Odd Vet visit (minor vent)

Well, someone was due for her annual heartworm test, so it was off to the vet.

Lady is TERRIBLE in the vet's office. She completely forgets her leash manners, wants to play with every other animal in the waiting room, basically goes into psycho puppy mode. A NICE psycho puppy, but she's barely under control.

(She's actually gotten better over the years, but her initial contact with vets was unpleasant to say the least. If I had gone to that vet I'd still have issues too)

Lady's file at the vet states that she is a nervous dog at the office, to be careful with her because she tends to nip out of fear, notes that the only way to clip her nails is to have me holding her, etc. (I LOVE bringing her to the vet :rolleyes: ) It also states not to muzzle her (Just makes her MORE hyper).

If I'm holding her, she's fine. Otherwise, she's an adventure.

In comes the assistant, who is reading Lady's file as she walks in. She asks me for Lady's leash, and tells me that she is going to take Lady into the back.

Did she actually READ the file, or was she just making it look good?

I told her I was going to do her a favor, I'd take Lady into the back and hold her while she drew blood. I don't think she read a single word of what was in the file.

Just reading the file for show???!!!

I never let anyone take my animals out of my sight at the vet, even the ones who have no issues there! I always go with them into the back for blood draws, x-rays ect. If I'm dropping them off for surgery or something, I always take them back to the kennel myself. I've been known to stay and assist/observe surgeries, especially the after hours, emergency ones.

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Originally Posted by Glacier

I've been known to stay and assist/observe surgeries, especially the after hours, emergency ones.

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Tamara, maybe they're more leinient to you because on the sheer volume of your collective visits! They don't allow observers at the vets here. ;)

Lady's human, I would not be happy being treated that way either. Maybe the person skipped the "read the chart" day at vet tech school.

I think you can tell a lot about vets & the clinic people by how your animal responds. I left our previous vet because it was obvious Star did not want that woman to touch her. Star actually growled & spun her head around & snapped at her! She's never done that anywhere before. After our second time there & still being assigned to this dog-fearing vet after I stated clearly I didn't want her seeing us, I decided we really had to change.

Our new vet brings in an assistant & they draw blood right in the exam room, we've never have had any problems...although it did take four of us to hold Sherman still enough to clip his claws, LOL! Just wait till he goes in for his dental, they'll clip them while he's "out"!

I should remember to schedule Lady's visits for when the VET is available.

The vet herself is great. It's the assistant who makes me cringe.

The vet the shelter told us to go to years ago when we adopted Lady was a one shot deal because the vet was an idiot. She came in, didn't introduce herself to Lady, just said a few words to me and stuck a thermometer in Lady's rear. Lady yelped and turned to nip her, and the vet told me that next time I would have to have her muzzled because she's dangerous. Umm, no, lady, Lady's not dangerous, you're an idiot.

Lady's Human, I agree with your going right along with the tech. Give Lady some pets for me for getting through the visit!

Isn't it just amazing how animals get "labeled" because of careless humans?

Delilah wouldn't bite a flea. One day at the vet, an assistant reached to pick her up without warning. Delilah bit her. To the best of my knowledge, it's the first and only person she's ever bitten. She's a sweetheart, not a biter. Needless to say, now she has to be muzzled :mad: :(

She was only scared and lashed out out of fear :(

Some vet techs need to be more aware of what they are doing, and realize that they are working with living breathing animals, who are going to react to situations differently. On the reverse side of that coin, last week I took Ginger in for her yearly check-up. The vet tech walked in and asked if Ginger would let her take her temperature. I thought that was an odd question. She is a dog, what choice does she have (I told the tech yes she would, but not to expect a Christmas card from her ;) ). But now I understand why she asked the question. I think more vet techs should talk with the owners before dealing with the dogs to get an idea of how to handle the dog. It only takes a few minutes and could avoid a lot of problems.

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Originally Posted by cyber-sibes

Tamara, maybe they're more leinient to you because on the sheer volume of your collective visits! They don't allow observers at the vets here. ;)

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After hours it saves me money to stay with the vet. It's 75 bucks an hour to have the tech come downstairs(she lives in an apartment over the clinic). Rick knows me well enough to know that I rarely freak out about the blood and I usually know what he's going to do anyway! I know many things I truly wish I didn't about vet medicine! I sometimes long for the days when he had to explain every little thing to me! The only time he's ever asked me to wait out front was the day Hoodoo died and I was hysterical. I came unglued after he did a deep pain reflex test with no response from Hoodoo.

When we lived down south and only had a couple critters, I changed vet clinics repeatedly until I found a vet who let me come into the back room. Several refused to let me in, even for a simple blood draw. That makes me highly suspicious. I wouldn't let a doctor wander off with my human child(if I had one!). Why would I let a vet take my furry kid?

To add insult to injury........

They changed something in the heartworm pills.

Lady used to BEG for them. I just had to use the tested family method for how to pill a resisting puppy.

(Don't worry, she got chicken in her supper tonight as condolences for her rough day)

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Originally Posted by Ginger's Mom

The vet tech walked in and asked if Ginger would let her take her temperature. I thought that was an odd question. She is a dog, what choice does she have (I told the tech yes she would, but not to expect a Christmas card from her ;) ).

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You made me laugh with this one! I'll have to remember that line.

I think that most of the time, the vets & techs are so busy; they don't feel they have time to read charts. They just walk in to a room, reach for a dog so they can get done and get on to the next dog. They just don't have the time to slowly approach a dog and let them calm down. My 2 are frightened out of their minds at the vet’s office, but seem to do the best with females. There are 6 Vets at our office; the only 2 women have left!! :mad:

The first time I had to see one of the men, he walked in the exam room and my 2 are trying to both shove themselves under the chair I'm sitting on :o
So he could clearly see they were afraid. I told him they are afraid and might need a little time to warm up to him. He's lucky he didn't get bitten when he reached under the chair and tried pulling Buddy out!!
:rolleyes:
It's clear to see that some schools don't teach common sense to their students!