Do Your Vets Take Dog Away

[Guest SusanP]

I'm wondering how common this is, though I already know my own personal reaction to it. Our 2 vets recently merged with another clinic of 2 vets, bought a big new building and lots of new equipment. They hired a 5th vet. This woman would not permit me to be present while she cleaned and stapled Spinner's dime-sized wound this morning. I asked why not and she said she never permits owners to be present during procedures. I asked why not and she said something about Murphy's law. Since Spinner is not a nervous nelly, I went along with her this time. I normally try to avoid this vet for a variety of reasons, and this one probably tops my list now.

 

Our regular vet,whom I adore, still does all procedures except xrays in my presence. I even stay with the dogs after sedation and right up until they take them back to put the IV in for dentals.

 

So am I unreasonable? Do your vets do all procedures in secrecy or right there with you present?

 

And what do you do when you are happy dealing with only 2 out of 5 vets in a clinic? sigh...

 

And I just realized that this same vet *did* staple up one of my dogs' legs in my presence when I requested it a couple of months ago. So this must be a new across-the-board policy for her...

[Guest needlenoselover]

Well, I just took Carly to the vet last night and they took blood from her. But in the back room. I wasn't craxy about it, but I what am I supposed to do? To be honest, I wasn't that happy with the vet to begin with. Left me waitnig for over a half hour to be seen, then after she FINALLY came in, did the exam and took blood, gave me back Carly, left me waiting another 20 minutes to tell me to go home. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Burpdog]

Sometimes. I have held dogs that were stitched and assisted in one operation that occurred after hours. If I totally trust the vet, I'll let them take them back without me for routine things like nail trims--I really don't want to be next to Mahogany when they do her nails.....

 

Any vets I use would let me be around for any procedure except xrays and a procedure that requires anesthetic.

[dmswartzfager]

We do a lot of procedures in our treatment room. There are several reasons for this.

 

1. We usually need someone to help restrain the animal - yes, owners can do that for us sometimes, but for the most part, we need to have someone we work with and know will be able to hold the animal still at critical times, especially for things like blood draws. Our exam rooms can get a little crowded with the owner and his/her family, the nurse and the tech.

 

2. Because we have only 1 or 2 techs on at a particular time, but we have three rooms, it's more efficient to bring the pets to the techs, rather than have the techs run in and out of rooms. Also, if we have a situation where we need another hand in a hurry, there's always another body passing through the treatment room, whether it be another nurse, tech, kennel help, or a vet.

 

3. More than a few pets act better when they're not with their owners - some pets are flat out aggressive if we try to touch them when their owners are around, but will be fine back in the treatment room away from their owners. Some greys I know will do the whole GSOD in front of their owners but will be fine in the treatment room away from their owners.

 

4. Because we have smallish exam rooms, we can't stock everything we need in the room, and for some things like the blood pressure machines, we have only two and so don't want to keep them in the rooms (every annual exam has a blood pressure reading done). We would not want to be interrupting another appointment to go into the exam room to get what we need.

 

5. Many clients don't want to see things like blood draws (and I would be nervous doing them in front of a client because yes, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst time).

 

So what does get done in the room? The vet's exam takes place there, and all vaccinations are done in the room. If the owner requests, we can do some things in the room, and for other things, they can come back into the treatment room if they would like. I don't think we'd do stapling (I'm honestly not sure we have a stapler... my guys have always been sutured... hmmm) with the owner present or suturing, but I don't think anyone has asked. In any case, that would be done in our surgery room. We don't have a lot of room in our treatment room either, so having extra bodies back there for more than a minute or two can get interesting if we're busy.

 

 

As far as dealing with only the vets you like, I only make appointments with Dr. Patty, and not the other two. I *like* Dr. Jim and Dr. Elise as people, but Dr. Jim treats greys a little like blown glass and doesn't (or didn't) trust that I knew what I was doing with them (when I was a new client and he didn't really know me), and Dr. Elise is fresh out of vet school and doesn't have a lot of grey experience. I happened to have an appointment with 2 of my greys while Dr. Elise was shadowing Dr. Patty, and Dr. Patty supervised Dr. Elise's exam to help Dr. Elise learn about greys. Anyway, the clinic should accomodate your request to schedule with only those two vets, but in an emergency, any vet is usually better than no vet at all. Luckily, since I work there now, I would feel more comfortable being more forceful with Dr. Jim, and I know Dr. Elise would not be offended if I asked her to get Dr. Patty on the phone (heck, I'd be the one doing the dialing).

[Brooker914]

It is very rare these days to be able to stay for procedures or hold your animal during them. It's all about liability. These days people sue for everything. Even if your own dog bites you in a vet clinic, the vet can be liable. Dogs act differently in vet clinic, especially if they are in pain. Also, I don't know how many times I have heard "oh he/she would never bite anyone" right before I got bit. (I've come to find that if an owner says that, it's usually that dog that bites, not because they are mean, they are just in pain or in an unfamiliar place and thrown off.) If you don't trust your vet that's a completely different issue, but please trust that people who work in vet clinics, whether they be techs or vets, love animals and are concerned for their well being. Often, animals are more calm and behave better when their owner is not present, another reason they may be taken into another room for procedures. It's usually much less stressful for pet.

[Guest tricolorhounds]

3. More than a few pets act better when they're not with their owners - some pets are flat out aggressive if we try to touch them when their owners are around, but will be fine back in the treatment room away from their owners. Some greys I know will do the whole GSOD in front of their owners but will be fine in the treatment room away from their owners.

 

This is the main reason why my Vet takes mine to the treatment room... She knows my boys are screamers. She'll do the exam with them in the room, on the floor, but if they need blood drawn or shots, she'll take them in the back. She's usually only gone less than 5 minutes.

 

[GeorgeofNE]

My vet takes my pets to "the back." It doesn't seem like a problem to me. If I felt she was doing something bad to them, I'd go somewhere else! I'd enjoy being present, but I always figured they have their reasons.

[Greylover97]

The hounds only stay with me for routine stuff like shots, or blood draws for heartworm and tick disease testing. I make separate appointments for nails trims so they are usually taken in the back for that. If they are having a difficult time they ask me to come back and help. I've gone back with Carolina a few times because she won't budge from the waiting room.

 

Stitches, staples, bandage changes etc. are all done in the back. We hardly see any vet techs, they are all in back waiting for something to help out with.

 

I trust 4 out of the 5 vets on staff, so I have no problems with them taking them in the back. The vet practice is in a small building so they don't really have treatment rooms in the back just operating rooms. So they serve double duty.

 

The e-vets are the same way. You sit in the waiting room and they eventually bring out your dog. One e-vet I have used (and it will only be once) took Jake did all his bandage changes and slapped us with a bill. Only talked to a vet his first time there and that was it.

 

We always get told what they are going to do and the vet brings the kids back out and tells us what he did; how it's healing etc.

[Guest BooMooandDoo]

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It all depends. I have no problem with it. Tuck is much better behaved away from me, Mazie could care less, and lets just say. . .Truman . . .well he's a doozie. They took him in the back last week to clean his ears. . .and you could hear him all the way in the waiting room. It literally sounded like he was dying. Dr. told me that next time. . . he'll do it in the room

[gracegirl]

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It all depends. I have no problem with it. Tuck is much better behaved away from me, Mazie could care less, and lets just say. . .Truman . . .well he's a doozie. They took him in the back last week to clean his ears. . .and you could hear him all the way in the waiting room. It literally sounded like he was dying. Dr. told me that next time. . . he'll do it in the room

 

Same vet, same experience for me. When Fenway needed stitches I didn't want to be present. I actually left the clinic because I couldn't stand to hear him scream so I took Grace for a drive. They had my cell if they needed me, and I couldn't do anything about it anyway. Fenway is better without me, Grace gets really worried when I'm not around. She pulls her "donkey" move if they try to take her away from me, luckily we haven't faced that for a while.

 

I trust the vets, but have never asked about going in the back with them. I have no idea what they'd say.

[Guest VanillaBean]

My vet lets me be present for anything I want to be present for (except x-rays). I have watched one of mine's dental, staples, shots, blood draw etc. Was even invited in to watch him take off a hemangioma off of his neck and invited to watch his neuter. Told him maybe someone else's dog, but watching my own get cut on freaks me out! So, I trust this vet completely, if I choose not to be in the room!

[ripley488]

 

 

I always stay with my dogs - staples, sutures, blood draws. shots, IV's or euthanasia- regular vet & the ER.

 

They are my responsibility & want to know what is going on with them. I am not squemish, so it has never been a problem.

 

I have held my dogs for xrays on several occasions - always wearing a lead apron. I have been with my dogs for ultrasounds & EKG's. I have held my dog after a seizure as the vet douses them with alcohol to get their temps down.

 

I never considered not being there & I think at this point the vets would be surprised if I didn't.

 

Jennifer Watkins

Shamrock Greyhound Placement

Louisville, KY

[Hubcitypam]

All the vets at my clinic let me be around for anything except x-rays and surgeries -- even in the back room. They use me as the dog wrangler for staples and blood draws. The only time one of mine has been when Poodle and I were both bleeding heavily and the doc to him back for staples while I cleaned myself up.

 

My vets let me be there because they know I'm not sqeamish and have dog knowledge. I doubt that they let the purse dog people watch them staple up a dog.

 

As far as only liking two vets out of five, at my vet you make an appointment for each doctor, not just a general appointment so that is not a problem unless it is an emergency.

Edited October 13, 2007 by Hubcitypam

[Greys4Us]

We've used the same vet clinic for years and are lucky to have the vets there as they are within walking distance of our house! They see all fosters and our own greyhounds. Sometimes they take the dogs in the back but I don't have a problem with it. The dogs stay in the room for shots and blood tests, exams, nail clipping, etc. If they leave the room with the dog, it's because some of the technicians are in the back and it's easier for them to take the dog to them for some proceedures. We don't have a problem with that.

[RobinM]

They will do vitals and take blood with us there, but anything else, we are not in the room (which I think is better for the dog )not associating it with US DOING IT TO THEM, but rather be there waiting with open arms, kisses and cookies when they come out and it's not good for me because I get worked up, which is not good for them!

[Trudy]

Before I moved here, a vet tech took Ryan in the back for a blood draw. He was returned to me over 20 minutes later with both legs wrapped up. I said nothing and called when I had gotten home and spoke with the vet.

All blood draws after that were to be done by him in the room with me there.

 

Returning my dog to me with 2 bloody and wrapped up and later very bruised legs isn't ok in my book. And no way should it take over 20 minutes to get a sample of blood.

 

He's been fine for blood draws since then.

[Guest Greensleeves]

3. More than a few pets act better when they're not with their owners - some pets are flat out aggressive if we try to touch them when their owners are around, but will be fine back in the treatment room away from their owners. Some greys I know will do the whole GSOD in front of their owners but will be fine in the treatment room away from their owners.

 

Ditto. I had Baloo in a few weeks ago for a CBC, and he threw a FIT over the blood draw! I'd never seen anything like it. It took three people to restrain him, and I was absolutely mortified (he's usually angelic). When we had to re-do the test ten days later, I was dreading it. The waiting room was crowded, he was stressed, I was stressed... everyone was stressed. Sigh. When the vet came for us, she said, "How do you feel about me taking him to the back and drawing the blood there?" And I said, "I feel great about that!" She brought him back about two minutes later--everything had gone absolutely smoothly.

 

I've had to leave the room for Flint to calm down long enough to have his nails done (Dr. Linda is a better hand with the Dremel than I am), and for Rusty to stop squirming. It just depends on the dog. I would never, ever leave Jadie.

 

OTOH, I've been right there for tooth extractions, staples, a removal of a skin tag (that she'd originally wanted to schedule a *surgery* for, but when we said, "Really? Just for that?" she called for reinforcements, and did the whole procedure right then and there. AND didn't charge us for it!).

 

It really just depends, and our vets are great about judging when and where and who.

[patricia]

When something needs to be done in the treatment room, if there is not an emergency in the treatment room Dr. Beth always says: Wanna come Mom? Now LaceyLaine's chemo is another thing...they take her back with me to do her exam and then they take her to Oncology to do her blood work. Then Dr. Shawna comes out with the results of her labs and tells me that they are doing her chemo and she will be out soon. Moms aren't allowed in Oncology.

[Aerosmom]

Mostly not with me there unless it's like a blood draw. When Snickers was going for chemo, one of the vet technicians told me that she settled down a lot when they brought her out back. I think if you feel confident about your vet, you shouldn't mind it if they do this.

[Guest SusanP]

Wow, I didn't realize so many vets did this! I always went to the doctor with my young kids and also with my dogs.

 

How else will I know what they are doing and how? How else will I get a chance to ask all the questions I have? And my dogs are nervous enough in the vet's office without my deserting them. They never act up any way. They just stand there shaking.

 

And how am I supposed to develop trust in a vet unless I see how she handles my dogs and how she manages procedures? I'm certainly not going to go on blind faith!

 

The vet I really trust, yes, I trust her enough that I *would* let her take them away for procedures (though she'd never ask to do that) --because I've seen her work and worked with her and my dogs for years.

Edited October 13, 2007 by SusanP

[Guest Tigonie]

My vet will take the pets back for some things and not others. She'll do shots like vaccinations and sometimes blood draws. They took Emma back to get a pee sample one time (um....fine with me, I've seen her pee before...)

 

With my old vet, she'd do everything in the room with me (I mostly took the cats). I got to see some really interesting stuff, like how you can stick a needle in the side of a cat and draw out pee for a urinalysis. It's very freaky when the syringe fills up with yellow instead of red liquid.

 

I'm a little surprised to hear that the vet would do something like a dental with the owner present. We've always dropped off in the mornings for dentals and picked up in the evenings. All of the vets we've used have done half-day surgery/dentals/etc., so it's not like you just pop in and get a while-u-wait tooth cleaning. It might be interesting to see, though.

[smday]

My vet will give shots and small stuff like that in the room. They also do the euthanasia in front of me if I want - I do.

 

The dogs are always taken to the back for everything else. I can tell how each vet works with my dogs by the way they do the exams which are done in front of me. There is always ample time for me to ask questions.

 

I am very comfortable with the vets at the main practice and also the e-vets who I have, unfortunately, had reason to use for some pretty serious problems.

 

I figure the vets don't want me around when they are doing the more major procedures in the same way that I don't usually want parents around when I have counseling sessions with kids. The kids will communicate directly with me without having to worry about pleasing their parents. It's not an exact analogy but it works for me.

[JedsMom]

My vet does everything in the room with us there unless it's something that we leave them there for, like a spay or a dental. But honestly, I have the best vet in the world, and would pretty much go along with whatever he said. If he suddenly decided he needed to take them "in the back" for something, I would let him without thinking twice.

[Guest Honeysmom]

My new vet, whom I luv, does everything right in the room with you. He's a farm vet who retired and now takes care of dogs and cats. I never have to leave any of my hounds overnight for a procedure or have them out of my sight. Such a relief for me after several incidents with my past vet group.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I've had them take Piaget back to do bloodwork and trim nails. We just had a visit this week and they did bloodwork, examined her ear (she had an infection) and gave her bordatella all in the exam room where I was. Piaget is always very, very good, but my last pup was absolutely terrible while I was in the exam room.....all she wanted me to do was save her , so there were many times that I would step away so they could work on her.

Edited October 14, 2007 by PiagetsMom