Dr. Stephen Ettinger: A Legendary Perspective on Veterinary Medicine in the Pandemic

Cat taking a selfie with Dr. Ettinger

It’s an honor for me to chat with legendary veterinarian Dr. Stephen Ettinger .  Among other books, Dr Ettinger lead editor the many editions of the Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the gold standard in veterinary internal medicine.

In over 50 years of veterinary medicine, Dr. Ettinger has seen it all.  Or he thought he has. But he sure hasn’t previously lived through a veterinary response to a pandemic.

One challenge is economics. Sadly veterinarians and technicians – just like so many other professions – have been laid off. In some places, however, veterinary practices have never been busier and exhaustion has set it. We talk about the downside of clients who can’t see their veterinarians face to face, as pets are delivered to the clinic curbside. All in all, it’s about stress – pet parents under more stress than ever and so are veterinary professionals.

We talk about the increase in pet adoptions, which Dr. Ettinger said was a wonderful surprised.

We talk about today’s technology and how science has advanced in veterinary medicine, and continues to advance.

Dr. Ettinger also looks into his crystal and says he hopes there is more medical insurance for pets, and he explains why.