Vet takes animal 'to the back'

[SarahandSam]

[QUOTE=Ticker;7168384]
So, they can inject some really nasty stuff into fluffy to kill her, while you watch, but they have to take her to the back to give her a vaccine…[/QUOTE]

Wow. Anti-euthanasia much?

My vet does vaccines, suture removals, etc., in the exam room, but then will often send a tech in to take the pet to the back for something like bloodwork or a nail trim. I assume it’s because everything they need is handy, including other vet techs to lend a hand, and because I like and trust the techs at my vet, I’m fine with it. Especially since my one dog expresses his anal glands any time you touch his nails.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=Ticker;7168384]
So, they can inject some really nasty stuff into fluffy to kill her, while you watch, but they have to take her to the back to give her a vaccine…[/QUOTE]

Let me type this s l o w l y.

the only time my vet has taken my dog to the back was after an explanation of why he was going to do it…AND I was glad for it.

However, if it would make my vets life easier to give injections in the back, I’d be fine with that because I trust them. When I had to have a neonate puppy euthed, he asked me if I wanted to watch because with one that small, he had to do a cardiac injection. I told him to go in back and bring the body back out to me. All other euthanizations have been in the exam room with me present.

[Ibex]

My vet’s exam room is small, but the “work” area is better set up for an assistant and the vet to work. Anything just the vet does he does in the room, but understandably takes them to the “back” for anything requiring two people.

[Ticker]

[QUOTE=SarahandSam;7168464]
Wow. Anti-euthanasia much?

My vet does vaccines, suture removals, etc., in the exam room, but then will often send a tech in to take the pet to the back for something like bloodwork or a nail trim. I assume it’s because everything they need is handy, including other vet techs to lend a hand, and because I like and trust the techs at my vet, I’m fine with it. Especially since my one dog expresses his anal glands any time you touch his nails.[/QUOTE]

No, I’m not anti-euthanasia. Any vet will tell you that the meds used for euthanasia are dangerous…even to people. If safety is the big reason for taking fluffy to the back, then it should not be common to be able to ‘hold’ and watch your pet leave this world…in case someone accidentally gets poked. …and yet, they will take fluffy to the back for a simple vaccine…because it’s safer.
Do I need to further clarify?

[Aggie4Bar]

I’m not aware if my small animal vet takes some animals to the back for routine stuff. They’ve never said anything about taking either of my dogs back, but that may have something to do with me. I expect TurboMutt to behave like Cujo and don’t sugarcoat it. My rule for the techs, regardless of how social and sweet she’s being toward them pre-exam (she’s a total ham till the poking and prodding begins), is muzzle first! They generally give me the muzzle to put on her and stand back. :rolleyes: :lol: I’m willing to hand her over to them, but thus far, there’s never been a time they didn’t prefer I hold and monitor the front end. Usually takes 3 people to do something as simple as taking her temperature. Fun times.

[wendy]

I don’t buy the “it’s safer” excuse either. My regular vet does everything with the owner present except major surgeries and doesn’t seem at all concerned about “safety” other than appreciating it if you offer to put the muzzle on- I’ve even assisted him in taking x-rays and was calmly handed a lead apron. The few times we’ve been sent over to the bigger hospital is when I’ve seen the vets whisk the dog/cat away for even minor procedures like shots and blooddraws, which I thought was unnecessarily stressful for the poor critter and totally unnecessary. There might a few cases where it’s good to remove the owner, but in every case as a routine procedure? no.

[LauraKY]

Funny, mine all love to go to the vet and they all will go willingly with the vet techs, so it’s just not a problem for me. If I had an exceptionally fearful dog, that would be a different story.

[ChickenLittle]

I don’t allow my dogs to be taken in the back unless it’s for a procedure that can’t be done in the exam room. I worked at a clinic that had less than ideal handling of critters in the back room (read abusive). I’m not taking that chance with mine.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=Ticker;7168495]
No, I’m not anti-euthanasia. Any vet will tell you that the meds used for euthanasia are dangerous…even to people. If safety is the big reason for taking fluffy to the back, then it should not be common to be able to ‘hold’ and watch your pet leave this world…in case someone accidentally gets poked. …and yet, they will take fluffy to the back for a simple vaccine…because it’s safer.
Do I need to further clarify?[/QUOTE]

I realize all this logic is ruining your ability to stomp your feet and proclaim you have been treated wrongly by your vet but …

All the euthanasia’s I have been part of the animal has been past the ‘try to eat the vet’ stage so there really was no risk caused by the animal rebelling against the highly dangerous injection so no extra techs for holding were necessary.

The one time there was a thought of the dog being overly exuberant they said up front they might need to take put something into the vein (forgot what they are called, needle on a short piece flexible tubing for easy injection) and they offered to do that in back if it was preferred.

The point you are refusing to see is that the safety thing is more for your pets safety. In the back the table is open on all sides, no extra not included humans in the way. More than one tech can easily access the pet from whatever side they need to be on.

But again, clearly the vet going in the back is an issue for you. Find a vet and state before they touch the animal that this is a problem for you. Do not take what the receptionist says when you schedule as fact, discuss it with the vet. Since you are so concerned about this issue why not schedule a sit down appointment with just you and the vet prior to scheduling an appointment for your animal?
ETA - Why not ask your friends in your area what vet they use and if their vet does the ‘take in the back’ thing or not?

@LauraKY;7168544

Funny, mine all love to go to the vet and they all will go willingly with the vet techs, so it’s just not a problem for me.

That is how mine are too. Always wanting to go out that door in the back of the room. When we have had to go into the back they are very happy to go back there.
Clearly all those people in the back are just there for extra petting and treats, per my dogs.

[Ticker]

Yes, the vet going in the back is an issue for me as I have stated. It is not an issue with my current vet, as I have stated. I had a vet for 20 years that it was not an issue. It seems to be something with new vets.
The question was…does it bother anyone else?

I suspect that it may have something to do with insurance policies…as previously stated. I may be right.
http://www.cvma.net/doc.asp?id=20804

‘Do not allow owners to restrain animals’ …number one lawsuit is owners bitten by their own dog.

[HenryisBlaisin]

In many cases, it’s less stressful for the animal, especially dogs, to be in the back, not more, like many owners think. It takes away the desire to be territorial because of the owner’s presence. Also, if the owner is worried or squeamish, the animal can pick up on that and escalate their own anxiety. You simply cannot compare a pet with a child. They do not process human emotion the same way.

I agree with the poster who said that if you trust the vet to do surgery, why wouldn’t you trust him or her to draw blood in an area that’s more convenient for them to do that? My vet does most things in the room, but does take my dog to the back, because he’s territorial if I’m in the room. If I didn’t trust them to take him for a blood draw, I sure wouldn’t trust them to operate on him.

[Anne_FS]

[QUOTE=Ticker;7168333]
‘yelling’ is my very strong …sometimes loud…authoritative voice that assures all that I’m very serious. Not to be confused with a high pitched rant.

Edited to add: Just to be clear, I have had the conversation about NOT taking my pet to the back BEFORE transferring my records or using any services. I am now on my third …forth clinic.[/QUOTE]

Why aren’t you seeing the connection here? You’re yelling at doctor and staff. You also start out at these places with a “no taking to the back” policy agreed upon and apparently very quickly the vets learn they don’t want to do that any more with you. You’re now on your FOURTH attempt to find someone. I don’t think it’s the vets or the techs. I think it’s you.

[spotteddrafter]

I’m frankly surprised they haven’t escorted you out the door, OP.

[coloredhorse]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7168585]
You’re yelling at doctor and staff. You also start out at these places with a “no taking to the back” policy agreed upon and apparently very quickly the vets learn they don’t want to do that any more with you. You’re now on your FOURTH attempt to find someone. I don’t think it’s the vets or the techs. I think it’s you.[/QUOTE]
I think this and similar responses are a tad harsh. I read the OP’s “yelling” as hyperbole; I don’t really think many people actually “yell” at service providers, but may well speak in a deep, firm voice to make their desires known. I also don’t think contacting a new vet with the statement “my preference is to have all work performed in front of me, in the exam room; what is your policy on this?” is out of line. We all choose various businesses (horse boarding, for instance!) based on which model best suits our own preferences.

[coloredhorse]

[Writing a second post because I seem to be unable to make paragraph breaks, and loathe an enormous block of text. :)] To the OP: I tend to be in agreement with you about preferring to have work done in front of me, and also have learned that I need to seek out small animal vets comfortable with that. In some instances, it is also better for a competent owner to do the handling. One example is my Malinois. He is very soft in temperament for the breed, and exceedingly well-socialized. However, neither factor can completely negate the stranger mistrust that is part of the breed’s makeup. While it is unlikely that he will bite, being restrained by an unknown individual, however competent, ramps up his stress level and he DOES struggle, making treatments/exams take longer and be more stressful for everyone. Fortunately, my vet works with police/military dogs, knows this breed and is comfortable with me restraining him (especially after 8 minutes of struggling to stain and flush his eyes to diagnose pannus … finally allowing me to just do it … 3 minutes, done and done.) I also prefer to handle, or at least be in the room with, the other little critters and so would seek out a vet amenable to that regardless of the breed of dog I have at the time. And, in fact, because I actually work with my animals on proper etiquette for simple vet procedures like temperature-taking, palpating and needles, when I put them in “the hold” for the needed activity, they settle right down. A stranger’s “hold” might be different in marked or subtle ways and not elicit the conditioned response I insist on and practice.

[Marshfield]

A lot of the pets I meet are better behaved away from their owner, hence taking them to the treatment area. I meet a lot of little dogs whose owners allow them to be little monsters, once away from their owner and treated calmly and not molly-coddled they’ll behave much better.

Liability wise, I absolutely cannot allow an owner to restrain. And if an owner gets bit getting too close to a pet that my technician is restraining, I am still subject to getting sued and will lose. So, if we can’t trust you not to interfere, we’re going to have to work on the pet away from the owner.

Other reasons for going to treatment–if we’re talking anal glands, then the sink is my friend. Treatment area is better equipped for just about anything beyond vaccines. If I need to get a better look at a growth, I have a nice bright surgical light I can flip on and use to look at it. On a busy day, the extra set of hands needed to do something is often in treatment area and it 's quicker to go to them.

Best way to get a good blood sample from a cat is with a jugular stick. This does require restraint and is something a lot of owners don’t want to watch.

[candyappy]

I have never encountered this myself. If it was with a vet I knew and trusted I would have no problem. A new vet I had no relationship with? No way.

[Holly_Jeanne]

At my vets, they do routine shots in the exam room but take them back to draw blood, x-rays, etc. That is except for my dogs. I stay in the exam room with one dog and they take the other in back for vaccines. They are litter mates and do feed off each other so one not seeing the other get shots is a good thing. :lol:

[coloredhorse]

[QUOTE=HenryisBlaisin’;7168584]
I agree with the poster who said that if you trust the vet to do surgery, why wouldn’t you trust him or her to draw blood in an area that’s more convenient for them to do that? [/QUOTE]
For me, at least, as someone who feels somewhat as the OP seems to, it’s not a matter of trust, but of personal preference. I prefer to directly oversee non-surgical procedures. While I understand some vets being concerned about lawsuits, as the link above indicated, I still have my preferences and there is nothing wrong with shopping for a professional that melds with my approach well.

[red_mares]

My vet takes them in the back for many things. For their routine allergy shots, I don’t even leave the waiting room. A tech takes the crate in back, 5 minutes, we are on our way. They are much better at restraining them than I am, and it is less stressful on everyone that way. As someone else said, why wouldn’t I trust them? If you trust them that little why do you use them?