Some places these days won’t just kill animals they’ve never met just because the owner asks for it. If the animal is easily cured they’d feel bad. If the animal was stolen and doesn’t even belong to the person demanding it be killed instantly without an exam? then what?
I do find it unpleasant they didn’t carefully explain their policy and fees and gotten agreement before proceeding, however.
[QUOTE=wendy;4220348]
If the animal was stolen and doesn’t even belong to the person demanding it be killed instantly without an exam? then what? [/QUOTE]
So, um, it is ok to kill a stolen animal WITH a quick exam? :winkgrin:
I friggin’ love my vet. Charges peanuts but I’d pay him top dollar. He TALKS to me, he doesnt rush me. He performed surgery on my horse and explained what he was doing step by step. Told me the bill was 2x what he thought it was going to be, and said I could break it up if I wanted. I paid in full on the spot, because I could and because he offered.
I have 3 cats. One very very expensive Sphynx who has a degenerative lung issue. My vet explained it to me SO WELL. FAR better than the ER hospital that wanted $2000 to do a trach wash with NO promise (actually 80% chance) that the cat would survive the procedure.
I love him and feel grateful to be his client. Good luck to those who arent so fortunate!
[QUOTE=grayarabpony;4219047]
Oooo, scary. Shall I first help you remove your keyboard from your mouth from our last exchanges?
What’s really funny is that I will probably run into you at local shows. My guess is you won’t come across any better in person than you have here![/QUOTE]
Wow. You are just abrasive. That was a joke, hence the :lol:.
And I am at almost all the shows in the area. And you know what my horse looks like. I would invite you to meet me, as those I see at all the shows think I’m fun to be around.
For the record, you were pretty nasty to me on that thread, and the only thing I said was that since you stated you had a hard time finding a vet in the area “worth a damn” (which sounded like you’d been to many and so far they had all been crap) that I would prefer you not come to my practice since that’s a bad attitude to start with. (I suggest re-reading it, all the hate was one sided…;)) Although, for all I know, you ARE one of my clients. You are probably one of the many who love me…
I chose to (try) not participate in this thread, because I have done so in several similar ones, with the result of me feeling defensive. I’m a glass-half-full kinda person, so I don’t like operating that way. Peace-out!
[QUOTE=wendy;4219699]
they have to have some knowledge of the animal’s state (like weight and degree of frailness) in order to calculate the proper euthanasia dose.[/QUOTE]
Lies, BS, Scata on a stick! They weren’t anesthetizing the cat, they were killing it. Get out the Lethol or Somnethol or just about any junker barbiturate and inject the poor kitty. A cc here or there won’t be making a difference. It’s why on the side of the bloody bottle it has “cc’s per pound”.
What a load of manure. This is the crap people are complaining about, padding the bill with unnecessary tests/physicals/procedures.
[QUOTE=wendy;4218974]
I suspect this rarely happens. Most pet owners are the opposite- they want pets, but no way are they willing to pay to keep them healthy. Feed em cheap crap food, skimp on the health care, don’t want to pay for anything. Vets get frustrated- they can do so much these days but nope no one wants to pay for it.
Pet insurance anyone? my pet insurance paid for a $4000 dog life-saving procedure in february.[/QUOTE]
WOW. How did we get from 45% to “most”? Have new stats been published during the last few days? Would like to see those stats, old or new.
[QUOTE=Pony Fixer;4220506]
Wow. You are just abrasive. That was a joke, hence the :lol:.
And I am at almost all the shows in the area. And you know what my horse looks like. I would invite you to meet me, as those I see at all the shows think I’m fun to be around.
For the record, you were pretty nasty to me on that thread, and the only thing I said was that since you stated you had a hard time finding a vet in the area “worth a damn” (which sounded like you’d been to many and so far they had all been crap) that I would prefer you not come to my practice since that’s a bad attitude to start with. (I suggest re-reading it, all the hate was one sided…;)) Although, for all I know, you ARE one of my clients. You are probably one of the many who love me…
I chose to (try) not participate in this thread, because I have done so in several similar ones, with the result of me feeling defensive. I’m a glass-half-full kinda person, so I don’t like operating that way. Peace-out![/QUOTE]
Truth be told, as I saw it, you were judgemental regarding something you knew nothing about. I have had problems, come on here and wrote about them, and then someone who doesn’t know what she is talking about with regard to the situation says that what went wrong must be my fault. Nice…
Believe me, I’m not one of your clients, and sure as heck not one of the “many” who love you. :lol:
Yeah, because that happens all of the time.
How old are you, 12?
[QUOTE=luvmywalkers;4220690]
WOW. How did we get from 45% to “most”? Have new stats been published during the last few days? Would like to see those stats, old or new.[/QUOTE]
I think there is a misunderstanding about the 45% figure… It doesn’t have anything to do with whether a client wants to spend money or not, it has to do with whether or not a transaction is a moneymaking one or not. It doesn’t matter if it’s a person that is spending 20.00 or 2000.00, you could be losing money on either one.
I agree with you though on your thoughts on this post, I don’t think most people are unwilling to take care of their pets, it fact the numbers say otherwise…50% of pet owners consider their pets family members, 48% consider them pets and a small percentage consider them property. Guess which group is least likely to pay for care?..
[QUOTE=Trakehner;4220654]
Lies, BS, Scata on a stick! They weren’t anesthetizing the cat, they were killing it. Get out the Lethol or Somnethol or just about any junker barbiturate and inject the poor kitty. A cc here or there won’t be making a difference. It’s why on the side of the bloody bottle it has “cc’s per pound”.
What a load of manure. This is the crap people are complaining about, padding the bill with unnecessary tests/physicals/procedures.[/QUOTE]
Actually it’s probably more about making sure the animal needs euthanasia. If you are asked on a regular basis to put down healthy animals, you might start to put in some safeguards too. Could you, in good conscience, put down any animal that walked in through your door just because an owner said so? Of course this is a whole nother can of worms… 
I, for one, do not believe a vet should be required to euthanize healthy animals if it is against their belief. In the case of the poster with the issue, the dog she brought is was clearly in trouble and perhaps the vet went against clinic policy to help her at that time. With the cat, it might not have been as clear…
WOW. How did we get from 45% to “most”? Have new stats been published during the last few days? Would like to see those stats, old or new.
I wanted to be a vet. Then I worked in a vet clinic for awhile. It made you hate the human race. Oh I need to have fluffy killed because I’m going on vacation and don’t want to pay for a pet sitter. Oh I need to have fido killed cause I’m bored with him. Oh I can’t possibly pay for vaccines, just kill it, I’ll go get another one tomorrow. Oh, I paid $500 for this dog but no way am I paying $30 for treatment for that infection so either kill the dog or I’ll toss out of the car on the way home.
[QUOTE=foggybok;4221823]
In the case of the poster with the issue, the dog she brought is was clearly in trouble and perhaps the vet went against clinic policy to help her at that time. With the cat, it might not have been as clear…[/QUOTE]
The cat was a medium sized 15 year old cat that was down to 4.5 lbs, with tumerous growths above both her eyes, so physically not a question, and easy to see at a glance that it was time, as we had been putting off the decision. HOWEVER, the deciding issue was the fact that she was doing very strange things like laying in the middle of the road/driveway, and not moving when cars approached. Also sleeping outside the barn when it was pouring rain, or laying in the middle of a very muddy paddock. No exam is going to discover that.
Actually it’s probably more about making sure the animal needs euthanasia. If you are asked on a regular basis to put down healthy animals, you might start to put in some safeguards too. Could you, in good conscience, put down any animal that walked in through your door just because an owner said so?
If their policy is to make the decision about what animals are ok to put down, not the owner, they should clearly let anyone know that when calling for an appointment for euthanasia.
You’re absolutely right about that.
[QUOTE=Pancakes;4218982]
So I’ve given it a bit more thought…
I guess what it boils down to is the vet-client relationship. If you feel like you can’t ask why certain procedures are necessary, or that you don’t trust your vet enough to make recommendations, or question the validity of the recommendations, then you don’t have a good relationship with your vet and you should find another one. Your vet should be able to explain things to you in a way that makes sense to you, and you should be able to feel comfortable enough to ask if there is something that doesn’t.
…
If your vet isn’t cutting it, then go find one that does a better job relating to you and is a better fit to you – they are out there. [/QUOTE]
I totally agree. I have had good vets, and I have had bad vets, and my satisfaction with the care I received did not correlate with the clinics’ prices in any way.
I had one vet, before I moved, that I totally adored. The vets and techs in the clinic were all great, my nervous dog LOVED them, and they were very thorough and also very gentle. They were also pretty pricey, but were happy to explain their charges - for example, their neutering price was really expensive because they provided IV saline, 2 pre-op bloodtests (the first one was a little off, they wanted to make sure), a different type of anesthesia, post-op painkillers, etc. Their price was more expensive than a couple of other clinics in the area because they provided more services than these cheaper clinics. They were frequently offering various things for sale in their office (e.g. fancy Royal Canin anti-plaque dog food) that I did not want to buy, but after suggesting it, they never pushed. I could call them on the telephone and they would give me a good idea if I needed to come in immediately or if it was a “wait and see” situation, and they were always honest. There were plenty of times they could have had me bring him in for an expensive exam, but instead said I should wait 1-2 days to see if symptoms went away on their own, and lo and behold they did! I trusted them very much.
After I moved, I went to a new vet that was relatively inexpensive and had come highly recommended. The vet took my dog for a “new patient exam” and I told him my dog had been having some “mystery yelps” and I was concerned something might be causing him pain. The vet listened to his heart, palpated him very briefly and superficially, and said something along the lines of, “Nah, he’s fine!” I didn’t go back to that vet.
Next vet - very very pricey. Very unpleasant vet tech, who insisted on telling me repeatedly that I was behind in “ALL his shots,” despite my telling her (and providing records of) immunity titers from last year, PLUS his CURRENT rabies cert. Tech was very snooty. Vets were very nice, and very thorough, but were really pushing expensive supplements, accupuncture (at $80/session, for a session that took literally only 2 minutes), etc. Never did follow-up phone calls - I got a phone message one day essentially saying, “So, your dog tested positive for Lyme. See ya later!” and had to wait nearly a week to finally talk to the vet about what that meant. $$$$$$ and bad service? No thanks!
I’m now trying a new vet. So far, so good, despite my displeasure at a $60 “first time patient checkup fee.” PLUS a $35ish regular exam fee. Seriously? Are you trying to DISCOURAGE new visitors? That aside, the vet seems nice enough so far and most prices are reasonable, so hopefully this clinic will be a better fit for us.
IMO picking a vet is like picking a doctor, or a horse trainer - if you don’t feel you can trust them, they’re useless to you. Find someone you can trust, and suddenly all these other issues become pointless. :yes:
If I ever feel a vet is “pressuring” me, then it’s a signal of mistrust - you do not trust the vet to be making recommendations that are in the best interest of your pet. That’s not a pricing issue, that’s a trustworthiness issue, and if your vet isn’t trustworthy then it’s time to find a different one! There are plenty of them out there!
[QUOTE=foggybok;4221823]
Actually it’s probably more about making sure the animal needs euthanasia. If you are asked on a regular basis to put down healthy animals, you might start to put in some safeguards too. Could you, in good conscience, put down any animal that walked in through your door just because an owner said so? Of course this is a whole nother can of worms… I, for one, do not believe a vet should be required to euthanize healthy animals if it is against their belief. In the case of the poster with the issue, the dog she brought is was clearly in trouble and perhaps the vet went against clinic policy to help her at that time. With the cat, it might not have been as clear…[/QUOTE]
Just a side note, vets are NOT required to euth whatever is put in front of them. I have seen very very few times where the owner and vet were not in aggrement about the case at hand, but I have seen one. The most memorable one was a case of an about 12week old puppy with broken leg that the owners didn’t even want to spling and give a chance. Vet advised nondisplaced fracture, will likely heal well and fast, female owner insisted that is was animal cruelty to make an animal wear a cast. ‘Just put him down’ she says, vet says nope, sorry, can’t do it. Owners refused to leave with the dog with the splint, after we had offered to do it for free incase cost was the problem and they just couldn’t say it. So they signed the dog over to the clinic, we boostered his vaccines and fostered him for the all of 4 weeks it took for his leg to heal good as new, and by the time it did he had a new home waiting.
So no, a vet doesn’t have to euth if they don’t agree with the reason it’s needed. They did after all take an oath to ‘First do no harm’, and to some putting a mentally and physically healthy animal down is causing that animal harm. It’s a personal thing, and what they’re comfortable with varies, but again, personally I’ve only seen this happen a couple of times.
Katherine
Vet Tech
I encountered somebody once who wanted me to euthanize their 60 pound corgi. Hadn’t seen a vet in years but was only about six years old and so overfed that it resembled a baby seal. I declined, but offered to get the dog into corgi rescue. They later found a vet willing to do the deed.
[QUOTE=wendy;4222110]
I wanted to be a vet. Then I worked in a vet clinic for awhile. It made you hate the human race. Oh I need to have fluffy killed because I’m going on vacation and don’t want to pay for a pet sitter. Oh I need to have fido killed cause I’m bored with him. Oh I can’t possibly pay for vaccines, just kill it, I’ll go get another one tomorrow. Oh, I paid $500 for this dog but no way am I paying $30 for treatment for that infection so either kill the dog or I’ll toss out of the car on the way home.[/QUOTE]
Those are your personal experiences, not stats.
[QUOTE=Horsegal984;4222209]
Just a side note, vets are NOT required to euth whatever is put in front of them. I have seen very very few times where the owner and vet were not in aggrement about the case at hand, but I have seen one. The most memorable one was a case of an about 12week old puppy with broken leg that the owners didn’t even want to spling and give a chance. Vet advised nondisplaced fracture, will likely heal well and fast, female owner insisted that is was animal cruelty to make an animal wear a cast. ‘Just put him down’ she says, vet says nope, sorry, can’t do it. Owners refused to leave with the dog with the splint, after we had offered to do it for free incase cost was the problem and they just couldn’t say it. So they signed the dog over to the clinic, we boostered his vaccines and fostered him for the all of 4 weeks it took for his leg to heal good as new, and by the time it did he had a new home waiting.
So no, a vet doesn’t have to euth if they don’t agree with the reason it’s needed. They did after all take an oath to ‘First do no harm’, and to some putting a mentally and physically healthy animal down is causing that animal harm. It’s a personal thing, and what they’re comfortable with varies, but again, personally I’ve only seen this happen a couple of times.
Katherine
Vet Tech[/QUOTE]
You are absolutely correct, there is of course no requirement to euthanize and animal if you don’t believe it is warranted, unfortunately, it comes up a fair amount. If not in your practice, then that’s great. It’s something I know many of my collegues deal with on a regular basis… And I have heard many people say that the vet should do as the client says even if it is against what they believe…
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;4222128]
You’re absolutely right about that.[/QUOTE]
I agree as well, the policy should be made known to the client when they make the appointment.
And I do not know if that was their reason for charging for an exam, it could have been something completely different.
You know, they could have listed the $55.50 as “office appointment”, and I would not have been upset, but to charge for a “comprehensive sick patient exam” that they didn’t do is what made me mad. THAT was just padding the bill, in an already bad situation.
