Thankful for Vets (what good have they done for your pups?)
 

A couple of us thought this would be a good idea (thanks for the idea, LadyJane). How has your vet (or vets) helped your pups? What have they done to make your pups' lives better? And how have they been compassionate to you (as the owner)?

I have to go, but I'll post later. :)

I just got my baby 3 weeks ago but I was sooo nervous about finding a good vet that I did crazy amounts of research before taking him. The first week I got him I took him to this vet near my home and she is absolutely amazing! The whole place is! They welcomed him with a little toy for it being his first day and made him feel so comfortable. They took his picture and they all just gushed over him. His vet played with him a bit and got to know him first before doing his examination so Oliver felt completely comfortable with her. I absolutely love them and and she was so gentle in giving him his shots, he didn't even flinch :) He goes back next week for his next series of shots so hopefully he has the same great experience!! :p

When we first brought Dany to the vet, we gave her Dany's history (puppy mill dog). She actually teared up and gave Dany a hug and kiss at the end of her exam. She's always willing to discuss vaccinations and answer any questions we have. She has a busy schedule (because many people in the area go to her), but she takes time with each patient.

I have had Kalina for three years and I'm on Vet #3. I guess you could say that I haven't been happy with the first two and the jury is still out on this one.

Vet #1 - trimmed my dog's facial hair without asking me!! I was trying to grow a coat on her and he cuts it? Didn't like that. There were 5 Vets in the practice so it was impossible to develop any sort of rapport with the Vet because you saw a different one each time and they didn't really know much about your animal.

Vet #2 - let's just say we didn't see eye-to-eye on a couple of matters. I am very easy to get along with, but he was very bull headed and didn't want to consider my opinion AT ALL.

Vet #3 - another large practice, which I don't like. They are totally unavailable after noon on Saturday to even call you back and answer a question. Sebi had surgery for his neutering and started peeing a LOT of blood. I called at 12:15 PM and just wanted to ask the doctor if this was "normal" after this kind of surgery and was told he couldn't call me until Monday and to go to the emergency Vet.

So, sorry but I am not thrilled with the Vets in South Jersey so far.

I love my vets. I mainly use 2 on the practice.
Last year when my pom was fighting Cushing's, she also went into congestive heart failure. The vet had her on medicine's and that gave her another 6 months. One day my dtr called and said Maya was breathing really bad. I called my vet, they said bring her right in. I walked in, the vet was waiting for her and took her in back. They put her in an oxygen chamber and told me to leave her for 2 hours. I ran about 20 minutes away to pick up DH cars and turn in the loaner. While I was there, my vet called and said Maya had stopped breathing but they had got her breathing again. I told her I would be there in 20 minutes but to let her go if she were to stop breathing again as i didn't want her to suffer. When I got there they took me to the OP room where Maya was laying on a surgical table and my vet was holding an oxygen cone to her face and gently stroking her. I sat down and she said Maya had stopped breathing again but was trying to restart her self. But there was no response in her eyes. We sat there another 10 minutes and Maya was gone. My vet spent at least an hour with Maya.
With Cali, my vet researches anything she prescribes for her due to her MVD. She will not but her on anything until she checks the safety of it for her. Whenever Cali has blood work she comes in so excited and the last time said, I am tickeled pink her blood work is perfect.
When ever I take one of mine in the vet says I have to take her back and show her off to everyone. It just makes you feel like they really care about your babies.
The office staff are so wonderful too. They will usually get me in if we have an emergency.
When ever one of mine has surgery, my vet knows how worried I am and does mine first. She calls me herself as soon as they are out of surgery and then again when they are more fully awake.
I have used then for 20 years and love them.

My vet is awesome!! I'm so glad that she came to such a small town to practice. I was soooooo very afraid to have Murfee's teeth cleaned and a baby tooth removed. It took almost a year of talking with her before I would let her do it. She is the only vet in my county that uses the kind of anesthesia that hospitals use on preemie babies. Also when Murfee had a run in with Abigail (my donkey) my vet was right there immediately. Her staff is great too.

I'm very happy with my vet office. There are three vets on staff and the support staff is just incredible. They offer lodging there as well, so I know that Cooper is in good hands if I have to leave him there for any reason. They always take me same day, usually within an hour. Last time, Cooper had blood work done, which lasted about a 1/2 hour. I was not sent back to the waiting room when the lab tech was working on results. I sat in the exam room with the vet and just chatted with her for the entire time.

They are very personable and take the time to answer all of my questions and concerns. However, they aren't thrilled that I bring Cooper's potty bell with him when I leave him there for lodging :D

I can't begin to tell you how blessed I am to have Dr. Amy in my live. She is incredible. She is an excellent vet, she genuinely cares about her patients and their owners. We have laughed together, cried together, put our heads together to come up with problems that have puzzled us both. If she isn't sure about something, she doesn't hesitate to run it by the other vets in the practice, research it, and/or refer me to a specialist.

A few examples of her going far above and beyond what was expected...

...When I was determined to homecook for the kids, she researched and provided me professional guidance. She even went so far as to contact some of her colleagues that were experts in the field of canine nutrition.

...When I take our elderly Boxer Boo in for her exams, rather than put Boo up on the table, she does the exam sitting on the floor so that Boo will be more comfortable.

...When she gives injections, she ALWAYS changes out the needles and uses teeny tiny baby needles - most of the time my kids never even know that they've gotten a shot, they have never had a reaction and are never sore.

...When I have a sick one that she is treating, she calls me at home to check up on them.

....The staff knows my voice when I call and they know my dogs. They go out of their way to make our visits pleasant.

That's what I'm looking for! I'm jealous. :)

Ellie's dogtor is amazing. :)

She fixed Ellie's mouth (periodontal disease) and did an awesome job.
She is there whenever we have a problem. If she is concerned, she is always willing to talk to others vets or refer to specialists. All questions are welcome and if she doens't know the answer, we look it up. Ellie's liver is always paid attention to when talking about drugs.

She really has done so much for Ellie and I, but most of it is too personally to post about. I have no idea what I'd do without her. She cares so much. :)

I didn't particularly like or feel comfortable with our first vet. When Jackson came up limping this past January (because of Lymes)... I had to bring him to a new vet because his current wouldn't take him for a week :rolleyes: sorry, I'm not letting him limp all week! So... because of Jackson's injury, we luckily found a new vet in the process. They are more expensive but the Dr. is sooo nice. And I noticed Jackson was/is a whole lot calmer there than he ever was at previous vet (he still doesn't like it, but he's more tolerant). Every time I call they are friendly and willing to answer ANY questions I have, have never pushed food on me, or anything. Also, they are always aware of the last doctor we had (there's 4 in the practice) and be sure to keep us with the same woman. I've never had any complaints. Jackson got neutered last year at a spay clinic and his rabies vaccine and they were also great! They knew I was nervous and explained how everything worked, etc. Our regular vet didn't even seem to care when I told her Jackson was getting his rabies shot at another place (the clinic) and didn't push us to do it there.

My vets have always been kind and competent but they did not always choose the right path for our dogs. Nevertheless, they tried their best most of the time.

I left the first three for various reasons. My new vet exceeds any expectations I have of her and welcomes the challenges I pose. I am the kind of owner that does not accept veterinary advice without asking questions and sometimes rejecting the advice I'm given. I tell them straight up that while they are the professionals and they can recommend something to me, at the end of the day, THEY ARE MY YORKIES and I have to do what I believe is in their best interests.

I also have many specialists that see my babies. Daisy has a dermatologist, an internist, and a nutritionist. I choose to go for the credentialed experts. I personally would never pay my money to a so-called expert in anything unless they had the degrees and the board certifications. I hold these credentials in high esteem. Not everyone feels the same way, and no one should be made to feel dumb for it. The fact that these vets are amazing and saved the lives of my dogs many times does not make them arrogant either. The internist sits on the floor when we go to see him. This man owns his own specialty hospital and he is sitting on the floor coaxing my little dog to come out from under the chair and say hi (she says Nope, not coming out).

So while I have had my share of disappointments and even a little bit of disdain at times for some members of the veterinary profession, there are still wonderful people that I don't know what I would do if they were NOT there.

I am SO grateful to the specialists we've seen. They-Are-Incredible!

The Vet Dermatologist we saw was the first person to suspect, or at least want to rule out Cushings for Wylie...she was the one that finally got him on the path to diagnosis. She also taught me so much about allergies for Marcel.

The Internist for Wylie's Atypical Cushings, who we saw when his Cushings was being specifically diagnosed, was just amazing. She knows so much about Cushings, and it was such a relief for me. I knew we'd finally get to the bottom of everything.

The Ophthalmologist we just saw for Wylie - WOW - they are truly amazing! The spend an hour+ with you and do all these tests on your kiddo and keep them calm, and use all these instruments, and get you on track if there is a cataract.

And Wylie and Marcel's and Pfeiffer's current Generalist Vet - she cares, and listens, and will find out more when she doesn't know, and will refer out when the issue needs more than what she is qualified for. It's an 8-vet practice and is very competent :).

I feel the same way about my vet. She is awesome as a person and is very friendly, and you can tell she loves what she does. HOWEVER; I feel like she is very popular because of her personality, and not because of her abilities.

The Dr. always calls me back if I have any questions, BUT because of her busy schedule I feel like she doesn't really hear me. I would like some blood work done on Holiday for her allergies since she has been on 3 different meds in the past week, and I need to know if this is having any affect on Holly's kidneys or liver because of the side effects, but my vet's solution is to just keep changing her meds if Holly acts wierd.

It's hard because the nurses are really great and everyone knows Holly's history and she loves going there, but I need to find someone who has Holly's best interests, and I know the vet CARES, but I think she's stretched too thin to give 100% to each individual patient, which is a shame because I really do like her!

I agree Ann the specialiasts I have dealt with are beyond amazing

Board certified dentist- he is so thorough and does not do dental vaccines and does not over use antibiotics in his approach and he even sanded down a back tooth for demi as one root was infected but saved the other part of the tooth so it was easier for her to eat

BC Dermatologist- she is so sharp and always approaches Dee Dee with great care with all her issues and we have been seeing her for 3 years now. She always returns my calls to ask her questions about Dee Dee as well as some things that come up on here to help other dogs like the difference of chlorhexedine vs benzoyl in the use for staph infections

Dr Jean Dodds - a specialist in Blood and Vaccinations who does our blood work and titers- she is truly amazing - not only helps me with my dogs but other people on here as well. She emails me back at all hours of the day - she even emailed me at 11:00pm on a saturday night to tell me how to split a .1 mg oblong soloxine pill into 1/3 with a cuticle clipper - I could go on for days on how she has helped me with my dogs from every place she is at all over the world. She has emailed me from Canada, China, Australia, and UK - truly the most passionate caring Vet I have ever met and she is always there for me and my dogs.

BC Opthamologist - Amazing spent an hour with me and even showed me how to look in a microscope at dex eyes to make sure he did not have dry eye as he was having a lot of goopy eye episodes.

BC Internal medicine specialist - TRULY AMAZING - saved my dogs life from pancreatitis with her expertise thus I have him alive and well 4 years later because of her approach and fast thinking. She would call me at 11:00 at night before her shift was over to tell me he was ok. She emails me and helps me with my dogs as well as the person who handles the medications and specializes in them there. The hospital is great as well. They answer questions 24/7 when things come up on weekends and evenings as that is always when things seem to go wrong. They brain storm with me to figure things out and we decide whether they need to come in or not. I always take them gifts and cards as they saved my dogs life.

Dr Jaimie on my maltese group - she is a great person and emails me when I have questions and concerns about things and I learn alot from her on that group as well

Dr Beth on my vet group - she is amazing. I email her pics, videos, and things going on with dogs on here as well as with my own and she is always so quick to respond and help me and others on here as well. She does this along with running a busy practice as she is passionate about people and pets

PET OWNERS- I have to also say that I have met some wonderful pet owners that have been helpful as well on the yahoogroups. These people are passionate, caring, and dedicate their time and research to those of us with dogs with health issues because they have lived with a specific illness that their dog has. They share what their specialists and vets have taught them with others and that information has been so valuable to many of us so I want to make sure to thank them as well for their time and energy that is spent helping others.

Because of these WONDERFUL VETS, SPECIALISTS, and PET OWNERS I have met and known for years I am able to help other people as well as my dogs with what they have taught me and I am forever greatful for that information.

oops forgot one

BC ORTHOPEDIC -he was so kind to me and answered all my questions when dee dee hurt her leg and was sick from metacam. He was conservative in his approach and told me to rest her for 60 days when vet wanted to rush into surgery. She is running around like crazy ever since and no surgery was ever needed. He was honest, caring and conservative to his approach in regards to surgery with her knowing all her issues with her immune system. I cannot thank him enough for this as surgery would have been tough on her.

I have really paid my dues with some terrible vets!

I am lucky now to have a team of vets who are amazing, we have a general vet, well an office with three vets and they are great for everyday things plus most importantly they are very open to the fact that I use a specialty hospital as well and are always willing to call and speak with any of the specialists and listen to their treatment plan.

We use a big specialty hospital as well, they pretty much have every specialist imaginable, which is nice because if one person can't figure something out chances are someone else can.

I believe owners really need to do their own research and take their dogs care seriously, like EVERY profession, there are some really great vets and some really bad ones. You need to make sure you are doing your own research and only allowing the vet to do what you feel comfortable with. I think a really good vet appreciates a proactive owner who is taking a real interest in their pets care.

I feel comfortable with my vet. I was impressed they had laser so I felt so much better when Daisy got spayed and they did a good job with my boys also. They sell Science Diet so I am not impressed with that.

Thank you Ellie May and Ladyjane for coming up with this thread. It's nice to see that vets do accomplish some good occasionally, no matter what others might think.

My Alexander would not be here with me today if it weren't for Dr. Jeff. Alex's story is long, so I'll just say that his problems began when he was 2 and he's now 14 1/2. He's a little slower these days but he still runs around the back yard, talks to the neighbor dogs and enjoys a good tussle with one of his brothers. I've only had these 12 wonderful extra years with my best friend because of a (gasp) VET! And a damn good one at that.

Maybe we should start a scientific YT poll on how many times our vets have been RIGHT in their diagnosis and treatment of our pups? :D

I think my Vet is great. He's smart and funny. He took care of my little maltese for his whole life and somehow managed my shenigans when I finally had him PTS. I was just a little crazy that day and made it hard on everyone.

He diagnosed Ringo's skin allergies right away and we manage them well with the occasional Claritin; cortisoothe shampoo; AND the right diet. The diet part was my idea. He took care of Ringo's tummy issues when he got into some chicken bones and scared me half to death with bloody poop. (Sorry!)

He has called after hours several times about Lucy and never blinks an eye when I walk in there with a handful of internet research. Everyone in the office knows Lucy and comes out to hold her and pet her when we go in.

He BAT tested her before I ever knew what a BAT test was. He keeps me from going overboard with worry and paranoia and cautions me not to make her worse than what she is.

He and his wife have several Golden's and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's that they foster and rescue. You can usually find their 'pack' hanging out in the office with the rest of the staff. And a cat or two that no one wanted can be found sleeping on the counter in their fluffy bed.

Does he know everything? Doubt it. He refers when it's beyond his capabilities and facilities.

I've been going to the same vet since I got Oliver about a year ago. There are 3 vets there, we see 2. When Oliver was sick last summer, they talked me out of blood work and xrays - because they knew at that point, it wasn't necessary and I'd just be wasting money. Most vets will push any little thing they can on ya to get more money.

They ALWAYS call after a visit. Whether its vaccinations, an emergency, or a regular check up - they always call the next day to see how the dog is doing. After Mya's first set of vaccines, during that call I told them about her horrible reaction (pain at injection site), and with the next set of shots we pre-medicated and went home with pain meds as it was a long weekend - for free. Didn't charge me a thing for the benedryl or pain meds. Mya also got scared and pee'd all over both the vet and the tech during those needles, and while I was mortified they never made me feel bad. They whisked her to the back to clean her up and trim her nails (which they always do for free, anytime you want).

They are a little pricey, but I trust them. It's nice to know that should something major happen, I'll have someone I can trust to run to. I hope to NEVER get too close to them that they know my voice and who my pups are, but should that have to happen, I'll be grateful for the constant support.

My vet is part of a large practice, but she is the only one I will see. She has done lots of things for us:

1. She has been a wonderful advocate for feeding other than kibble.
2. She was willing to listen and concur with my vaccination concerns.
3. She went above and beyond in consulting with the lab vet on coming to a conclusive diagnosis with Sissy.
4. She listens, hears and is truly concerned for the wellbeing of my babies!!


Along with my vet, I have to give MANY kudos to Susan Davis for everything she has done for Sissy and so many others here with her wealth of nutrition knowledge!!!!!!

This isn't for puppy but I wanted to share vet experience I had.

When I was little girl I found a bird that had a broken wing, I was so distraught that my mum took me to vet with birdie and vet held me hand and explained that birdie was in lots of pain and couldn't fly with other birdies, so he explained he was going to put birdie to sleep, then he helped me bury the bird. He did all this free of charge, just to help a little girl.

When my Lola broke her leg at 0700 on Sunday morning the emergency animal clinic vet was very compassionate with me, as I was, as you can imagine, beside myself. She took great care of Lola that day and kept enquiring about her condition with my regular vet. My regular vet spent a lot of time with me going over all the options. Repeated visits to check the cast and the condition of the limb without charge were frequent but my vet's office had all the patience in the world with me. When she was spayed they re-xrayed her leg without charge to check up on it.
When I rescued Sophie the vet got her in right away to spay her, extract her extra teeth, and clean up the remaining ones that were making her breath smell horrible. A bout of antibiotic-induced diarrhea and a frantic call to the vet had Sophie rehydrated with sc fluids and a jar of probiotics for her food. That is after they cleaned up all the poop that kept running out of her and all over me, and the floor and the vet tech and everywhere else her little bottom aimed at. All with compassion and concern for her well-being.:thumbup:

I love my vets Dr. Bondurant and Dr. Kennedy at Webb Bridge Animal Hospital. They have taken care of Avery my cat for the last 12 years and Sophie Kate since I got her when she was 3 months old.

It is not a large practice in fact its rather small ran started by Dr. Bondurant. With that said the knowledge these two ladies have is beyond anything I could hope for. The bonus is they along with their staff love my animals and will tell me when I am doing something that will effect them or their health (I need to be told, trust me).

I mentioned to Dr. Bondurant that I was looking for a rescue Yorkie to add to my family and she did offer herself up as a reference. She understands the need for animal adoption and offers her time and practice to stray cats (and maybe dogs, not sure).

The good news is from all their hard work these ladies are building a brand new office with a special kennel area for small dogs so maybe Sophie Kate will graduate out of the cat room (she gets nervous around a lot of barking dogs).

Great idea to start a Vet appreciation post.

My vet is awesome. He was Jessie's vet for almost 15 years. He helped me keep her alive for almost 1 year and have a good quality of life when she was diagnosed with Kidney failure, transient diabetes and recurring pancreatitis, among other issues. He was always very patient and always was available to talk to me, even on his days off.He used to call me a couple times a week to check on Jessie. I joked with him that we had each other on speed dial. I did a lot of reasearch on Jessie's issues and he would always listen to me even when I had wacky ideas. He truly loves animals and when he was not equipped to deal with one of Jessiie's serious bouts, he immediately recommended that I go to a nearby hospital when they had 24 hour care. He was so compassionate and when I finally had to put her to sleep, he was comforting me while crying himself. His staff was also wonderful.

So now I have Jamie and she is a very healthy puppy and of course, we have the same vet.

My vet is awesome. We butted heads at first but I had to back down and learn to trust him. He made me see that alot of things I read online does not always pretain to my area or my dogs. I like to research and love learning about the breed but we work together now. If I question something he takes the time to explain to me. I have his cell phone and his vet tech on speed dial and always can get a hold of someone 24/7..can't get better than that.

I am extremely thankful for Piccolo's vet dermatologist, because she figured out that Piccolo had cutaneous vasculitis. Not sure Piccolo would still be around, if this had not happened.

Our vet was amazing when Jersey broke his leg in Nov. It was a Sunday afternoon, we called him left a message he called right back. He opened his office for us, x-rayed splinted him and gave pain meds (calmed me down). Told us to take him home for the night and he would arrange an appt with the ortho 1st thing in the morning. Jersey had surgery early afternoon on Monday and everything worked out, he healed perfectly. If you saw Jersey today running in the yard you would never know that his leg was once injured. I am so thankful he is was there for us.:)

Bump! :D