Great Vet, Crummy Tech

[Saeleofu]

One thing that I hated about being a tech, was having to push the clinic's policies which usually conflicted with my own beliefs. So yeah I would "push" stupid, unnecessary vaccines on people and they probably hated it if they really knew they didn't want it (vs people that just have no clue about any of it), but I'm just doin' my job. Your 12 year old chihuahua that never leaves your yard? No, I really don't think he needs a lepto vaccine, but I'm gonna tell you that you should get it anyway.... ugh.

I don't push vaccines, I don't push early speuter, and I certainly don't push crap food. I tell them our records say they are due for ________ and ask if they want it done today. if they say yes, fine. If they say no, fine. I only ask once.

I'm glad we don't even carry lepto, corona or influenza vaccines.

[MericoX]

I always get the tech we love on the phone when I call for appointments or have a question, but never see her when we're actually there. And then I get the nasty one at check out.

The tech at the er-vet when I had to take Kiba was quite rude as well. Here Kiba is pooping blood-tinged stool.. and she gets upset with me that Kiba wasn't going on the puppy pad she put down. May have given Kiba a high five went she went under the bench in the room wwwaayyyy in the back that I know was not easy to pick up. That's what you get for making us wait and getting nasty.

We've also had one vet at the practice we go to that I WILL NOT see anymore. As a puppy Stryder was having issues so I took him in, explained he couldn't settle at night.. would pant and was acting hot. Vet waved it off as "he's a schnauzer, they tend to be anxious", and it ended up him being on EVO RM (no idea why). Also another time I took Kiba in because her neck felt swollen, he examined her and said it was just her throat. A few weeks later we were at a vacc. clinic and on a whim got her and stryder tested for lyme and it came up positive.. her swollen neck was due to lymph nodes. So yeah... we don't see him. Also he thought Innova was a dog breed XD

[Lyzelle]

I've never come across a vet tech I liked. Ever. They've all been incredibly rude and extremely rough with my dogs. Because, you know, since they are big dogs they are immediately man eaters that need to be manhandled and muzzled and shoved around and sat on.

Receptionists have always been very rude, too.

Only ever had ONE clinic that I LOVED for the vets. Their techs still sucked and the receptionists were all old, rude bitties that gossiped constantly...but the vets were awesome. Very reassuring, very open about feeding, vaccines, and all their information. More than willing to stay late to finish up a spay and make sure they were okay to come home. Just really awesome people. They'd do emergency house calls, too, 24/7, and offered emergency transport for larger dogs if the owner couldn't move the dog. For example, there's no way we would have gotten Macie, all 160lbs of dead weight, anywhere. Ever. So that was a comforting thought, that they'd come out to the house to see her and help transport.

I haven't found a vet around here I like, yet. They are all "farm dog" type of vets. The kind that have most experience in horses and cattle, but see dogs on the side and really know nothing about them.

[SpringerLover]

The more comfortable I got with my job, the more I offered our unofficial 3-year vaccine protocols to people. In the beginning I said the people asked about it and towards the end I just said "hey, this dog/cat is old as dirt... I told them to do core vaccines every three years, mmkay?" And then instead of doing all those vaccines, we'd talk about SUPER BASIC bloodwork, like a CBC.

I just kind of evaded the food topic unless it came up.

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Saeleofu

I don't push vaccines, I don't push early speuter, and I certainly don't push crap food. I tell them our records say they are due for ________ and ask if they want it done today. if they say yes, fine. If they say no, fine. I only ask once.

I'm glad we don't even carry lepto, corona or influenza vaccines.

Usually it would go something like "so Fido is due for his distemper, rabies, and bordetella today. Would you like us to update all of those? We also offer a couple vaccines that he has never had before...." And then begin spiel on lyme and lepto. So if they said "well he never leaves the backyard so I don't think he needs those" then we were supposed to explain to them how even walking in dewy grass and then licking his paws can give him lepto and then tell them it's zoonotic and YOUR BABY WILL GET IT. To which most people would go "oh wow, better do that one then too!"

That was just one clinic I was at though, where the doctors had us be pretty thorough with our poking and prodding for information at annual visits. The last clinic I was at, basically they just wanted us to ask how the pet was doing... and then the dr would delve into the finer details. I suppose it's not a bad thing that we gave them information about the vaccines, I just hated doing it because most pets really do not need lepto or lyme vaccines. And A LOT of people would jump on board with doing them once we told them how "easy" it is to get either disease.

Food and speuter I never touched!

[JessLough]

OH I've run into the great tech, crappy vet deal. We don't see that vet at the clinic anymore.

I had one vet who was good at her job, but didn't quite believe me when I told her Renegade is an asshole and will bite if she takes him from me, that I am to go into the back with him. Well... she took him, didn't listen. Next thing I know, he's locked onto her hand. She apologized for that.

[Grab]

Originally Posted by SpringerLover

The more comfortable I got with my job, the more I offered our unofficial 3-year vaccine protocols to people.

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Our clinic offers the 3 year schedule, but the vets rarely offer it on their own unless it is an ancient dog. And even then, only two of the vets think about it then. (one isn't comfortable with it at all) I point it out to them when I notice they've been getting years of annuals and suggest it, which will often get it changed to the 3 year schedule.

We have a couple of clients that feed raw, which is refreshing. (one is a cat) Mind you, every time anything is at all wrong with the dog who eats raw, we're told "it's probably because she's fed roadkill"...

I don't push things on clients. I go in, take a history, and that's it.

[elegy]

Gosh I'm so glad I work for vets who are very about 3-year vaccines and only giving stuff like lyme and bordetella (and now influenza) to people whose dogs' lifestyles actually put them at risk.

The biggest place I run into trouble is with declaws. Doctors and other staff are extremely pro-declaw. I am very not. It's hard sometimes.

[AllisonPitbullLvr]

Originally Posted by elegy

Gosh I'm so glad I work for vets who are very about 3-year vaccines and only giving stuff like lyme and bordetella (and now influenza) to people whose dogs' lifestyles actually put them at risk.
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Here too.

I'm not nearly as bothered by what people feed (except the new Costco dog food-- has anyone SEEN how many freaking calories is in that stuff?!) and as much as I don't want you to push your ideas about how YOU feed on to me, I don't want to push any feeding agenda on to you.

Where I DO feel it necessary to intervene is with terrible training. Ugh.

OP, I would definitely write a letter or make a phone call to the clinic about the tech. The vet may have had previous complaints OR may have no idea about her attitude if no one speaks up.

At our clinic, we have notes on almost every file about which doctor/tech people prefer to see or not see.

[Fran101]

Yelp is like what makes or breaks you in Boston. I've found that vet clinics and especially techs are learning that very quickly lol there are so many vets crowded into ONE city that you thrive or you FAIL and really all it takes is a bad review or two.

Rude techs and rude receptionists are the MOST COMMON thing I see people complain about, and 8/10, the tech or receptionist is fired if there was a real issue/more than one person complains about them. If one person makes a review "Oh the tech with red hair was so rough with my dog and rude!" Just wait.. 2 more people will likely come out of the woodwork like "I know, she was bad with my cat too!" and "She was so short with us when we asked her a question!" and then of course the clinic will come in with a statement about the issue, some free stuff, and saying the tech has been replaced. I've seen this happen at least 5 times.

So.. I've never really encountered a rude tech or receptionist. I think they all kind of figure that they are incredibly easy to replace (which, to be fair..they are around here. Lots of vet techs and students wanting to get in the door) and people are sensitive about their pets.

I use my same mentality at my work in the pet-care industry that I did in retail.
I am a very knowledgable, smiley, perky, well spoken..brain dead individual/robot.
Once you get into practice, it works splendidly. Nothing people say throws me or gets me angry the persona is so well into place lol if they ask for advice? Great. If they are feeding an awful food and mention a problem I will say "You know, my dog had ______, and you know what really helped? Switching him off a corn based food and trying ______" It doesn't feel judgey (because you are saying you went through the same problem) and makes them more open to listening to you.

I have the same mentality as most people do around here. I don't go to places with rude employees. Too many other options in the city lol sorry