Dr. Whiskers
@drwhiskers.bsky.social
Veterinarian, Senior Pet Practice Owner
Veterinary Pathology/Cultural Anthropology/Archaeology/Film and Television Producer/Software Design and Development/Wanna-Be Author
Veterinary Pathology/Cultural Anthropology/Archaeology/Film and Television Producer/Software Design and Development/Wanna-Be Author
We need real world optimizers in places of leadership within our field. Instead, all we seem to get are dinosaurs clinging to relevancy.
November 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
We need real world optimizers in places of leadership within our field. Instead, all we seem to get are dinosaurs clinging to relevancy.
Academics who blithely declare that the equine rotation or large animal rotation or small animal rotation is a necessary part of our education for rounding purposes, despite the soaring cost of tuition and the fact that most of us will never cross over into mixed animal care.
November 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Academics who blithely declare that the equine rotation or large animal rotation or small animal rotation is a necessary part of our education for rounding purposes, despite the soaring cost of tuition and the fact that most of us will never cross over into mixed animal care.
Why are we being taught clinical veterinary medicine by academics? Academics, who more often than not, lack subtlety in how they look down their nose at those of us in the trenches of general practice.
November 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Why are we being taught clinical veterinary medicine by academics? Academics, who more often than not, lack subtlety in how they look down their nose at those of us in the trenches of general practice.
If a tree falls in the forest with no one around, does it make a noise? If a vet has diagnostic and treatment capabilities that nobody can afford do they actually count as care?
You're talking to the wrong veterinarians.
You're talking to the wrong veterinarians.
November 22, 2025 at 12:45 AM
If a tree falls in the forest with no one around, does it make a noise? If a vet has diagnostic and treatment capabilities that nobody can afford do they actually count as care?
You're talking to the wrong veterinarians.
You're talking to the wrong veterinarians.
Stupidity is like rabies. There is an effective vaccine for it, but 99.9% of the time, if you're already displaying symptoms, it's too late
November 22, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Stupidity is like rabies. There is an effective vaccine for it, but 99.9% of the time, if you're already displaying symptoms, it's too late
I was navigating the challenging legal gray area of whether my shapeshifting patients are afforded HIPAA protection or not.
November 21, 2025 at 8:08 PM
I was navigating the challenging legal gray area of whether my shapeshifting patients are afforded HIPAA protection or not.
I assume that much of the stated danger comes from Troy's interactions with his state licensing board. It is decidedly frowned upon for us to date our patients.
November 21, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I assume that much of the stated danger comes from Troy's interactions with his state licensing board. It is decidedly frowned upon for us to date our patients.
Ma'am, I hate to remind you, but you agreed to enroll your children in the animal model TBI study in exchange for fruit snacks.
November 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Ma'am, I hate to remind you, but you agreed to enroll your children in the animal model TBI study in exchange for fruit snacks.
Meanwhile, the independent vets are forced to pay top dollar for supplies, but the corporate goons get deep discounts (regardless of whether there's a difference in bulk ordering between the two). However you'll never see any of those savings as a pet owner at the corporate clinic.
November 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Meanwhile, the independent vets are forced to pay top dollar for supplies, but the corporate goons get deep discounts (regardless of whether there's a difference in bulk ordering between the two). However you'll never see any of those savings as a pet owner at the corporate clinic.
Unfortunately that's also a crucial time for our female doctor's reproductive status. So at a time when women have displaced men in the field and tuition rates have shot up, they have to make hard career and life decisions. Too often that means foregoing ownership.
November 20, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Unfortunately that's also a crucial time for our female doctor's reproductive status. So at a time when women have displaced men in the field and tuition rates have shot up, they have to make hard career and life decisions. Too often that means foregoing ownership.
Practice ownership is a huge undertaking, both in terms of time and capital. At a time when private equity offers 20% over asking, it's hard for independent vets to buy into ownership. Preferably you start the purchase at the beginning of your career.
November 20, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Practice ownership is a huge undertaking, both in terms of time and capital. At a time when private equity offers 20% over asking, it's hard for independent vets to buy into ownership. Preferably you start the purchase at the beginning of your career.
Some animals can be reactive. A little warning is nice if you'd like to secure them for their safety (and ours).
November 20, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Some animals can be reactive. A little warning is nice if you'd like to secure them for their safety (and ours).
Veterinary offices, especially.
Easy-ish to look up who owns your local veterinary practice on your state's secretary of state business listing. Private equity knows they're unpopular and they'll try to hide if they can.
Easy-ish to look up who owns your local veterinary practice on your state's secretary of state business listing. Private equity knows they're unpopular and they'll try to hide if they can.
November 20, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Veterinary offices, especially.
Easy-ish to look up who owns your local veterinary practice on your state's secretary of state business listing. Private equity knows they're unpopular and they'll try to hide if they can.
Easy-ish to look up who owns your local veterinary practice on your state's secretary of state business listing. Private equity knows they're unpopular and they'll try to hide if they can.
Continue to support your local, independent veterinary practices. Private equity would love nothing more than to squeeze all the humanity out of veterinary medicine
November 19, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Continue to support your local, independent veterinary practices. Private equity would love nothing more than to squeeze all the humanity out of veterinary medicine
Finally - and this is where gender does play a role - the timing of a veterinary career coincides with a woman's choice to start a family. There's little work-life balance in vet med to begin with, but much less as a practice owner. For those who want a family, ownership becomes a pipe dream.
November 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Finally - and this is where gender does play a role - the timing of a veterinary career coincides with a woman's choice to start a family. There's little work-life balance in vet med to begin with, but much less as a practice owner. For those who want a family, ownership becomes a pipe dream.
This is further complicated when private equity is more than happy to offer 20% over asking for a practice. So even if you have the motivation and the capital to fund the purchase of a practice, it's a tall order to beat the bank's offer.
November 18, 2025 at 1:58 AM
This is further complicated when private equity is more than happy to offer 20% over asking for a practice. So even if you have the motivation and the capital to fund the purchase of a practice, it's a tall order to beat the bank's offer.
The old guard of veterinary owners aren't helping. Instead of welcoming new grads into ownership positions as colleagues within the profession, they're too quick to push new hires into associate positions in order to profit off of them rather than to grow their field in sustainable ways.
November 18, 2025 at 1:57 AM
The old guard of veterinary owners aren't helping. Instead of welcoming new grads into ownership positions as colleagues within the profession, they're too quick to push new hires into associate positions in order to profit off of them rather than to grow their field in sustainable ways.
The problem is multifactorial. The cost of a veterinary school education has skyrocketed to a level that condemns many new grads to a life of debt. At the same time, the cost to buy an independent clinic outright is a tremendous ask for new vets who are in six figures of debt-no matter their gender.
November 18, 2025 at 1:55 AM
The problem is multifactorial. The cost of a veterinary school education has skyrocketed to a level that condemns many new grads to a life of debt. At the same time, the cost to buy an independent clinic outright is a tremendous ask for new vets who are in six figures of debt-no matter their gender.
Does this miss the mark? Even if your education is free, if there isn't the client density necessary to support the grueling work of our large animal vets, will they be able to retain those vets in the community once their obligation has been fulfilled?
November 18, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Does this miss the mark? Even if your education is free, if there isn't the client density necessary to support the grueling work of our large animal vets, will they be able to retain those vets in the community once their obligation has been fulfilled?
Make previously eradicated diseases thrive again! Screwworms are a concern. More importantly they're a convenient scapegoat for a derelict agency defunded by Elon's chainsaw.
November 18, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Make previously eradicated diseases thrive again! Screwworms are a concern. More importantly they're a convenient scapegoat for a derelict agency defunded by Elon's chainsaw.
It generally involves an electroejaculator in either case.
February 18, 2025 at 2:04 AM
It generally involves an electroejaculator in either case.
If it's underserved, most of the time it means that the population density is too low to make a living there. And anyone trusting the government with loans these days is a grade A sucker.
They'll have to do better than that bait and switch.
They'll have to do better than that bait and switch.
February 14, 2025 at 3:47 AM
If it's underserved, most of the time it means that the population density is too low to make a living there. And anyone trusting the government with loans these days is a grade A sucker.
They'll have to do better than that bait and switch.
They'll have to do better than that bait and switch.
In the land of the significantly discouraged, the moderately encouraging man is king.
I salute you, sir.
I salute you, sir.
February 8, 2025 at 2:19 PM
In the land of the significantly discouraged, the moderately encouraging man is king.
I salute you, sir.
I salute you, sir.
I'd love for this to be an arc of history death sputter thing, but it just feels too baked-in to the repeating themes of history to not be something more innately human than just a dying cultural movement.
February 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I'd love for this to be an arc of history death sputter thing, but it just feels too baked-in to the repeating themes of history to not be something more innately human than just a dying cultural movement.
I believe that when people are squeezed hard enough, a certain number will turn collective and a certain number will become hyper competitive and resource guarding.
We're the people and we're squeezed. Most on this platform want collectivism. The fascists are the other guys.
We're the people and we're squeezed. Most on this platform want collectivism. The fascists are the other guys.
February 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I believe that when people are squeezed hard enough, a certain number will turn collective and a certain number will become hyper competitive and resource guarding.
We're the people and we're squeezed. Most on this platform want collectivism. The fascists are the other guys.
We're the people and we're squeezed. Most on this platform want collectivism. The fascists are the other guys.