BAD vet...just had to vent!

[schmebay]

I just recently had my Chihuahua put to sleep and not only did i not have to make an appointment for another day, I only had to wait until the doctor got back from lunch. I would never go back to that vet. NO MATTER WHAT.

[madyson007]

I had a similar experience when I finally put Jazzy down. I had taken Jazzy to the vet a couple weeks before and we discussed her quality of life. Walking was painful, she was easy to carry out but she was indignant that she could not do it on her own. She was eating less and lethargic and was having trouble standing to potty. If you could see her she was mortified. Her quality of life was quickly nose diving and there was not a damn thing anyone could do about it. Surgery for her knee problems and dental problems was just not going to happen for my 13 year old baby. I made the decision to have her put down after agonizing for days.

They took her in that afternoon but when I got there the Vet asked me if I wanted to try antibiotics? I was so confused and upset.

I asked him if we gave her the antibiotics was she going to be able to walk and get around better with less pain and he said probably not but it might help with her dental problems???? Now this vet knows that Jazzy had been having chronic diarrhea from the antibiotics we had already tried and now she was not even able to stand up to potty. I was so mad that he made me question my self after AGONIZING for what seemed like forever. I told the Vet that I knew it was her time and we had all said goodbye and made peace with our decision. I shake just thinking about it now. My beautiful little dog was going to be put to sleep and I knew it was the right decision but that VET made me feel guilty to this day.

[Teresa Ford]

I am so sorry that happened to you. I know this is one of the hardest things we have to do for our beloved pets.
My Vets are wonderful and offer end of life counseling. They try to help the client decide when and if euthanasia is the answer. They also do this service after hours, if it is not an emergency. They also make house calls if you prefer that.
The Vet you wrote about did not gain your respect, trust or loyalty. You are right to find a new Vet that trys to understand your needs, as well as your pets.
Prayers for you

[AprilLove]

I am so sorry you had to go through that This is the most agonizing decision to make for our babies, and I can't believe they would make you wait especially after talking with them about it

I would defenitely find another vet as well. I don't know where in MN you are, but there are vets that will come to your home so your little one doesn't have to endure the stress of going into the office.
Sending prayers and well wishes for you and your baby ♥

Also, you don't have to explain to anyone here your decision to let your baby rest....

[bondai]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I see it differently than the rest of you; maybe they think you will change your mind? I'm sure people have made this decision on the spur of the moment and later regretted it, maybe they have experienced that. You say the dog isn't in any pain, why do you want to put him down? If I were a vet, it would be very hard for me to put down a dog just because he was old. When you say you were in the office a month or so before, did you talk to the vet or just the receptionist?

I am really sorry that you are facing this issue but I have some questions just like Nancy1999. If the dog is not in pain and it doesn't seem to me that you are in a big hurry to have the animal put down, why are you doing it? Just old? Terminal. There would have to be a pretty good reason for me to put my dog down. Please don't misunderstand I feel very badly for you and the dog I am just wondering if in your case if it is the right decision. Good luck.

[lillymae]

I agree with the others, it's time to find a new vet. I would start calling vet's now & ask if you need to make an appt to put your baby to rest & one way to tell who is compassionate is if they say 11 days out or today. Also you could look for a traveling vet to come to your home to put your baby to rest as my own vet does this for his clients & I prefer it this way as it's the least stressful on your baby.

[texasmom]

I am so sorry about your sweet baby. You are in my prayers.

[tinalove]

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I know it must be heartbreaking . This decision was hard. We want to keep them with us as long as possible but when their quality of life is poor, then I guess we should let them go. I hope I will have your courage should this situation occurs. Right now I am thinking about the first time I saw my Kirby as a tiny puppy and now I am wishing she would never age.

[OkieMoe]

This is awful, it's such a painful and hard decision. I'm truly shocked at the insensitivity shown, especially since you are an established client. I'm grateful for our vet, he's a little more expensive than I like, but the personal touch is truly what makes that office special. Everyone there loves and owns pets, and you can tell with how they gush over the animals brought in and how respectful and sympathetic when a sad situation occurs. Good luck, I feel your pain, our pets are a part of our family also.

[JohnnieWalker]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

I see it differently than the rest of you; maybe they think you will change your mind? I'm sure people have made this decision on the spur of the moment and later regretted it, maybe they have experienced that. You say the dog isn't in any pain, why do you want to put him down? If I were a vet, it would be very hard for me to put down a dog just because he was old. When you say you were in the office a month or so before, did you talk to the vet or just the receptionist?

I understand what you're saying and I would agree, except the vet in question had seen Bailey in November and already knew about the ongoing health issues.
Bailey was a rescue dog from a puppy mill and always had extremely bad knee joints. They were so loose that it looked like his back legs would buckle at any given moment. Now that he is almost 14 he can't support himself anymore and scoots around, wipes out etc. He is blind in both eyes and deaf, gets disoriented and does not want to go outside anymore, because he can't find his way back to the door. I carry him out on the porch, carry him over to his food bowl and water dish or he would rather not eat or drink because walking is such a huge effort for him. Believe me, I have reconsidered what's best for him for a while now. In my opinion, there is no quality of life left for the little guy. I can't emagine, he enjoys anything about his daily routine anymore and the only reason I haven't put him out of his misery is, that I can't let go.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by JohnnieWalker

I understand what you're saying and I would agree, except the vet in question had seen Bailey in November and already knew about the ongoing health issues.
Bailey was a rescue dog from a puppy mill and always had extremely bad knee joints. They were so loose that it looked like his back legs would buckle at any given moment. Now that he is almost 14 he can't support himself anymore and scoots around, wipes out etc. He is blind in both eyes and deaf, gets disoriented and does not want to go outside anymore, because he can't find his way back to the door. I carry him out on the porch, carry him over to his food bowl and water dish or he would rather not eat or drink because walking is such a huge effort for him. Believe me, I have reconsidered what's best for him for a while now. In my opinion, there is no quality of life left for the little guy. I can't emagine, he enjoys anything about his daily routine anymore and the only reason I haven't put him out of his misery is, that I can't let go.

Thank you, you gave me much needed information. It wasn't clear by your first post, if Bailey still had a decent quality of life, and also, I wasn't sure if you actually saw the vet or just talked to their staff about euthanasia. After hearing the full story, I completely agree with you and I'm so sorry you're going through this.