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Originally Posted by Lovetodream88   I think at some point we have all exaggerated a little to get care. I told the vets office that Penny was eating her paws when she needed an appointment which obviously she wasn’t eating her paws but it got the point across that it was a big issue. Vet techs and vet assistants are different then receptionists and we are taught what is an emergency and what isn’t but we were also taught if the owner feels it an emergency then you consider it an emergency. I’m going to guess that one tech was just trying to be on the lazy side and didn’t want to do the work. Sadly there are those kind of people in the field. I remember Callie’s first trip to the ER vet at 2am because she would not put any weight on her front leg and the vet was so rude and acted like we woke him up. |
Exaggerations or lies, call it what you will, I call if lying if we aren't 100% truthful & I'll blatantly lie if I think it gets my possibly grievously ill/injured family member, be they skin or fur, seen immediately for a quick professional triage and physical eval. But I believe God & society forgives a lie told once, twice in a lifetime under these circumstances by a very scared & worried caregiver whose motives are pure.
I applaud your vet tech teacher for teaching you the rule that if the owner thinks their pet has an emergency, you must consider it one, too!
Less experienced techs or receptionists w/o much intake experience just don't have the years of training, experience to properly assess an excited owner's often piecemeal, hurried history of their often excited or lethargic dog's present condition as to whether that dog is at risk of losing life or limb, whatever unknown poison he's swallowed rapidly working or his bronchitis quickly becoming double pneumonia, etc., compared to a receptionist, inexperienced vet tech with a few months of vet tech/assistant training.
And sometimes even dogs in the gravest of conditions can briefly rally, perk up due to adrenaline rush by feeling ill/injured, scooped up & hurried to the vet by an overly-excited owner w/ all of the scents, sounds, sights, energy of a vet's office, thinking the dog is fully oriented and alert, thus can't be dealing with an emergent issue. Of course I realize crying wolf too often will cause unwanted repercussions but thankfully most dog caregivers don't have to face this type of terrifying situation once, twice in a lifetime.