Questions for vets

[Sailorgirl]

I don't think I've seen this topic before. What I'm hoping for is that I'll get a lot of practical advice, rather than just a laundry lists of questions. I'd love to hear stories of what you asked your vets before choosing them, or what you wish you would have asked.

Like many of us here, there isn't an obvious choice for a vet for our Newfs in our area. I've taken my dogs to my current vet since we got them, and with my dog before these. I love the people who work there and I know they love my animals. Unfortunately we had an unfortunate situation that has caused me to lose a lot of faith in them. I thought I could get over it, but I find myself feeling more uncomfortable than I thought I would be about the level of care my animals are receiving.

I'd like to establish a long-term relationship with my next vet and feel completely confident in the care my animals are receiving. Because of that, I want to choose our next vet carefully.

Obviously I know I want to ask about their experience with giant breeds, particularly Newfs. And some holistic component, or at least the ability to be open to it, is particularly important to me. What other things do you suggest I investigate?

Also, those of you who have interviewed vets, how have you done it? Have you requested a meeting or a phone call? Have you had much success with that? I think there is a vet shortage around here and most vets I know are booked up to their eyeballs with existing customers.

 

[wrknnwf]

You covered most of the things I've looked for in vets. I wanted them to be open to alternative medicines but I don't want someone stuck in any particular method. I've found that they always "say" they are experienced with Newfs so instead, I think it's helpful to find out if they can rattle off the common Newf ailments. And they must LISTEN to my suggestions and act like they are willing to discuss them instead of blowing me off.

Once, when I took Piper in for a UTI, the vet (who had several Newfs in his practice) insisted she had kidney stones because that's what Newfs get. I told him she didn't, she had a UTI and I also mentioned that she had been DNA cleared for cystinuria. "SISTA WHAT", he said. "Spell it". I did and he left the room for a long time, came back and said "that's a DNA test right?" "Yes", I replied. "And she cleared, right?" "Yes", sigh. ARRRGGGGHHHH! I never looked back.

I've never interviewed a vet but I think you can probably get a feel for who they are on a routine check-up. The best way to find a vet is to ask people in your local club who they go to and why.

The vet I mentioned in the story above is only a half mile from me so convenience was my reason for going there in the first place.

Now, I have several vets that I would go to depending on the problem. There are vets who specialize in acupuncture, eastern medicine, western medicine, reproduction, etc., so I'm inclined to go the the vet who has the expertise I'm looking for at that particular moment. I think it's wise not to put all your eggs in one basket.

Be sure to find out if they are available for medical emergencies and if they have staff on duty at night. I'm fortunate that I have two equidistant emergency clinics near me so I am not scrambling to find someone in a crisis. My new regular vet is several miles away but also isn't available in emergencies.

Now one final note, I don't know what the circumstances are, regarding your old vet, but please remember to pick your battles. There is no vet alive that is skilled or schooled in every single problem so if you liked this guy and it wasn't a big, or perhaps, life threatening issue, consider still using him for more routine things but find other vets that have different skills too.

 

[Ksullivan]

I used to go to a Vet that I went to High School with, and have been friends with all my life. One Saturday morning my ShihTzu (that has crossed by now) could not urinate. I called him, and he said he would see him Monday. I could not stand to see him suffer, so I called the other clinic in our town, they catherized him that day, and on Sunday, and operated taking out 7 kidney stones on Monday. I have NEVER been back to the Vet that is my friend. I still like him for a friend, but not for a vet for my fur kids.
The clinic I go to now has two vets, and one is on call all the time. I love that, because more than once we have needed one after hours.

 

[eckybay]

I asked around to see who other people in the area liked.

With three dogs and five cats, I always have some one that seems to need some routine shot. So when the dog that was the most temperamental out of mine needed vaccines, I decide that was a good test run - after all if the dog's don't like the vet, it'll never work.

He handles all his own emergencies and every time I've called after hours, he's been great to deal with. That was a biggie for me since most vets in the area take turns being on call for emergencies. He is part of that service for in case he is out of town, but as he put it, he wouldn't trust his own animals to a few of the other vets in the area, so he doesn't expect his customers to either.

 

[kyra]

We love our vet. Kyra's the only Newfy in his practice right now, but he is well informed and I've not been able to tell him anything that he didn't already know about and could enlighten me even more. He loves all animals and we are always invited into the room with him while he does his work. We've always had large dogs, Pyrs, GSD, etc. and he always sits in the floor with them and kisses and talks to them while he works. When we bring our two dogs and the cat in at the same time, he lets them all come into the exam room together and lets them calm each other.

He also shows and breeds his own dogs and rescues cats. He provides free spays and neuters to rescued cats. He does x-rays for OFA and is known in the area for being able to do quality x-rays without anaesthesia. He also doesn't believe in doing unnecessary, expensive things but recognizes when it's time to act. His office is not fancy and he's extremely laid back and accessable. You'd think you were visiting some hole-in-the-wall out of the way vet practice, but he's always up on all the latest in veterinary medicine and is a voracious reader. His primary staff has been the same since we've known him which speaks a lot about him and how easy he is to work with. We've been using him for over 15 years with no problems.

So, in general, for me, it's about finding a vet with the personality that makes you comfortable, who has a good rapport with your animals, who keeps his veterernary skills and knowledge up to date and treats you, your animals and his staff with great respect.

 

[kyra]

Hmm? This post keeps getting posted over and over. Sorry, don't know why. I don't think I'm doing anything.

 

[Clcsidi]

Our current vet was sort of a by chance thing, but she is great. Several months ago our cat died unexpectantly and I just wanted to get him taken care of quickly, so I called the nearest vet to our house. The office staff was kind and very respectful of me, the cat and the situation. I had taken the dogs to another local vet about 20 minutes away and was happy with them, but really didn't want to have to drive that far if the dogs were really sick.

The day before we were to leave for vaction, Sprockett got a raging ear infection and I did not want nor had the time to drive out to Beaver Creek to the first vet, so I called the close vet again. Sprocket was greated with love and affection by the staff, then when the vet came in. it was obvious that she was a large dog person. She gave me information about blood donation, pet therapy and reading to the dogs program ( my kids were reading to Sprockett when she came in.) We got involved with giving blood and I rally like the vet for that. She was amazed that not only did I understand medical issues, but that I got the animal thing in a big way ( I was an animal science major in college before I decided to become a nurse. ) So now we have two vet clinics we use, the one close to our house with the great vet that gets big dogs and the emergency vet where Sprockett gives blood.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

We went to one vet, who is close to us, for the convenience. He quite frequently brings in "new" vets (young ones, fresh out of school) to give them experience and get some help in his office. After having Caesar misdiagnosed as having "asthma", and having the vet look at his x-rays and say his heart was fine...then rushing him to the emergency vet in a few hours, where they told me his lungs were full of fluid and his heart was enlarged...and he was literally drowning in his own fluids (congestive heart failure), I became leery of going to that vet. They misdiagnosed two non-life-threatening ailments in other animals, too. That was it for them.

Now I travel 45 minutes each way, to go to our current vet. She's an older lady who has been doing this for a long time (also does horses and livestock). She currently has two other experienced vets who switch off, so that one of them is always there with her (in case she gets an emergency livestock call and has to go). They aren't always "up" on the latest things (had never heard of Zymox Otic before I asked what they thought of trying it on Lucy...now they're offering it to other folks). They are VERY willing to listen, do research, and discuss with me...and have called after 9pm before to check up on an animal I've brought in that day, to see how it's doing.

Also, and this is important to me...when they schedule an appointment, the longest they've ever kept me waiting is 15 minutes, and that's because they were finishing an emergency surgery. The typical "wait time" for the other vet was 1-1/2 to 2 hours AFTER my appointment time....and that's when I arrived on time for it.

 

[2Paws]

Erin, I had a similar experience with the vet I went to. I really liked the vet and the staff, their office was five minutes away from me and I know they loved my dogs but I felt I needed to find another vet who had more experience with the newfoundland breed. The new vet was picked based on feed back from other newfie people. My first appointment was a routine exam. I was impressed by how thorough he was with the exam, how he used a model of an dog's ear to show me the correct way to clean the ear and also showed me a model of a dog's knee to explain how the knee is put together. He made a point of writing down any special directions he wanted me to do and most importantly, he was a good listener. It's hard to find a vet that will really listen to you. He is conservative in the treatments he chooses (not a pill pusher) and he is also open to the holistic approach to treating the dog.

I've kept the vet who lives five minutes from me for routine things like vacinations, heartworm checks and heartworm medication. It's also nice to know if there was a life threatening crisis, I have a place close by. I go to the newer vet who lives 30 minutes from me for the annual exams, blood test evaluations and any problems that may come up. I was up front with him about keeping the relationship with the vet that lives close to me and using that vet for my vacinations. This newer vet was fine with it. I also have a large animal chiropractor that I go to and a holistic vet. I see them about twice a year for the dogs. I don't think it hurts to maintain relationships with a group of professionals for your dogs. It does require keeping good records of what was done when with each dog and bringing it along with you for each visit.

 

[Ivoryudx]

Well lets see...One requirement is a large enough x-ray machine to handle a Newf, since I ran into that when I was out of town a couple of times. The Vets I visited didn't have the equipment, so it became a lesson learned for me.

I went to a Vet for a short while who had carpet throughout, and even though it always looked clean, I worried about it. Then when I went back to help with x-rays I realized they had their x-ray machine in the same room where they crated the animals during the day! It wasn't 4 feet away from them, so I decided right then, my animals would never be left there. Then I realized she didn't know how to read an x-ray, and argued with me about the fact that Ohio State had MOVED their Vet Dept, and thats why she 'lost our x-rays'. Because she mailed (regular mail) to the wrong address, and they never arrived. She was very suprised when I called to check her 'story', she finally took another x-ray for free, but I was already finished with her.

My current Vet accepted us as a client during a hard time. I initially had used him for a second opinion years previous, because he is 20 minutes the other direction from my work. So I already kind of knew him, but hadn't used him because of location. Well, that ended when I took Ivory in for a consult and he spent over 2 hours with us and charged a normal office visit. He sat on the floor and petted her the entire time, and discussed our options for Osteosarcoma and told me he would do whatever 'I' wanted. He genuinely likes and cares for animals and has been doing this for 20 years. Other Vets I've seen handle the animals in sort of a robot fashion. He pets and talks to them, and they know he's a soft touch with the cookies! haha

I think some Vets fall into a routine, get them in and get them out. I don't want to deal with that. On the other hand, I won't wait an hour every time I have an appointment either. If my Vet has an emergency, or is running really late, they call me, and ask me if I want to reschedule. The longest I've ever had to wait was 15 minutes, but thats okay because they are really good about working me in when needed. They also just run my dogs to the back if its simple blood draw so I don't have to wait at all and pay no office visit.

I learned a valuable lesson early on when I took Ivory to the Vet as a puppy. This Vet was wonderful. Very patient, kind, and knowledgeable. The problem occured when we sat in the waiting room for at least an hour waiting for our appointment. The office manager came out and asked if ANYONE there would like to see the other Vet and everyone passed. The other Vet had the personality of a rock, so all 5 of us chatted in the waiting room and had a nice conversation that day. I did go back to him several times later, but I also started looking for another Vet who I didn't have to wait so long for.

Word of mouth is a very good way to weed out the bad Vets and find the good ones. Vets are a dime a dozen around here, and there are a few that are just plain horrible imo.

 

[KatieB]

The best vets I have found through recommendations of other newf/berner owners. In San Diego the vet was recommended through another Berner owner and she was wonderful. She spent a lot of time with us and they always worked us in. We found his surgeon through recommendations at a dog show. We got the same name from about 5 newf owners at that show and numerous Berner owners. She was amazing, did a fabulous job and was the cheapest of all by a long shot. She had 24 hour care so he was monitored round the clock and they allowed his blanket and stuffie to accompany him (he was 6 months when he had both shoulder surgeries). She spent a tremendous amount of time with us and was very honest about his xrays. She was the only surgeon who said she would never touch his hips surgically and to just let him grow out. Every other surgeon said he needed a TPO on both sides. Well now at 2 years he has OFA'd with GOOD hips!!!

Our vets in Ohio have also been through word of mouth. The first one I was not happy with at all. I liked her ideas on vaccinations, food etc. but the techs that worked there were incompetent IMO. Bella got a microchip twice and it fell out twice...she had a hole so large it was bleeding and the tech tried to put super glue on it to keep it closed...well the microchip still came out. After hearing Bella screaming in the back over a microchip more than once that was it for me. I never took either dog back.

Our current vet was recommended via our raw-feeding co-op. I would say 80% of the members on there said this was the guy to go to if you wanted good care, actual treatment of the problems (not just throwing meds at symptoms) and a very holistic approach to care, diet and vaccinations. He has been really awesome. The dogs love him and he is the first vet who said when we saw our kids and asked what we feed "Isn't it amazing how well they do when you feed them a good quality food...not something like Eukanuba or Science Diet"....woohoo a vet who doesn't push crappy food!!! He even sells good quality foods in his office...so he scored lots of points.

He really doesn't prescribe medication unless it's truly needed. He will do homeopathic or holistic things for most issues and let the dog and the dog's immune system handle most issues. I strongly feel that dogs, like people are seriously overmedicated in this country and I love that he doesn't rush to give me meds, but rather suggests probiotics or other things.

The best thing about this is that the techs are great and love my puppers. Murphy has some fear issues and doesn't like the cages at the vet. He also does better with light restraint as he really fights heavy restraint. They are very gentle with him and give him commands (he knows stand, stay, up etc.) so they can get him to do most things without a heavy hand where some vets just manhandle the dog to get things done. So bottom line he's not stressed there like he has been at some vets. Bella is scared at the vet (weird cause she's not scared anywhere else) and they let me go back with her when they drew blood for her HW as it helped calm her. She also was not happy when they tried to separate her and Murph for their spay neuter...so instead of forcing her or stressing her more they just put her and Murph in an exam room together and closed the door.

Murphy had some bloody stool prior to his neuter at the vet and he called me 3 times to go over every little thing about Murphy and what he had eaten etc. before he did his neuter just to make sure he was going to be fine. I was very reassured by that and he also called personally following the neuter to let us know how he did and even called us the next day to check on them. I did mention Murph tends to be a bit stiff in the rear and instead of saying well here's some Rimadyl he said we can try chiropractice treatments or acupuncture on a regular basis to see if that improves his movement.

It's those little things that assure me they care about my dogs and have their best interest in mind and realize that the dogs are individuals who need different types of care. So there's not one definitive thing Erin but rather I go with recommendations and then overall feeling when I'm there. It's easy to tell when someone is sincere and cares for your animal. Having similar views on vaccinations (titering), feeding and overall medical care is also huge in my book.