[DHau]

When taking your pet in for an exam, what does your vet do as a standard? I took my cat in and I felt like I didn't have his full attention. I expected him to give my pet a complete exam to include an eye, ear, and heart check. Instead he just asked what's going on and did what little he had to do and left the room. I don't know if this is normal. I felt like I didn't get my money's worth. Wham, bam, thank you ma'mam.

Another item worth mentioning is that I brought in an insect speciman to be identified a month or so ago I found in the house and the vet said he didn't know what it was. When taking the cat in on Friday, I brought the same specimans again in a jar and he said it was flea larvae. Gross I know but figured it had to be cat related because it was found only where he sleeps.

Also, an aquaintance said he didn't do a GS spay correctly and her dog got an infection from continuous bleeding. Another vet checked her dog and it was found that part of the uterous was still there.

I know a lot of people who have gone to this vet because he's the closest and never heard anything negative before this.

I'm just wondering if I should change vets. He really is a nice person though.

 

[SunCzarina]

Well, when I had cats the vet tech would ask why the cat is there, get some details, get a weight, take the temperature, look in the ears and take a swab. Then the doctor came in, read the tech's notes, put his light in the ears and eyes, looked at the teeth and gums, listened to the heart and felt the cat up. Usually he would know what's wrong by the end of that (lol, he's that good)

Personally, I'd find another vet. I had one vet who told me my cat had a BB on his spine. It was a cyst...

 

[LadyHawk]

I am a really nice person too. That will never make me qualified as a vet without the proper work. If you are not listening to the little voice in you that has a problem then you might just wish that you did.
I love my vet - and I have worked as a tech before. I prefer him for his Meat and potatoes approach- a very practical man. But as some of you have found, there are many MANY animal techs and vets that are weary of GSD's . My vet has NEVER asked any unusal requests with my dogs....Matter of fact, he adored them (almost as much as I do) He has a wonderful way with them.
Listen to your inner voice if it's warning you.
As far as flea lavae, did he treat your cat for worms???? Did he obtain a stool sample to test for tape worms?? If he did not I would see another vet.(Personally)

 

[arycrest]

I agree that being a nice person doesn't qualify a person as being a competent doctor. It sounds like your cat didn't even get a bare bones basic exam. IMHO if you're uneasy about the care he's getting you should find another doctor.

 

[kbigge]

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!

 

[Maedchen]

Ditto to the previous replies.
Sounds like he's not taking his job seriously and is charging you for something without actually providing the service.
Maybe next time go to a different vet, just for comparison- you might be surprised.

 

[DHau]

Originally Posted By: LadyHawkI am a really nice person too. That will never make me qualified as a vet without the proper work. If you are not listening to the little voice in you that has a problem then you might just wish that you did.
I love my vet - and I have worked as a tech before. I prefer him for his Meat and potatoes approach- a very practical man. But as some of you have found, there are many MANY animal techs and vets that are weary of GSD's . My vet has NEVER asked any unusal requests with my dogs....Matter of fact, he adored them (almost as much as I do) He has a wonderful way with them.
Listen to your inner voice if it's warning you.
As far as flea lavae, did he treat your cat for worms???? Did he obtain a stool sample to test for tape worms?? If he did not I would see another vet.(Personally)

I fogot to mention that the tech did take a temp and weight. I was just thinking after my visit that no one checked the eyes, heart and teeth. I would think that would be standard procedure.

Yes, I had the fecal done and was treated for tapeworms. That was one of the reasons why I went in the first place. My cat has been overweight and I wanted to see if he's doing ok. As it turns out, since we switched to Natural Balance cat food and have been monitoring the amounts, he has lost 4 pounds. Yay!!

One of the reasons why I hesitate to switch is that this vet is up to speed with the latest technology because he works very closely with the veterinarian college nearby. He always listens to whatever I have to say. Maybe my last visit was just a bad day for him.

 

[selzer]

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.

 

[LisaT]

Originally Posted By: DHau.......
I know a lot of people who have gone to this vet because he's the closest and never heard anything negative before this.

The first vet that I used, I did because he seemed okay and he was "close". One mile away, and the next vet is 20 miles away.

That "close" vet would have killed my dog had I kept going to him. My girl has seen *lots* of vets, and he was the worst.

From everything you have posted, "close" doesn't sound like a good trade off.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

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

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.

 

[middleofnowhere]

OP - so you think your vet listens, you usually get good care... chaulk it up to a bad day if you feel he's competent.

 

[DHau]

That day was the first time I ever felt upset with his care. I have been going to him for 10 years and he always listens to what I have to say. I was just wondering if other vets give a complete physical to animals when they come in for an exam or just get right down to the meat of things so to speak. If I have to go in again with my animals, I am going to make a point of asking for a complete examination since I am paying for it.