Tuesday, September 17, 2013

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." - H. G. Wells


Every day I hear about more disgruntled veterinarians who are angry about the persistent, overwhelming and ever mounting pressure from big box stores now selling what were once ‘exclusively veterinary’ wares. Or, from ambiguous on-line stores that seem to magically sprout up overnight like some fairy tale beanstalk in our own back yard. To the latest craze of on-line veterinary advice networks where for a comparatively nominal fee you can receive a diagnosis and treatment plan from a veterinarian reside somewhere in the nethers-phere.  Who are these vets? Where are their credentials? How do they circumvent the necessary client-patient relationship? And how can they possibly even begin to diagnose without the benefit of their eyes, ears, nose, and verbal exchange?

These were all of the questions that I found myself asking as I tried to comprehend the ever evolving market place that my own veterinary clinic was not only competing with but also trying to coexist with.

Perhaps I should take a moment to explain to you how I got here? I am a small animal veterinarian who graduated with a beaming smile of self pride at the culmination of over two decades of determination. It had been a long serpentine road of self-doubt, delay, and self-sacrifice. My story is not unique. We vets work tirelessly against a turbid strong current of adversity and challenge. Everyday most of us are accosted by the public asking for free services, shirking responsibility, and expecting that we will provide their demands based on the civic duty of our profession. It is a long road of both emotional and financial demand. Compounded by the reality that many new graduates face ever increasing mountains of debt to graduate and make half of what professionals of our educational counterparts do.

When I left veterinary school the world was my oyster. With my newly minted degree in my back pocket I was going to re-assign my determination into the arena of practice ownership. With a new suit, new hat, and firm resolve to slay this next beast I forged into the new territory of ownership.

My intent was to stay true to my purpose of helping people and their pets. But in this new open intense marketplace how do I manage to make a decent living when so many hands are open around me or slipping into my pockets to try to snag my spare change?  The writing is on the wall. It is time for us to diversify, understand our competitors, stay true to our strengths and do what we do best, educate our clients about why it is imperative to get help from those trained and able to do so best.

The landscape is changing and we can either sit back and watch as others shape it around us, or we can join forces and take charge of our own destiny.

Pawbly was the brain child of this dilemma. It is a place where anyone can ask any question and receive answers. As a practice owner it is a way for me to place a safety net around my clients who, like it or not, are out seeking information away from the security of my clinics walls. Whether the public is seeking assistance that is naively or financially motivated it is happening. So Pawbly.com was created to help provide a safe place for answers to be found. Pawbly.com is NOT a place to circumvent or supersede the other most important person in a pets life, the veterinary hospital, it is a place to help support the veterinary community.

Pawbly is an open unbiased platform to help pets. It is a place where credentials are provided and all are allowed to participate. Pawbly will help you keep your clients, find new clients, and most vitally do what you do best, help others. Pawbly strengthens bonds extends assistance and guidance between existing relationships. It also provides access vertically to other pet centered people.

There are resources out there that exist and can help pets, Pawbly provides the platform for the exchange. This is a new age of medicine, and information exchange. The world is still the proverbial oyster..

Best yet, Pawbly is free for everyone to use.

For me personally, it is a place that I can tell my clients they are safe using, it is a way to help me extend my services, and it is a constant reminder about how I enrich and protect their lives and the lives of those they care about.

If you would like to join our crusade please visit us at Pawbly.com.





3 comments:

  1. I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.

    pet microchip scanner by happy shop

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    1. Thank you for reading and I am glad you are enjoying the posts.

      Sincerely, Krista

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  2. Is there an avenue for all veterinarians through ( associations, chapters, etc.) who would be interested in participating in Pawbly if they wanted? It could serve as a link between them and their community to better understand the issue of taking care of their pets. For a lot communities, I believe, there is this wall dividing them, both in the financial and educational perceptions. By this I am referring to how a pet owner is able to understand the proper care, the fear of the cost for treatments, and the communication gaps. This is not to say the veterinarians don't deserve the highest accolades for their achievements, but there has to be a middle ground of "it is not all about who you are, but it is about, what you do."

    I know Pawbly is in it's early stages of growth and I feel it has a good future. Just think how a plaque would look on an office entrance that states something like " We are a member of Pawbly." For that to have meaning the veterinarians need to get involved. It can be a tool for making that wall much shorter and in this age we are living, it can be done a little sooner than the evolution of the wheel. This is win win situation for pets, owners, and the veterinarians.

    "Think about technological float: it took centuries for the wheel to gain universal acceptance. Now any microchip device can be in use around the world in weeks."
    Dee Hock

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