Vets, anyone else had problems?

[98tls]

Nobodys gets everything right 100% of the time i know and possibly am a bit biased due to an incident a few years back when they completly fucked up resulting in a pretty horrendous week or so for a Border Collie until they finally got it right.Anyway a weeek ago i take current Collie to the vets after noticing he got a limp,after inspection they tell me hes strained something or rather in his groin area and pack me off with some pills,a week later the limps worse and hes very quiet so i put him on his side and have a gander finding a bloody huge weepy sore so back to said vets$$,after a 30 second inspection the tell me he will have to stay and they will put him under and inspect which they do,turns out its a very long bit of barley grass thats worked its way in well deep "very common" they tell meif its so common why didnt they sort it a week ago?To top it off whilst waiting to pick Sam up this women comes in having a great old rant,turns out she took her dog in there after it got bowled by a carthey packed her off with some pills as well telling her the dog was very badly bruiseddog just gets worse so she goes elsewhere to find its actually had a fractured pelvis for 5 daysHow can they get stuff so wrong?

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Sounds bloody careless ?
Are they more concerned with money instead of doing a professional job ?
I'd be pissed off too.

[bluninja]

Hey, doctors get it wrong and they only deal with one species!!

I've had an egg bound finch taken to the vet asking for a calcium injection to help her get the egg out....Max said to take her home and come back in the morning if the egg wasn't out. In the morning as expected the bird was dead.

I took my cat to the vet and was told the lumps on her belly were benign mammary lumps. When things got worse I returned and found that mammary lumps are 99% benign in dogs, but 99% malign. Vet gave her 6 weeks to live, she lasted 6 months.

Having said that, the regular vet had pinned a broken femur on a young dog...it didn't have a limp when it died aged 18, and removed a front leg from a cat (the one that died of cancer from the mammary tumours). The locum vet misdiagnosed the cat, and Max isn't a bird specialist.

I think all owners should know their pets physiology enough to provide first aid and identify common issues that can be sorted without visiting the vet...AND also be willing to challenge a vet who they think is giving them the brush off....after all you are paying for a service.

[Laava]

We (wife) paid $1000 to have the vets crack our cat open and then give it the OK.
I was furious but not happy with wife as well for taking it there. You wouldn,t do this to a human.

[98tls]

Sounds bloody careless ?
Are they more concerned with money instead of doing a professional job ?
I'd be pissed off too.

They charge like wounded bulls eh which just makes the whole deal worse,i have no problem paying big $ to get shit sorted with my dog on the rare occasion there is a problem but to pay big $ and have the poor buggers problem get worse is bloody annoying.

[Grizzo]

They charge like wounded bulls eh which just makes the whole deal worse,i have no problem paying big $ to get shit sorted with my dog on the rare occasion there is a problem but to pay big $ and have the poor buggers problem get worse is bloody annoying.

Yep, I reckon they are on par with dentists....thieving buggers

[98tls]

Hey, doctors get it wrong and they only deal with one species!!

I think all owners should know their pets physiology enough to provide first aid and identify common issues that can be sorted without visiting the vet...AND also be willing to challenge a vet who they think is giving them the brush off....after all you are paying for a service.

So there was no need to take my dog to the vets?My dogs my best mate though have to confess i am not big on his "physiology",he was limping so i took him to the vet.If my bikes crook i am well happy to rip it apart and find the reason as i am pretty confident i will do it no harm but i doubt my dog would be that better off if i did it to him.I was told the dog had no more than a strain so didnt even think of arguing the point and happily took the "fix all" pills content that all would soon be fixed only to find a week later the real problem was very "common".Just expected better with a so called "common" problem.

[Hitcher]

They charge like wounded bulls

No they don't. Remember that equivalent procedures carried out on people are often subsidised by taxpayers or offset against health insurance. What you're paying a vet is the actual cost. Vets have invested a lot in gaining their professional skills. Unfortunately they're expected to give those away, and try and make a living off the kitty litter and flea collars people buy in the front of the shop. Vets haven't yet sorted the profession of veterinary science from the business of selling goods and services to people who own animals. Other professions, like optometry, have similar issues.

[bluninja]

So there was no need to take my dog to the vets?My dogs my best mate though have to confess i am not big on his "physiology",he was limping so i took him to the vet..

Clearly there was.....the vet could have doen better; but could you not have done better by knowing how to check your dog over properly so things get spotted, or dealt with sooner? I have 3 best friends; I check them over every day as I'm giving them a smooth so I find any soreness, cuts, swelling, foreign objects or any adverse reaction to being handled.

BTW if you ever get a male guinea pig and use straw in their cage/run, remember to check that they don't have any straw stuck inside thier prick sheath daily as it can get stuck and cause pain and some serious damage

[george formby]

Yup. Had similar service from vets. A quick check over, even quicker assumption & Kaching $$$. Not to mention breed bias.
I've finally found a vet who loves animals, dogs particularly & the bloke is spot on. My pup had a recurring limp & he picked up on her posture instantly, not relaxed enough in the hind legs. Any hoo, no mucking about, x-rays for the problem, x-rays to check on future problems & spot on advice to keep the pup happy. He's not cheap but he is bloody brilliant & available 24/7.
It's like finding a good, old school mechanic, a revelation.

[Grumph]

The initial problem with grass is easily missed in the early stages - even a day later and it can be found easily.
I'd put the miss down to timing. It happens in cats too, shorthair breeds can abscess badly from grass but you can't see it before it erupts.

The rule with breeders is - once you've found a good vet you trust, stick with them. Once the vet gets to know you and hopefully how clued up on your breed(s) and your own animals you are they'll believe you when you say something's wrong....

I speak from 40 years experience of cat and dog breeding....we've only had 4 different vets in that period. We tend to hang with a vet till they die or retire LOL.

[Road kill]

We've been with our vets for 34 years this year,,plus my Mrs has worked for them in the past as well so we have a very good relationship.

But yes they have made mistakes,,,and as painfull as that can be it's just the nature of the game I guess.

Costs,,,,,,,,,,We often ask for and receive discounts.
But we still spend between $1000 and $3000 PA at the bloody vets.

Seems I always owe them money

[unstuck]

Spent $1500 on one of my dogs once, and then had to get him put down a couple of weeks later.

[Dogboy900]

I second what Hitcher said. My partner is a vet nurse so I know a bit about vet practices, they do not make as much money as people think.

Having said that vets are people and vary a lot. At our local practice there are 6 vets who rotate through three clinics They vary from someone who has been a vet for 30 years to a new graduate. There is one vet who I would not take my animal to for anything except routine vaccinations (and its not the new grad), and another who is an orthopedics specialist who is also very good in general who is always in great demand. The others are mostly very competent but may have areas of expertise or areas or particular animals that they do not perform so well with.

If you can get to know who is good and who is not so good and try to ask for the specific vet you trust. Of course if I did not know from behind the scenes it can take a while to find that stuff out.

I do agree the barley grass should have been at least mentioned to you as a possibility at this time of year, unfortunately a lot of vets are taught to act certain even if they are not sure what the issue is.

Be prepared to question what the vet says if it does not make sense or you think they have not done a thorough examination. If they know you are a bit clued up and willing to ask for more info they are more likely to be very thorough.

You sound like a good owner well done on keeping an eye on how your mate is and being willing to act on it straight away.

[Katman]

Had a grain of barley grass caught in the corner of our dogs eye the other day. As I was trying to get it out it was slowly working it's way further in behind the eye. By the time I managed to get hold of it, it took quite a tug to remove it.

Nasty shit that barley grass.