Vet Exam

I had the same vet for 10 years (I actually worked for her when I got my first pet). I liked her, she did ok, but was difficult to talk to. Like pullng teeth sometimes. Since I worked for her for a while, I was sort of in the "comfort zone" with her. THEN I got a GSD puppy. LOL - this dog is my heart. I actually switched vets, as I knew she wouldn't appreciate all the research I did myself on canine nutrition, vaccinations, etc. I started looking for a new vet, and after 3 different visits, found the perfect vet. Guess what - he's also the most expensive vet in town. But in this case, you definitely get what you pay for. The first time I went in was just to meet the vet and tour the hospital. I took Kodee with me, not expecting any type of exam or anything. Let me tell you, our vet gave him the most thorough exam I have ever seen. He checked Kodee over for 15-20 minutes, easy. He was gentle, sat down to speak with me, we discussed my questions/concerns, etc. After about 35 minutes of talking, I told him that if he had appointments to get to, I understood. He said "No, this is fine." He spent an HOUR with me, talking. He is very knowledgeable, does not get offended if you say you've read research that says x,y,z. He'll give you his opinion, but he doesn't talk down to you. He talks with you. He obviously cares about animals, not just a paycheck. He's the best vet ever.

Kodee got away from me one evening and got hit by a car right in front of me at home. I rushed him to the local vet. We got there at 5:15, and the jerk checked Kodee over really quick, gave him a shot for pain, and sent him home. When I looked at the receipt, I saw that he managed to get us out of there at 5:29! Yay for him - he closed the clinic on time at 5:30. I was pissed. I slept on the floor w/Kodee all night that night, and first thing in the a.m., took him to our vet (another town). The Dr. checked Kodee for 15-20 minutes again - thoroughly. Did all kinds of checks, range of motion, vision test, etc. I'm thinking - why didn't the other vet look at all this stuff last night - when my dog had JUST gotten hit by a car? Just goes to show - it pays to shop around.

If that little voice is telling you get a new vet - I'd do it in a heartbeat. What do you care about more - your cat/dog, or the fact that a vet is a "nice person." I'm sure you care more about your pet. I'd start looking for a new one. And that story about the spay would freak me out - I've watched dozens of spays - I don't know how anyone could leave part of the uterus in!

A nice person doesn't cut it. When our family doctor refused my little sister antibiotics for a lump on her neck, and she got sicker and sicker, finally we changed doctors, he put her on antibiotics and scheduled her for surgery. The lump went down and no surgery was necessary. But my sister was four years old, and this guy could be plenty nice until she landed in her grave.

A vet has to be more than nice. You need to be able to trust your vet. If you cannot, you will always be second guessing and trying to determine for yourself what to do and what not to do. No matter how much we research and look things up on the net, we might miss something crucial. It sounds like this vet would too. Much better to throw in the towel and find another vet.

I brought in a drop off kitty that I feed and spayed and now take to the vet once every three years for shots, and they gave her a better check up than what you described. And I TOLD the vet that this was just a barn kitty, and that I was not sure how she would behave, etc.

Originally Posted By: DHauI'm just wondering if I should change vets. He really is a nice person though.

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My vet can be crabby and ill tempered, is often short with his staff, and is always behind schedule, sometimes seriously behind schedule. We always have to wait past our appointment time, and counting the time in the waiting room, in an exam room waiting for the vet, and the time the vet is in the room with us, I've been there for an hour and a half or more on occasion.

One of his vet techs has worked for him for over 30 years. She said people either love him and refuse to see the other vets (in the 22 years we've been going there he's sometimes been the only vet there and sometimes he's had one or two others), or they hate him and never come back. When it's not that busy and he's not stressed he's actually friendly and chatty, but that's so rare that the first time it happened I wondered if he had been stolen and replaced by an alien, lol!

So although I like him, "nice person" wouldn't be at the top of my list of descriptors. BUT, he's extremely knowledgeable, extremely experienced, and he'll tell it like it is. Maybe it will be what you want to hear, and maybe it won't be, but it's always going to be the honest truth about the situation. I trust him. And if I request a test and explain why I want it done, he'll do it, or he'll explain why it doesn't need to be done - he won't just blow me off. If I bring in something I printed off the internet (like when Keefer had SIBO), he'll read it. If he doesn't know, he'll say so, and he'll do some research to find out.