Bad Vets

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by MommysBabyRoxy

Sorry, this is going to be a long post...

This is my previous post in another thread about the Vet I just recently went to...



I went back to that vet... and she charged me over $56 again even tho she told me that the next visit was covered! I paid $150 the first time, which was for the shots and for the office visit. She said she doesnt like doing all the shots at once, so next time she wouldnt charge me when I came back to get the other shots. What she meant was, "I'm not going to charge you for the visit, youll still have to pay for the shots", but thats not what she said... I had figured Id paid for the shots already, so I didnt have to bring any money, and then I had to put it all on my debit

Then, not ONLY did she do that, but then she told me she charged the wrong amount, so she gave me a dollar back... then she added it up again, and asked for the dollar back...

How can I trust a woman with my dog that has proved to me twice in 3 days that she doesnt know basic math?

This is the Greengate Veterinary Clinic, in Greensburg, Pa.

I also went to a place called Grace Veterinary Clinic in Mt. Pleasant, Pa.
The vet BIT Roxy! So hard she tried to bite him!!! And Roxy does NOT bite! When he cleaned out her ears he held her down so hard she was squealing. I never went back There are also plenty of bad reviews for him online.

So, then I tried Latrobe Veterinary Clinic. I took Roxy there, and he was very matter of fact, which didnt bother me, but he kind of rushed me.

When Mutzie had to be put to sleep though, it seemed like he was rushing us and not very thoughtful of the situation. It really bothered me, and thats when I decided to get another vet.

I just cant seem to find someone who is caring, thoughtful, really concerned about my dog and willing to listen to questions. Its like they all just want to tell you everything and get you in and out. I hate that. Its the same reason I hate regular doctors. I just feel like they shouldnt be that way with my furbabies. I spend more money on their health than my own, and I believe that I should be able to find a good one.

Next I am trying Greensburg Veterinary Associates. I have heard good things about the female vet there.

What do you guys think of my most recent experience with Lexi's vet visit?
Any suggestions?
Any bad vets youve experienced?

i would try the woman - i can honestly say that all the specialists except the dentist are all women that i deal with. They do not seem to be as rushed and arrogant and seem to care more about my pets. I find women are much more detailed than men as well and better at listening and taking good notes.

[spiritwings1202]

I am so sorry that you have a vet you don't like. I am fortunate that bc my 6 yr old Daisy was a puppy mill dog I went through a lot of vets before I settled on this one. So when I got Pixie we already had the vet I liked. They are open 24 hrs and answer any questions and they all love how I dress Pixie and how I treat her like my baby
I know how frustrating it is though not to like your vet when Daisy was deathly ill and I could not get answers I found myself very frustrated until I found this vet we have now. So keep searching bc you need to feel comfortable with your vet.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by MorkieMomii

Ya that is what you have to do. Google it, look for pictures, and then search treatment options. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without the net, even for stuff with the kids(my skinkids that is) it is so helpful to learn things and get the job done yourself.

I agree and every specialist i have dealt with has been welcoming of internet information and been kind about it and explained their thoughts - I think when you are confident in what you do you can explain to people the info on internet intelligently and work together with the client

remember it is called PRACTICING medicine whether human or dogs

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Cerise

There is a woman who is small dog only vet that is so popular here in Austin that she won't even take new clients. They say she is so busy and good that it has been like that for years. I heard you have to darn near wait until someone dies to get in. And I'm not talking about the dogs, I'm talking about the owners. They say most established clients sneak their friends new pets in as their own. Goodness anyway that is the gossip that I hear here.

yep the problem with that is in having that vet is they are so busy they cannot take on emergency situations and many times do not return calls and are not available all the time as we have one like this but she charges $45 for phone consults, $82 for emergency situations, does not return calls when your dog is sick, etc so when there is a half way decent one the service level goes down as everyone goes to them so it is a catch 22 many times

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by jencar98

Keep looking, they are out there. You might want to try and drop by a few offices, and just observe for a few minutes....you can tell a lot by how an office is ran. If you find an office that initially impresses you, ask if you can speak with a vet about your dogs future care. I don't mind interviewing for a vet, after all, we hope to have a long relationship.

We've been lucky and both vets we use are more like friends and don't mind taking as much time as necessary during our visits. And...LOL.....both of them can do basic math very well!

in our area if you want to interview them they charge you a regular office visit of $45 to meet with them - ALL ABOUT THE MONEY HERE sadly

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by jjohnson86

Good vets are definately out there, hard to find yes but they are there. Vets to me remind me of doctors period, most of them do it for the money not because they care!! Which is absolutely ridiculous..to get into a field where you care for something and not give a crap. I luckily have a great vet who loves animals, treats them as if they are human and is reasonably priced, will not overcharge you for things...he even calls after a pets surgery to make sure they are recovering ok. Just keep looking, you'll find one, good luck!

sounds like yours is passionate about what they do like the specialists i deal with they are passionate about what they do and why they did further education in their field as passion is key as you want to learn more and you care not just going through the motions looking at the almightly dollar - i truly believe if you show people you care the money comes - that old saying no one cares how much you know unless they know how much you care and that is sadly lacking in this profession from what i can see.

This is a very hot topic with me since i have spent thousands in 6 years and you never know what you have until your dog gets sick sadly and that is when you find out real quick how good your vet is

[Ellie May]

Some of these experiences...grrrrrrr.

I'll give them phone charge benefit of the doubt because it is their time, but if it's a really good client who spends chunks of money and just needs to talk for a few minutes, I don't know about that.

Laughing when reading the paper from the net? So it's acceptable to laugh at clients?

It does take a lot of patience to find a good vet. We went through four before we did. They ranged from terrible to ok but probably not good for a small dog. Then we found the right one. And we also have another one for back-up when first isn't in. They are both awesome people. Don't give up.

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Some of these experiences...grrrrrrr.

I'll give them phone charge benefit of the doubt because it is their time, but if it's a really good client who spends chunks of money and just needs to talk for a few minutes, I don't know about that.

Laughing when reading the paper from the net? So it's acceptable to laugh at clients?

It does take a lot of patience to find a good vet. We went through four before we did. They ranged from terrible to ok but probably not good for a small dog. Then we found the right one. And we also have another one for back-up when first isn't in. They are both awesome people. Don't give up.

yeah you will love this the phone consult bill was for her calling me after faxing blood work from a specialist of which i never asked her to call me then got a bill on saturday when her office was closed and i cried as could not believe it made me so upset and she stood by the charge sadly so i had to pay it as she was charging me 18% interest each month on the money - was very hurtful and that is when my attitude towards vets really changed

[jencar98]

Originally Posted by dwerten

in our area if you want to interview them they charge you a regular office visit of $45 to meet with them - ALL ABOUT THE MONEY HERE sadly

It's really all about the money here too, Deb.....but I've still been fortunate enough to find several vets willing to visit with me at no charge. I feel for you there though, bc it does seem as if you get charged so excessively!

[dwerten]

Originally Posted by jencar98

It's really all about the money here too, Deb.....but I've still been fortunate enough to find several vets willing to visit with me at no charge. I feel for you there though, bc it does seem as if you get charged so excessively!

yeah stinks and i have done home loans for vets out here and they make more than human doctors - very sad

[joeyandtanksmom]

Man...I feel lucky to have a good vet! I don't know much other, but I've been happy with the boys' vet - she's very understanding of everything, and she'll put in her two cents, but she realizes that it's my decision in the end (we considered breeding - decided against it in the end). ALSO...she treats my boys like they're someone's babies, which is so good. She knows that these guys are my babies, and she treats them as such. I don't know what is and isn't expensive, but they definitely make all prices very clear before you have to pay for them. I can't say I've ever had an issue with her - I don't know if it's just because I'm in Idaho or what...but I'm not complaining!

ps - I live in Boise, which is no longer just a po-dunk town...it's busy, and there definitely aren't dairy farms or potato fields right near my house

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by dwerten

yeah you will love this the phone consult bill was for her calling me after faxing blood work from a specialist of which i never asked her to call me then got a bill on saturday when her office was closed and i cried as could not believe it made me so upset and she stood by the charge sadly so i had to pay it as she was charging me 18% interest each month on the money - was very hurtful and that is when my attitude towards vets really changed

Charging you for a phone call you didn't even ask for?

Ellie's vet is so accessible that I can't imagine that type of thing.
And she honestly cares about animals AND people.

It's so irritating what people go through. I'm not opposed to vets making a lot of money. I'm opposed to some ot their attitudes.

A lot of vets do seem to have that, "It's just a dog" look or "I'd really not being seeing a small dog right now." That, imo, is not acceptable.

[Cha Cha]

I too must be a lucky one. I have worked with a lot of different vets and I will say personality clashes between customers and vets do exist. I actually grew up in our clinic, and it is comforting to know that our clinic is up to date on technology and they work closely with the University. Therefore, they will do many procedures there that a lot of other vets will refer elsewhere, and if they dont' know they WILL find out. It is a group of three or four different vets, and there is not a single one of them that I wouldn't trust. Of course, they are expensive.

[BellarousasMom]

Just wondering if the third vet you went to even had a degree. I thank God everytime I go to my vet. They are wonderful. Everyone should have a vet like mine. I wished I could go to him as a patient. lol Good luck finding a good vet.

[misslissa]

i feel your frustration i just found a awesome vet when i got Gatsby he was guaranteed up to a year but only if i took him to a vet in the first 7 days(otherwise she considered it neglect) but the vet mt family had been going to for years was unable to take new clients i was devastated and had no idea how i would find a vet in 7 days i was in petsmart and saw banfield and figured what the heck its only once. but the vet i saw was nice and careing and very helpful to a first time dog owner. i loved her i seen her at walmart once amd she stopped me to ask how gatsby was doing with the dry weather we had been haveing. but then he got sick one day and she was not in and i had to see her boss the head vet this woman was terrible she charged me for stuff she did not do she did not say a word to me about what was going on and even though eating and had some syrup right befoure we left the house she insisted he was hypoglycemic. she tested him and thatw as normal so she sent me home a week later i was back and gatsby was almost dead his blood cell count was like 6 or 8 i cant remember it was a bad day he had to have a emergency transfusion and i almost lost him they had to restart his heart it was terrible for a follow up after his transfusion i drove two hours to my mothers vet because i could trust him but now i have a vet that is great we have not had a emergency yet but when sara jumped off the couch and started limping he was very understanding and helped calm me down he is open on saterday dose after hours care and bords it all i could ask for it is three people but they try to make sure you have the same doctor and if not on your first appointment all of them come in and introduce themselves so they know who you are it gives me peace of mind best of all he is a small dog specialist but will also see the bigger dogs and my bunny