One of the hardest conversations in veterinary medicine happens when a client walks into your clinic carrying not just a pet…
But another veterinarian’s reputation.
Sometimes they arrive angry.
Sometimes confused.
Sometimes they arrive already convinced that the previous veterinarian was wrong.
And then they ask the question.
“Doc, mali po ba yung ginawa ng previous vet?”
At that moment, you are no longer dealing with medicine alone.
You are dealing with professionalism.
You are dealing with integrity.
You are dealing with the future of our profession.
The Easy Answer
The easiest thing in the world is to criticize.
The easiest way to gain a client’s trust is to make another veterinarian look incompetent.
The easiest way to win a client is to say:
“Buti dito kayo pumunta.”
“Mali po yung ginawa nila.”
“Kung ako yan, hindi ko gagawin yan.”
Clients love hearing those statements.
Why?
Because it validates their frustration.
It confirms their suspicion.
It makes them feel they made the right decision to leave.
And for a brief moment, you become the hero.
But heroes built on the destruction of others rarely last.
The Problem With Judging Another Veterinarian
Veterinary medicine is rarely black and white.
- You were not there during the consultation.
- You did not hear the entire conversation.
- You did not see the patient’s condition at that exact moment.
- You did not know the client’s budget limitations.
- You did not know what diagnostics were declined.
- You did not know what information was withheld.
You only know one side of the story.
And in medicine, one side is never enough.
Many times, what appears to be a wrong decision was actually a reasonable decision based on the information available at that time.
What I Usually Tell Clients
When clients ask me if another veterinarian was wrong, I usually say:
“I was not there during the consultation, so it would be unfair for me to judge what happened.”
“Let’s focus on what your pet needs today.”
Notice what happened.
The conversation shifts from blame…
to solutions.
From emotions…
to medicine.
From conflict…
to patient care.
The Dangerous Trend
What worries me today is that some veterinarians have become too comfortable criticizing colleagues.
Some openly mock other clinics.
Some advertise themselves by highlighting the mistakes of others.
Some even use social media to indirectly attack fellow professionals.
That may gain attention.
It may even gain clients.
But every time a veterinarian tears down another veterinarian, the entire profession becomes weaker.
Clients begin to think:
“If veterinarians cannot trust each other, why should we trust veterinarians?”
And that is a dangerous place for our profession to be.
There Is a Difference Between Ethics and Ego
Of course, there are situations where genuine negligence exists.
There are situations where unethical conduct must be addressed.
There are situations where animal welfare demands intervention.
But there is a difference between protecting patients…
and feeding your ego.
One is professional responsibility.
The other is professional insecurity.
Never confuse the two.
The Strongest Veterinarians
The strongest veterinarians are not those who can find faults in others.
The strongest veterinarians are those who can build trust without destroying someone else’s reputation.
Anyone can criticize.
Not everyone can show restraint.
Not everyone can choose professionalism when criticism would have been easier.
And that is what separates a true professional from a competitor disguised as one.
Because at the end of the day, we are not just treating animals.
We are representing an entire profession.
Every word we say about another veterinarian reflects not only on them.
It reflects on all of us.
Dr. Geoff Carullo is a Fellow and the current President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners.
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