Thursday, January 19, 2012

How *YOU* can be a better owner and make your veterinarian love you

So, a complaint has been lobbied elsewhere that we are angry and sad, and that our venting is accomplishing nothing, because most owners are unaware that they are clueless and cause the majority of their pets' problems. Thus, this post is going to be about ways *YOU* (yes, YOU) can improve your pet ownership skills and endear your veterinarian to you forever.

1) Take our recommendations seriously. We don't recommend heartworm testing once a year to line our pockets, and we don't recommend monthly heartworm preventative for that reason either. Heartworms are a serious, serious and preventable disease. Despite having excellent preventative in the form of monthly pills or topical treatments, sometimes dogs get heartworms anyway. Thus, yearly testing is necessary before we dispense the preventative. If we give you the preventative WITHOUT testing your dog, and he/she does have heartworms, we could kill your pet. The same is true for vaccinations. We didn't make up distemper, parvovirus, or rabies, and they can all kill your pet. Vaccinations prevent these deadly infections in the vast majority of cases. It is also the law that you must vaccinate your pet for rabies.

2) Spay and neuter your pets. There are thousands of animals euthanized weekly in the United States for want of homes. Adding badly bred dogs and cats to this mix is irresponsible. If you are going to breed, make sure to have money saved up for the possible c-section or other life-threatening complications that can come with breeding. Don't expect to make money on the puppies. In the end, good breeders often barely break even. See #3 for a continuation of this recommendation.

3) Start a small savings fund for your pets. Putting a few dollars a week into a savings account can help you prepare for the eventuality that your pet develops a life-threatening illness or injury. Nothing makes this veterinarian sadder than having to euthanize a pet with a potentially fixable problem because its owner has no finances. Further, if an owner can at least meet me halfway, I can usually find a way to treat a pet. Telling me that you have "no money whatsoever" for your pet's treatment, then whipping out your iPhone is NOT going to endear you to me. It is also going to make me much less inclined to help your pet.

4) Exercise common sense. Do not let your dog or cat roam freely. If you are going to do so, don't be surprised when he gets hit by a car, ingests antifreeze or rat bait, or is mauled by another dog. Further, don't make it my problem when this happens and you haven't followed rule #2.

5) If we tell you that your pet is fat, please listen to us. We know something about dog/cat nutrition and normal dog/cat weight and body condition. Don't argue with us that your breeder, the pimply teenager at the pet store, or your mother who was a groomer told you that your dog's weight was perfect. We went to school for 8 years, and we might - just might - have a smidgen more knowledge and experience than the aforementioned people.

6) Be an informed owner. If you present your pet to us for illness, please know what medications or chronic medical condition your pet has. Telling us that he's on "a little white pill for his heart" is not going to help us at all. There are a million little white pills in the world. Write your pet's important medical history including medications down somewhere and keep up with it. That way, if he ever has an emergency, the information is readily and quickly available.

Using Google to research your pet's illness is fine, but if we tell you something is BS, then it's BS. Believing Dr Google over us (or some random breeder website) is insulting.

7) Don't feel bad if you can't do every test and treatment recommended by your veterinarian. We are all human and have bills and families, so despite what you might think, we understand. Have a calm and logical discussion with us about what you are willing and able to do, and we will all work with you to find a solution. Getting mad, cursing at us, or calling us money-grubbing is not going to make us want to help you find alternative solutions.

8) Lastly, try to treat us with a little courtesy. We went to school for a long time to get where we are. Most of us accrued a large amount of debt to do this career. We are in it for the animals, but we also need to make a living, just like you. Money and making our mortgage payment is no less important for us than it is for you. Every time you ask for a discount or tell us that "if you loved animals, you'd help me out," you are trying to steal from us. Just because we expect to be paid for our services doesn't mean that we don't love animals. We do, or most of us would have quit this profession a long time ago.

22 comments:

  1. Probably nearly 90% of what I see in the ER could have been avoided if owners were taking their vet's advice.

    I see Parvo every week, even in dogs >3 years old. sad. Cats are brought in for respiratory virus or Felv that vaccine could prevent.

    HBCs & attacked by other dogs are usually because the dog is allowed to be off leash outside. Also, intact male dogs are more prone to roam & fight.

    Pyometras ( uterus full of pus ) & dystocias ( can't deliver her pups ) could be avoided by much cheaper OHE.

    Heartworm disease is usually well advanced when I see them in crisis in the ER. I read that about 40% don't give the preventive every month like they should.

    I'm not the enemy when their pet has a problem & am there to try to help the poor pet.

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  2. You guys inspired me to take a plate of brownies to our vet a couple days ago. I stop by every 6 weeks or so to get the prescription food, so I figured some treats and a thank you note wouldn't be amiss. They've always been great about laying out options, alternatives, and schedules, and the two times we've had to go through a euthanasia with them (FIP & complications from rattlesnake bite), they've cried along with us.

    Can't ask for much more than that.

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    1. Thank you Claire...you're not my client, but thank you anyway!

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    2. we would welcome you as a client as would every vet. thanks for the consideration

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    3. yep - I would welcome you as my client

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  3. This entry should be hung in the lobby of every clinic, well said VBB. @grumpyervet - I agree wholeheartedly, I work ER as well and at times the illness/injury that could have been easily prevented is overwhelming.

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  4. I just found out that a dog can test positive for heartworm even on preventative. I adopted the dog I castrated in Jr. surgery (he was from a local shelter). He had a negative test then (Nov 2010), but just tested positive last Friday (confrimed it Tuesday). It sucks, and it is typically prevented by things like Interceptor. But, you've still got to test. At least know I have a good story to prove why it is importoant to clients think it isn't necessary.

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  5. Actually, this venting is accomplishing a LOT. Like a mass chewing out of clients or self destructive behavior. Really.

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  6. And if you dog comes up positive and you have been giving hw prevention purchased from a vet (and not from pet meds) the company will pay for treatment!

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  7. We love our expensive little cats and they are a real part of the family in spite of their occasionally bad behavior (eating my favorite plants and breaking things). Can't keep them off the countertops (they are climbers)...can't keep them out of the sinks and bathtubs (all three of them LOVE water)...we live in an area hip deep in coyotes and wouldn't even consider letting them roam. Part of our family budget is a yearly exam and vaccinations...it is just part of taking care of lives that have been entrusted to you...
    Go Vets Behaving badly!

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    1. Try doubling over packing tape on the counters. Ever seen a cat with tape on its feet? Worth its weight in therapy money. The endorphins from that laugh will have you high for at least a day. So, while it does not hurt the cats, they sure as hell don't like it. When they jump up on the counter, they hit a bunch of tape....really sticky tape. Be sure to have a video camera recording when this happens because you might win $10,000. They will leap in the air, shake the paws, and usually freak the hell out. And maybe, next time, they will think twice about jumping on the countertops.

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    2. Mousetraps set under aluminum pie plates will likewise scare the beejeezus out of your cats without harming them. I've been doing and recommending this for 27 years and not one cat has been hurt

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  8. Way to hit the high points, well said VBB!

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  9. Well put, & OH if I had a nickel, nay even a penny for every incident involving these 8 items in your list over the last 30 odd years, I would have nice home in the country somewhere to retire to!

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  10. Add on to #7: PLEASE tell me if you have a dollar amount limit on testing/treatments BEFORE we get started. I hate getting halfway there and then the client suddenly doesn't have any money. Tell me ahead of time and we can come up with a reasonable plan to fit your budget. We all have a budget: it's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about!

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    1. LOL when they say "money doesn't matter, do whatever it takes" usually means they don't plan on paying anyway.
      (but not always)

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  11. While we're all pipe-dreaming here, I have to add: please at least be civil with staff. Love when a client is rude, rude to assistant and receptionist, but sweet as pie to Dr.
    Gee, think we don't communicate? Think I don't care how they are treated? Think I won't say "I'm so sorry I didn't explain how much everything would be." After you yell at recept. about bill. Which was after I brought a printed estimate into exam room that you ok'd. And yes, I offered alternate plans as viable options--you declined.
    Wow, really does feel good to vent.
    Thanks so much to all the really great owners out there. Hope you know how much your vet & vet staff appreciate you.

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  12. Great post. Speaking of Dr. Google are there any decent websites you can refer us to when we want to spend time researching the options our vets give us? For example, I wanted to figure out what would be best for my dog's incontinence - PPA or Stilbestrol and I couldn't find decent information at all.

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    1. Hey Paws on the Run! Thanks for asking. One site that I think offers good information is this one: http://veterinarypartner.com/ -- if you put "phenylpropanolamine" into their search box, for example, you will come up with a few useful articles I think.

      If you are looking for specific pharmacological type information about how drugs work, epocrates and rxlist are both sites with good drug information, although not veterinary specific.

      http://www.vetinfo.com also has veterinarians on staff and is generally reliable. Ask your own vet if he or she has any favorite websites to share with clients and report back!

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  13. Appreciate your cogent and well-informed blog, VBB. I would hope my vet sees me as a good client...I try to be, with 6 CGC dogs...four certified AAT dogs. Just wondered what your thoughts are about running titers annually for DPP, as opposed to administering annual vaccines. Yeah, proponent of Jean Dodds.

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