Veterinarians (long)
Question:
You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW VET! I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course 
). She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now _that_ is a vet – and a friend. Bookgrrrl
Response:
> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians.
[snip good post about getting a new vet if the old one isn't satisfactory] It occurred to me that this spate of posts might also lead people to have a bad overall view of veterinarians, maybe leading to them *not* bringing their cat to a vet when it needs help, and instead trying home remedies or delaying too long and bringing a *really* sick cat to the vet. For every post of "my vet isn’t helping" there are many more situations in which the vet did his or her job and fixed the problem — but since most people post with problems and questions, not success stories, we don’t hear about them! I’m pleased with my vet so far. My kitten Mipmap developed a lump at the site of his last vaccination, and when I called to ask about it, the vet had me bring him in right away. She checked him out, explained to me the possibilities of it being a vaccine reaction or a carcinoma, explained the surgery if it turned out to be cancer, recommended close observation and a recheck in two weeks, and didn’t charge me for the visit. Very decent of her. Cheers, Holly
Response:
Well, my trusted, open-minded, flexible, cooperative vet recently got married and moved far away to join some other lucky practice, and I am still trying to give her colleagues in the practice "the benefit of the doubt," while refusing to abdicate my trust in my own judgment. If they can’t learn to work cooperatively with me — something I expect from ANY physician who treats ANYONE in my family — I’ll find another one who can. This business I’ve been through with Puff and her digestive ills may well be their final test. > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously… If your vet sends you home with a > "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Valerie Hawkes-Howat "Diagonally parked in a parallel universe" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Response:
Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" (military), not as in "veterinarian". Phil. — "Cats’ have no master, just friends" Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
Response:
Oh. <<sheepish look>> Well, er, you know enough to be a vet! Bookgrrrl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" > (military), not as in "veterinarian". > Phil. > — > "Cats’ have no master, just friends" > Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
Response:
Wonderful! And thanks for taking the time to write just what I too have been thinking. :) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
Response:
In rural areas, vets can be few and far between. Also these areas tend to keep vets who would be out of business if they had any competition at all. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
– SAVING SEEDS http://www.sover.net/~subzero Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Couldn’t agree more with what you say. I was unhappy about seeing a different vet everytime I went to the first place so changed to one where there were only 2. In my experience smaller practices make for better care. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here >recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the >part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat >seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was >nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat >is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" >People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! >You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying >out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet >simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should >treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored >breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water >intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very >seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" >after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW >VET! >I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most >wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). >She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she >"cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious >decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me >exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what >the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if >it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will >actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy >day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will >always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released >due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he >could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now >_that_ is a vet – and a friend. >Bookgrrrl
Response:
Along with a lot of others here, I also have a vet that I (and more importantly my cat) like, but it took a loooong time to find him, and many bad experiences, worse for my (late) other cat, although he had his final treatments there. A friend of ours just had a horrible experience, though. Her kitty of 16 years had been failing, and she left her off there earlier this week to get checked out again (she didn’t want to keep the kitty lingering if she was in distress). When she called there the next morning, the people at the desk said they had no record of her cat being there. When she called again, half an hour later (she was at work and couldn’t just go down there), she received the same answer. She finally got a hold of the vet who said that the cat would not improve this time and when she asked if he could put her to sleep, he said he didn’t have time that day. She went down to get the cat, and heard him in the back talking about catching a plane (vacation), and asked him if he would please put the cat to sleep. She’s a very quiet person and I’m sure she wasn’t confrontational even after the mix-up. He said he would, and then proceeded to give her a sedative (!!?) prior to overdosing her to put her to sleep, and it didn’t work. So there was the cat, skittering backward to clutch at our friend, while the vet tries to inject her again, and after more mess like this, finally puts her down. Then he just left! It’s always hard, and our friend was just heart-broken, and the scene at the vet is one that will replay in her mind every time she thinks of her beloved pet, I know. She cried all night, and the next day when she returned from work there were flowers and a sympathy card from the vet’s office which she wanted to take down there and shove. I have never heard of such an awful experience at such an awful time. She is taking it personally, too, which doesn’t help, and she asked if we would post her story and ask if anyone else had had a bad experience like this. We live in L.A., which has more veterenarians than MDs, it sometimes seems, and I am so sorry that this happened to her. If anyone has a similar story, please let us know, or if there is a more appropriate place to post this, please tell me also, I am new to this. Thank you in advance…
Response:
> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET!
I got lucky! There are 3 vets at the animal hospital that I take my cats to. There are equally good & very caring. If I have a concern, they always find time to call me. My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take them to the emergency clinic. They always fax a report to my vet on the Monday, and I always get a call from my vet inquiring about my cat’s health. They are all very nice. Liane
Response:
> My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic.
HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
Response:
> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s office closes at 12:00 noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. Sue
Response:
my young kids ONLY start to get sick at 4:30pm Fridays. Which means by midnught I’m lookin’ at a minimum 4-6 hr. stand at the local ER. hbfb
> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! > That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s
office closes at 12:00 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick > warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. > Sue
Response:
You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW VET! I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now _that_ is a vet – and a friend. Bookgrrrl
Response:
> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians.
[snip good post about getting a new vet if the old one isn't satisfactory] It occurred to me that this spate of posts might also lead people to have a bad overall view of veterinarians, maybe leading to them *not* bringing their cat to a vet when it needs help, and instead trying home remedies or delaying too long and bringing a *really* sick cat to the vet. For every post of "my vet isn’t helping" there are many more situations in which the vet did his or her job and fixed the problem — but since most people post with problems and questions, not success stories, we don’t hear about them! I’m pleased with my vet so far. My kitten Mipmap developed a lump at the site of his last vaccination, and when I called to ask about it, the vet had me bring him in right away. She checked him out, explained to me the possibilities of it being a vaccine reaction or a carcinoma, explained the surgery if it turned out to be cancer, recommended close observation and a recheck in two weeks, and didn’t charge me for the visit. Very decent of her. Cheers, Holly
Response:
Well, my trusted, open-minded, flexible, cooperative vet recently got married and moved far away to join some other lucky practice, and I am still trying to give her colleagues in the practice "the benefit of the doubt," while refusing to abdicate my trust in my own judgment. If they can’t learn to work cooperatively with me — something I expect from ANY physician who treats ANYONE in my family — I’ll find another one who can. This business I’ve been through with Puff and her digestive ills may well be their final test. > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously… If your vet sends you home with a > "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Valerie Hawkes-Howat "Diagonally parked in a parallel universe" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Response:
Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" (military), not as in "veterinarian". Phil. — "Cats’ have no master, just friends" Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
Response:
Oh. <<sheepish look>> Well, er, you know enough to be a vet! Bookgrrrl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" > (military), not as in "veterinarian". > Phil. > — > "Cats’ have no master, just friends" > Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
Response:
Wonderful! And thanks for taking the time to write just what I too have been thinking. :) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
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In rural areas, vets can be few and far between. Also these areas tend to keep vets who would be out of business if they had any competition at all. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
– SAVING SEEDS http://www.sover.net/~subzero Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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Couldn’t agree more with what you say. I was unhappy about seeing a different vet everytime I went to the first place so changed to one where there were only 2. In my experience smaller practices make for better care. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here >recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the >part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat >seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was >nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat >is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" >People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! >You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying >out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet >simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should >treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored >breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water >intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very >seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" >after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW >VET! >I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most >wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). >She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she >"cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious >decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me >exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what >the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if >it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will >actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy >day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will >always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released >due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he >could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now >_that_ is a vet – and a friend. >Bookgrrrl
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Along with a lot of others here, I also have a vet that I (and more importantly my cat) like, but it took a loooong time to find him, and many bad experiences, worse for my (late) other cat, although he had his final treatments there. A friend of ours just had a horrible experience, though. Her kitty of 16 years had been failing, and she left her off there earlier this week to get checked out again (she didn’t want to keep the kitty lingering if she was in distress). When she called there the next morning, the people at the desk said they had no record of her cat being there. When she called again, half an hour later (she was at work and couldn’t just go down there), she received the same answer. She finally got a hold of the vet who said that the cat would not improve this time and when she asked if he could put her to sleep, he said he didn’t have time that day. She went down to get the cat, and heard him in the back talking about catching a plane (vacation), and asked him if he would please put the cat to sleep. She’s a very quiet person and I’m sure she wasn’t confrontational even after the mix-up. He said he would, and then proceeded to give her a sedative (!!?) prior to overdosing her to put her to sleep, and it didn’t work. So there was the cat, skittering backward to clutch at our friend, while the vet tries to inject her again, and after more mess like this, finally puts her down. Then he just left! It’s always hard, and our friend was just heart-broken, and the scene at the vet is one that will replay in her mind every time she thinks of her beloved pet, I know. She cried all night, and the next day when she returned from work there were flowers and a sympathy card from the vet’s office which she wanted to take down there and shove. I have never heard of such an awful experience at such an awful time. She is taking it personally, too, which doesn’t help, and she asked if we would post her story and ask if anyone else had had a bad experience like this. We live in L.A., which has more veterenarians than MDs, it sometimes seems, and I am so sorry that this happened to her. If anyone has a similar story, please let us know, or if there is a more appropriate place to post this, please tell me also, I am new to this. Thank you in advance…
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> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET!
I got lucky! There are 3 vets at the animal hospital that I take my cats to. There are equally good & very caring. If I have a concern, they always find time to call me. My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take them to the emergency clinic. They always fax a report to my vet on the Monday, and I always get a call from my vet inquiring about my cat’s health. They are all very nice. Liane
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> My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic.
HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
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> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s office closes at 12:00 noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. Sue
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my young kids ONLY start to get sick at 4:30pm Fridays. Which means by midnught I’m lookin’ at a minimum 4-6 hr. stand at the local ER. hbfb
> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! > That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s
office closes at 12:00 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick > warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. > Sue
Response:
You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW VET! I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now _that_ is a vet – and a friend. Bookgrrrl
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> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians.
[snip good post about getting a new vet if the old one isn't satisfactory] It occurred to me that this spate of posts might also lead people to have a bad overall view of veterinarians, maybe leading to them *not* bringing their cat to a vet when it needs help, and instead trying home remedies or delaying too long and bringing a *really* sick cat to the vet. For every post of "my vet isn’t helping" there are many more situations in which the vet did his or her job and fixed the problem — but since most people post with problems and questions, not success stories, we don’t hear about them! I’m pleased with my vet so far. My kitten Mipmap developed a lump at the site of his last vaccination, and when I called to ask about it, the vet had me bring him in right away. She checked him out, explained to me the possibilities of it being a vaccine reaction or a carcinoma, explained the surgery if it turned out to be cancer, recommended close observation and a recheck in two weeks, and didn’t charge me for the visit. Very decent of her. Cheers, Holly
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Well, my trusted, open-minded, flexible, cooperative vet recently got married and moved far away to join some other lucky practice, and I am still trying to give her colleagues in the practice "the benefit of the doubt," while refusing to abdicate my trust in my own judgment. If they can’t learn to work cooperatively with me — something I expect from ANY physician who treats ANYONE in my family — I’ll find another one who can. This business I’ve been through with Puff and her digestive ills may well be their final test. > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously… If your vet sends you home with a > "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Valerie Hawkes-Howat "Diagonally parked in a parallel universe" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" (military), not as in "veterinarian". Phil. — "Cats’ have no master, just friends" Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
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Oh. <<sheepish look>> Well, er, you know enough to be a vet! Bookgrrrl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thanks for the kind words, Bookgrrrl, but I’m a "vet" as in "veteran" > (military), not as in "veterinarian". > Phil. > — > "Cats’ have no master, just friends" > Cat health info & more: http://maxshouse.com > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
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Wonderful! And thanks for taking the time to write just what I too have been thinking. :) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
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In rural areas, vets can be few and far between. Also these areas tend to keep vets who would be out of business if they had any competition at all. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! > You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying > out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet > simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should > treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored > breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water > intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very > seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" > after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW > VET! > I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most > wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). > She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she > "cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious > decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me > exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what > the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if > it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will > actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy > day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will > always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released > due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he > could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now > _that_ is a vet – and a friend. > Bookgrrrl
– SAVING SEEDS http://www.sover.net/~subzero Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Couldn’t agree more with what you say. I was unhappy about seeing a different vet everytime I went to the first place so changed to one where there were only 2. In my experience smaller practices make for better care. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here >recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the >part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat >seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was >nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat >is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" >People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET! >You know your animal better than anyone – you live together, for crying >out loud. When you take your animal into the vet and say, "This pet >simply is not behaving like him- or herself lately," the vet should >treat your observations seriously. Clinical signs like a fever, labored >breathing, swollen lymph glands, drooling, cessation of food or water >intake, even hiding in closets or under beds should all be taken very >seriously by your vet. If your vet sends you home with a "don’t worry" >after he or she sees evidence of any of these clinical signs, GET A NEW >VET! >I have to insert a shameless plug here for my vet, who is the most >wonderful vet in the world (with the exception of Phil, of course ). >She is compassionate and extremely gifted, but most important to me, she >"cuts me in on the action" – meaning, whenever there is a serious >decision to be made about treatment with one of my cats, she tells me >exactly what is going on, what the different treatment options are, what >the likely success rates and side effects are, and what she would do if >it were one of her own cats. When she doesn’t know the answer, she will >actually sit down with me and a medical book in the middle of her busy >day, and we will look up the answer together. And one thing I will >always be so grateful for – when our beloved Solti had to be released >due to uncontrollable lymphosarcoma, she came to our home so that he >could have his last moments in his favorite place, our sun porch. Now >_that_ is a vet – and a friend. >Bookgrrrl
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Along with a lot of others here, I also have a vet that I (and more importantly my cat) like, but it took a loooong time to find him, and many bad experiences, worse for my (late) other cat, although he had his final treatments there. A friend of ours just had a horrible experience, though. Her kitty of 16 years had been failing, and she left her off there earlier this week to get checked out again (she didn’t want to keep the kitty lingering if she was in distress). When she called there the next morning, the people at the desk said they had no record of her cat being there. When she called again, half an hour later (she was at work and couldn’t just go down there), she received the same answer. She finally got a hold of the vet who said that the cat would not improve this time and when she asked if he could put her to sleep, he said he didn’t have time that day. She went down to get the cat, and heard him in the back talking about catching a plane (vacation), and asked him if he would please put the cat to sleep. She’s a very quiet person and I’m sure she wasn’t confrontational even after the mix-up. He said he would, and then proceeded to give her a sedative (!!?) prior to overdosing her to put her to sleep, and it didn’t work. So there was the cat, skittering backward to clutch at our friend, while the vet tries to inject her again, and after more mess like this, finally puts her down. Then he just left! It’s always hard, and our friend was just heart-broken, and the scene at the vet is one that will replay in her mind every time she thinks of her beloved pet, I know. She cried all night, and the next day when she returned from work there were flowers and a sympathy card from the vet’s office which she wanted to take down there and shove. I have never heard of such an awful experience at such an awful time. She is taking it personally, too, which doesn’t help, and she asked if we would post her story and ask if anyone else had had a bad experience like this. We live in L.A., which has more veterenarians than MDs, it sometimes seems, and I am so sorry that this happened to her. If anyone has a similar story, please let us know, or if there is a more appropriate place to post this, please tell me also, I am new to this. Thank you in advance…
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> You know, it seems as though there have been a spate of posts in here > recently which inadvertently reveal less-than-competent behavior on the > part of veterinarians. The typical post goes something like: "My cat > seems deathly ill, but when I took her to the vet, my vet said there was > nothing to worry about and sent me home with some vitamins – now my cat > is getting worse. What’s wrong with her?" > People, if your vet isn’t responsive to your concerns, GET A NEW VET!
I got lucky! There are 3 vets at the animal hospital that I take my cats to. There are equally good & very caring. If I have a concern, they always find time to call me. My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take them to the emergency clinic. They always fax a report to my vet on the Monday, and I always get a call from my vet inquiring about my cat’s health. They are all very nice. Liane
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> My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic.
HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
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> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! :)
That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s office closes at 12:00 noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. Sue
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my young kids ONLY start to get sick at 4:30pm Fridays. Which means by midnught I’m lookin’ at a minimum 4-6 hr. stand at the local ER. hbfb
> > My cats only get sick on week-ends, so I have to take > > them to the emergency clinic. > HAHAHAHAHA! Isn’t that the all-too-often truth! > That’s my experience too. As soon as the vet’s
office closes at 12:00 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> noon on Saturday, it seems to be licence for the cat to get sick > warranting a trip to the emergency clinic. > Sue
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