Weird Vet Experience

[Guest S8VGreys417]

Ok, so let me first tell you the background on my vet. I have a great vet, It is a private practice and he has been a vet since 1980, i am almost 23 years old now and my parents have been taking their pets to him since they were in their late 20's, soneedless to say when i grew up and moved out and got my own animals I would take them to him. His practice is just down the road from my house, if you call in the middl of the night for an emergency, it will forward to his home phone and he will get up and come to the offive so you don't have to go to the E VET(this has never happened to me thank goodness).Anyways, great vet. BUT today somethinghappened that pissed me off and I don't know what to think. Last weekend one of my greyhounds had been tested for a bladder infection , and she had one so he gave her some medicine to clear it up. Well obviously it made her very very sick, she had been throwing up during the night so i called him the nest morning. He told me to not give it to her again and bring it back and we would just use something else. So i did, and it worked,problem solved. Well something you should know about mae is she has a VERY sensitive stomach, very bad colitis,so little things mess her stomach up. Well her poop never really got back to normal after that little throwing up incident. So i went to the vet today while i was out running erronds and walked in and asked if i could maybe get something to settle her stomach down. Well he basically exploded on me! He was like" this is ridiculous, that greyhound has always got something wrong with her. I didn't mean to give her somthing that would make her sick, I have already apologized for it." He handed me some medicine for her stomach and said he didn't want any money for it and to just take it. I had my credit card out ready to pay, it's not like I was coming in there to complain, I wasn't even blaming him for her stomach, i just wanted to get somthing to put her tummmy back to normal! Everybody knows how sensitive her stomach is,espescially him! Granted, he had just come out of a long surgery, but dont take your bad day out on me! I pay him more than enough to care about her tummy issues. I called my mom and told her about it and she just told me to forget about it, maybe he was just having a bad day and I just caught him at the wrong time , but I am not really the type of person that can just forget about things like that. Should i forget about it? It would be just such a hassle to start going to another vet. What do you guys think?needless to say

 

I didn't mean to put "needless to say" at the end of that story,lol,sorry,that was a typo

[Batmom]

If he's always been a good vet prior to this, I'd give him the benefit of "bad day." There's a very good vet here in town who has a very successful, longstanding practice ... man is great with animals, lousy with people. It happens.

 

 

[Guest crazy4greys]

Even if he had a bad day or a long surgery, that is no way to talk to a client!

 

See how he is at the next visit. If he is the same, I would say something or find anopther savvy vet.

 

My "old" vet was getting grumpy. I had gone to his practice for 30 years, since I was 6. He just wasn't friendly or understanding I guess is the word. So, a new vet started at the practice and I started taking all my pets to him. That was 5 or 6 years ago and now he runs the whole practice. I am a lot happier.

[Guest nerak254]

This must be the week! I had Aruba at the vet yesterday too. She has what I thought was a stye and I needed to have another vet look at her butt so I can start trying to figure out how I'll pay for having the lump taken off. I called several of the vets on the list and none of them would give me even a ballpark idea of the cost even after I explained the financial issues I have right now. So it was $50 here and $50 there which I don't really have.

 

Anyway, I went in yesterday and when I was waiting and filling out the stuff, the one of the staff was asking me about Aruba and any meds. She asked me where I'd been to the vet and called them rather than ask me what dosages and things she took. She also asked me about her rabies status; can't you see that from the tag? I could have brought it with me if I knew they wanted it. Pissed me off! Then they took us into a room and she kept it up. She was suggesting test for everything under the sun and telling me that I probably hasn't giving them the right Heartworm meds. I could not remember what I had for the life of me. I felt like I was being asked if I wanted rustproofing and stuff on my new car. I told her that I would have been able to give her all of the information she called about if she had asked me.

 

When the vet came in he was great. We talked about Aruba and he looked at her butt and her eye. Turns out she has pink eye!!!!!!!!!! Am I the only one who didn't know a dog can get that? He gave her some meds for it and even made another choice for the meds when I told him I am allergic to neosporin. I told him about the financial issues and he gave me a discount for yesterday which I appreciated and he gives discounts to hound owners too.

 

Basically as much as I liked him I don't think I'd go there because of the staff and on top of that it is a million miles from here.

[Guest jg_consult]

I'd start looking for a new vet, if for no other reason than to see if a newer vet was more aware of the latest thinking in pain meds, anesthesia for greys, treatments for osteo, etc etc. Sometimes when people are under stress they blurt out what they normally hold in... but are still thinking it all the same!

[LadyBailey]

If you are still confident in his vet skills, then I would ask to speak to him and lay it on the table. Explain that you weren't complaining but simply asking for something for her tummy and you were really thrown off by his reaction. If he freaks again - then there's your answer and you can start looking then. If he's understanding, then you should have nothing to worry about - but he should know that how he spoke to you was not right. Good Luck.

 

 

[Guest Cris_M]

Our dogs are so incredibly special to us that it hits us quite hard when our vet isn't everything we want -- and deserve -- him/her to be.

 

My vet can be odd at times. At times on our visits, he's yelled at staff over nothing, treated my dog adequately but been completely unavailable emotionally, and been snappish. OTOH, this is also the vet that spent hours upon hours researching what Gabriel had, calling specialists, having a human doctor read Gabriel's bone marrow aspirate when he couldn't get a response from the vet lab quickly enough, met me at the office Sunday mornings so Gabriel could have his daily blood test and still stay at home the rest of the day, brought in the entire staff to be with us when Gabriel was euthanized, sent us flowers afterwards, and SERIOUSLY undercharged for his services. It's just my guess, but I expect quite a few of his other patients got to hear his staff being yelled at, experienced an emotionally unavailable vet, and were snapped at while my dear vet worked through everything with Gabriel.

 

Yeah, for me, it hurts when my vet isn't on top of his game on a "regular" visit, but I now know that he will be incredibly available when it is really needed.

 

Only you can decide if this is the vet you need to be using. Giving yourself a few days to make that decision might help. In the meantime, lots of hugs to you and your sick pup. Hope her tummy issues are better soon.

[Jackandgrey]

He's given great service up to now. You have been very happy with the quality of the care he's provided up till now. I honestly think it is pretty intolerent to not allow a human being to have one human moment when he's tired and frustrated.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Jackandgrey

[Guest Snazzy_Chloe]

I give every one the benefit of the doubt ONCE, maybe he thinks the frequency of your visits is too rapid and you are not giving the meds time to work before panicing???

[Guest Elaine]

No matter how great a vet he is, keep in mind that he is also human. I'd follow your mother's advice.

 

Elaine

 

 

[silverfish]

Oh dear ...

 

To me, as a totally impartial observer, it sounds as if your vet was having an extremely bad day. Either he had just lost an animal he was emotionally attached to despite working hard to save it, or he's having personal issues which are interfering with his people skills. Yep, as Elaine says, vets are people too. He's human, and he's going to have days where things get too much .. no, he shouldn't have taken it out on you, but if he'd just been struggling with a very emotional issue - maybe a whole string of them - well, people do have a breaking point. Maybe it was his own dog on the table in there.

 

What I would do is write a non-confrontational letter letting him know how much his attitude upset you, and that you were only trying to do the best for your dog, and were willing to pay etc. and I'd keep on going to him if he's been a great vet so far. Great vets are actually not found on every corner.

 

Give the man another chance. JMHO.

[Guest SoulsMom]

I'd just chalk it up to him having a bad day, and move on. Now, if it happens again, then I'd start to look for another vet. One time I could tolerate, but a second incident would have me wondering if his "anger" might affect his care of my animals.

[Guest IrskasMom]

 

 

Let a few Days go by . If he is a good Vet as you say he is , I would chalk it up as he had a lousy Day and

move on.

[Guest greyladydown]

Perhaps to him, it DID sound like you were complaining. I wonder about how he interpreted your words and body language when he said ... "I didn't mean to give her somthing that would make her sick, I have already apologized for it."

 

It's hard for me to form an opinion because I wasn't there and didn't observe the entire interaction.

[Guest vahoundlover]

I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

I have used the same vet for years, and like yours, the vet phone is transferred to his residence after hours, and he's been available to me on more than one occasion after hours.

 

Also, having worked for my vet for over two years, I can appreciate how stressful and emotional that job can be.

 

As others have said, vets are human too, and if we can have our 'bad' days, they should be allowed the same.

 

Though his attitude wasn't what you expected to see, he did give you the meds free of charge.

 

Personally I'd give him another chance.

 

Good vets are hard to find, at least in my area

[Wonder]

You know what I would do, send him a thank you card and tell him you appreciate him. Maybe he was having a bad day and took it out on you but I bet you will make his day by thanking him

[LBass]

Oh dear ...

 

To me, as a totally impartial observer, it sounds as if your vet was having an extremely bad day. Either he had just lost an animal he was emotionally attached to despite working hard to save it, or he's having personal issues which are interfering with his people skills. Yep, as Elaine says, vets are people too. He's human, and he's going to have days where things get too much .. no, he shouldn't have taken it out on you, but if he'd just been struggling with a very emotional issue - maybe a whole string of them - well, people do have a breaking point. Maybe it was his own dog on the table in there.

 

What I would do is write a non-confrontational letter letting him know how much his attitude upset you, and that you were only trying to do the best for your dog, and were willing to pay etc. and I'd keep on going to him if he's been a great vet so far. Great vets are actually not found on every corner.

 

Give the man another chance. JMHO.

 

 

I can't improve on this wise and compassionate response. I know how upsetting such an unexpected confrontation can be and I too have a hard time letting such things go but years of good working relationship are not something to throw away lightly. Talk to him or write and see if you can't reach some understanding of what happened and some peace with this good vet.

[Guest snowberry]

I had a similar experience once, when my grey was limping the day after a booster vaccination, so I took him back to the vets. The vet pressed hard against the vaccination site, and said, ah muscle stiffness, he's obviously pulled a muscle. I said, yeah, he could also be sore there because it's where he had his jab. Vet got really indignant, said there were no side effects of vaccination blah blah, went on for ages, gave me a prescription for Metacam, and I went home fuming.

 

Later I found out he'd been accused earlier that week of killing someone's cat thanks to a vaccination, and I obviously got him on a bad day. I wasn't accusing him of anything, but I ended up getting told the things he obviously didn't say to the cat-owner. Griited my teeth, went back, it's been fine. But I was upset for a long while. I think the real question is, do you trust him with your dog? There are people I wouldn't always have as friends, who I know I can trust to do their best for a dog.

[Guest CBDTherapyDogs]

Geeze, can I ask what vet since I also live in AL?

 

Sounds like he was having a bad day, but at the same time, that was VERY unprofessional. MY vet would have sat me down, explained WHY the antibiotic might not be working on my hound, give me options as to what else we could do and what possible side effects that might come up with it, what we can do about it if XXX or YYYY comes up. I LOVE my vet!!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Them!!!

 

he could have had a bad day, but that WAS unprofessional. If you love the vet, continue with him and overlook the incedent.

 

Snowberry - vaccinations CAN cause a lump and/or soreness at the injection site, especially the new periodontal vaccine. Rimadyl or other NSAID's will help ease the pain. Cats CAN get problems more easily from vaccinations. I persoally saw a VERY healthy cat get vaccinated, then a week later the cat's kidneys were rapidly shutting down. A few thousand later, the cat is fine, but it was the cats individual reaction to the boosters. The cats littermates were vaccinated at the same time and NOTHIGN happened to them. The cat will never be vaccinated again, only titers done.

 

If you trust your vet, stay with him. I know several Sighthound vets in the B"ham area that I often reccomend, several of which are WONDERFUL vets. If you live in the B'ham or surrounding areas.... Oneonta Animal Hospital (where I go), Chalkville Clay, Deerfoot, Riverview, HOPE animal hospital, Nall Animal Hospital, Galleria Animal Hospital (I think... Dr. Borden's practice), and I can't think of where he is but Dr. Jerome Williams.

 

My animals go to Dr Hastings, Coe, and Yancey at Oneonta. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!!!!!!! If they were not there, I would go to Dr. Russell at Deerfoot.

 

There are a few vets in the area that know Sighthounds, but... I tell folks to RUN from them... RUN AWAY FAST!!!!!!

 

Sorry you had a bad experience.

[Greys4Us]

If he's always been a good vet prior to this, I'd give him the benefit of "bad day." There's a very good vet here in town who has a very successful, longstanding practice ... man is great with animals, lousy with people. It happens.

 

 

I agree. Give him the benefit of the doubt if he's a good vet. Mine has tough days too but he's a great vet and I care more about how he treats my animals than how he treats me. It's not about me.

[giadog]

At times like this, I play the "What if He Were My Boyfriend" game...Pretend the vet is a boyfriend. If he's a great boyfriend, incredibly attentive, has all the great qualities you said about your vet, but, as your boyfriend, had this explosion......Would you dump him? If you wouldn't dump the boyfriend, keep the vet. If you would, dump the vet, too! I think it helps to think that way, because when you think about your boyfriend yelling, you usually think about the fact that he had a long day at work, or his aunt just died, or any other number of personal attributes that we generally don't lend to people in a professional business field.

[Guest Oh_Greyt]

I hope I don't get flamed but I must disagree with the majority here... Not only are YOU the client (meaning he needs to please and impress you to keep your business) but his words upset me. I was a vet tech for 7 years, and to hear a vet say "there is always something wrong with that greyhound" makes me think he is just frustrated and sick of seeing your dog! He isn't compassionate about actually helping your dog, just annoyed that it's not a quick fix. Of course I wasn't there and perhaps he didn't exactly mean what he said (and perhaps you somehow unconciously came across as attacking or blaming him), but the bottom line is that you are the client and he was completely out of line. I always thought I was a vet tech because I wanted to help animals, but in truth you are helping people as well. You are paying him good money - without clients like you he could not be in business. It was totally unprofessional and uncalled for that he reacted like that, regardless of the circumstances. If you trust his vet skills, and do not want to bother with finding another vet (I definately know how frustrating that is, since I just moved to a new city), then I would definitely speak to him or write a letter to him - this doesn't mean you have to be mean or upset, but at least bring it to his attention that you have been loyal clients, you were not blaming him for intentionally hurting your dog, etc. I am definitely not a confrontational person, but his behavior is unacceptable. Just MHO though.

[LadyBailey]

I have to agree Oh_Greyt, just chalking it up to having a bad day isn't acceptable. If I was having a bad day at work and I spoke to a client like that, I would be spoken to by my boss and I don't think the reason of "having a bad" would fly.

 

You are a paying client and deserve to be treated with respect. Even if he's having a bad he can't take it out on you. That's called being "unprofessional". I still think you should tell him that it really threw you off and you want to know why he acted like that. If he flips again - then says thanks for your time, but I am finding a new vet.

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

The first vet I took Spud to, well suffice it to say we no longer go. The reasons were much different though.

 

I'm against writing a letter.

 

I'd go in or schedule a face to face with your vet to just voice your concerns. Let him know that you weren't attacking him and you understand if he was having a bad day, but now you just want to clear the air.

 

If he's not open to that or is hostile during the meeting, THEN I would find another vet. Leave on good terms if you can though, because you never know when you might need him in the future.