Law & Ethics

I am a strong believer in the adage, "the harder you work, the luckier you get." But old adages usually come with caveats. Perhaps a better expression might be, "the harder you work, the luckier you get unless you don't work smart."

Pet owners are suing because a company's food killed or sickened their pets.

National Report - From Alabama to Wyoming, state legislatures opened 2007 with a flurry of bills potentially impacting veterinary medicine. With the help of the American Veterinary Medical Association, DVMNewsmagazine dusted off the bureaucratic minutia to offer this state-by-state analysis. It's anything but a clean bill of health.

If my practice pays less than market rent to the landlord-which is me-are my personal assets at risk if I get sued?

A veterinarian's relationship with the client should not end with the death of a companion animal.

New graduates should disclose their ethical standards to prospective employers.

Any practice or veterinarian who fails to pay a required installment faces penalties.

Each had a blank slate to fill; the only difference may have been the decisions made during each doctor's professional life.

As veterinary practitioners, we know that new and unanticipated challenges face us in a world of accelerating change and technological development. The media and particularly the Internet have altered both the level of information available to us and the level of expectations of our clientele.

Ican't speak for every one of us, but I would have to say that for the most part, veterinarians tend to be people who have lived their lives following the rules.

Every veterinarian should buy a professional liability policy.

When I read the August issue of Veterinary Medicine on animal welfare, it caused me to remember incidents of animal abuse that I did not report and that haunt me to this day.

I'm happy to see Veterinary Medicine openly explore the many facets of animal welfare in the August 2006 issue. And I'd like to thank Dr. Rollin for a thought-provoking opinion on animal welfare and the veterinary profession (Guest Commentary, "Now is the time to take a stand on animal welfare," August 2006).

In regard to legal troubles, expect it where you least expect it. As a veterinarian, I've had more than my share of employees, associate veterinarians and litigious clients.

Thank you for the very informative and thought-provoking article "Animal abuse: What practitioners need to know" (August 2006). I have become more aware of the possibility of abuse as I examine my patients.

Our office routinely has professional interaction with accountants and accounting firms across the country. As a result, it has been my pleasure to become professionally and often personally acquainted with numerous accountants, both certified and otherwise, who handle an extensive amount of work for veterinarians.

Undoubtedly, the major social issues confronting veterinary medicine today revolve around animal welfare--farm animal welfare; the legal status of animals, including the concept of guardianship; and the efficacy of alternative medicine modalities.

Use this sample form to track your accomplishments.

As I write this month's submission, there is water streaming into the basement of my veterinary hospital.

You know there's more to paying team members than cutting a check. But are you sure you're keeping the right records?

Considered a high-risk factor for compassion fatigue, euthanasia takes an emotional toll on the entire hospital staff, an expert says.

My office routinely receives calls from frustrated or perplexed veterinarians who are wonder whether a specific matter or problem that they are involved with might require an attorney.

Kansas recently passed a law that's designed to help bring students to large animal practice. It establishes the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, which supports five students each year.

A lawyer rarely pursues a lawsuit against a veterinarian who apologizes.

You don't want your staff members sharing private practice information. Confidentiality agreements lay down the law-and keep your secrets from slipping out.

National Report - $1,451: It's the price most clients will stop treatment of a sick or injured animal, veterinarians report.

Equine InFocus 2006

National studies on victims of domestic violence show that abusers have threatened to harm or kill, or have actually harmed their pets as a means of keeping the victim from leaving the relationship, said Maine's Governor John Baldacci, as reported in The New York Times.