Vet Clinic Rant !!!!!

[LARHAGE]

Ok on my way home from buying hay I stopped at my Vets office to make appointments to spay a 6 month old kitten I found at work 4 months ago, I've made her another barn kitty, anyway, the office manager starts to schedule the appt. and tells me about the possible extra fees, ie swollen uterus, pregnant or in season etc, plus the pain meds etc.. she than said I also need to have her vaccinations done, I told her I gave her the shots at 12 weeks and had the vaccination record and packaging from the vaccine showing lot numbers and expiration date. I ALWAYS vaccinate my animals from dogs cats and horses as its too exspensive with the amount of animals I own, I've been doing them over 30 years!!!!! The
nitwit tells me they can't accept the vaccine because and I quote " We have found vaccines given by the owners don't work". WHAT?????

I told her I order my vaccines from the same place they order theirs, they come second day air and are shipped to my office, a University Hospital and stored in the same refrigerator the human vaccines are and Fort Dodge takes as much care shipping vaccines to me as to them!!!! The woman than says its in the best interest of the animal!!!!! I went absolutely ballistic, I said " you are actually going to stand there and look me in the eye and tell me giving a 6 month old kitten 4 vaccine injections is in its best interest??!!! The only thing you have shown me is the main interest is your financial bottom line, I find it sad and pathetic you knowingly would endanger a kittens healt so you can make an additional 37.00 on a completely uneccessary vaccine!!! I than told her to look at how large and how many animals I have brought to the clinic over the years, they will no longer have my business as I no longer have faith or respect for a Vet Clinic that thinks I'm an effing idiot, UGH !!! I have been treating and caring for animals longer than that stupid ding bat has been alive, her condescending tone just infuriated me, of course I left her red faced and embarrassed in the waiting room but still.

I have an appointment to meet a new small animal Vet tomorrow, they just opened up this Clinic, I'm going to have a chat with them, I have a lot of respect for Vets, but they too have to have respect for those of us that have multitudes of animals and the experience to care for them correctly, I LOVE my Equine vet, I so wish he treated all animals, he keeps me so well stocked with meds and vaccines, he knows I live in the boonies and can't call a Vet for every little bump or bruise of stomach pain, it's so important to trust your Vets, I hope the Vet tomorrow is a keeper, otherwise it's going to be a 45 mile drive to my old one, I won't cave to these vaccine happy Vets.

[onyx'girl]

My MIL just had her kitten spayed(and declawed
She was quoted a price, then when she brought her in was making sure what the quote was what the actual charges would be. Um, no.....an extra fee for pre surgical lab work, a fee for pain meds, and a fee for antibiotics for the poor paws. Why when they quote, won't they give all that info up front? Pain meds should be a given, not an option.
An extra $100 is big for a senior citizen on limited income. And then all the vax for an indoor cat is totally over the top.

I hope your new vet is a keeper, too...they are harder and harder to find.

[Jax08]

Did you talk to the vet about the receptionist? I would start there. They may not know she's giving out bad information, treating clients like they are idiots, and pushing unnecessary procedures. SHE shouldn't be giving any information like that at all because she doesn't have the knowledge. She could have heard that said about a rabies vaccine not legally counting and gotten the whole thing screwed up to all vaccines don't work if given by the owner.

[LARHAGE]

You know, I'm going to call the Vet tomorrow Jax, your right he may not know, I have always liked this Vet as he was one who never took the let's do all these tests and see what's wrong, he would try something and if it didn't work try something else, I'm not a cheapskate , but I didn't fall off of the turnip truck yesterday either, I am all about what is best for them, and I know I have forgotten more about animal care than that receptionist will ever know, I was shaking my head in disbelief when she was telling the prior client her kittens vaccination schedule, pushing Feline Leukemia of all shots!

[msvette2u]

Whew. I do all our own vaccines here except rabies (by law vets have to do it) and I've never had a vet or receptionist even ask us...!!

[Jax08]

My cat has had the FL shot. We actually had stray barn cats that brought that in to our yard so when I brought Cracker home, I gave it to him. But not a single person told me that particular shot was known for causing cancer!

I had an issue with the vet tech pushing vaccines on me and then being so busy doing that she screwed up other things. I sent an email to the vet and they reviewed their vaccination policy, reviewed how and when they filled out the forms prior to the clients visit and apologized. The guy was agreeing with everything I said and I haven't had a problem since.

[wolfstraum]

I would believe that is the clinic policy - small animal vets have alot of overhead and vaccines and worming and spay/neuters are their bread and butter...I use 3 or 4 different vets, and a few of them know each other and at least with me, are pretty lienient on my vaccine stuff....the repro vet went to school with my equine vet (old one who sold the clinic) and knows they run my progesterones and do rabies etc....another clinic that I worked at years and years ago does my 19.5 year old cat and one of the dogs...last week I had 2 dogs in clinics 75 miles apart and had to pick them both up the same afternoon! I like having access to a couple clinics so I can get in somewhere when I have any problem.

Lee

[LARHAGE]

That's what I'm going to do Lee, get multiple Vets for different things, I've never had an issue with vaccines before , my vets have always understood I have multiples of dogs and cats and rescue both etc... I have never had problems from groomers either.

[Lauri & The Gang]

I need to get a couple of my guys updated on Rabies and I'm having a devil of a time finding a vet that will JUST do the shot. They all want to charge a 'Wellness Exam' fee.

Give me a break. I have my hands on these dogs EVERY DAY and I would know if something was wrong! They want to charge me between $20 - 40 to check my dog ONCE??

[Jax08]

Lauri - aren't there rabies clinics around you? How about a shelter?