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Yet another vet switch......arggggggh

Kcmam

Well-Known Member
So frustrated! Have just decided to switch vets again because even though I had openly talked with the vet about waiting to spay she spent 30 minutes arguing with me about it this morning. Not only that she insists science diet is the best food out there. I just wish they'd be honest at the first meeting especially after me having brought up all the concerns then. Anyone else have this much bad luck or is it just me?
 

angelbears

Well-Known Member
You are not the only one. I haven't had a good vet in years. Keep looking it is worth it if you can find a good one. You will have a healthier pet and more than likely save you a ton of money.
 

Jakesmum

Well-Known Member
We went through it too. When we first got Jake we immediately took him to our vet the first day as he had a bit of kennel cough, while she agreed that it was best to wait for neutering him she looked at us and said something like "I sure hope this wasn't an impulse to buy this dog". We were totally offended by that, my husband ranted for weeks that if he wanted to buy a dog he would buy a dog and how dare she judge us without knowing us and how much research we did before actually getting our puppy. We refused to take him back there based on that and I found an excellent vet about 30 minutes outside of the city that even my picky husband approves of.
 

Kcmam

Well-Known Member
Yeah she kept coming back to "it's just going to cost you more money to wait because the bigger the dog the more the surgery costs" argument like I hadn't a clue and had walked into getting a mastiff out of sheer stupidity. I don't know she just pushed every one of my last buttons and then to top it off when I was checking out she went and grabbed a bag of science diet and set it on the counter. I said "umm I don't need or want that" and she started on a ramble about how the scientists knew their stuff Yada Yada Yada, I put the cash for the office visit on the counter and walked out.
 

angelbears

Well-Known Member
It has been my experience that country vets or vets in poorer neighborhoods are the best. They rely on their diagnostic ability while those in a more affluent area with all the newer gadgets tend to run every test under the sun, they have to pay for it somehow.
 

Rugers-Kris

Well-Known Member
I feel your pain....The first vet I was using talked to me about neuterng Ruger EVERYTIME I took him and he, too, went on about how much it would cost me if I waited until later considering the size he would be. Apparently he wasn't listening when I told him initially that Ruger will NEVER be neutured unless there was a medical reason to do so. I called EVERY vet within an hour from me and spoke with thier desk people and ask a million questions and asked that a doctor return my call.....Very few did, of course and two out of three of them opened thier mouth and immediately convinced me that I didn't like them BUT thank God for that third call...She is absolutely fantastic! She has no issue with my not neuturing Ruger and Magnum, has never tried to push "vet" food on me but did take the time to discuss what I do feed them and even has knowledge as far as food goes. I couldn't be happier. We have tons of Vets around here but after calling every single one of thier offices, I think I found the only one worth paying.
 

Al and Julie

Well-Known Member
We got lucky with ours small town vet. When we brought in Thor she never mention neutering him at all ask what type of food he was on and that was it. When we brought in Xena at 9months she ask about spaying I told her not before 18 months and she rebutted with I think it would be best if we waited till 24 months, ask what kind of food told her we had switched TOTW and she completly agrred with our choice. The only thing she is very stern about is the heartworm and flea/tick medication and I am ok with that because here we have had a growing number of Lyme disease and such. So I figure if that is her only major concern them maybe we should do it. We do live near a small creek sometimes standing water and wildlife all around us. I got lucky.
 

kguitarchic18

Well-Known Member
Oh man I feel your pain. Vegas is not known for having good human doctors, let alone vets. The first vert we went to, since we were new puppy parents, put Zola on meds thinking she might have a yeast infection. Then when we found the vet to do the ear cropping (old school vet in the not as nice part of town) they told us that its normal for femal puppies to have a little "stuff" down there before they are fixed and that she didn't need to be on meds and she was fine. We have stuck with them and they are great. Doctor explained to us when we would come in with all our own ideas about the ear cropping that he has been doing this for over 25 years, he knows what works, what doesnt, etc, and he was right. His old school method of just letting her ears scab and heal naturally was great her ears look good, no scarring or weird hair growth back. And they also listen to you and arent trying to just push some antibiotics to charge you all this money to push you out the door.
 

Kcmam

Well-Known Member
Well I glad it's not just me, I probably wouldn't have gotten so upset if we hadn't talked about my feelings on these things at the meet and greet visit.
 

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
Yah, vets are a peeve of mine.

My vets office is actually staffed by 8 vets. I have my prefered vet, but occasionally we'll end up seeing another.

With Apollo, I got the usual lecture when they first saw him as a pup, about neuter. I finally shut them up by telling them we planned to show. BUT, for all the frustration of that first visit, they've never brought it up again, we had our discussion, they respect my decision, thats really what I require. And infact, after his hips came back OFA Excellent I've gotten questioned on if I "plan to let those genes that built those hips die with him??"

With Arty, my usual vet was out the week that we brought him in for his first checkup and I saw one of the other vets who I'd previously never seen. My concern with potentially having two intact males: same sex aggression. The vet's concern with my having two intact males: that they'd mark my couch......It wasn't a pretty discussion. Needless to say I try to avoid that vet now when possible. (for the record, we ended up neutering Arty when it turned out that one of his testicles never descended into the scrotal sac)
 

Th0r

Well-Known Member
You can kinda understand why cause the procedure is money in their pockets!

Sent from my Nexus 5
 

angelbears

Well-Known Member
You can kinda understand why cause the procedure is money in their pockets!

Sent from my Nexus 5

Actually I can't understand it. Not when it is at the cost of our pets health. Excessive antibiotics, procedures and test is not good for our pets.
 

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
You can kinda understand why cause the procedure is money in their pockets!

Sent from my Nexus 5

Then they ought to be pushing for late spay/neuter on these guys, cause then it costs more.

They're just so stuck on what was taught to be "good dog owners" that they can't work past it.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
It has been my experience that country vets or vets in poorer neighborhoods are the best. They rely on their diagnostic ability while those in a more affluent area with all the newer gadgets tend to run every test under the sun, they have to pay for it somehow.
Agree with you, AB. Titan's vet is a good ole country vet who treats everything from horses to chickens. He knows about all the new advances in vet medicine but he will be right up front with you if your dog is sick. He doesn't believe in fancy tests but he will do them if you want him to. He doesn't push dog food on you. The only drawback is that he doesn't take appointments, it's first come first serve. I have set in his office for 3 1/2 hours. Of course, while we are there, everyone sits on one side of the room away from Titan.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Yep, we've had the confrontation here too. We stayed with the vet who looks after Bailey's Mom and four or five of her siblings. Mastiffs aren't big here, but they are becoming a more familiar presence, so some experience with the breed is better than no experience with them. Still we were lectured on the importance of spaying her and we argued back that it wasn't good for their hips and elbows. After repeated attempts to get her signed up for the procedure, I finally told them that we were breeding her when she hits two. Now we get a different argument about too many puppies in the world, but it's easier to listen to, and it stops the other discussion for at least a mother 1 1/2 years.
 

lovebubbly713

Well-Known Member
It has been my experience that country vets or vets in poorer neighborhoods are the best. They rely on their diagnostic ability while those in a more affluent area with all the newer gadgets tend to run every test under the sun, they have to pay for it somehow.

Angelbears - I live in Northwest Houston and am hopefully getting my first EM puppy mid june. Do you have a vet you can recommend?
 

angelbears

Well-Known Member
lovebubbly713 - Unfortunately, I don't have one that I'm just crazy about. I do use one that is on Jones Rd, a couple of miles off 1960. She has Great Danes and the other vet there had an EM. So they at least understood the protocol of using anesthesia on the giant breeds. Which is different then for smaller breeds. Now to be honest, I'm a minimal vax, raw feeding, antibiotics aren't needed for every visit type of person. I do like the female vet there personally. However, she is pretty much like most of all the vets out here. If you want her number I'll be glad to pm that to you.
 

Jadotha

Well-Known Member
Reading these stories, I am thankful that we have been fairly fortunate with our vets. Our vet in England didn't even mention neutering, and when we returned, our dogs were adult so the vet didn't raise the issue. When our GD Dylan was a puppy, the vet assumed he was going to be shown and also never raised the issue. We did have a falling out with them later on over another problem, however. When we first brought Boris to our current vet, he just mentioned that 'the practice generally neuters at six months, but I don't know what your plans are". We explained we didn't intend to neuter and that was the end of the discussion. We also gave him literature on the argument against early neutering for giant breeds, which he was quite receptive to reading. Further, he asked what we fed, approved it and did not push the heaps and heaps of Science Diet stacked in the hallways.
 

lovebubbly713

Well-Known Member
Angelbears, that would be great! Thank you. As I mentioned we're getting our pup mid-june (hopefully) so just trying to get ahead of the game. Of course we'll probably check out a few different vets. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Actually I can't understand it. Not when it is at the cost of our pets health. Excessive antibiotics, procedures and test is not good for our pets.

Unfortunately for the bad vets that is a positive. A sick dog makes more money for them then a healthy one. A disgusting attitude but it is out there.
Stories like those mentioned here make me so glad that I lucked out with the vet I have for the boys. She admits that Kryten is a new experience for her and that was before his ED surgery, which was a first. She took him as a reason to learn about the differences between him and other dogs like Jiggers and how to treat those differences. I am more likely to have the cat's vet try to sell me on having the them eat what is sold there but saying no is all that is needed to have them accept that answer