A bit of a conundrum

[Bacci]

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Hey guys, I am looking for a little advice. I work at an emergency clinic. My dog's vet who owns her own practice also picks up overnight shifts at the emergency clinic where I work. This morning, someone mentioned that she had been in that night and I offhandedly remarked that she was also my dogs' RDVM. Two of the techs gave me a look and said I should not take my dog to her. When I asked why, they couldn't really give a good explanation, only indicating that they did not believe her to be a competent vet, and one of them said she lacked common sense.

I have taken my dog to her for 3 years. While he has never had any major issues (his visits are usually for vaccines, allergy-related skin problems, etc) I always considered her to be knowledgeable and nothing about her manor has ever indicated to me that she was the least bit incompetent. But I also trust the opinion of my co-workers who have worked with her "behind the scenes." That being said, I know my co-workers can tend to be a little catty despite their many good qualities. And besides, would a large emergency/specialty clinic really hire her and keep her on if she wasn't a good vet?

I'm wondering what you guys would do in this situation. I like my vet, but I don't want to risk the health of my pets. 😕

 

[awaring1]

Unless they can cite specific cases where she was incompetent I would trust your own experiences over theirs. The fact that they could not give any exact reason should make you wary of their opinion. Maybe she just gives off the vibe of being ditsy or something? Maybe ask some other people who have worked with her. Make sure you have a true case against her before you judge too harshly.

 

[libster06]

You could find at least 5 people to make statements against every vet in practice in this country. I have worked with some great vets, and I have worked with some less-than-ideal ones. It's YOUR decision who is taking care of your animals and if she has never given you any problems and your pets are healthy, I wouldn't worry about what some disgruntled employee has to say. Some employees aren't thinking of the actual veterinary care that vets give, rather than the logistics and mangament of the clinic they work at. All of the vets I have worked for, while they might have had bad clinic management, still cared about animals and enjoyed what they did, and were knowledgeable.

If you feel connected to your vet (that's important) and you feel that she really listens to you when you come in, I wouldn't let others opinions sway you.

 

[Bacci]

Thanks guys. I was really leaning in the direction of following my gut (and sticking with my vet). I'm glad I got some reassurance in that decision. 🙂

 

[168135]

Unless they give you a good reason as to why you shouldn't see her, I wouldn't ditch your vet. Just be smart and use your judgment.

I knew a woman who stopped going to a clinic because the vet misdiagnosed an allergic reaction. She started taking her dog to the clinic I worked "behind the scenes". The clinic I worked at was pretty horrific (don't change gloves or instruments between surgeries, ect) . We took our old cat there, but we've been taking our new cat to the other clinic. They've been great so far.

If she's doing things half-assed, run like heck...

 

[Marsala]

I'm going to go against the grain here, just to play devil's advocate.

My personal experience: I had a vet that was a really nice guy, seemed to know his stuff, and was always really good with my animals. He was recommended by several people.

I started noticing a trend in how he treated things. All I'm going to say about it is that dexmethasone seemed to be a cure-all.

He made 3 big mistakes, and then I moved my critters to a different vet. I knew at the time that he was making a mistake (and was able to control damage for 2).

1) Brought in my 17 year-old cat. Losing weight, nappy, still ate a ton, obviously hyperthyroid with her giant thyroid. He dismissed it as kidney failure, and refused to do the bloodwork to confirm hyperthyroidism. The cat had radioactive iodine tx and is fine.

2) My pug was showing a loss of proprioception in her rear right leg. He dismissed it as "hip problems". Refused to refer to the teaching hospital. So I got a referral elsewhere, and after a $5000 spinal surgery she is doing well.

3) Another cat with kidney failure was not doing well. Before I could stop him, he shot the cat up with dex. He killed my cat (R.I.P., Mr. Tickles).

Long story short, he recently had to go in front of the veterinary board with over 9 pages of complaints against him. He had to shadow another vet to keep from losing his license. Like I said, he was a really, super-nice guy, but shouldn't do more than routine vaccinations, if that. I'm not saying that your vet is like that. Just be aware and pay attention to the little things.

 

[libster06]

I'm going to go against the grain here, just to play devil's advocate.

My personal experience: I had a vet that was a really nice guy, seemed to know his stuff, and was always really good with my animals. He was recommended by several people.

I started noticing a trend in how he treated things. All I'm going to say about it is that dexmethasone seemed to be a cure-all.

He made 3 big mistakes, and then I moved my critters to a different vet. I knew at the time that he was making a mistake (and was able to control damage for 2).

1) Brought in my 17 year-old cat. Losing weight, nappy, still ate a ton, obviously hyperthyroid with her giant thyroid. He dismissed it as kidney failure, and refused to do the bloodwork to confirm hyperthyroidism. The cat had radioactive iodine tx and is fine.

2) My pug was showing a loss of proprioception in her rear right leg. He dismissed it as "hip problems". Refused to refer to the teaching hospital. So I got a referral elsewhere, and after a $5000 spinal surgery she is doing well.

3) Another cat with kidney failure was not doing well. Before I could stop him, he shot the cat up with dex. He killed my cat (R.I.P., Mr. Tickles).

Long story short, he recently had to go in front of the veterinary board with over 9 pages of complaints against him. He had to shadow another vet to keep from losing his license. Like I said, he was a really, super-nice guy, but shouldn't do more than routine vaccinations, if that. I'm not saying that your vet is like that. Just be aware and pay attention to the little things.

And that's kind of what I was getting at... if you feel comfortable with the vet and your animals are healthy, after taking them to said vet for X problem, and the problems are resolved, then stick with them. But you should pay attention to whether or not these vets resolve the issues (after all, that's what theyre there for).

I have certainly changed vets after I noticed a pattern of me bringing in my dog and nothing getting done, then them charging me $150 for the same repeat issue. My dog kept coming to the vet for losing his teeth, and not once did they suggest for us to get him a dental. He also had other repeat problems that they would "test" him for and find nothing... until we went elsewhere and got answers. It is important to step away from your feelings about a vet and look at the technical aspect of whether they're doing what you're paying them to do. If they pass that test, then keep them.

 

[Bacci]

Ha, no, she is definitely not like your horror-story vet. No complaints against her or the clinic on Google either. Not that Google is the end-all-be-all but hey, it's the best I can do. Her clinic is relatively new (<5 years); the BBB didn't have a rating for it.

She's always been willing to give me different options for treatment, and while she doesn't dismiss things, she gives her honest opinion about them. For instance, my dog has a problem with chronic yeast infections in his ears. Medications seem to be more of a patch than a solution, so she offered me a recipe made with gentian blue that she has had success with in dogs with chronic ear infections. No charge, just a suggestion. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but I liked that she went off the beaten path a bit. At the same time she's always offered further diagnostics (cytology, change of diet, etc but I've been there done that) and has been willing to refer to specialists (in that case for anxiety-related behavior issues).

So yeah, I think I will stick with her, but at the same time I'll be more attentive to the little things. Who knows, maybe I've been missing something.

 

[spicykimchi]

I think I understand how you feel, Bacci. I get pretty nervous when I think I have someone all figured out, and someone else, whom I consider wise, gives me a completely different assessment of said person. It sends a chill down my spine. It makes me question if I can read people as well as I think I can. It opens up a big realm of the unknown. The unknown is a scary, scary thing!!!

 

[libster06]

Ha, no, she is definitely not like your horror-story vet. No complaints against her or the clinic on Google either. Not that Google is the end-all-be-all but hey, it's the best I can do. Her clinic is relatively new (<5 years); the BBB didn't have a rating for it.

She's always been willing to give me different options for treatment, and while she doesn't dismiss things, she gives her honest opinion about them. For instance, my dog has a problem with chronic yeast infections in his ears. Medications seem to be more of a patch than a solution, so she offered me a recipe made with gentian blue that she has had success with in dogs with chronic ear infections. No charge, just a suggestion. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't, but I liked that she went off the beaten path a bit. At the same time she's always offered further diagnostics (cytology, change of diet, etc but I've been there done that) and has been willing to refer to specialists (in that case for anxiety-related behavior issues).

So yeah, I think I will stick with her, but at the same time I'll be more attentive to the little things. Who knows, maybe I've been missing something.

Have you talked to her about seeing a dermatology specialist? They're expensive, but sometimes worth the money on a dog that goes into the vet every month for nasty ears.

 

[david594]

And that's kind of what I was getting at... if you feel comfortable with the vet and your animals are healthy, after taking them to said vet for X problem, and the problems are resolved, then stick with them. But you should pay attention to whether or not these vets resolve the issues (after all, that's what theyre there for).

I've heard the remark a couple times so far in school that 80% of "sick" patients that come to see us as (GP) vets will get better no matter what treatment we go with. Right or wrong. And if that number is even close to true, then a person could improperly treat 50% of their cases, and yet still get positive outcomes in 90% of them.

See if there is anyone you know who knows that vet, and you trust their opinion to ask what they think. Or ask your coworkers again if they could at least speak generally to whats wrong with her methods. Its possible they have seen a lot of poorly managed cases as second opinions.

Assuming your working as a tech, then just go with your gut feeling. If something doesn't feel right, just ask about it. Since she knows you work in the veterinary field, she should be able to give you the logic behind her reasoning.

 

[libster06]

I've heard the remark a couple times so far in school that 80% of "sick" patients that come to see us as (GP) vets will get better no matter what treatment we go with. Right or wrong. And if that number is even close to true, then a person could improperly treat 50% of their cases, and yet still get positive outcomes in 90% of them.

I agree, I just meant (as in my case) when you're continuing to see a vet for the exact same problem and something just isn't right/getting done (ie: teeth falling out is not really normal), it should come to your attention. You can improperly treat something once, but the chances of it flying under the radar repeatedly go down with time.

Sidenote: this also goes for vets who won't refer... that can be the mark of a good vet- to know your limits and hand it on over.