I think I got ripped off by my veternarian

[Blondie]

DocR., why always on the defense? You always seem ready for a full scale assault.

I'm sure the author of this thread wasn't singling out every Vet in the country. She was just venting her experience.

Not all Vets are created equal. There are the very kind and compassionate, and then there are the ones burned out and just trying to make a buck to cover all their overhead.

Same could be said for all occupations.

 

[nancy679]

That was quite a respose. I certainly didnt expect any negative posts. I think the fact that I take my dog to the vet just proves how much I care and love him and want him to be well. And I want him to be comfortable in his final years. I am very sad that he is getting old, because he is my first "child". I wasnt mad at vets in general (and I didnt post any mad faces like you did) I just want to be informed of choices I have. For example, as I stated in my original thread, the glucosamine I had inquired about cost me $4 rather than the $70 for the dog brand. I called my vet this morning and she said I could give him the human form, I just had to tell her what the milligrams were.

 

[Robinrs]

I agree with Blondie... sheesh!

As consumers and Americans we have a right to make decisions and complain about what we pay for.

I see more complaints about the entertainment business and the media on this board than anything. I cannot personalize it, people have a right to state their opinion without a "full scale assault"!

I have had good and bad vets. My vet now is VERY expensive but worth every dime. She is a cat only doctor and she was the only person on the face of this earth who gave me hope when Rambo was ill. She gave him 3 more years, 3 years that I will always treasure.

I called Rambo "my small car" because he cost about as much. But I would pay anything to keep him healthy, and this vet was a lifesend.

On the other hand I had one WITCH who called me at work and told me his diagnosis -- cancer -- and that there was nothing I could do about it. Her bedside manner was ... well, a "full scale assault!" (my turn to post the MAD face)

Max's vet did about the same thing. When he was getting neutered he developed a nasty upper respiratory infection. She asked me nonchalantly if I wanted to give him back to the Humane Society. I told her that I had bought a cat and not a mattress! She sighed and continued treating him. He did get well but this nasty doctor was not the reason. A veterinary aide took time out every day to make sure he would get his meds, which was NOT easy, and spent time with him everyday. He told me that Max was his "pet project". It took three weeks but now you would never believe he was ever sick.

I'm sure it is not a requirement to take Dale Carnegie classes in med schools but I think it would be a good idea....

 

[Muffin]

Originally posted by nancy679
And does he need to be vaccinated against parvo at his age anyway.

A little off topic, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE have your dog vaccinated against parvovirus. It can be treated but the treatment is horrendous for the animal. We lost a dog (a stray that we had picked up off the street) to parvo. It was heart wrenching to see her suffer during treatment and then still die.

Please take care of your furbabies, they can't do it for themselves.

 

[C.Ann]

Just as with any other profession, there are the good and the bad - the honest and the dishonest..

I don't think the harsh response was warranted.. You were simply questioning something your vet did.. What WOULD be irresponsible is to ignore your own thoughts and blindly follow those of someone else "just because"..

Glad you got the med thing straightened out..

 

[Patsy1969]

Hi, I work at a vet office and I can understand your question. There is a discussion in vet. profession about giving a dhlpp vaccine every year. I was surprised that while he was doing a titer test he did not offer to do a cbc and a blood profile on your pet. We are finding doing that on our "senior pets" we are treating some serious problems early. Also I would do xrays to verify what is going on with the back and legs or how bad the problem is. Some people have found using the magnetic beds help too. Good luck. Your pet is lucky to have you!! Patsy

 

[Blondie's Mom]

Doc, It is refreshing to hear what you had to say and I agree 100%. We have been going to the same vet for 32 years(different animals, of course) And if he thinks something needs to be done to protect my furbaby then bless him for his great knowledge.Blood work can be a life saver. One of my angels was discovered to be diabetic and another had hypothyroidism.
She crossed rainbow bridge last year because she developed acute renal failure.I had to administer a form of dialysis.I have a 17 month old beagle pup now and still go to the same vet.God bless our vets!

 

[nancy679]

Thanks to everyone for posting. I really didnt think I would get this much of a response. But this has actually enlightened me. I'm sure people question services they recieve, whether it be the auto mechanic or the plumber working on their house, regardless of how much experience we have in those areas. When you go to your own physician, dont you ask why tests are being done and what is it he is checking for.

My post states that I was surprised at the cost of the blood test NOT that I withheld the test. And it was only a titer, nothing else. As a matter of fact, the vet called me personally to tell me that the titer was fine and he didnt need to have the vaccine.

My original question was did he need this particular shot at his age. I asked that because I am not experienced in this field. And I ask because I am my pets only advocate. I asked the question here because I DIDNT ask at the vets. This particular vet is new to the office, and I've only seen her twice. I've been very lucky that my dog has NEVER been sick or injured in all his 12 years. And its probably because he is very well taken care of. He has only had to go to the vet for his usual visits.

 

[Rajah]

Nancy -- IMHO, I'd continue to vaccinate as needed. I do believe it is bad to over-vaccinate, so even though it cost more to do the test first, it prevented a potential problem later. Over-vaccinating is, in some ways, like over-dosing on certain medications. You don't take more medicine than you need, right? Ditto the vaccinations (though for different reasons that I'm sure a vet could explain much better than I am ). But at the same time, when you're sick and need medicine, you don't skip out on it, right? Same thing for the vaccinations. They're worth doing, but you don't want to over-do it. (even though vaccinations are different from medications)

I've also had experiences with good vets and bad vets. I'm very lucky that the vet clinic we decided to take Blaze and Sage to was the best I've ever worked with. That clinic was more willing to fight for Sage than I was, and even though we lost the fight, it meant a lot to me that they were ALL pulling for us and doing everything (including sending us to non-conventional homeopathic vets to explore our options). I'm impressed enough with them that even though we're moving farther away and will no longer be right around the corner from them (I literally can walk there right now if I wanted to), I will continue to come to this clinic because they're so good. No, they're not cheap, but I'm willing to pay for them!


Nancy -- if you don't have that kind of relationship with your vet/vet office, you need to look around until you can find one you *can* get that kind of relationship with.

 

[2disneywego]

Nancy -- if you don't have that kind of relationship with your vet/vet office, you need to look around until you can find one you *can* get that kind of relationship with.

I agree that's one of the most important things. We trust our vet to do the right thing for Sam & Molly. These are my very first pets, so I would bring a list of questions every time we went. The vet thought that was a great idea and she wished more people did it. She encouraged us to ask as many questions as we wanted. In fact, the question and answers usually took twice as long as the actual pet visit.