chattiesmom;3744474
btw - as it turned out one of the pups had found the only electrical cord in the living room, bit into it and got shocked - apparently the second pup was touching the first pup and got shocked as well. Both pups recovered and all was well.


Not only what a horrible experience for the pups but wow, if you didn't initially see the cord what a difficult situation to have figured out what happened and why!

So glad they not only recovered but you were able to figure it out as well.

It would have been different if the owner was promised that their pup would be done in the morning or whatever. It sounds like the only deal was drop the pup off in the morning and the dental will be done. The pup can be picked up by 6PM. And unless I'm missing something, that's what happened.

If somebody wanted their animal to have their procedure first or in the morning, then that is something the owner needs to make clear up front (although that's really a good way to make the vet and staff..unhappy). Owner didn't tell them (I don't think) that if it couldn't be done early, she would reschedule. The only deal was that the pup be ready for pick-up by 6. So I still don't believe they did anything wrong. Had they said the dog will be ready for pick up at 3 and that wasn't going to happen, then they should have called.

I'm not sure why it's blamed on office management. Office management has very little to do with the vet's and tech's schedule. They could have the receptionists do it, but they are busy filling rooms for other doctors, scheduling appointments, cashing people out, checking people in. Besides, receptionists and assistants are generally not those chosen to call owners when a pet is hospitalized. That is up to the vet or tech who is involved with the case and knows what's going on. And during an emergency, calling an owner for something that isn't necessary when an owner already consented and agreed that the dog could be there til 6 - there's just no reason for it.

I'm sure they had no idea they did anything wrong. No news is ok news. IMO, if an owner doesn't want their pup to sit around there all day, then discuss that when scheduling. As Kalina said, most dogs are absolutely fine. They are taken care of and sometimes babied by the assistants. Any issues are immediately brought to the attention of a tech.

If my pup was the one having the emergency, I would rather nobody in the office took their attention away from that and started doing things that didn't need to be done. All attention is focused on the emergency except for the front desk which would have no business calling without talking to the vet and the assistants who would have no business calling without talking to the vet.

To each their own. JMHO, how this hospital is ran - this is exactly the kind of place I prefer to take my dogs to.

Sorry !!!
 

I'm glad it all turn out ok !!!!
I Agree , You should had gotten a call , and you could have reschedule. I will not allow for anyone to just do what ever they want when I'm paiding for service.
Six years ago when I got my first yorkie Miley , I did what all new furbaby parent do , I made a appt, I took her in and the vet look at her gave her some shots I paid and went home , she was 20 mins away fr us. Well 2 days later Miley was in stress , she was crying and I took back to the vet , I was told she had the worst ears mites infec. That she had seen, I said wait I was here two days ago , you did not ck her ears and now she has the worst ear infec. Well I wouldnt let them touch her again, I chge vet . And found a vet a hour away fr home to take care of us , any time and the staff was wonderful. That was back in IL , Well we still keep in touch and now I found a great vet here, I wasn't happy with the front desk staff, but I come to like them and they're tiring to be helpful and just nice.
I have always found working with the public is hard !!! You have to enjoy it or quit.
I have always love working with the public, I enjoy my job as a Flight Atten for 25 years until I retired and a broker for almost the same time plus.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your DH .
Happy Holidays !!!
bark@ulater !!!!
manina,miley,max,reirei,rudy

I see your points but I think good vets are trying to also establsh clientelle and give the client one on one service and thats one of the ways you do it. People pay alot of money and have alot invested in the vet they choose and there is nothing really that makes them any different than a low priced vet if they do not communicate to the client. If I wanted my dog to sit all day and not have any communication I would take them to a clinic for the proceedure because thats what you can expect there.

I think what we have here is: " a failure to communicate"... line from a famous movie....now who said that? Umph can't for the life of me remember:)

I think first and foremost on the dog owner's part. When she changed the spay/neuter and cleaning appt, just to a dental. If I was worried about my pup sitting for a long time in a clinic waiting for what-ever procedure, I would ask the doc's office, okay do I still bring him in at 8am? How long will the procedure take? Will he be ready to go at noon? Earlier/later?

I know that we don't always think of questions "we should have asked" prior to dropping our pet off for a procedure; but on the other hand some pre-printed information sheets a vet's office can and probably should have should cover some basic FAQ's with respect to commonly performed procedures of that clinic. The client is handed the appropriate info sheet, and then can read it and refer to it, before, during, and after the event.

I don't think this vet's office did anything so egregious, and if the quality of their healthcare is good, I'd just spend a moment or three to rethink my position. Then calmly determine, what I want to have happen differently the next time; and go about insuring that a) I communicate my wishes to the appropriate clinic official and b) re-iterate that communication prior to "dropping off my dog" for the next procedure I have done.

I can understand an owner being upset about having to wait. So next time I'd just do like gemy said and talk about your expectations first. If they knew it was a big deal to you, they would have made sure to update you (or would have told you to call by x time and see how things were progressing).

I think what separates cheap vets and expensive vets is almost always the services they offer. Most cheap vets have very little to offer. They (cheaper vets) also tend to be (but are not always) out on their own. So collaboration with colleagues is less frequent. I wouldn't like that for my pups.

My vet would have done the same as this vet did. If the deal was pick-up is by 6, she isn't going to stop her day or make her vet stop her day to say they are behind. ..because they really aren't behind if the owner already agreed to this. They probably already skipped most of their lunch break for those emergencies. There just isn't enough time. That said, when it is your pup's turn, my vet calls during the dental before she starts extractions and such to get an ok because dental estimates are hard (don't know what you'll get into until you get into it). In that way, the financial decisions are in the owner's hands alone and there are no surprises. It's one on one care, but not at the expense another animal crashing or a staff going crazy.

I quess it just comes down to what to one expects from a vet. I dont believe it is the clients place to communicate with the vet it is the vets place to communicate with the client. If the scenerio was that you drop your pet off at 8 and you pick them up at 6 with their procedure would be done anytime and in any order during the day that should have been established with the pet owner so they not be surprised by it. I expect that from a groomer also. A staff shouldnt be going crazy if they are adequately staffed

[QUOTE=gemy;3745159]I think what we have here is: " a failure to communicate"... line from a famous movie....now who said that? Umph can't for the life of me remember:)QUOTE]
Cool Hand Luke;)

As a previous office manager in the medical field it is absolutely office management's ultimate responsibility to over see everything from prioritizing, to ensuring customer satisfaction (yes patients are also customers but this isn't implied or taught until management level) although the office manager may not have made the call it was their duty to see things are run efficiently and appropriately.



I really get urked especially with my experience as both a patient and 'the lady behind the desk' at how some Dr.'s (including vets they are Dr's too) feel a sense of entitlement to do the business portion poorly. Obviously the medical is the foremost important but it doesn't mean the office should be any less professional than any other type of business.

Prioritizing emergencies first is a common sense move and will always be handled that way (I sure hope I wouldn't want to have a medical emergency for myself or my pet and be told to wait there's a routine check being prioritized-I'd be on the road to another vets immediately) emergencies are emergencies as it should but when a routine appointment is bumped it should also be handled professionally.

I did reread the OP's statement and realize the OP didn't specify she was supposed to be picking her dog up at 3 but was expecting to hear that her dog may be ready at 3...that does change the dynamics.

All expectations of policy, procedures etc should be clearly defined and understood prior to the dog being dropped off-that is also the failure of office staff's communication ability in most cases-not sure on this one I wasn't there personally.

Thank you for explaining more. However, unless people have worked in a stressful vet office they will never understand. When you are running around crazy busy with surgeries, emergencies, and appointments, making unnecessary phone calls is not top priority. The vets are busy doing surgery, seeing clients, taking in emergencies, and saving lives. The technicians are basically attached to the vets. They assist in surgery, monitor anesthesia, take vitals of the patients, treat the patients, walk/potty the patients, do physical therapy, take x-rays, draw blood, clean up, restock, check in/out, talk to clients and basically do everything else the vet doesn't do (within their skill level). The receptionist in most cases has no idea what is going on in the treatment room. They are too busy up front. They do not know which pet has gone into surgery already or who is finished. They do not know if fluffy had their x-rays, dental, went potty, ate breakfast, etc... For them to find out they have to put everything else on hold up front and go find a vet or technician available to ask them and hope they find the right person to ask about that particular patient.

So all in all, a "simple phone call" is not as simple as it seems.

When I was a tech i very rarely had time to even clock out for lunch. I snarfed down my lunch while running around, or didn't eat at all. I was over worked and underpaid as are the majority of staff at a vet clinic. To call an owner just to let them know that their dog didn't have surgery yet was not a possibility unless that dog was specifically supposed to have surgery at a specific time agreed upon by the vet and owner. Patients come in for a procedure on a specific day, not at a certain time. They are dropped off in the morning to ensure that they are there all day for the vet's and staff's convenience. The vet decides what order he wants to do the procedures and they try to stick to that. The tech usually have tests, blood draws, x-rays, etc to do on each patient before surgery so having the pt there early is necessary. If an emergency comes in then the routine and healthy animals are bumped back so the critical patient can be taken care of first. That may mean your dog will not have its procedure done until later in the day, but it will still be done. If the staff knows that they may not, or will not be able to get the procedure done that day due to emergencies then they will call to reschedule but honestly its quite hectic and things happen.

I'm sorry most people here to do not agree with me. If you've never been elbow deep in an emergency bloat surgery or covered in urine and anal glands from an aggressive and terrified lab that is flailing around after its fracture repair surgery and you are trying to subdue it so it won't rebreak its leg, then you won't understand why it sometimes slips the mind of the technician/vet/staff to call an owner to tell them their dogs dental hasn't been done yet

And there in lies the problem, most are not adequately staffed because of lack of people wanting to do those jobs. Or there are fully staffed, but not with the kind of employees that have the skill level needed, again due to the lack of people in the field with those skills.

I agree that could be the problem but I also believe they are not staffing accordingly because of the money it costs. There are plenty of people esecially in this economy that would do office management work. Theres really no lack of workers in this economy it is more lack of jobs

I dont know maybe we are seeing this in different perspectives because Your giving a vet techs perspective but Im a wife of a small business owner in the service industry and Im giving that perspective. My Husband cant run his day overextended with a lack of employees to communicate with his clients or he would be out of buisness because they would go elsewhere. He is in courier work and it is very stressful and he has to prioritize deliveries also based on routing it to make it time efficient for deliveries. If someone is not going to get something at an expected time then he has to communicate that. He also has to staff accordingly and that means sometimes he doesnt make the the best bottom dollar personally he has to pay more for staffing. Then he gets more little buisness that he can work into his route or others routes and that is when he makes his money. No matter what I think people are deserving of better care and communication from the vet as they are also a small business owner

IMHO, someone should discuss with you everything that is going to happen. What time it needs to come in and what time it will come out, all of these small details should be discussed ANYTIME there is a new client. The vet should ask you if you have any questions or concerns and really LISTEN to them! I agree that so many doctor's offices and vet's too are wayyyy understaffed. There should always be at least one person hired that checks up on what is going on, someone who goes and actually looks at the pets charts and what they are in for, and in such cases as emergencies, calls and lets the owner know that they've been bumped a bit, and ask if they would like to reschedule or continue on.Of course people make mistakes, and things happen sometimes, so this one time is no reason to think badly of them yet. I would however, get it straight when I went to pick my baby up what I expect from them and vice versa. In a nice manner of course. If all goes well with them, then no reason to find another vet. If not, high tail it outta there! I'm disabled with degenerative disc disease, fibro and RA, and I STILL have to sit for sometimes 2-3 hours in my doc's office before getting back in a room. This is my pet peeve! Because of profit, patients are overbooked and made to wait 1/2 a day to see the doc, herded like cattle, and made to sit in agony to get help, but if you miss an app. you are sometimes charged for failure to show! I'm currently looking for another doctor! I know things can get hectic, but it is the responsibliity of the vet to make sure there is enough qualified staff on hand for ALL kinds of emergencies and pop up problems. It is also the responsibility of the owner to clearly discuss their expectations and worries. I was recently made to feel like I was less than dirt by the vet I first took Mojo too. Needless to say, after he almost killed my pet because his arrogance wouldn't allow him to actually hear a word I said on 2 visits, I told them I wouldn't be back for him to pull a tick off of Mojo, found another vet who really listens to me and I've never looked back! He now also has several bad reviews of his establishment! Lesson learned here.

BINGO!!!!:thumbup: