My Vet's Office Thinks I Am A NUT :(

[urneighbour]

We are having on-going urinary issues with our 2 year old black newf, Zeppelin. After doing urine cultures, special diets, and x-rays, he is now scheduled for a specialist to come to the vet's office to do an ultrasound on him this afternoon. I was told to bring him in by 11:00 am as the specialist may arrive anywhere between 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Zeppelin was so cooperative and he did not have to be sedated for the x-rays and I am hoping that we won't have to sedate him for the ultrasound either, however, if he has to be crated in the vet's office for 3 - 8 hours prior to the proceedure, I imagine he may be a bit more stressed and less cooperative so I said...."My husband has given me two choices on this matter...either I sit in your waiting room with Zeppelin from 2:00pm to whatever time the specialist shows up or you call me when he walks in the office and I will be there in 5-7 minutes." There are two other dogs being ultrasounded and the tech informed me that it could go as quick as 2 minutes each dog if the specialist finds what he is looking for quickly and he will not wait for Zeppelin to arrive but I can take my chances if i want to!!! I am paying $400 for his proceedure and he won't wait 5 minutes for us!!! I told her I will take my chances if I could get a phone call as soon as he arrives to do the other ultra sounds.

I am sure they think I am some obsessive dog lady and they don't have alot of patience for making allowances for me....the technician's heavy "sigh" on the phone and her tone during our conversation was obviously not very supportive.

 

[ozzysma]

i truly do not believe that they can ultrasound 2 dogs and you miss the specialist if you are not there in 7 minutes?? why would they want the hassel of having a large dog there when not necessary??? man for the money we pay vets you would think they could be a little more friendly? good luck with the test!

 

[urneighbour]

I know!!! When I was informed that it could possibly be as quick as 2 minutes for each dog, I was thinking...really? to walk in, look at the file, set himself up and get the dog on the table...really 2 minutes each dog? And at the end of the conversation, I feel embarassed and stupid for not agreeing to leave my dog sitting in a crate waiting for 3-8 hours to do a proceedure that could potentially take 2 minutes!!! And I am so intimidated that I tell them that I am just honoring my husband's request! LOL

 

[Blacknewfs]

Ohhhh, I would have a couple of choice words for your vet! Why are they being so unreasonable?
Time for a new vet!

 

[NewfDad]

I would tell the vets office either control your specialist, find a specialist that is less mercenary or I would find another vets office altogether.

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

I love these occupations where you can just say, "Yeah, I'll be there anytime between 8am and 6pm, give or take a couple of hours"....
What could possibly make the US Tech's schedule so unpredictable as to necessetate a 5-8 hour window? The President of the United States somehow manages to keep a regular schedule, and the Tech can't?!?

 

[NewfMom]

You are NOT nuts. I never leave mine either. I sit in the waiting room (we are 30-45 minutes from our vet so I can't just pop over).

Don't worry. Just keep doing what is right for your dog and if they don't come around, look for someone who works better with you. I love our vets but they were the second one I tried after we moved here.

 

[ardeagold]

We won't drop dogs off either...just so they can sit in a cage all day until the Vet gets around to them.

We live about 20 mins away, so I'll go when the Vet's office calls me. I tell them to give me about 30 mins notice. They're pretty good about it.

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

My frined with the Basset Puppy who had leg surgery in the Chicago area, went back to the Chicago area to have some follow up surgery in Feb. She thought she was suppose to see the vet, but the people in the office told her Tank was a drop off. She insisted she wanted to see the vet, so I guess the clerk set it up after a bit of brow beating. The vet decided Tank did not need the surgery at this time. God only know what would have happened if my friend didn't insist.

 

[urneighbour]

Okay, it's done. They called me and we were there within 7 minutes and then Zeppelin and I happily sat in the waiting room for about 45 minutes. Then it took them about 15 minutes to complete his ultrasound and he fully cooperated and did not need to be sedated. I did not get to meet or even catch a glimpse of the "specialist"; I just paid the bill and was told that I will receive a phone call regarding the results either this evening or tomorrow. This whole experience seems just a bit cold and impersonal to me....? My vet really is a people person and very considerate so I am a bit baffled why she works with this specialist...perhaps opposites do attract?

 

[urneighbour]

"The vet decided Tank did not need the surgery at this time. God only know what would have happened if my friend didn't insist."

Good Grief Leonard!!! I don't even want to imagine what could have happened!

 

[NessaM]

Uffda - join the club! My vet made it so obvious that he thought I was wearing my underpants on my head during one visit, that at the NEXT visit I casually said, "Hey Dr. T - have I ever told you I breast feed my dogs until they are four? Yeah - someone once told me it's the best way to maintain slow and healthy joint development in a giant breed dog..."

He stared at me for a full 30 seconds, totally aghast, before he realized I was poking fun at him for treating me like I was crazy. Then he laughed so hard he had to take his glasses off to wipe tears out of his eyes. We have a better relationship, now.

 

[baloobear2]

breastfeeding dogs

Uffda - join the club! My vet made it so obvious that he thought I was wearing my underpants on my head during one visit, that at the NEXT visit I casually said, "Hey Dr. T - have I ever told you I breast feed my dogs until they are four? Yeah - someone once told me it's the best way to maintain slow and healthy joint development in a giant breed dog..."

He stared at me for a full 30 seconds, totally aghast, before he realized I was poking fun at him for treating me like I was crazy. Then he laughed so hard he had to take his glasses off to wipe tears out of his eyes. We have a better relationship, now.

Nessa--I can picture it and I am still laughing both at the joke and the image it placed in my head!

 

[Thule's Mom]

Sounds like what they say to me at the car dealership... bring it at 8 and will have it back to you by five..... those techs should be reminded they are Veterinary technicians not Automotive technicians -

 

[CMDRTED]

Just my Personal Opinion:

1. I would ask to see the Vet.

a. I would explain to him/her, that you are the client. You expect a certain amount of courteous service from his staff, and will not tolerate rude, or condensending behavior.
b. You deserve to be treated with respect, after all you are a "paying" customer.
c. You will not accept leaving your Newf for hours, for a 15 minute test. If you live close enough, then there is no reason to make the dog stressed and uncomfortable prior to a procedure.

2. If the Vet does not agree, then I would look for one whom actually cares about their practice, and wants to cultivate a long term relationship with his patients, and their protectors.

I've been going to my vet since 1990, They are a "Family" Practice. They have photos and articles all over the practice with peoples dogs, cats, Birds, etc, including ours. Show Photos, family photos, He also does some of the Circus Animals that winter in the area.

 

[CMDRTED]

Uffda - join the club! My vet made it so obvious that he thought I was wearing my underpants on my head during one visit, that at the NEXT visit I casually said, "Hey Dr. T - have I ever told you I breast feed my dogs until they are four? Yeah - someone once told me it's the best way to maintain slow and healthy joint development in a giant breed dog..."

He stared at me for a full 30 seconds, totally aghast, before he realized I was poking fun at him for treating me like I was crazy. Then he laughed so hard he had to take his glasses off to wipe tears out of his eyes. We have a better relationship, now.

Dog! You have to STOP. I can only go so many times to ask my IT Guy for a new Keyboard after spewing coffee all over it!:uglyhammer:

 

[drulzelot]

Love that, Nessa!
Fortunately for me, my vet when I first got Orion was a personal friend, so he already knew the level of my sanity (and having 35 yrs. large animal vet experience, he's seen everything). When he retired and was bought out by a younger guy, I had to switch to a new vet (hated the new guy). Some friends of mine a few towns over have a great personal friend/vet, and they've had newfs for many many years, so he's seen everything a newf can be diagnosed with. He's my newf vet now. My cat vet is right up the road from me; when I took Wet Kitty in for emergency surgery (fell out of a tree, puncturing himself), I noticed none of his examining rooms were big enough to hold me and two newfs. So he's my cat vet. I like him, he doesn't treat his clients like they are stupid, and we could chat up a blue streak about the latest research on this and that. If I had dealings like yours with Zeppelin, and they spoke to me like that, I'd be quite clear about why I'd be looking for another vet. Glad you didn't let them push you around.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Don't shoot the tech...lol..she was probably working under orders from above! Bladder ultrasounds looking for stones can be VERY quick..other things not so quick..but even for stones..two minutes is a gross exageration of speed. It takes the machine that long to warm up and to enter the data for the patient usually.

 

[TerriW]

"The vet decided Tank did not need the surgery at this time. God only know what would have happened if my friend didn't insist."

Good Grief Leonard!!! I don't even want to imagine what could have happened!

I know I've told this before, but my terrier mix Scooter had a bit of something caught in his throat once and I took him (on a Sunday) to an ER vet half an hour away. Once there, I was told it was $1200 to look down his throat to see what the obstruction was. I said that was a LOT of money. Would that be the WHOLE bill? The vet tech said, oh no, then it's more to actually RETRIEVE the object.

I said, shocked, 'How much to put him down?'

She clutched him close and said "You don't put a dog down for something stuck in its throat!"

I said, "I don't pay $1200 for it either."

She huffed, obviously PO'ed, and left the room with Scooter.

A full HOUR later she returned and said "He managed to swallow it."

It was still a couple hundred dollars for their 'observation and examination'. I have NEVER been back. I made sure I found another ER vet.

And no, I would not have put him down. But my comments proved my point. Of the thousands of good vets out there, there are always a few who are in it for the money.

 

[heather pluciennik]

What happened to 2-3 minutes per dog? 45 mins is a long time in my book. Hope the test come out good.