Vets

[Piglet]

Do you think it's right that some vets continue to be meat eaters? This is my absolute pet peev - I know many people around me that want to become vets when they are older, but they still kill animals indirectly with their money and eat them. On the one hand they're like 'oooo, I love animals and want to help them' but then they'll glady eat a cow. I mean, what is the difference between a cow and a dog? I was talking to my mum about this yesterday and she thinks I'm wrong. But I don't get it though, argh! All vets must care about all types of animals, I think. Caring does not include eating in my books

[Pigglewigs]

I don't think a vet's ability to treat and save animals depends on their personal eating choices. I'd choose a good meat-eating vet over a bad vegetarian one ANY day.

[Cavy Chick]

between a cow and a dog

Cows are raised and bred for human consumption while dogs are not. I dont think you can judge a vet on whether or not they eat meat. I think youre argument is a little rediculous actually.

[nonamian_girl]

I get what you're saying, but being a vegetarian is a personal lifestyle choice and doesn't have anything to do with your profession.

[mkkayla]

Cavy chick, while I don't agree with choosing my vet by whether or not he is a vegetarian, your statement is so sad. You know what? The cows don't know they are 'raised for meat'. Cows have feelings, they have pain when they are hurt, feel hunger, enjoy a nice warm barn, show love for their young and enjoy life as much as you and me. And they don't want to be meat!

[Access]

It doesn't matter, what someone else eats is their own business.

[Piglet]

I understand that a meat eating vet may well be brilliant at their job, but it's just the principle behind it. Each to their own I guess

[bromers]

I totally agree with you piglet. How can a vet lets just give you an example.

One day a vet goes and finds and injured chicken they save the chickens life then goes homw to it roast chicken! Its actually abit double standards, (I dont think thats the word I am looking for but I think you lot will get what I mean).

Its like where do vets draw the line?

[Solebomber]

How often does a Vet have a chicken as a patient ? I bet most chickens that need a vet are either slaughtered or put down and disposed of. I don't think "most" Vets have to deal with too much livestock, around here we have 6 local vets and only one deals with livestock and thats typically cows and horses. I would tend to believe that they emotionally detach themselves from what they consider domestic livestock. its thier job to mend sick animals that people bring them not to judge wether or not its food. I really don't think "most vets" look at your average cow,chicken or pig as a pet no more than they would consider a dog or a cat or guinea pig to be food or livestock. I think its a matter of Personal choice. thats my opinion.

[Access]

Life itself is full of contradictions. Can you imagine a world where vegetarians were forced to eat meat and non-vegetarians were not allowed to eat meat? People who try to designate how others should make personal choices are nothing but foolish in doing so.

[Sabriel]

But on the other hand vegetarians get put down all the time. We *are* judged for our eating habits. I don't get that so much up here in Toronto, but when I go back home to the country I get grilled about my food choices by people who barely know me.

I think it is kinda strange. Just how I went vegetarian while QAing meat was kinda strange. But I quit soon after my switch. Not only did it just not feel right, coincidentally I also left with a pinched nerve. It kinda reminds me of what you get when you live as a hyporcrite.

Piglet, I am sure in one way or another, life will help them learn what they need to learn. I am sure there are many a vet who have gone veg as well. I must admit, I have never asked my vet what she eats for lunch.

[Jessica]

I also agree that eating habits are your own opinion and choice and a vet or anyone else for that matter should not be judged upon it.

The vet is there to improve and help the health of the animal whether it is to be eaten or kept as a pet. It is very important to have healthy meat animals because of the dangers in eating an unhealthy or sick animal. The vet is not there to set the example for what you eat but to help in the health of your animal whether it be a pet or a meat animal. I am into the vet areas and I love learning about things like that and I eat what I want, when I want it and I feel that no one has the right to judge me on by what kinds of foods I consume. If you want and/or are a vegetarian than all the more power to you, I do have respect for vegetarians because I would never be able to fully do it but there are others who like meat and would prefer to stick to that in their diet and I feel that is their choice, it doesnt matter if they are a vet or not, its their choice. Vets become vets for many reasons, for me (I am not a vet, though it is what I study and will continue on to study) I like knowing about what the animal eats, why it eats it, where it goes, how its digested, what nutrients are taken from the food it eats, what makes them sick, what makes them be able to eat certain things, and many many other questions. Although I fully understand your point, in my opinion though just because you are a vet does not mean you need to become a vegetarian.

[Harleigh]

I almost take offense to this statement. I grew up in a health food store and found out I have severe food allergies and MUST eat meat to absorb protein. I don't think you should judge a person by their profession. You don't know what their situation is. I agree with Jessica, a vet is there to make animals well. If the purpose of the vet visit is to make the animals well enough to be consumed, that is their job. If they turn down the job based on their eating preferences they lose money and customers.

[Sabriel]

The typical purpose of a vet on a poultry farm is not to make the animals well. On a factory farm the vet sees the animals after they are dead. They tell the workers if the animal is Ok, if parts need to be removed, or if the animal is unfit for human food and needs to be thrown in the rendering bin.

I take offense to people telling me my doctor is a quack for telling me I cannot digest meat. I am sure I get offended a whole lot more then most people who eat meat do. Most vegetarians do not pointedly ask about what's on you plate like many meat eating people do.

[ErdTirdMans]

You raise a good point. My two cents:

Humans are omnivores. We are a part of the animal food chain. Just because we are sentient doesn't mean we should neglect that fact. A vet that eats meat is not a contradiction. Vets rarely are saving wild animals. They deal with domesticated animals so, generally, they deal with helping animals who have become victim of some fault of domestication (malnutrition, abuse, a vicious dog that your domesticated pacified dog could not beat in their fight).

They way I see it, humans eating meat is part of the natural order of things. If you choose not to, that is your prerogative, but loving pets and wanting to correct the problems that our sentience and\or ignorance may cause (including things like the destruction of the rain forest) does not necessarily mean you should be a vegetarian or vegan. You may just wish to maintain the balance between our biological need for society, our psychological need for order, and our tendency to make nature-damaging mistakes in such pursuits.

I hope I explained myself clearly enough, but I think it's a topic that would need more discussion to thoroughly explore.

[Susan9608]

Vets rarely are saving wild animals.

People also rarely eat wild animals, unless you consider pigs, cows, and chickens (the most commonly eaten animals in the US) "wild". Your vet around the corner may only treat dogs and cats and the occasional "exotic" pet (guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, etc.) but there are vets that treat horses, cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, and even wild animals, such as those you'd find in a zoo.

We are a part of the animal food chain.

What part are we? I'm not aware that human beings have any natural enemies out there waiting to eat us, unless you count bacteria and viri.

[Hansel]

One thing that needs to be realized as well is this. It seems that here on CC, many vegs here are against the disection of animals in school. The main part of vet school is learning the parts of the body...and this is not always done by looking at pictures in a book. There is quite a bit of picking apart parts of dogs/cats/horses etc. To be a vet you must be able to have a VERY strong stomach, for learning purposes as well as surgery. My Dad is a dentist and in Dental school he had to disect the upper half of a human. (Yuck, I dont think Id be able to handle that) A persons eating habits are their own choice regardless of their profesional job. I think it would be another thing if a PETA activist ate steak for dinner every night.