What do you WANT & EXPECT from a vet?

elsien

To have a clear accessible policy on providing prescriptions so I can get my meds elsewhere if I choose. My vet has never mentioned the possibility to me, and I've always been too embarrassed to ask.
To discuss my pooch with other vets in the practice instead of deciding you know it all. To be fair, this probably happens anyway without my knowledge, but it did cross my mind when mutt was getting urine infections on a fortnightly basis that she could have been referred to a specialist a bit sooner. It was only when I saw a different vet to my usual one and they looked at the history and were suprised it hadn't been done sooner that a referral was made.
To let me know how expensive said referral might be. I was aware the initial consultation was £250, that treatment would be expensive and that the insurance would cover it. I was not aware that one days worth of tests would reach the £1000 mark without treatment and that I would be expected to pay on the day. If I hadn't had a credit card, I would have been well and truly stuffed.
On balance though, I'm happy with my vets practice. They're a bit more expensive for consultations that some others locally but I do feel that they care about mutt, are honest about the options, don't suggest unnecessary options and have her best interests at heart. Can't ask for much more than that.

Edit - one more - to bear with me when I ask the same question for the 26th time, for reassurance. I just want to check you've remembered everything from last time.:o

DebiT

* If vets insist on you bringing your cat in before they agree to prescribe a flea treatment like Advocate, they shouldnt then charge you a consultant fee.
* If they arent sure what is wrong with your pet, they shouldnt keep guessing, and selling useless meds, whilst using your pet spends weeks suffering as a result.
* A diagnosis would be nice.
* Being a little less rough with my pet would also be appreciated.
* A smile from the reception staff, rather than surly faces (optional only).
* Not charging excessively for a prescription only service.

Thanks to the vet for starting this thread, because when I asked people what they thought of vets they all seemed over the moon.;)

thegirlintheattic

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.

For the patronising, that was just one example, but I do take your point. It maybe something that is confined to my vet, who seems to think everyone is a child. I think it's also good if the vet has a system to record little details about the owners, for example if they have had a pet with the same condition before, PTS which could avoid some of these issues, and also give a feel of the vet knowing the family.

I do not believe it was miscommunication, as three people were present and have all said the vet mentioned nothing about the eye and brain. It's not an important detail but I'd like to know.

On a better note, the vet does send out sympathy cards which are a nice touch.

teachergirl

Have recently changed vets after many years. I have to go on average once a week with my elderly cavaliers. The deciding factor was the total lack of continuity in vets. Each time I saw a new vet. I would have to go through everything again. I now know when my girls need treatment and what will happen if they are not treated. My new vet is fabulous. One of my girls has constant eye problems. She offered a pain killer as well as the treatment. I really feel she cares about how my animals feel. I had never been offeredvthis before.

lostinrates

snowman2 wrote: »

As a vet I think I know what my clients want but surveys have shown this is not always the case. I would be very interested to hear the three things that you want from your vet, whether we are doing it already or there is something we can do better / differently. Your comments can then help me improve my practice (and those of the other vets who read this forum) and improve your veterinary experience. Thanks.

Clear itemised bills and charges, with financial implication outlined for different choices. (Every time I go for a routine appointment/vaccs/wormers I get a different charge for each animal). I recently took my dog in twice a week for eight weeks for dressing changes and had a different charge EACH and EVERY time. And yes, I did query it.

If you have a clear pricing policy, charging people fairly but not excessively they can afford to have more routine stuff done.

I like to see the same vet/vets and develop a relationship. I think this helps the vet too in some cases. for example, in the last year we moved and joined a new practise and its been interesting to see the way I have been spoken to by different vets. (I have a animal science research/academic background but decided not to say anything till I knew the vets better. This is very interesting when I see a new vet. e.g. recent equine visit a vet didn't know what was wrong and BSed for a long while until I explained she'd been seen through. I don't like BS, but I do accept that vets are human and that diagnosis isn't always possible on a first visit with no bloods/imaging etc...had she come at that angle I would have been very satisfied (though still worried about the horse). (Practise partner DID apologise when I raised this with them, but many people wouldn't know or complain and pointed out I probably had more experience than the vet in this case).

This goes back to the above...a clear structure of treatment and costs...if you know why they are covering all basis with medication its fair enough...if they tell you they believe it to be one thing and give a treatment for that and two other things then I wonder what they are thinking.

Attitude. Hot cookie, I appreciate its a tough job. I've worked on a referral basis for two vet practises, and at a vet school, and I've temped with vets who I've known when they have needed someone. I really do appreciate how much effort some vets put in and how awful some clients can be and how stressful it can be. But I have also worked in other industries....and you know what, in those roles people feel exactly the same, sometimes with even more reason, sometimes with less...thats how it is whatever you do in a position of responsibility. Its perhaps boils down to that the annoying person with a condition that needs the same explaination to the lady who had it explained three times half an hour ago ...perhaps the woman also is trying to juggle in her head how she makes the budgets of her business work so she doesn't fire people..or whatever. Ultimately, I found myself being the annoying patient with that horse case, because she's exceptionally precious and ebtering terratory outside my experience....that's when I most need to rely on people. I asked three times too...and you know what....the vet WAS wrong! I will ask when I don't ''get it'' partly because it was my background, and partly because to support the vet in their treatment protocol (particularly if its a clients horse and things need to be relayed to a third party clearly and with understanding of the general and the specific). Ultimately, a good relationship over years solves all of this. Its hard to remember a client with one pet with no problems and an annual check and vaccinate. Its not hard to get to know a client who sends business your way through their business, and has over a dozen pets plus farm/wroking animals with a practise. Not to try and bother getting to know new clients ultimately costs the vet's time...if I give a heart rate/temp/resp rate its accurate....they only know that if they know me...but if they know me they can move on.


health care plans.

I like these...in theory. In practise they are inflexible enough not to work for me. e.g. the horse one includes wormer as appropriate with discount and one feacal egg count...well....I want it the other way around, we've NEVER had a worring feacal egg count back, and poo-pick religiously. I want to worm for the things we can't feacal egg count for but not build up anthelmintic resistance for the day we do need it. I get a discount for my second horses, but not for clients...if I did get this I could extend the bonus to my clients, the pay off for me, everyone..or more people at the same vet practise, the bonus for the vet, more clients with an easy point of reference with me! I'd love to have EVERYONE signed up to one of these that works on our business yard, but also my pets...but until it works with us in a flexible manner then its not worth it. But they have power to be really, really good for pet owners, vets and welfare (e.g. offering regular clients on a health plan incentivised neutering...people who wouldn't bother just mght). Spotties to catch mackerals....to everyone's benefit.


I don't want vacuous gestures like sympthy cards, I want genuine sympathy. A phone call would be as cheap, and nicer.

edit: wow, that was long, even for me! Apologies snowman, And thank you for looking at the way you work in a way to best suit clients and improve business for all.

another one.....I want vets who actively ''keep up''. I haven't been in research for a decade and boy do I know it...I like researching vets, I know a lot of people do not, but its my preference, because it requires vets to keep actively up to date. I do miss that my current practise are not a researching practise, it really DOES show to me. The slight balance is they have a young intake, who bring new knowledge to a practise with experience. Still...I was the first to suggest the manuka dressings which got my greyhound's ulcers under dressings through the time. Before that we thought we'd have to leave her with no dressing and crated for a month . BUT it took me to get on the phone to a researching vet for what must be a pretty much regular problem to say ''what do we try?''. That should have been part of their service, not just for me but to benefit ALL clients with that problem.

meritaten

I want professionalism - I want my vet to be honest and not 'guess' a diagnosis - if they dont know then tell me so! and not to put my pet on expensive medications which may not be needed or appropriate.
I expect my vet to not overprescribe and overcharge for medicines (thats a huge bugbear as with the internet I can 'price' medicines, and dont appreciate being charged over 5 TIMES, the internet price).
I also expect courtesy from the vet and their staff - I dont expect to be on their christmas card list, but I will never forget that I had to use a different vets to have my last dog PTS, and was stunned and touched to recieve a sympathy card in the post the next day from them - signed by the vet and nurse and even the receptionist! That meant a lot to me! I realise its good PR - they would prob be the first vets I would go to if I had another pet. But it made me feel they saw ME as a grieving pet owner and my dog as a much loved member of the family.
lastly - clean premises!!!! no matter how good the vet I wouldnt go there if it smelled or it was dirty!

rising_from_the_ashes

Sid_Wolf wrote: »

I would like my vet to know more about other brands of food, rather than just reccommending the ones they make a profit from ............................. 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.

Snap! This is a huge bug-bear of mine - my vets also said my boy "needed" to go onto something they stocked which was going to cost £60ish for a bag that would last less than a month!:eek: How many "real" people can afford that?

Thankfully for me, it contained wheat which he is also intolerant to so I didn't have the embarrassment of having to explain that I couldn't afford it (none of the foods they stock are wheat free which I thought a bit odd).

As Sid says, there are loads of great foods out there but my vets certainly have little/no knowledge of them (he's also on Skinners D&R and does fantastically well on it - it's a great quality product at a price most people should be able to afford).

Similar issues with things like flea treatments & worming products.

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Get the full range of options rather than offered the most expensive as if it were the only solution. (Previous vet, different cat, thyroid problem...first solution was to have the tyroid removed. Went back next time and said I couldn't afford it...got prescribed some tablets....very cheap, cat did very well on the tablets for many years).

Yup to this too. Before I managed to figure out Mr B was wheat intolerant he had quite a few tummy upsets. I came out one day with several sets of pills which were going to cost around £200:eek:.

I asked what they all were and what each of them did (this wasn't explained) and one of them - of which there were 3 tablets - came to just under £100. I asked if they were really necessary (would've bought if so) and was told .... (along the lines of ..) "oh, forgot you're not insured well, they might help but the others should do the trick so no, not really" - and to bring him back in a week if the others hadn't worked. Needless to say he was fine within a couple of days on the tablets I did take...... had I been insured I probably wouldn't have queried it - and I honestly think this is one of the reasons insurance premiums are going up so much and becoming more unreachable for many people.

For me, continuity has become a huge issue. I've been with my vets for several years and they were fantastic (frequent visitor with my old cat who had kidney disease).

There were 2 vets so you got to know them / them you & your pets .... unfortunately they've now taken over another practice quite far away and one of them is always there so it's pot luck if you get the other one of one of the endless stream of locums (never the same one) that seem to be filling in which means endless repeating history / what we've tried etc etc and no continuity in care - which you really need & appreciate if you've an animal with a complicated / long term problem.

They've also now stopped their out of hours service which means a 30ish mile trip through country roads should an emergency arise after 6pm - not great, especially in the winter:(

lostinrates

Katiehound wrote: »

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!

Just like to say, our farm animal vet is just lovely. He's often at the dairy next door and he treats the dairy cows like ladies...ladies ina long line, yes, but ladies. I want ALL our animals treated with courtesy and appropriate manner....whether its stopping to stroke a horses shoulder, or appreciating that a chicken would rather have something done quickly then be left alone.

suki1964

My vet is a farm animal practice and I have to say Im more then happy

Perhaps its because we dont live in a very affluent area prices are very very reasonable. I know wormers and flea treatments are just as cheap there as in that well known pets supermarket and I have no complaints with the price Im charged on ear/eye drops and metacam

As long as the pet has been in to the vets in the past 12 months they are happy to dispense without a consult

I also like that they dont push for the expensive invasive option. My lad has stiffness around the knee joint but we are all happy to control his exercise and to treat as and when with metacam. Whilst they do insist theres no logical reason that Thornit works, they dont turn their noses up and indeed say work away and they are also happy for me to use Dermacton shampoo in place of Malaseb Shampoo

Although theres only 2 30 min sessions a day for domestic animal appointments they will always see an emergency if there is a vet on the premises.Only once was I referred to the sister practice in town and that was because there was no vet due back for a few hours.

Nope, Im happy with my vet practice. From cows, to horses to cats, they seem to have the time and patience for all us owners.

snowman2_2

Wow, loads of answers, thanks. We did a similar survey at work recently and it broadly agreed with the comments here. What is important to people seems to be honesty, compassion, friendliness, caring, open-mindedness (if that is a word!) and value. Vets have often assumed it is fancy equipment & procedures that impress people but most of our clients will never directly see what we do, just how we deal with them in the consult room and reception.

We are a small local practice and we try to look after people because that is the best way to get repeat business so I hope we are doing these things already. Doesn't do any harm to be reminded of that and to keep it fresh in the mind. I don't want to go onto auto-pilot and forget the basics of caring for people and their pets.

Going to some more specific points;

* Free treatment for wildlife is not a legal requirement and is nothing to do with the RCVS. It is a "Memorandum of Understanding" between the BVA (British Veterinary Association) and the RSPCA and applies to small mammals and birds. It is completely voluntary for vets and only applies to normal working hours. In practice, most vets will do first aid free of charge but I suspect smaller practices are better at this. It was never intended to be extensive treatment though. We will do initial treatment for free but we then need a rescue centre to undertake the rehab.

* Over time, surgery for a hyperthyroid cat will work out cheaper than tablets. In younger cats it is a cost-effective option where tablets may be needed for 4 years or more.

* Sympathy cards - some people love them, some people hate them. We send them because we get a lot of positive feedback.

* We can't possibly know all dog food brands - Pet Planet alone sell 37 brands of dog food, each with several varieties. We sell the same food my pets are on but I will recommend other brands

* Continuity of vet - I would prefer to follow up my cases and not take over another vets case halfway through so we try to offer continuity. Vet rotas and clients diaries do not always merge but if you can be flexible and ask when you book in, this should be possible a lot of the time, even in big practices.

* Communication / patronising - some people need to be told 10 times in simple terms, some people just once. I feel that my doctor over-simplifies things but my car mechanic is too technical but that is down to my knowledge. Simplification is probably safer but you need to be able to read people which is an art form not easily learnt. Younger vets are more likely to get this wrong and it is difficult. The best vets are excellent communicators and readers of people - just don't play poker against them!

* Honesty - this goes both ways. Don't tell me your emaciated dog was healthy just 2 days ago or that "money is no object". I know when a client is lying to me more often that they realise.

* Prescriptions / Internet prices - I can't buy some of these drugs for the price they are sold at on the internet so if I am more expensive, it is not always me being greedy. When it is a level playing field, I might price match more. This has been discussed at length elsewhere.

* Nebulisers are fantastic - we use them in a number of species.

Thanks for everyone's comments, I spent a good 30 - 40 minutes reading and re-reading them and it is very useful. Vets need to update the business model and knowing what our customers really want is the first step. Keep the comments coming and I promise I will consider every one (and I suspect so will the other vets on here). I do honestly want to do the best job that I can.