UKC Forums - Just have to vent...bad experience at the vet's.

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-- Just have to vent...bad experience at the vet's. (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=276695)

Posted by SCBluetickGal on 05-15-2009 06:52 PM:

Just have to vent...bad experience at the vet's.

This morning I took my 8 month old Walker to the vet to have his heartworm test pulled. Now in the past couple months he's decided that he's pretty afraid of the vet's office. The last time he went he got pretty mean to the staff, and it worried me a bit. However, since then he hasn't been the least bit ill with a stranger anywhere else. Anyway, when the tech came in I asked her to let me muzzle him because he was already nervous. When I got the muzzle on she proceeded to rubber band his leg so she could find the vein. Of course he didn't like that too much...red flag number one for me. In all the years I've been taking dogs to the vet I've never seen a tech have to tie a leg up to find the vein. After that little episode he absolutely was NOT going to stand still to have his blood pulled. This pup weighs close to 75 pounds, so it's no picnic to hold him still when he's unhappy. Two more techs ended up coming in to "help" but neither would initially get close enough to do any good. After a couple more tries the lone male tech in the room made the comment "He's not worth all this." Ok, WRONG thing to say to me. Besides the fact that the pup IS of monetary value, he's more importantly a member of my family, as are all my dogs. I'd say no matter if the dog is just a free mutt from the shelter or a high dollar hunting dog if someone is taking the time and money to bring it to a vet it IS "worth" it to them. The male tech finally proceeded to very roughly put my dog on the table and hold him around the neck while the other two jabbed him about 3 times in two different legs before finally getting enough blood for the sample. My pup was obviously frightened, I believe mostly because he wasn't able to breathe from the way he was being restrained. This dog is so housebroken that he won't so much as urinate in the pen when he's outside, but he was so scared he defecated on the table. The final straw was when the tech jerked him through the feces off the table by his leash and remarked in an extremely rude tone "Nasty a** dog."

Now I know some of you will say I'm making a big issue out of nothing. My issue with this whole situation was the lack of professionalism and technical skills by the staff, not to mention the way my dog was treated. I know it's probably a pain in the rear when a dog comes into the vet's office and is a handful-however, vet techs SHOULD be trained to restrain the animal properly and with as little distress as possible. Now I don't take any junk off of my dogs, but there's a way every situation should be approached. I tried to get the male tech to tell me his name, but he flat out refused. I'm sure he knew I was getting ready to complain. However, when I asked to speak to one of the actual vets the staff would never get one to come out. Needless to say, when I've had a chance to calm down that office is getting a phone call, and if that doesn't work I'll be writing a nasty letter.

Anyway, I just had to vent about that one. I guess I'll keep on with my search for a vet that hunts or else a large animal vet that doesn't mind giving my dogs their rabies shots and heartworm tests...

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Posted by LMBEDDINGFIELD on 05-15-2009 07:02 PM:

Ok first of all you are better than I am because I promise they would have known more than they cared to about me before I ever left that office and any other customer in the lobby or back rooms would have known exactly what just happened I can guarantee I would have had one of the vets out front quickly.

OMGosh----- there is no reason for them to be that way with anydog. If he is hard to handle they should be able to sedate him or something prior to tramatizing him that way....

Promise MR. RUDE *** DOG TECH would think twice next time by the time I got done with him..... Mess with me but do not mess with my kids or my dogs....

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Posted by DSKennels on 05-15-2009 07:06 PM:

I wish you'd let me know which vet's office that is so I know to stay away from it and keep others away from it. People like that shouldn't get any business! -Billy

Posted by ladycoonhuntr on 05-15-2009 08:05 PM:

OMG if i took my dog to the vet and they handled it like that , they would most def regret it.

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Posted by SCBluetickGal on 05-15-2009 08:41 PM:

This particular vet's office is off highway 81 in Anderson. I usually take my dogs to a vet in West Columbia while I'm down for work, but their hours have been so weird I can't pick them up and get them there before they close. The vet there is weird about hunters and is big on trying to sell you stuff, but at least my dogs don't freak out there. I made a phone call this afternoon to complain, but what do you know....the vet that owns the practice won't be back until Monday. Hope he's prepared when he gets back!

Posted by Niki Yencer on 05-15-2009 09:09 PM:

You was nicer then I would have been... No reason for them to treat any dog like that... I would have made myself heard....
Thats down right Bull.....

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Posted by GA DAWG on 05-15-2009 09:16 PM:

I'd have backhanded that male nurse and told him what a candy A** he was! Dont even think about going back there! I'd also call the boss man at the vets office and complain ALOT!!

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Posted by mudman on 05-15-2009 09:19 PM:

i would have went off on that guy noone should treat a dog like that first thing Monday i would take a lil drive down there a DEMAND!!! to talk to the vet that owns the practice get his So called Staff in the room if this doesnt happen let them know that will be files pressed or have a good ol fashion ass woopin Contest.

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Posted by Tarascon on 05-15-2009 09:30 PM:

I'm afraid I'd have walked out of there, dog in tow, at the "not worth all this" comment. I would have paid not one cent on my way out the door. And THEN the vet would have gotten a talking to about his staff. If the vet declined to speak, there would have been at least one letter written.

This was all most unprofessional on the part of the staff. I know, I know, a 75 pound dog can be a handful. I used to have one that size that was a handful in the vet's office, too. But he was never badly treated and we always did what we needed to get done without manhandling him. Part of it was in the way we approached him, if we went in expecting a fight, we got one.

I hope you have a word or two with the vet about this.

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Posted by Blue Iron on 05-15-2009 09:46 PM:

I would have nutted slap up, you need to call and file a complaint with the Better Buisness Beauro.

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Posted by rowdyhound on 05-15-2009 10:00 PM:

Poor puppy!!!!!! I have one that HATES the vet's office. He was treated rough once and needless to say in 6 years I haven't been back to him. I found another vet that I am overly happy with!!!!

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Posted by Joey Donelson on 05-15-2009 10:27 PM:

There would have been more than the dog losing their bowels & being drug through it had that been my dog. It sure makes me appreciate the vet I have. He hunts bird dogs & has an appreciation for working dogs.

Posted by Phantom on 05-15-2009 10:41 PM:

I would have stopped them at the "He's not worth all this." comment.And told them I wanted to see the head vet right now and if he/she wasn't available then the next vet in line on the totem pole,But since it all went on like it did I would be there for sure monday morning waiting on them to open up and wait till the head vet gets there then make a complaint with him/her then on to the better business place and make one there as well as anyone else I could think of. As well as let all dog owners and cat owners I knew about the place.Hit them where it hurts them at the bank account.

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Posted by Plottluvr on 05-16-2009 12:14 AM:

You're a much calmer person then I am. After treatment like that I wouldn't of paid the bill. That would of brought the vet out AND I would of made it loud and clear to everyone in there WHY I refused to pay.

At the "Not worth it" comment I would of went off on him. My 3 yr old dog has issues with men and my vet is male. I told the staff this from the get go and they've been pretty good about it. Only once did a tech get snippy with my dog and I told her off right then and there. I told the vet I didn't want her anywhere near my dog EVER.

I'd be sittin' on the door step monday morning waiting for those losers.

Posted by SCBluetickGal on 05-16-2009 12:37 AM:

I'm glad for once nobody thinks I overreacted! I'm pretty upset about the whole deal. I literally almost cried when the tech made the comment about my dog not being worth the trouble, and that's TOTALLY out of character for me! It just so happens I had to have my fiance put down one of our elderly deer dogs last night because I suspect he had heartworms, so that's why I was in having a test run on my little boy and making sure he didn't miss any does of preventative. I get extremely attached to just about every animal that comes to our house, so needless to say I was still a little more emotional than normal.

I'm interested to see what this vet is going to have to say when I call Monday. I'm afraid he's going to give me flack about the fact that my dog was aggressive and hard to handle, and if he does he's going to be extremely sorry I ever set foot in his office. Most of my fiance's family up here takes their pets to him, and I'd hate to have to spread the word about his unprofessional practice to all the dog hunters I know here as well....

Posted by scott shaw on 05-16-2009 01:02 AM:

It's hard to find a GOOD vet. Usually I know more about what's
wrong with a dog than the vet. My buddy just recently took
pregnant female in to get checked and they told him there
were no live pups in her. She had 11 live puppies a little while
later. The worst part was his wife was wanting a puppy so bad
that he went and sent money to book a puppy somewhere
else so now he has another one besides!

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Posted by Wingman66 on 05-16-2009 01:42 AM:

Knock on wood. I LOVE the service I get from my vet Dr Hubert Smith. GREAT VET. Treats my hounds like HE owns them. As soon as we go to the room he plays and talks to them for at least 10 minutes before he does anything. I think dogs sense people and your dog knows a arse when he see's one lol...

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Posted by chadf on 05-16-2009 04:20 AM:

Why were you getting a HW test on an 8 mth dog? If he's been on preventive his whole life he's good. It takes about 6 months for adult HW to mature in a dog anyway. Sounds like you were getting some unecessary test done at your expense. As for the techs Not being able to hit a vein on an 8 month 75# dog they suck. If a dog is that hard to handle it should have been walked to the back room away from you and then the blood drawn. a lot of times a dog will handle easier away from its owner and also when its not on the steel table. The vets I worked for when I was younger would have fired my butt on the spot had I treated a client like that.

Posted by Cynthia on 05-16-2009 04:32 AM:

Jessica, you may be able to find out about the veterinary medical board, whatever its called similar to a medical board for people doctors. you can file a formal complaint with them. also contact BBB.

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Posted by Lee Currens Jr. on 05-16-2009 04:42 AM:

hmm had to muzzle him 1st thing wow he must be a
handful if you cant handle him with a muzzle.my vets
table / scales has hooks on the end just tight the
chain dwn and do what ever.

Posted by HalfmoonHounds on 05-16-2009 10:50 AM:

I am fortunate to have a mobile vet that has an RV and isn't much more than a regular office call. She pulls up in the driveway and does everything but surgeries in it. I think outside dogs, especially hounds get uneasy with all the commotion in the waiting room. Not to mention all the little agressive yappers that won't shut up. She and her staff are very professional and aren't offended if I offered to help with the one Rottweiler I rescued that obviously had a bad vet experience at some point before I got him. I muzzled him and put all 270 lbs of me on him, they did what they had to do and it was all over until the next year. Once he left the RV he was a gentle giant as if nothing happened, they would come outside and give him treats. He recently passed away and they were devastated eventhough he was a pain in the butt.

My advice look around for a new vet. I spent 20 yrs in the Marine Corps and every few yrs I would move and have to find a new vet, and sometimes it was a feat.

Posted by SCBluetickGal on 05-16-2009 02:59 PM:

Chad, I was getting the test run because I was told I HAD to in order to buy more preventative. I do actually work for a living, and the vet's office I took him to when he was younger has some pretty limited hours. Therefore, I did miss a month or two of his preventative and both offices said I couldn't buy more without having the test run. You might think I'm a little paranoid, but this dog means a lot to me and wouldn't be able to live with myself if he got sick because of something I could have prevented.

Blueticking:it, I generally ignore your facetious comments but since I'm really not in the best of moods I'll address it today. Yes, the dog can get nasty at the vet's office. Generally he's a sweet dog, but something about the vet's office gets him nervous. I had the staff muzzle him up front for two reasons. Number one, I knew he was likely to snap and I didn't want him to hurt anyone. Number two, up until the end I was the one at his head and I didn't want to get bit myself. The examination tables were just that, a steel table. They didn't have any way to restrain the dog's head by tying it. So what if he had to be muzzled? You can't tell me that every dog that goes into ANY vet's office is perfectly well behaved. Vets and their staff get PAID to handle situations like that. And if they really didn't think they could get the job done without acting ignorant and treating my dog like dirt, they should have had the vet prescribe some Ace and told me to bring him back later.

Somebody mentioned that I should have left the room while they were getting the sample. One tech did suggest this, but after the male tech came in and ran his mouth I wasn't about to let my dog out of my sight. Based on how he interacted with Waylon with me still in the room I hate to think about what would have went on had I not been there.

Thank you to everyone who has offered advice and sympathized with the situation. I've been fuming about this since I left yesterday, and I surely appreciate the opportunity to vent!

Posted by on 05-16-2009 04:00 PM:

Finding a hound vet that is worth a dam is purty hard sometimes. Not as hard as finding a woman that is worth a dam but almost.

Posted by Tarascon on 05-16-2009 04:17 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by JiM
Finding a hound vet that is worth a dam is purty hard sometimes. Not as hard as finding a woman that is worth a dam but almost.

I don't know about finding a woman, but it's pretty hard to find the right man. :-)

And yeah, I agree, finding the right vet is tough. We are using a clinic 20 miles from here, because we had to go that far to find a good one. There must be at least a dozen between home and that clinic, and we've tried most of them.

Posted by Geminite on 05-16-2009 05:59 PM:

Wow, that really stinks! I'm really sorry that you had to go through this as well as your dog. I'd be calling that vet first thing monday morning as well as EVERYONE I knew that uses his services. I would tell them how badly you were treated and to consider what may be at stake the next time they take a beloved pet and/or an expensive hound there....

We are VERY fortunate to have a great vet clinic with a really caring, friendly staff. I don't mind spending a cent there because I know they will take the very best care of my animals....

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