Kari from Hound Girl had a post this morning entitled, “Breaking up with your vet.” I started writing my comment and realized I had an entire post.
Once upon a time, I broke up with my vet. Here’s how it happened.
We used the same vet for Sampson that we had used with our previous dog, Roxanne.
After Delilah joined our pack I had a bad experience with our vet. Delilah went into heat three months after joining us. I was stunned as the rescue group had presented her as having been spayed.
We discussed with the vet when is the best time to spay Delilah and decided to wait a couple of months after she had finished her cycle.
We were in the process of buying our current house and scheduled it so Delilah would be fixed and come home to the new house.
The day of the closing dawned and as much as it pained me, I couldn’t give Delilah any breakfast. I was very worried about how this would affect her, since she is such a food hound, but she survived it. I dropped her off at the vet and then Sampson off at daycare and headed back to the house to pack up our bedroom.
In short fashion the vet’s office called saying Delilah’s urine test came back indicating a urinary tract infection and they couldn’t do the surgery.
Could I come and get her.
I couldn’t. I literally was in the middle of moving. In retrospect there was probably something I could have done, but in that moment I couldn’t think.
After lots of yelling on my part, I finally convinced them to give her some food and water, Hubby picked her up on his way to the new house after the closing and we rescheduled the surgery for after she’d completed her round of antibiotics.
We scheduled the surgery for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We knew the vet’s office would keep her overnight and we would be home with her for the next four days.
I remember being upset with the vet for not letting her come home the day of the surgery, the vet said she had to stay quiet so as not to tear her stitches. I asked if someone was staying with her and they said no. At this point I felt she would be better off with me, who would stay with her throughout the night and even share a bed with her. But they said no.
I swear upon all that is holy that what I’m about to write is the God’s Honest Truth. When the vet called me after the surgery she said she had to cut Delilah “from stem to stern” that there was a lot of fat in there because she’d apparently had a litter of puppies and she called her a “behemoth.”
I don’t know how you feel about this, personally I can call my dog anything I want, but NO-ONE, especially a vet calls my dog a behemoth. I don’t care if my dog is 50 pounds overweight, YOU don’t get to call her names.
When we went for the follow-up visit the vet said to her vet tech, “This was my spay from hell.”
OMFG are you kidding me?
I didn’t say anything, I was too stunned. But I did make sure to have the vet squeeze Delilah’s glands and Delilah let her know emphatically that she was out of line in doing so. The vet commented on how hard Delilah was squeezing her back-end around the vet’s finger. I can almost guarantee she was channeling my anger.
A short time later, Sampson had an appointment with the owner of the practice and I brought my concern of the unprofessional vet to his attention.
It was a while ago and I can’t remember what he said, but it didn’t appease me. So I switched vets.
I love my current vet. She is holistic, she answers any questions I have and is very honest with me about what vaccines she feels the dogs should have. I have recommended her to anyone who has asked and will continue to do so.
When Delilah was having her episodes, they were very open to anything and everything and had no problem consulting with outside vets at my request.
If they hadn’t been open to alternative treatments Delilah would more than likely be on medication for epilepsy right now.
You’d change Dr.’s if you weren’t satisfied with yours, right? Don’t be afraid to change vets if you aren’t happy with the care you are getting for your pet.
Just Be The Dog.
Recent Comments