Interesting read on vets!

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Fudgeandcoco

Interesting read on vets!

Post by Fudgeandcoco »

I came across this when I was researching something else.. It quit interesting to read http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... wners.html

Tell me your thoughts and even stories if this has happened to you.

I'm lucky as my vet is a good one but my uncle was telling me he had to change his vets as his old vet said that one of his older newfs had hip dysplasia my uncle only went for the newfs booster jab and the vet said he could feel something wrong with one of his hips even though the newf was fine so they did a x ray but the vet never showed my uncle the x ray so my uncle got a second opinion and it turns out the x rays were fine the old vet was just after money from my uncle. Plus my uncle had pet insurance so the vet knew he would get paid.
JudyN
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by JudyN »

I've heard of this sort of thing happening, but I don't know how common it is. My vet is very conservative in treatment - he will use his judgement and often adopt a 'wait and see' approach. Their charges are very low, too, despite being in quite a 'middle class' area.

A couple of weeks ago Wormcount, which I use to check Jasper's poo samples for worms, said there were some coccidia bacteria in his sample. My vet was happy to prescribe antibiotics on the basis of their email and my description of symptoms, without insisting on a consultation, so it cost me under £7. So I'm pretty sure he's not money grabbing :lol:
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Fundog
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by Fundog »

Like Judy, I've heard of this, but as far as I know, it is not very common. Also like Judy, my vet is another conservative one that isn't "in it for the money:" A while back, when we thought Annie was sprouting a tumor out of her head, we took her in for a visit. It turned out to be just a harmless wart. :lol: As we were walking out to pay the receptionist, the doctor commented, "Well that was boring! I'm not even going to charge you for that!" :shock:
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rnor1120
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by rnor1120 »

Hi there, vet here. Disclaimer - US vet.

I'll be honest, I couldn't finish the article because it was that full of crap. Can I say crap on here? Put it this way, Cricket's done much prettier and much more tightly coiled piles in my front yard.

When we discover a problem - and I'll use the Greyhound with bone cancer at the beginning of the article - we have an obligation to inform owners of the condition, diagnostics, ALL treatments, and prognoses. In that case, if the dog was having his leg amputated and undergoing chemotherapy (at what appears to be a veterinary school), it's likely because his owners made an informed decision and not because some vet forced them into it. Put it this way: if a vet had diagnosed the dog with bone cancer and simply said "it's better to euthanize," and put the dog to sleep, what if dog's owners had gone home and Googled and discovered that surgery and chemo may have given them another year with their dog? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I know of absolutely no one Google-mapping clients' houses to adjust fees. I don't care how much money you make, I'm going to offer you platinum, gold, silver, and bronze treatment plans. In addition, I will frequently "forget" to charge for stuff when an owner just can't afford a desperately needed diagnostic or treatment (I just performed a $1400 [US] procedure to save the life of a cat for free, literally did not get paid a dime. My colleagues at my hospital and other hospital have all done the same - please, PLEASE tell me how vets are money-grubbing thieves).
Fudgeandcoco wrote:the vet said he could feel something wrong with one of his hips even though the newf was fine so they did a x ray but the vet never showed my uncle the x ray so my uncle got a second opinion and it turns out the x rays were fine the old vet was just after money from my uncle. Plus my uncle had pet insurance so the vet knew he would get paid.
I'm sorry to disagree, but this is terrible speculation. We do annual exams to screen for health problems and when something is discovered we have an obligation to report it to the owners and make recommendations to diagnose and potentially treat issues. Your uncle's vet thought he found something abnormal, reported it, and made a diagnostic recommendation based on his findings. Your uncle is an adult and could have declined x-rays. And guess what- a normal x-ray still does not exclude the possibility of hip dysplasia. What if the vet said nothing and two weeks later the dog was lame? How would your uncle feel if the vet said, "Well yeah, I felt something weird two weeks ago but he looked alright enough and you didn't look like you wanted to spend any more money."? And who did the second opinion? Another vet? The teenager behind the desk at the pet store? A neighbor? A boarded radiologist? Was the dog sedated? Because if the positioning is not perfect, you can EASILY get a false negative read-out (that means that the x-ray can look normal despite having hip dysplasia). Personal experience here - my own dog has hip dysplasia, has been confirmed by multiple vets doing multiple orthopedic exams (myself included), and her last x-rays were more or less normal.

Bottom line - you're the pet owner, you're the money holder. We make recommendations for diagnostics and treatments based on the individual patient and try to educate the owner as best as possible, but ultimately YOU make the decision. YOU are the one who elects to allow us to perform x-rays, blood work, surgery, whatever. I'm not saying there aren't crooked vets out there, but they are few and far between.
Erica
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by Erica »

I've had bad experiences with vets and great experiences with vets. When we were unhappy with the (lack of) effort put forth to diagnosing the cause of Opal's sudden severe lethargy, we went to another vet and got a diagnosis and treatment that started working the next day. We now go to that new vet office because they are very understanding, kind, and most importantly, competent. (Old vet diagnosed her as "depressed because she's not alpha anymore." :roll:)

Can you find dishonest people working as vets? Probably. Can you find honest and kind vets? Yes. Like any profession there are going to be good vets and bad vets - as your dog's caretaker, it's your responsibility to find a good vet you like and trust.
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Nettle
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by Nettle »

Any professionals differ markedly in competence and attitude, so the excellent and the gorblimey are freely available. It is up to us pet owners to find the best we can, and also up to us to know as much as we can about our animals so that we can make informed decisions. It is terribly tempting to think all professionals know everything and are totally moral, but they are people too, and with the full spectrum of human vices and virtues between them. It is not an ideal world, so the extra responsibility devolves on us.

Sadly I have known some dreadful vets as well as superb ones. I count myself lucky in the extreme to have the wonderful vet I currently have. But the others do exist, and it is up to us to use our intelligence and if necessary our strength of character to do the best for our dogs.

As a behaviour trainer, I find it exasperating in the extreme when some vets and vet nurses give rubbish advice about behaviour, for instance, and I wish they would realise their limitations.
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Drewtheman96nw
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by Drewtheman96nw »

Hello There! :D

Wow that was very interesting article, it certainly gives you something to think about! To me it all seems so crazy and unnecessary. I recently read a forum post about a very worried fellow pet owner about her otherwise healthy pet. She should definitely read this article. I guess you should really not trust anyone. :roll: :x
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Suzette
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Re: Interesting read on vets!

Post by Suzette »

There will always be the good, the bad and the ugly in any profession. My personal experience is that most vets are honest and caring. Certainly not all, but if you are even a little on the ball, you can usually tell pretty quickly who you are dealing with. You just have to pay attention, ask questions and get second opinions when called for.

This article bothered me in that it made it sound like all clients are mindless dopes that follow their vets blindly. I have worked in vet hospitals, and while some clients will do whatever the vet says, no questions asked, most will not. Most will want multiple options and ask for them if not offered. Most are at the very least knowledgeable enough to ask the right questions and then make their own informed decision.

Beyond that, this guy really has an ax to grind in the vet community. His article was so filled with animosity it made it almost absurd to continue reading. He cites a few bad apples and experiences, then trashes the entire vet profession. To me, this man has no true credibility nor does his article, overall.
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