I'm so angry at that idiot money-loving (now my former) vet

[mrspunkysmom]

Spunky and Sams got the wrong vaccine today. The tech accidentally gave them a second distemper vaccine instead of the FELV booster. The critters did get the right vaccine after I had checked out. The girl up front caught the mistake. The vet came to the car to give the second one.

Is there any danger in getting two distemper vaccines 6 weeks apart? My vet says 'no', but I do not trust him. (I've spent more money with him for routine care in the last 6 months than I did in two years at my former residence and that was with a surgery.)

Anyway, let's start at the beginning. I was late for the appt this morning because the fellas caught on to my plans and wouldn't cooperate. And I thought I had this down pat. The carriers are put out weeks in advance so not to alarm them - these stayed out since the Christmas trip to avoid suspicion. I go about my normal routine on the fateful day, give them a treat at some point, and grab them up. At this point they capitulate and do their armadillo act.

Well, not today. The cats are psychic, telepathic, or both, as I believe all cats are. I was even in a good mood, having decided not to see this vet anymore after these boosters. (He's close by, but availbility is not the primary issue.) The fellas didn't fall for the mid-morning snack. I knew I shouldn't have visualized the carriers in the other room.

So we get to the vets. I told the tech that I would only pay for the shots and nothing else, so he only weighed them. (The techs take the critters in the back and the next thing you know it's two hundred dollars for routine care.) The cats got the shots (the wrong ones), we got all packed up, and proceeded to check out.

When I went back in to get the shot record, I found out about the switch. He wanted to vaccinate them in the car. I said they were fractious today, since my psychic cats had picked up on my intentions and didn't want to cooperate. I was worried about them bolting out and into the road.

He looked at me as if I was an idiot for saying my cats were psychic. If nothing else were to clinch it for me, it would be that (fortunately for the fellas, I had already decided otherwise before today's visit). How can a vet work with an animal that he or she does not understand?

Anyway, I'm searching the web and observing my critters before I go on the rest of my morning errands.

Anne

[Laura's Babies]

You mean that vet didn't allow you to be with them while he was treating/checking them? That would be my first clue that something was NOT right. I have NEVER went to a vet that didn't allow me to go in with them.. I even had one vet that wanted me in there while he spayed one of my cats.. Ha! I passed on that one.

I HOPE he didn't expect you to pay for those wrong shots or the corrected new ones. ewww! he sounds all WRONG!

[mrspunkysmom]

I had already paid for the boosters when I got the original shots.


I found these links while looking for info on vaccines.

Shorti-online

VAS Awareness

These sites recommen that shots never be given in the scriff of the neck, which is what happened today. I remember my previous giving shots in the legs.

I will be watching for tumors.

I was so mad I left without my shot records.

We are in the room, but the techs take the cats to the back to weigh them. I followed them the last time and that's when I discovered them doing a rectal exam for worms. I was pissed. I re-iterated that the cats were indoors only and had no exposure to the nasty elements. (I was getting the shots because we were going to visit Mom, who does bring in strays and does not quarantine before examination. Her animals are all vaccinated so she doesn't worry.) I was told this was part of the vaccine cost. The vaccine cost $79 dollars a shot under this plan, rather than the $18 dollars for the vaccine only.

anyway, let's think positive. No nasty tumors and I am re-thinking the whol vaccine protocol.

Anne

[Freedom]

Time to search and research for another vet. Yellow pages, friends and neighbors, family members.

I've only ever had the paperwork get mixed up, as I take 4 at a time. My vet always has the owner take the pet into an exam room. From there, either the tech or the vet is doing the work, talking to you as they go through it. The tech gets the vaccines ready before the vet enters the room, the vet administers them. As I said, once,when we got to the front, a rabies shot appeared on the wrong cat's record. As I was there in the room, with my charts out in front of me, I knew that cat did not get that shot, and it was taken off. Then we found which cat DID get the rabies and didn't have it showing up, and added it there.

The cat does get removed from the exam room for blood draws and urine samples. I wait until the cat is brought back to me, in the exam room.

You can look - with out joining - at craigslist for your city and find postings about vets there as well.

[mrspunkysmom]

Nothing on Craig's List. Angie's list costs but it might be worth joining. I'm definitely putting up a web page on this.

I was in the room when he gave the shot.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I have ot run the errands. Car needs gas and what not.

Anne

[QueenScoopalot]

There is no harm having two FVRCP vaccines within 6 weeks of each other. Normal protocol is one FVRCP, then boostered in 4 weeks to assure immunity. Many vets will give kittens that are 8 weeks and older a series of three rounds of FVRCP, but 2 is sufficient in most cases. The FeLV shot however SHOULD have been done on the hind leg as they're the vaccines that can cause carcinomas in the future. Sounds like things are a bit too rushed at your vets and they don't pay attention. I would not pay for the vaccine your cats weren't scheduled to get.

[momcat]

You have every right to be angry, we're talking about your cats here. It's surprising and especially disturbing that a tech is allowed to administer an injection without being supervised by the vet. Groucho and I have never been separated at a vet check up, our vet explains what she's doing and why every step of the way. The only time Groucho and I were apart was when he was neutered. Like humans, cats should never get the wrong vaccine. Apparently someone didn't check the chart or double check what they were putting in the syringe. Hopefully your kitties won't experience any problems as a result of what can only be considered negligence. You've definitely made the right decision to find another vet before this one makes any more mistakes. Maybe this should be reported to your state's veterinary board?

[Medusa]

If they were my cats, heads would roll! But that's me.

Blessings,
Mary

[mrspunkysmom]

There is no harm having two FVRCP vaccines within 6 weeks of each other. ... The FeLV shot however SHOULD have been done on the hind leg as they're the vaccines that can cause carcinomas in the future. Sounds like things are a bit too rushed at your vets and they don't pay attention. I would not pay for the vaccine your cats weren't scheduled to get.

Actually it was two Distemper shots they each got. And if I hadn't prepaid for the boosters, he wouldn't have gotten that either.

I am tempted to ask for some of my money back. Reporting to a board would be good. I'll look into it.

Oddly enough, I'm not worried about Sams getting cancer (as he is the helathy one), but I am worried about Spunky. He's the one that had the carcinoma that wasn't vaccine related. At the first visit, this vet insisted the scar tissue was the return of the nodules. How dare he. Anywasy, the bumps subsided and there is no evidence of the surgery, other than his coat and marking are messed up. She had to take a big swatch of skin with the tumor.

Anne

[Lorena67]

Oh, that's terrible! I hope your cats feel better soon, and that you find a better new Vet

[jennielynn1970]

Vet clinics today seem to be getting just like the doctors' offices for humans. They are all these huge practices, with multiple doctors and they charge an exorbitant amount of money for routine things. The one vet I adored actually left the VCA clinic he was at because he was so fed up with the increase of prices and what they said the vets had to do or what not to do. He ended up moving about 1 1/2hrs away from me, which won't work with my guys unfortunately, but he was great while I had him. The vet I had way back in the beginning of the 90's was this old guy, Dr. F. Murray Iobst. He was so neat. He was in his 80's (started practicing in 1942), and basically had hours on Mondays and Tuesdays by the time I found him in the 90's. He practiced alone, and had one or two vet techs with him. He charged $25.00 for a spay or neuter. He never charged for meds... gave them free. He did it for the animals. He loved them, and they all loved him. He passed away a few years ago, but I will never forget him.

I do love the vet office I go to now. It's a small place with only 2 regular vets, and one is great with ferals, and the other has a wonderful manner with the special needs and senior cats (he's also very handsome, lol). They are very reasonable in their prices, and my cats are treated well. I definitely believe in the small mom and pop places rather than the huge centers where it's all for profit.

[Kalei]

Wow I wouild be so angry, my vet I don't think would've let me watch my rabbit get spayed, I actually didn't even see the vets face or who it was.

[Catlady711]

Two distemper vacc. 6 weeks apart won't hurt anything, although I would refuse to pay for the extra shot, and based on the other things you said, I'd be looking for another vet.

Mix ups can happen although should be a very, very rare event. In the 6 years I've worked at the hospital we've only had one mix up, and mostly it was the owner was unsure of which vaccine they wanted. A client called wanting 'shots' (no other information), the receptionist tried explaining the various vaccines, and the owner specified the one for 'it's temperment' so the receptionist put it down as needing a distemper shot after confirming it with the owner. However once the owner came in and we discussed the second booster and the whole works, gave the vaccination, THEN it comes out they only wanted whatever it took for the license, which is the Rabies vacc. In this case it was more the owner not knowing or being clear about what they wanted rather than an actual mess up though.

I have never understood those 'package deals' that some vets offer. I've always thought it was a rip off myself. Where I work we don't even particularly care for people pre-paying. I guess in the past people have paid for shots and never came back, was a waste of their money, so usually we don't encourage pre-paying now.

I don't agree with a practice that takes ALL animals in the back for every little procedure. There are rare times that an animal actually is more relaxed away from skittish owners though. At our hospital we do most everything in the exam rooms with the owners there, unless we need blood for lab work, or need to use the lighting/equipment in the back that isn't available up front.

As for where a vaccination should go is a matter of debate even with some vets. My cats have gotten almost every vaccine in the neck (and Dusty's had yearly vaccinations since 1995) with only a rare bump that goes away in two weeks or less. The boss did find out that using a different brand of vaccine GREATLY reduced the bumps we were getting, and almost eliminated the ones that were sluggish afterwards. So brand does matter!

As for Sarcoma's, We have to remember the media will do ANYTHING to sell a paper and hype up whatever they think sells (ie pit bulls being more vicious than other breeds etc). Anyone can get/make a webpage now, so you can't simply go by the number of 'hits' on google to determine how common or rare something is.

Studies have shown that any needle poke can cause sarcomas, also including antibiotics and cortisones, as well as having NO vaccinations ever. However weighing the odds of getting a sarcoma vs. getting one of the diseases vaccines protect against, it's always better odds to vaccinate if your cat is at risk for those diseases, or if the law requires it (ie Rabies). There is no one good study that shows the particular odds, however it's been estimated that odds of a sarcoma are about 1-3 in 5,000-10,000 but odds of getting the disease a vaccination prevents is about 1-5 in 1,000. Sarcomas are rare, however the diseases vaccines protect against are NOT as rare. A good vet should be able to sit down to discuss your particular cats risk assesment and which vaccines are actually needed by your cat, and risks either way.

Cornell University

AVMA

[Catlady711]

There is no harm having two FVRCP vaccines within 6 weeks of each other.

Actually it was two Distemper shots they each got.
Anne

FVRCP IS the distemper shot.

FVRCP = Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia commonly refered to simply as 'Distemper'

[QueenScoopalot]

Actually it was two Distemper shots they each got. And if I hadn't prepaid for the boosters, he wouldn't have gotten that either.
I am tempted to ask for some of my money back. Reporting to a board would be good. I'll look into it.

They double dosed on the distemper/FVRCP vaccines? Two of the same shot for each cat? Overworked, and not observant if so. Shame on them.