Matthew Watkinson
"A whole industry has arisen out of squeezing the most money out of treating family pets," Watkinson writes in the article published by the Daily Mail. Watkinson accuses financially-motivated veterinarians of ordering unnecessary procedures, prolonging a sick pet's life with expensive treatments merely to generate higher fees and even researching a pet owner's home address to determine wealth and how much the client could be charged.
"I'm not saying everybody does it, and it's probably not the majority," Watkinson, 32, tells Paw Nation. "But there are people in this profession who do things like that. There are veterinary practices where a vet is given minimum financial targets and has to make a certain amount of money per consult." Pet insurance can be helpful to pet owners in emergencies, says Watkinson, but "it's an easy excuse for some veterinarians to take advantage of the system." And what about a client who owns a purebred dog with a lot of inherited problems? "It's a potential goldmine," says Watkinson.
Unsurprisingly, Watkinson's statements haven't endeared him to his peers. "My [veterinarian] friends are deserting me now because I've criticized the profession," the ex-veterinarian says. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons denounced the Daily Mail article and implied that Watkinson was doing it to publicize his new book, "On the Destiny of Species: by Means of Natural Selection, or the Elimination of Unfavoured Races in the Struggle for Life." In it, he blasts the veterinary profession for supporting a dog breeding industry that produces purebreds with inherited diseases and physical deformities considered "cute," and catering to sentimental -- a dirty word in Watkinson's book -- pet owners, rather than acting in the best interest of animals.
"I've been accused of doing all this to sell books, be sensational and to make money," says Watkinson, who quit the profession a year ago. "But I'm broke. This was done out of a deep respect for the way that nature works and a compassion for animals."
"In veterinary school, there was lots of 'we can do this' [procedure], but not a lot of 'should we do this?'" says Watkinson. "We were taught almost as technicians," he says. "My ethical training was limited to one afternoon in five years. We're not really taught to think; we're taught to do all these procedures. And they get more complicated each year so we have more options to keep all these animals alive. We fight the powers of nature, really, and what we've ended up with is a lot of diseased dog breeds that couldn't survive without us."
A particular incident from veterinary school still haunts him. He was caring for an elderly dog after the canine (whose story is told in an excerpt from "On the Destiny of Species," below) had one of its legs amputated due to cancer. "It was a really old dog and the prognosis was six months more to live," Watkinson recalls. "I sat up all night with that dog, and it screamed all night. I thought, 'We've only done this to massage the emotions of the owner.' It's an old dog. It hasn't got long to live whether you take the leg off or not and it's just going to cause misery by amputating its leg. If we just put that animal to sleep, it wouldn't have screamed there all night."
Is Watkinson saying that dogs with cancer shouldn't receive life-extending treatments? "If there's no suffering, I have no problem with it," says Watkinson. "But I've been to seminars where veterinary oncologists have said, 'You should do everything you can to save these animals. Euthanasia should be the last resort. There is always something we can do.' And that's the mentality I'm trying to address. 'There's always something we can do to save it,' is another way of saying, 'There's a lot more money we can make out of it.'"
Dr. Tony Johnson, a clinical assistant professor at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine and consultant for PetConnection.com has practiced in a clinical setting for 13 years. He thinks Watkinson is taking the case of a few bad apples and wrongly extrapolating it to the entire profession. "I have heard of vets who are financially motivated, but that is a tiny, tiny fraction of the profession," Dr. Johnson says. "The vast majority are ethical and are motivated by a love of medicine, pets and helping people."
What about veterinarians looking into a client's financial status? "I have never heard of that happening," says Dr. Johnson. Contrary to Watkinson's claims that veterinarians purposely try to increase the amount of the bill, Dr. Johnson says veterinarians often have to communicate with distraught pet owners and talk them out of doing procedures that the vets don't feel are right. "It's our job to get the pet owner's feet back on the ground and talk to them about what's in the best interest of the animal," Dr. Johnson says. "[Watkinson] is damning a whole profession based on his own bitter experience, and it's not right. The whole profession is not broken."
By the time Watkinson graduated from veterinary school, he had already decided not to work at a veterinary clinic. "I knew I would be forced to look after the emotions of the owner more than I would the interest of the animals," says Watkinson. He ended up in a farm-animal practice because he thought "it would be slightly more focused and pragmatic."
Watkinson looked after cows on dairy farms, but that too, posed moral dilemmas. After eight years, he had had enough.
He didn't really "decide" to write a book, he says. "After I quit my job, I just started researching and writing, trying to find out, 'What are we actually achieving?'" says Watkinson. "The book isn't entirely about domestic animals. It goes beyond that and much more into natural history." Heavily influenced by Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, there are chapters that are critical of the veterinary profession. "I don't believe that all veterinarians are cutthroat, heartless monsters," Watkinson says. "I think many are very compassionate, but unintentionally end up supporting the problems they swore to get rid of."
* * * *
Excerpt from "On the Destiny of Species: by Means of Natural Selection, or the Elimination of Unfavoured Races in the Struggle for Life" by Matthew Watkinson:
I have forgotten the name of the dog of course, and indeed a lot of other ancillary details, but I do know that its front leg had been amputated to remove an aggressive bone tumor, and I do know that I will never forget its screams. It wasn't even a young dog. It was an old dog with cancer and yet, despite being within touching distance of the end, it was lying in a soulless hospital kennel screaming in agony and recoiling in horror when anybody approached. It was horrible and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't justify its suffering. I must admit, I couldn't justify my own anger properly either.
I was quite sure the dog's suffering was entirely based on the emotional needs of its owners, and that it couldn't have suffered if it had been euthanized, but the full implications were beyond me. What if the dog had been younger for instance, would that have made the suffering acceptable? And if it had, what does 'younger' actually mean? Is it less than 8 years old? Or 9? Or 8½? And if it had been young enough to make the procedure acceptable, does a dog know whether the pain will stop, even if I do? Indeed, can I actually guarantee that the pain will stop (and that long term gain will definitely follow short term suffering), or is there a significant probability that the treatment will fail and render the whole attempt worse than just killing the animal in the first place? In fact, what is the problem with killing animals in the first place anyway, regardless of age?
I had no idea at the time, and when I was inevitably summoned by the clinical elite for a 'chat' I was unable to justify my anger properly. I wouldn't have the same problem anymore. In fact, I would relish the opportunity for a 'chat' these days because it's now quite clear to me that emotion severely corrupts perspective. It twists judgment and warps rational thought and the journey I've been on to understand this case, and a whole host of others, has taken me further and further from compassionate sentimentality and right back to the system that has worked for more than three and a half thousand million years. It has taken me right back to the totally unsentimental and utterly ruthless world of natural selection. In particular, I have learnt to see organic beings through their own eyes and even though that simple shift in perspective has totally undermined my veterinary career, it has also made me realise that humans don't define reality, and that death is a vital part of life.
It took me a while to put two and two together of course, but the journey is defined by its destination and it's now quite clear that our relationship with nature has been severely corrupted by paradoxical emotion and unjustifiable self-reverence. Despite the evidence, we continue to believe that we know best and that's why I have written this book. On The Destiny of Species is my assessment of our subjective beliefs and I will use logic, common sense and Charles Darwin's On The Origin of Species throughout to challenge everybody who claims to 'love' domestic animals.
I will go much further than that though, because despite making a dreadful mess of the domestic species many now claim that we're here to manage all animals. In fact, many now claim we're here to manage the entire planet, and in this book I will also use logic, common sense and On The Origin of Species to challenge that extreme narcissism too. I will conclusively destroy conservation myths about the fragility of life, the sanctity of species, the iniquity of pests, the reality of sustainability, the relevance of appearance, the importance of scarcity, the majesty of conservation, and indeed, the empirical basis for almost everything the conservation community has ever said. Whatever they may think, managing nature (conservation) is not observing nature (natural history), and observing nature is the key to the truth.
More Cute Stuff
- I've Got You Now, Stuffed Mouse (Daily Squee)
- Doggie Dental Health Quiz (Discovery Health)
- We's Yin and Yang (I Has a Hotdog)
- Lisa Frank Dolphin IRL! (Acting Like Animals)
- Egg-cellent Fowl Fashions (The Daily Treat)
Sponsored Links
Advertisement
Can't Miss Galleries
Today's Popular Articles
The Doggie Diaries - A Run-In With the Neighbors- Caretaking Cat Saves Lives at Animal Clinic
- What to Leave for Your Pet Sitter
This is exactly the kind of veterinarian the world needs. One with a conscience, not one that plays on the emotions of the pet owner, unwilling to part from their beloved dog or cat that is suffering. I have MANY animals, have all my life. I knew when it was time to let the animal die with dignity. There was no way I would spend thousands of dollars to keep an animal alive that was suffering, and had a slim-to-none chance of surviving the procedure designed to keep it alive. It was better to let the animal die painlessly, in peace. Sure it was difficult. Hundreds of thousands of tears were shed by me when I let these animals go to their peace. But it was in the BEST INTEREST OF THE ANIMAL. It was ALL ABOUT THEM, **NOT ME!!!** Please, Dr. Watkinson, would you please be my vet for my animals? At least I know we're of the same school of thought.
I could not agree with you more. I also have had many pets, and you just know when it is time. Tears, many were also cried by me. You know when our loved ones (people) go to the emergency room and have to be put on life support. Ultimately there has to be a decision made. Unfortunately I have been there also. Chose to keep my sister on it and she now lives in a nursing home as a vegetable, 6yrs later:(
I totally agree with you. Finally a Vet with human and humane feelings. I've never had to make the decision to have a pet put to sleep until 2yrs ago, when our 15yr old poodle named Precious who was eaten up with cancer was suffering badly. All I could do was cry , I felt like her executioner if i said "Yes take her"...my husband took her and brought her back in a box he had taken with him to bury her in our backyard. It's been a little over 2yrs(9/10/07) ) and that day i'm still depressed and cry that day and other days she was a great dog never bit anyone, or anything even when she was suffering. She was "precious" to the end.
i am at the point that i will never take a pet to a vet again, i have two cats indoor. i have in the past had a rottweiler that had bone cancer and a vet that put me thru 5,000 in expense and my poor pet thru months of pain before the poor dear just died one night all the while saying we can fix this and she'll be back to herself as his hand reached for my wallet. then we had a cat my husband just loved as a child as a nurse i could see the poor thing was old and had just reached the end and the vet kept draining my husband for weeks g tube surgery they would keep him thru the week and send him home with my husband saying here honey save him and they would assure my hubby that he was improving i kept saying that the diet was being vomited up there was no feces the cat was terminal but they drained us for almost 8,000 while i begged my hubby to just put the light of our life go in peace with a shot and he couldnt do it.. then there were Labs we had and the male just suddenly started loosing weight rapid and a lot 150 to 80 in two weeks i said put him down without letting my husband fight it and the vet refused we can save the Lab well we had yrs before gone thru heartworm treatment
his heart was enlarged he was in distress yet the vet wanted to fix it sent specimens everywhere tested every thing when i finally had him put down the vet insisted on a necropsy and then said lung cancer ..
i have two rescue cats now that were given the inital tests and shots and have never left the house since one is 8 and one is 5 and they will die here peacefully without leaving the home again... Vets are Vampires who dont care about the welfare of the owner or the pet they just want the money and the practice that sells 50 dollar small bags of food and 8 dollar cans of food they are worse then lawyers as ambulance chasers because they play on your you have to try it's your loyal pet heart strings and promises they can save em when they KNOW the pet and owner would be better off with just ending it and are the ones that insist on your mortgage payment before they will examine your pet doing it i hate them all and will never go to a vet again
Completely agree with you. I live in a small town in KS....I've taken my cat to the same vet for 6 years. I was out of town for a month when he got urinary track infection. I checked all the local vets who's fees started at $300! I drove back to my hometown and paid the $90 and got him cured. hmmm
Another trend I have notice in the vet business many pet owners have talked about is the money makeing practices have a way of spreading from one vet to another vet and so on like a virus. I called my vet that I have used for years to make an appointment to have my dog put to sleep because he was at that point of his life. He was sixteen years old and totally blind in one eye and the second eye was going blind to. He was totally deaf and going to the bathroom all over the house and had trouble walking. My vet knew the dogs condition from prior visits.But when I called for the appointment and told them what I needed they said they would not put the dog to sleep without a checkup and to try some meds to help him and if that did not work and only then would but him to sleep. I explained I had just enough money to put the dog to sleep and could not pay for a visit and to have dog put to sleep also. They did not care and stuck to their guns. My dog died 2 days later in my arms in the middle of the nIght. But the poor dog cried for hours and put me through hell in my heart till he finally took his last breath.I was relieved when it was over. What a way to be treated after all the money they made off of me over the years. So you all will know, I did call two other vets and that was their practice also. Damn all the vets that care about the money first and could care less about giving the pet owner and pet the right to die in peace. I wish I would have taped my poor dogs last hours on this earth and taken it to them to watch and listen to. Shame on all the vets that have a heart that looks like a dollar sign $.
I have had good vets and not so good vets. The bottom line is being a responsible pet owner and putting your pets interest ahead of your own. If your vet does not let you do that then find another vet. I have shed many a tear when it has come time to let them go. I just try to remember that they were if gift from God, and at some time they as we must return to him. I miss them dearly and tears come to my eyes as I write this.....
Sorry can't finish:(
I believe this wholeheartedly. We've been lied to or cheated by small and large animal vets alike and one certain emergency vet clinic here in Michigan wanted to save our cat with a blood clot paralyzing her, would have lost over $1000 with about 20/80 chance of working I said NO and they acted like I was a bad person for not wanting to save my cat.
Our PETSMART VET in MESA ARIZONA....................reminds me of this article! PETSMART VETS SELL you their pet program, and then have your bring your pet in like every 2 months for some vaccination so they can "CHECK" your pet's health. It seemed what they were doing, was looking for ANYTHING to have a reason to do a BIOPSY, BLOOD WORK, X RAY, ETC....
When I found a matted, filthy, stray little dog who needed to be groomed as the matted hair was restricting the small dogs movement, I PLEADED with this PETSMART (piece of total zhit) VET for a RABIES VACCINE. She said she would ONLY give it one, IF I ALSO paid $ $ $ FOR a physical.
I told her I could NOT PAY for a physical for the dog, (she knew it was a stray) and the dog could not even be comfortable without a bath and grooming, but as anyone knows...,you cannot get a dog groomed without PROOF OF RABIES.
I ended up delivering the dog to a lady who finds homes for strays, after driving to TEMPE ARIZONA where a LEGITIMATE, HONORABLE, ETHICAL VET in a crappy place, gave the dog the rabies shot.
PET SMART VETS WILL MAKE SURE YOUR PET GETS MORE CARE, TESTS, SHOTS, VACCINATION, X-RAYS.,, ETC IN ABOUT 2 YEARS THAN YOU WILL EVER HAVE YOURSELF IN A LIFETIME.
THEY LOVE TO SUCK $300.00 PLUS OUT OF YOUR WALLET FOR TEETH CLEANING TOO! (Put them under anesthesia to clean their teeth!)
MY OPINION FROM MY EXPERIENCE: PETSMART = RIPOFF
I totally agree with the comment about Petsmart Vet (actually Banfield). I have NEVER left there without having to pay for some kind of additional meds, test, etc. though my dog hasnt been sick a day in her life and I bought the yearly 'wellness plan'. If you look through the window of the exam door into the back room you see a chart were they track daily and weekly income. Also, it seems that the regular vet is hardly there - always someone filling in for him from another Banfield office.
"MY OPINION FROM MY EXPERIENCE: PETSMART = RIPOFF "
Not PetSmart; Banfield is a vet clinic chain that leases space in PetSmart but is otherwise unconnected to PetSmart. PetSmart is very good, supporting lots of rescues and helping animals, and I really wish they'd realize how bad those Banfield "vets" are for their image and get rid of them. I like PetSmart and have nothing but good to say about them, but I wouldn't take a pet rock to any Banfield clinic.
To paymyownway - There is a vet at Scottsdale and Shea who I like. One morning I found my cat just laying on the floor in the kitchen, I knew something was wrong when my daughter could go pet him, he usually runs. I immediately called my husband, and met him at my parent's house where he said goodbye to FatGirl. I took him to the vets where I was told he had a urinary blockage (due to the hard water here). He was lethargic, the vet said some of his organs have begun shutting down. The vet said that he has seen animals make a full recovery from this point, but the surgery, meds, and stuff would be about $1,000. I didn't have it. He didn't argue with me or anything about not wanting to spend the $, instead we put my baby to sleep. It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. That cat was born the day I met my husband. He meant the world to me.
You people are making me cry!
I have adopted a cat that was left for dead when her owners moved away and left her to struggle. Me and my husband had seen her around the neighborhood growing skinnier everyday and after 2 weeks of this when we moved we took her with, gave her a name and now love her playful butt to pieces.
I have been meaning to take her to a vet but after reading this I'm not wondering if she's just better off staying at home with us. I don't want them to give her a 'rabies' shot with something extra that will have me running back every few months for the cure.
I feel so bad for the poster (forgive me I can't remember your name atm dear) that had to have his dog die in his arms and hear his cries of pain - I don't think there is anything more brutal in this world! My heart goes out to you...
i have 10 cats and one dog. i live in the country and i only adopted 2 cats , the rest were starys let out in the country to die. they some how find my house. i take them to my vet. i have used for 20 years, my vet bills are unbelievable high.i got cancer last year and had high medical bills , my cat which i rescued from the pound, they were going to put her to sleep, she had been attack by dogs. before i got her. she fought to live. she had good a life. 7 years later she got a tumor in her ear, i had the tumor taken out 2 times in a year.very exspensive. it grew back. she was in pain .i quit buying my cancer medicine to take her to vet to get infection cleared up. i could not pay for her operation . i went to 4 vets and they would not operate on credit. she died in pain. i did not even have money to put her asleep. i get all thier shots plus buy food from vet, you know what my vet bill must be like for 20 years. and they would not give me credit to operate on her. first time i had ever ask for credit. i will never the rest of my life get over not being able to save her. Sherrie
I applaud this man, whether he is trying to sell his book or not, it does not mean he isnt speaking the truth! Bless the beast and the children. I worked as a nurse for years and have witnessed the exact same thing. No matter how much suffering the patient has to go thru families refuse to let loved ones go even if it means doing a full blown code blue on a patient with untreatable cancer or some other unfixable disease. Their suffering "after" they were "saved" by a code they awake to more pain and misery. My anger also made me truly sick. People , if your pet is sick and old , plese let them go. That is the real love and compassion they need and deserve from you.
I agree with so many things being said in this blog. First and foremost, we do need more vets such as, Matthew Watkinson in this world. I have been on both sides of this story with my own animal friends and I worked for a vet for a VERY brief period of time like the one Matthew Watkinson describes. She stole people’s money and hearts. She gave false hope to pet owners and made several very old dogs suffer through electrode acupuncture that cost so much money each time and the treatment still did not really help them walk, not to mention the patient was in great pain before and after the treatments. My last day there she found a dog wondering the street and did not want to try to find the owner. She said the owner did not deserve the dog back if they were going to let it run loose. She has no clue what the situation was and had no right to play Judge and Jury in this matter. For all we knew the dog could have escaped and the owners were heart-stakingly looking for their beloved pet. Needless to say I no longer work there.
My first experience with this was my six year old husky that had cancer, the vet I had been using for many years (trusted him explicitly), said she was young let him do surgery to remove the cancerous mass in her abdomen and she has a great chance of survival. Three surgeries latter (within a year) and astronomical figures out of my bank account, I knew in my sole this was wrong, she was in such pain even with all the med’s!!! I wanted to have her put to sleep and the doctor still wanted to do additional test first, needless to say, I said, absolutely not.
My second was with my Katie girl, she was my sole doggy as I called her. She was diagnosed also with cancer by the same vet at the age of 12. He then recommended her to be "put down" because of her age. She was still running and playing, eating well, no urination or bowel problems. She was in no pain and still ran and played like a two year old. At this point I was disgusted with this vet and found a new vet that did a few tests that had a minimal charge and he said let her live her happy life until we know it is time or she is in pain. She lived to the age of 15 with no major problems and at the end we knew it was time when she was no longer herself and unable to walk outside to use the bathroom. Our veterinarian that we have now knew the situation from our previous vet and only charged us $20.00 for his services. What a great person and vet!!!
Unfortunately there are a lot of bad ones out there but we must use our best judgment and be sure we still take our pets to the veterinarian. Research and ask for referrals from friends and family, just as we would for ourselves or our children.
I think it is very sad about the animals. I love animals I can't tell you how many pets i have owned and loved or all the strays I've saved. This book just makes me think these ppl are vets, what about doctors, what about the ppl who take care of us? The meds we take that only cure the symptoms and not the actual cause. the meds on the tv that cure something but has a list of 50 side effects, are they really safe? or when one of those quite commercials come on saying have you or a loved one been affected by our meds? trying to pay us off for damage that shouldn't of happened in the first place. this not only makes me wary of pet care but my own health as well. Who can we really trust with our lives, there aren't many i'd trust with mine, oath or no oath.
I have worked in animal hospitals more than half my life and I am telling you that this Dr. Watkinson is wrong. He practices in England and so I can't speak for the veterinary industry there, but in America we do all that we can for owners and their pets. He had the case of the dog with bone cancer that had its leg amputated and screamed all night...the idiot should have given it pain medication...that is what those drugs are for. He says that his education was that of a technician, as a technician that is educated and who knows many other educated technicians, I can tell you that he knows less than many technicians. This man should be ashamed of himself, he is selling out the profession to sell his book. Many vets do not only not increase the charges of the client's bill but they also give discounts and undercharge for services that they perform. I am sorry if people have had bad experiences with their vets but that can be said in any profession from human medicine to the grocery store. I know first hand that the veterinary profession is not money grubbing and always has the best interest of the pet in mind. Please do not judge this noble profession on the money grubbing comments of an idiot trying to sell a book.
I too have had many animals (dogs). I knew when the time had come to let them go. I have been dealing with one veterinary clinic for years .... the "owner veterinary doctor" is a callous old man who should just retire. However, the other veterinary doctors are kind and honest. It was I who made the decision of what was humane to my deceased babies (cancer). I would not allow chemo, radiation, amputation due to my love for my babies. This would not have prolonged their life any longer than it would have taken for them to recover from such treatments or surgeries. It was time for me to let them go with their dignity. Yes, the tears and hear-wrenching were certainly there and still there, however, I believe it was in their best interest. I associate it with myself ... I certainly would not want my life prolonged if I were going to be recovering or in pain or misery during the "time-limit" that any doctor had imposed on me ... just let me go with dignity and end the suffering.
Sometimes you do have to make the call though. I trust my vets completely - when my rabbit was just shy of five months, after fighting ec for two months, she suggested I consider putting him to sleep. But I spent all that day sitting on my floor watching him and even though his head was tilted badly he was still moving, actually running short distances (he loves to run almost more than anything) and though he needed me to make sure his food was in small pieces, he could eat. I decided to keep trying to treat him and now he's nearly 11 months old. My vet calls him either the miracle bunny or the most expensive rabbit in the world, but she never pressured me into expensive treatments - it was entirely my own decision and I wouldn't have done it if I thought he wasn't enjoying life anymore. That is how veterinary treatment should be. My highest priority when I got him was to find a vet experienced with rabbit care that I could trust to really have his best interests at heart and to outline all the options to me so I could decide for myself. Without her this past year would have been completely different, I'm sure of it.