The Venting Thread

Good vets are out there but finding a vet who, liability or not, trusts my knowledge and advocacy of my dogs is hard. No, you may not take my dog. I will let you handle them with a muzzle if you don't like me holding but I will not allow you to take them out of sight unless needed for a surgery or the like. I have special care dogs and they will be treated as such, pure and simple.

Additionally I am very open to discussions and in the end I almost always take their advice but I do find myself offended when a vet assumes I don't do my own research on the basics.

We had an amazing, good old country, vet growing up but after the move to Vegas I've seen so many vets that sucks, I avoid trying a new one and that shouldn't be happening.

I understand the new meeting and my vet not knowing me, which adds to my "ugh, time to start dating vets again". I understand their lack of openness to trust but frankly after having too many vets ignorant on behaviors and handling I fear their choices as much as they fear my potential for suing.

I had a vet tell me "it's okay, all dogs love me." I had a stranger aggressive rat terrier who hated men and had been puking for 24 hours, I feared muzzling for choking, and he jutted his hand at her like a noob only to have it bitten. Moron. I don't want another one of those.

Yeah for real, working with the public and their dogs isn't easy. Most people who come through the doors of a vet clinic probably don't know much about their dogs at all.

I mean, sometimes when I'm entering vaccination info for dogs at work, I see that the dog had like 90 vaccines all on the same day and I'm tempted to criticize the vet for juicing the dog up like that. And then I remember that most of these pet owners are totally unwilling to have multiple appointments (even if they're not charged for an office visit!) and will sit there and demand that their dog recieves "ALL THE SHOT!!1!1"

And I also think about how when they want to board their dog and the dog hasn't had Bordatella (because it's not a core vaccine and the dog didn't need it previously, so good for you, vet, for not pushing it) they FREAK OUT, get angry at the clinic/vet, and start ranting about how they told the vet to do "ALL THE SHOT!!!1!1" and they're so MAD that the vet didn't give the dog ALL THE SHOTS. *facepalm* And they ignore me when I try to explain that there's no such thing as "all the shots" and their vet did a GOOD thing by not giving their dog a vaccine for no reason.

There's definitely a balancing act to be done, lol.

Well it's a process to get to know a client well enough to trust their knowledge. Because I guarantee you that a good percentage of people do not really understand the things they read or what research they have done and/or make bizarre cause and effect associations. There are absolutely clients whose judgment and knowledge I trust 100%, but it takes time and conversation to get to know someone well enough to reach that point and I admit it rarely happens in one visit.

On the flip side of that, too, it's nice when people trust ME enough to believe that I am making recommendations that I truly believe are best for their pet, and even if they differ from their opinions it is not because I am necessarily uneducated or money-grubbing but simply because I have drawn different conclusions from the information that is out there and/or because I've seen literally thousands of pets over my career so far... we do know some stuff and have our own experience. Ideally there is a relationship that develops between client and vet but it takes time and trust on both sides.

lol that turned into more of a vent than I meant it to be.

ETA: I have to say that I agree 100% that taking pets out of the room for minor procedures drives me bonkers. In rare cases a pet is easier to handle away from the owner but most people hate it, most pets hate it, and there really isn't any compelling reason to do it IMO.

I trust vets opinions on medical a ton more than it may appear, I'm more than anything concerned with their (those I have dealt with and fear dealing with in the future) knowledge of behavior and handling.

Shoot, you went to school a lot longer than I did and frankly I still expect people to trust me when I say I know my photography. lol

Yea the newer vets around here are much better educated on behavioral problems than I ever was in school, but most vets are woefully ignorant of normal behavior, dog manners, and training. I am by no means a super star in those fields but christ some of the things I hear coming out of vets' mouths make me cringe sometimes.

I must have fairly good luck - I usually go through just one clinic before I find a vet I click with in a new place and then I get to restrain my own animals for most things, the vets don't generally disparage my care decisions, etc.

Of course I also often schedule a plain physical exam appt to get to know the vet with no pressure, I jump in to restrain my dog (using a proper hold) before a tech can and or play cookie dispenser at my dog's head if someone else restrains, and in general, I'm relaxed but clear about things I don't want to be done.

Our current vet I kind of stumbled on just by being cheap (they are 10 mins from my house and the cheapest around) and in general I really like them, though I do have to be careful about which vaccines they use (no 7 ways please) and have to keep track of vaccine spacing myself. Every time I go in I end up talking to the vet about something dog health related in depth and ask questions for more info - I think that helps them see me as a team player and someone who does her research.

Pulling blood work with the owner in the room is an insurance/liability issue at some places.

Three vents for me today:

Number one, I didn't bring enough dressing for my extra huge salad.
Two, I don't know if I have enough gas to make it to the gas station.
Three, I don't know if I have enough gas to make it to the gas station because I overslept this morning and didn't have time to stop at said gas station before work.

Le sigh. Let's hope I make it.

I'm trying out my fourth vet in Kalamazoo at the end of next month when HW test time comes... we'll see how that goes. I train in agility with her so I KNOW her and she knows Frag which is a plus... but, we'll see.

I need to be able to handle my own dogs, take them wherever necessary for blood draws, sedation, xrays, etc. and I don't need a vet to tell me my dog isn't vaccinated because it didn't get 4 dhpp shots and a rabies vaccine at the same time, plus lepto, and that I'm irresponsible for not neutering.

Also, if I know more about shot schedules and routines than a vet tech, I'm not going back. It's hard to find a good vet around here that trusts the human, knows SOMETHING, and doesn't hate Frag for growling at them or think he's a neurotic dog who should never meet other dogs, people, kids, or be allowed out of the house. /rant

You know, people say this a lot, but I have only been to one vet out of... 6 or 7? That didn't let me restrain the dog for a blood draw. I think it is really about private policy and what they prefer than liability.

I am always always always in the room when they draw blood on Frodo. ALWAYS. I'm in charge of his head, and they don't restrain at all (I squeeze cheese the face through a muzzle and someone pokes), they've never even asked to take him in the back room.

My dogs have had blood drawn with me holding them, as in countless other medical issues. The only time they vet/techs have taken them out of the room is for an xray (they I was sorely tempted to ask to go with).

All of you people are making me appreciate my vet even more. LOL

Nah, its definitely a liability issue here. I sign insurance waivers every time I go into the vet when one of my guys is getting a blood draw for that reason

Hell, it was even iffy where we could do blood draws on the animals at school because of liability.

I love flexible vets. Ours told me to never ever let Mu in the back without me (for minor stuff of course). But she took the time to get to know me and Mu and she knows that I'm not being super over protective pet owner when I say "She has issues, I need to be with her and I need you to be careful with her."

Of course, she's also never lectured me about vaccines or what I feed, or anything really.

What I hate the most, is that I understand it can take a little while to get to know a client so that you trust their judgement, but how am I supposed to get to know them without letting them take Frag away and EFF him up, to put it nicely? We've finally gotten to the point where he barely growls when things are happening, but if some dumb tech took him and bear hugged him and physically threw him down to draw blood, he'd probably go from growling to lunging, which is absolutely not ok.

When I can ask him to lay down and stay their during a blood draw or vaccine, or exam, or xray... it's better for everyone involved! But some vets just won't give you the time of day to explain that. I talked to my previous vet for over 2 hours on the phone to let her know what I expected of them and of my dog, and that went very smoothly, but not all vets are willing to work with people like that, and the ones that are have other problems!

Legally it absolutely is a liability and the vet is 100% on the hook for any medical bills incurred by an owner if they get bitten by their own animal... however each vet chooses whether or not to allow it anyway. Most cats I absolutely do not want owners helping to restrain. Dogs are case by case depending on how well I know the owner.

At the clinic I work at, we usually pull blood in the back, but sometimes will do it in a room. Sometimes we let clients come back with their pets.

That said, I will NOT allow anyone to take my dogs from me to do procedures in the back unless it's surgery or something (even then I'll at least ask to watch, if they say no then fine, but I love watching surgeries ). When I find a new vet, that will be one of the questions I ask BEFORE I actually use them for the first time.

The vet I am planning on using here in town after I leave the clinic is a vet I have worked with before (she's a relief vet primarily), and I love her to bits. She's always, ALWAYS willing to learn. She's the only vet around here I've met who is open to grain-free and raw and stuff, and she actually has stopped recommending most crap brands like science diet. She'll even consult me if she has a question about foods. I can't even explain how awesome of a vet she is, and how thorough she is. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that she'll just walk into a room and tell people their dog is fat or their dog stinks. PERFECT.

Wow. That's kind of ridiculous. I mean, I can see the logic, but if you insist on restraining your own dog and don't know them well enough to know when they're going to bite....well you kind of have it coming.

I'm not applying that to cats. Cats be crazy.