What care to expect from a VET?

[adas]

Aloha, all. What type of care do you expect from your Vet. My experiences....is this typical or should I look for a better vet?

Nimai had was run over and not expected to live and spent 3 days in Intensive care @ $1000.00 a day, finally coming out of a coma and possible brain damage but well enough to take home and "hope for the best. For sure the Vet made some intelligent decisions and saved his life, but.......

The Vet hospital was VCA, a very big "impersonal" clinic with 15 vets and many many assistants. So no one Vet actually Knows your dog, only what is in the chart. Every time I came to visit Nimai, I was asked to wait 15 minutes and i found out that is the typical time required to "get him ready" for a visit. This i found out was time to remove urine-soaked towels, stool, etc.
Is this acceptable? Should this not be an ongoing thing where the owner needs to show up so they make things nice or should vet-techs do a clean up on routine?

I saw techs dragging IV tubes along the floor while there, and was cautioned to not give Nimai any water as he could vomit. (or was it that the tech did not want to have to change the urine towels more frequently?) Nimai was allowed water as he had a bowl, but was empty. As soon as i filled it he drank it all and tech would not let me refill.

Every time i called the reception the lady put me through to a tech and each time they gave me the wrong info. (about another dog).

When the original vet went on days off a more senior Vet took over and really had a different diagnosis that the first vet. (all he knew was what was in the charts and was not up to speed personally with Nimai's condition.)

Is the above typical and acceptable?

The obvious thing to me would be to find a more "mom and pop" Vet that knows you by name and actually remembers the dog.

What do you think?

thanks
francis

[Marnie]

Typical, yes. We have a big clinic like that here. The level of skill in surgery is excellent but everything is impersonal.

I wish you and Nimai the best.

[doggiedad]

adas and Marnie: poor care from a Vet, Vet Hospital
and techs isn't typical. both of you should fine a better
place to take your dogs.

[BlackCat]

Not all big vet surgeries are like that. I have a small, personal vet I have used for over 15 years and he knows all my pets intimately. When my Lobo bloated, he referred us to the multi-vet surgical center here in San Antonio because he felt they would provide the best possible care. They did. The vet was excellent, gave my husband and I a clear explanation of what happened internally, what the surgery would entail, and what to expect for his recovery. After his surgery, the vet came out and talked to us and told us everything that had gone on in the OR. Over the next couple of days the vet or the tech assigned to Lobo called us periodically with updates. When we called the clinic, we were connected to Lobo's tech who knew all about his case. I couldn't have asked for better treatment for him or for us.

[Kaity]

I wouldn't take my dog to a place that big, but where Vida goes I think theres 6 vets? I only book her with 2 of them and they've watched her grow since a pup and are more personal with her which IMO, helps with the care. Larger places have better intensive care treatment, but aftercare.. meh. Maybe it's typical but I don't see it as acceptable.

[Marnie]

Originally Posted by doggiedad

adas and Marnie: poor care from a Vet, Vet Hospital
and techs isn't typical. both of you should fine a better
place to take your dogs.

I don't use the big clinic, except for surgeries.. Their surgeons are the best. Vets are just like doctors. Some don't have the best bedside manner but they are very good at what they do. Some have wonderful manners and no particular skill at medicine. Don't we all have to find the best help in whatever situation we find ourselves in? I pick and choose when I can.

[Good_Karma]

Wow, what a bad experience! I do like a small vet practice (no choice for me there really since I live in a rural area and that is all there is locally) for the reasons you stated, but any major surgeries need to be handled at a bigger hospital. We have used two different hospitals which were associated with colleges: Ohio State University and Cornell University. The level of care our pets got at each was top notch. I don't know if it is because they are college vet schools, or if we just got lucky.

Your description of how your dog was treated is very saddening. I hope you can find a better place to go to in the future.

[NewbieShepherdGirl]

I went to a big vet teaching hospital when Sasha had her seizure and was not terribly impressed. I know that if she needed something major that is where I would want her to go (or like in this case where it's an emergency and they're open 24hrs), but other than that I would not take her there. I didn't like a lot of what went on, and found the vet tech to be very unresponsive. The actual vet was fine, though rather rushed (even though we were the only people there), but I definitely prefer our regular, small town vet. He gives very good care, and while he is more expensive, to me it's worth it to have someone that you can tell actually cares about your dog.

[Lesley1905]

I work as a tech at a local animal hospital and that is totally unacceptable! We are always checking runs/crates for any soiled towels. My boss is very strict on not contaminating things such as IV lines, syringes, etc. You should find a better place and quick! We also have larger hospitals around us. One of them is the largest in South Florida. It's the best for medical care, but I hear the people aren't that personable. Where I work, my boss does the majority of the "call backs" and questions from owners concerning very ill patients. If routine bloodwork/stool checks come back normal, then I will call and report it to the owner. If there is any concern or a questions I myself can't answer, my boss is never too far away or too busy to talk to a concerned owner. I'm so thankful for her. I would never work for someone that I didn't trust with my own dogs!

[adas]

It was the only 24hr hospital setup for acute care, so I guess I do not have much to complain about. But will be looking for a country doctor to handle the small stuff.

But looking at Leslie's post above I should expect more. When I called the vet back after a few days, it was like I was inconveniencing her and was expected to make an appointment for consultation. After all I just spent $3400.00 with them I shud have gotten some nice follow-ups


Francis