What do you WANT & EXPECT from a vet?

amy104

My current vet is the best I've ever had for my bunnies, not because he's knowledgeable, not because he has fair prices, not becuase he's gentle with them (All of which he is) but because he's honest and if he doesn't know something he'll say so, and then go find the answer.

One of my bunnies has a very challenging respitory infection, none of the usual tests like a culture and sensitivity shed any light and all the usual antibiotics had no effect. I was able to approach my vet with my own ideas about alternative medications and even the use of a nebuliser which he'd never heard of before but he went and did some reasearch and was more than accomodating in helping me. As a result the bunny in question is more stable than he's been in months.

Katiehound

I am pretty happy about my vet:
Why? He tells me what the options are and will listen if I suggest alternative therapy. He even contacted a homeopathic vet on my behlaf (out of the area) and didn't charge me extra.
He is on call 24/7 not an out of hours service.
He is lovely with my dogs and has a pet side manner with them.
I think his prices are reasonable.

There you have 4 reasons.

What more would I like?
To be able to buy wormers & flea treatments at a reasonable cost. Instead I buy from online companies because there is a huge difference in price. I would be willing to pay a little bit extra but not x3!

What I really hate is when I hear that a vet (not mine) has suggested a treatment which is money no object, prolonging an animal's life when in all honesty the quality has gone. Is it because the owners are grasping at straws? or because the vet has £££££ signs in the eyes?

One of the reasons I switched vets several years ago is because 1) I never saw the saw person twice and continuity would help. & 2) because some vets (in this rural area) forget they are not dealing with farm animals. Talk about no bed side manner. Saying that I think all animals should be handled with care- talkabout rough!

QueenieB

I love my vet! He never tries to push me into a more expensive treatment where something cheaper will do the job, I get a good (agricultural) discount and he never treats us like idiots.
That said, I've only ever had to consult a vet 4 times in nearly 20 years of farming. Three of those were for an injured dog.

aliasojo

I expect Vets to be educated and trained but not to be 'know it alls', because sometimes they are not always right.

A previous Vet used to be fairly fixated on the 'usual' answers without taking into account pet individuality.

Our current Vet is happy to say he doesn't know it all and will go away to research something if need be. He's happy to take on board advice from animal behaviourists and doesn't dismiss out of hand any info the pet owner may have researched. He strives to be as well rounded as possible and makes it clear that medicine and treatment in both the human and animal world progress and so he is continually learning himself.

I have complete trust in this man, more than I ever did in the previous 'know it all' Vet.

So whilst practical things like opening hours and the like are worthy of note, to me, nothing is more important that the Vet himself and that's not really something that you can change too much.

Froglet

Thanks for asking people's opinions,Snowman.What is your policy on this? Do you think it only right that wildife,who are at the mercy of humans(and sometimes,it is they who have caused the suffering in the first place) should be given a helping hand?

Hotcookie's reply

All vets should provide emergency treatment of wildlife free of charge (its in our guide to prof conduct) However-that emergency treatment can include euthanasia. We work with local wildlife rehab places, so if something is viable, we will treat and send it on. However, if someone wants something done that is not in the best interest of the wildlife then I would charge for that (and that is only if they are taking on the responsibility for it-and I strongly advise against it, but some people seem to think pigeons can be happy with one wing :mad:)



Thankyou for that reply hot cookie.I totally agree about the euthanasia,generally if an animal can be picked up,such as a bird or rabbit is is nearly always beyond help for that very reason.

However hedgehogs are easy to spot when something is wrong as being out in the day is a pretty good indication.The people on the forum i spend a lot of time on have very mixed experiences with vets,from some bending over backwards to help,research treatments and liase with those who only take in hoggies and have a lot of experience,to those who won't entertain the idea of even looking at an injured creature. "Let nature take it's course" was the opinion of one i took a blackbird with a twisted neck to,had been like it from birth as it was was coming into my garden from being fledged,and once the parents stopped feeding it ,it would have slowly starved as it could hardly even drink..Needless to say i took it elsewhere to some one with a bit more compassion.

We have heard that it is in their professional conduct code that a vet should give emergency treatment for free.So why aren't they?

Sid_Wolf

I would like my vet to know more about other brands of food, rather than just reccommending the ones they make a profit from, these foods are generally a pile of pants to be frank and there are much better foods out there for less than 1/2 the cost, but any problem and they try to push these onto you. My boy (in my av) has allergies, vets suggestion was one of the science diet (or whatever it is) foods, i laughed at him and put him on skinners salmon and rice, problem sorted. The food they recommended contained wheat, which is his main allergen! I wouldnt have minded but he was in there for an infected dewclaw! Some knowledge of raw feeding would be nice too

I would also like my vet to know more about vaccinations, instead of blindly giving the yearly dose, yes I know thats what the manufacturers say, but research shows that most of the vaccs are not needed yearly, and instead should be done every years. My boy has not been boostered this year, and he is the only one who didnt get kennel cough when the 2 girls had it.

To talk to me like an adult, i dont need things dumbed down for me

pigeonpie

Major problems I had with my vet which has put me off ever using him again, should I have another pet.
- being treated as 'mad' for wanting to do palliative care, routine in the USA and not routine here, eg subcut fluids for CRF at home by injection: I got support from an online CRF group, found it easy to do once I'd got a bit of practice and it prolonged my cats' lives by several months (quality of life too - they didn't mind it).
- giving PTS advice to pet owners at the first sign of terminal illness. An Italian locum vet who filled in for my usual vet told me she was horrified at how quickly many British vets advise euthanasia, even when owners are fully committed and have the time to help their pets;
- Vet patronised and mocked me and felt threatened by the research I had put in from amazing websites like the clinically researched http://www.felinecrf.org/. Ignoring me when I said I was worried about a sudden spike in my cat's serum calcium levels (vet called me 'neurotic') and said no when I asked if he should be moved to a low phosphorus diet in case that started to climb as well. Like many vets here, he has a total reliance on Fortekor. My cat died of secondary hyperparathyroidism - his creatinine and urea levels were not fatal when he had to be PTS;
- ego: he persistently refused to refer the cat to a specialist or ask for specialist advice as he "knew it all". I nagged and nagged and eventually he did ring a specialist, who suggested a course of treatment the vet had not heard of but which hugely improved the quality of life of my cat over the last year of his life;
- making a dog's dinner of my account so a dispute had to be settled after my cat was PTS and when I was grieving.
- most seriously, telling me I was 'so good at home treatment' (sarcastically) so I should do a home enema on my dying cat - who he had seen that saturday morning. To my lifelong regret, I tried and failed. I took my cat to another vets further away and got an instant laxative for him. My cat was PTS on the monday.

I read a wonderful American book by a veterinary oncologist where she says that she thinks the least a vet can do is to match the commitment of the owner.

Sorry to rant, but you asked.

bagginslover

I'd like vets to ask before they dumb down-some people do need it, others don't. I don't and it takes longer to give me the info when they do.

I'd like written instructions for all meds as standard, including when the last dose was given if they have been hospitalised-don't like getting home to only have to phone them to see if hes had the dose he was due whilst in the car.

I've not had any issues with contuinuity of staff, diagnosis being inaccurate (still undiagnosed currently, but being biologically trained I totally understand why), or things costing more than they should. Most recent vet (at referral centre) actualy advised against having the very expensive MRI as he could do other cheaper tests and imaging that would give the same results, AND leave insurance money left over for treatment.

I expect to be always told the truth, and want them to do the best for my animals.

orlao

Communication - I know it can be difficult as people have varying levels of knowledge but answer questions fully with honest pros and cons! Also, please listen to me - I know my animals well.
Transparency - that includes fair pricing. I'm not looking for the cheapest treatment btw, just the best value both in cost and as far as what my animals need is concerned.
Customer Service - ok, I'm a bit of a pain about CS, I've been in that industry for longer than I care to remember but I hate that you walk into so many surgeries and are treated as a nuisance. I can understand that they are busy or there is a crisis happening but you can still smile and acknowledge a client, it doesn't cost more than a second.

orlao

aliasojo wrote: »

So whilst practical things like opening hours and the like are worthy of note, to me, nothing is more important that the Vet himself and that's not really something that you can change too much.

Very true!

hotcookie101 wrote: »

Just a few points put in above, to try and clarify things. Its a damn hard job being a vet, sometimes I wish I'd done something else that would give me a much better quality of life, work-life balance (&lower suicide rate!) , but most of the time I really enjoy what I do.

I do appreciate that it isn't the easiest job in the world.

martinthebandit wrote: »

Honesty above all else

That is also true...