Footnotes
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