What do you think of the Vets?

Tropez

I think my vet is fantastic, truly.

The surgery is a comparatively busy one, straddling a semi-rural border between the city and the countryside and therefore caters to many different types of animals, and yet there is always an actual employee of the vet on site. Unlike other vets, "out-of-hours" services are not covered by third-parties like Vets 4 Pets but by the actual staff of the surgery.

Charges can be a little steep but the amount of bonus services that are thrown in for relatively little more than makes up for it in my opinion and most importantly the staff that work there are both knowledgeable and genuinely fond of animals.

DebiT

bagginslover wrote: »

I have an informed opinion, which I am as free to express as you are.

Take my dog as an example. All the tests they have done over the past 3-4 weeks show a perfectly healthy dog, going by them there is nothing wring with him at all. Yet he has a raging temperature and is in constant crippling pain in his abdomen and spine, now spreading to his shoulders and hips. Should I not pay for anything they have done so far simply because he's not yet got a diagnosis? Of course I should pay, they have done the work, it's that simple. Work, get paid.

You have every right to express your opinion, you dont have the right to get personal, whether its aimed at me or anyone else.
As for your poor dog, I'd seriously consider finding another vets if I were you.

antw23uk

I have mixed feelings towards vets, we are currently with a good vet practice but the downside is they are a few miles from home and there emergency practice is about 20 miles. We do have a local veterinary group who hold the manopoly around my area and to be honest they disgust me. They are money grabbing, rude morons and i happily told them why i wouldnt be using them and that i was taking my business elsewhere :T

The last straw was taking my neighbour and good friend to the vets to have her very old cat put to sleep. It was about 2130 and the vet nurse who we had spoken to kindly let us in whilst we waited for the vet to arrive. When he did he had a go at her infront of us because she shouldnt have let us in! He was then moaning about how long his day had been and how close to home he was ... Yes thanks 'mate' but my friend here is just about to loose her 19 yr old cat so we couldnt care less what you feel ...... Honestly he was just awful so i made a complaint and told them i wouldnt be using them again.

DebiT

antw23uk wrote: »

I have mixed feelings towards vets, we are currently with a good vet practice but the downside is they are a few miles from home and there emergency practice is about 20 miles. We do have a local veterinary group who hold the manopoly around my area and to be honest they disgust me. They are money grabbing, rude morons and i happily told them why i wouldnt be using them and that i was taking my business elsewhere :T

The last straw was taking my neighbour and good friend to the vets to have her very old cat put to sleep. It was about 2130 and the vet nurse who we had spoken to kindly let us in whilst we waited for the vet to arrive. When he did he had a go at her infront of us because she shouldnt have let us in! He was then moaning about how long his day had been and how close to home he was ... Yes thanks 'mate' but my friend here is just about to loose her 19 yr old cat so we couldnt care less what you feel ...... Honestly he was just awful so i made a complaint and told them i wouldnt be using them again.

Well done you for saying something. I dont know if its just British politeness gone mad, or we are so over awed by people like Doctors, Vets or other professionals that when they are doing a crap job, or ripping us off, (or both) we are too scared to speak up and call them on it.
No one minds paying their vets for treating their beloved animals, and contrary to what some are trying to make out, I do not begrudge them a penny for making my animal well.
What I do object to however, is a vet who after selling me umpteen different uneccessary products, and doing numerous tests, still doesnt have a clue. After all, its not him/her suffering, its the poor animal.

antw23uk

When we first moved to the area a year ago and had to keep our cat indoors he started showing signs of his Urinary Tract Disease flaring up again so i took him straight to the vets, I knew exactly what i wanted and needed for him ... Do you think she would listen? No chance, she was trying to push a special cat food on me which would have been NO help IMO and at one point suggested a steriod injection for him she just would not accept that i knew what i was talking about and i knew what medication i required :mad:

I stayed polite and just kept repeating what i wanted and it really wound her up. Her last comment was a sarcastic "can i get you anything else?" to which i replied "yes a bottle of white wine would be nice to help ease the pain of your overpriced bill for this consultation" .... she wasnt impressed

DebiT

antw23uk wrote: »

Her last comment was a sarcastic "can i get you anything else?" to which i replied "yes a bottle of white wine would be nice to help ease the pain of your overpriced bill for this consultation" .... she wasnt impressed

Lol:D. I'll have to remember that one.

After I adopted my cat from the RSPCA, he had just recovered from a smashed pelvis due to a car accident, but we then noticed he also had a skin problem, he was licking large patches of fur bare. In spite of the fact that we had been told to make sure he took it easy so that he would heal properly, the vet diagnosed ringworm. He insisted we wash the poor thing every day in a special shampoo (we he sold us naturally), and we also had to boil/dispose of practically everything he had come into contact with becaus of the spores. Anyway the poor cat fought like hell and I was really concerned his pelvis would be injured. Needless to say when we went back to the vets after a fortnight of this nonsense there was no improvement. He then decided it wasnt ringworm after all:mad: The next diagnosis was an infection that needed anti biotics. I had to cut open the cats treats scrape out the middle and stick them back together again to ensure he ate them. Two weeks later back to the vets for another useless treatment, cream this time. In the end I worked it out myself, and treated him with natural products, and he got better in no time. You would have thought that 6 years at vet school would give them a bit more of an idea as to a cat's illness than a layperson like me. Obviously I disputed their invoice for all the unnecessary treatment - which they accepted.

What amazes me is how some people accept this kind of incompetance without a murmur.

bagginslover

DebiT wrote: »

You have every right to express your opinion, you dont have the right to get personal, whether its aimed at me or anyone else.
As for your poor dog, I'd seriously consider finding another vets if I were you.

You asked for my opinion, I gave it, no where did you set limits on those opinions. I won't be changing vets, but thank you for your opinion.

Katiehound wrote: »

Hi Bagginslover, Sorry to hear about your dog, you must be getting frantic (as well as bankrupt) and still no further forward.Just wonder if you can get a referral to a vet who practises acupuncture?

Thanks. He was swapped off anti biotics yesterday, and started on steroids instead. Apparently this treats for a rare parasite which attacks nerve endings, and it seems to be working (everything crossed!!). His temperature normalised within 16 hours of starting them, and his pain certainly is no worse, and possibly slightly better He is coming home tonight to see how he does here.

Katiehound

Good luck, do hope the treatment contines to work and that you have a healthy, happy dog asap

snowman2_2

I think this thread is getting a little bit personal but I would just like to make a few general points.

* This is not an easy job and I am constantly learning (and taking training courses)
* I would have been better off financially being a doctor but my A-level grades were too high
* We are all human and do make the odd mistake, however most of the time we are correct
* Biology is not simple
* Vets offer good value & excellent service compared to the NHS
* All vets are different and some are better than others
* I have bills to pay, mortgages etc and so do my staff
* Most vet staff are underpaid, especially nurses & receptionists. I would love to pay mine more but
* Having a pet is a privilege not a right
* It is not my responsibility to pay for your pets healthcare
* If you don't like your vet, go elsewhere
* Most vets try very hard to do their best for the animal
* Vets are finding it difficult to adapt to the internet age but we must alter our business model. I am just not sure what we need to alter it to but I think I might just ask this forum