starplott
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Oct 2003
Location: SW Missouri
Posts: 1405 |
I miss the 'nfz' liquid. Just like everything else that works...can't get it anymore. The vet I worked for mixed the nfz liquid with scarlet oil and used it by the gallons until he couldn't get it anymore. Everytime we did a spay, wound treatment, etc he would use it.
For the last 10 years all I can find is the nfz paste, which is messy and doesn't like to soak into gauze.
I do like the gel better than the spray. The only difference is with the gel it has borax added. So it is a little thicker and dries/sticks to wounds better than the spray.
At least staplers are easier to get. I remember having to get them from the ER when we brought in drunks who got in car wrecks. It's nice to just order them VIA mail. Staples are much faster than stitching and my poor hands are shot from years of abuse, LOL.
Hunters and dog clients use to show up at my house or call me out to help fix their dogs all the time. Sewed up a lot of dogs with dental floss and fishing line growing up. Growing up bear hunting there was no way we could get dogs to vets like we can nowadays. We didn't have internet and vets open 80+ hrs a week or emergency clinics like today.
We had to do what we could until office hrs. Vet attitudes have changed a lot too. They use to be impressed w some of the life saving efforts we did in the woods and until we could get them in. Now they like to make you feel like an irresponsible criminal. I've had vets in recent years try to tell me it is illegal to stitch my own dog, give it a shot, or clean a wound.
About 5 years ago I had half the face of my German import ripped off when a pack of yotes tried to go through her to get a chicken dinner at 1 am. Not real fun being half shocked awake with a fight going on 20 yards from bedroom window then having to stitch half the side of her face on half shaking from sleep and adrenaline rush leaving.
Took her to vet for check up and I about clobbered the bitch. She threatened to turn me into animal control for animal abuse for illegally injecting my dog w penicillin w/o a prescription and stitching her without putting her out. That was just cruel and inhumane, plus illegal.
She couldn't say a word about my stitch job! She looked very ling and hard trying to find a flaw to jump my ass over. I had to remind her even though I looked 16 I'd been dealing w tore up dogs before she even graduated middle school and thought about being a vet. It got pretty heated.
The hubby/wife team that owned the clinic sent me a very nice card and a letter of apology. I'd been a client for about 10 years there. About 3 months later I was in getting health certs to ship some pups to Germany. That vet cornered me for half hr and apologized herself. Of course this was after missing out on some real ground breaking experience with one of my police k9's because I wouldn't let her in the operating room with the dog and I.
Moving back to WA, it was hard to find decent vets to work with. I have one I went to hs with, the one I use to work for (where I can walk in and use what I need), and a clinic about 40 miles away that I have no problem dropping my dogs off and sitting in the waiting room.
It took a few years to establish some good vets I could work with. A lot of them won't even see my Malinois after talking to me (yes, I interview vets before I bring my dogs). Not because of me, they don't have experience w Malinois trained for work (Malinois are also sensitive to being put out, certain cocktails at normal dose will kill them) and I carry up to $10k life insurance on the older ones. Funny how these new over cocky know it all young vets will turn a dog away when you have life insurance on them! They aren't so know it all and cocky anymore and don't want to take the risks of getting sued by my insurance company. Puts a whole new spin.
About 7 years ago my Mal male (then 2) broke his toe fetching up his toy in the yard (have to know Malinois to understand, LOL). Took me 4 days to get him into a vet. Each vet was booked for 30 miles and in prelim conversation diagnosed as sprained and not a big deal. The vet I use to work for was on vacation (more common the older he gets) and the vet I went to school with was still interning at another clinic. The day he got back (day 4) he told me I could come in after 5 and use the xray machine.
I was still calling vets (now at 50 mile radius, and we have vets on every corner here). I did find one about 50 miles away (15 mins away from the one I worked for). They took me right in for emergency fit in. The vet was a very tall young pregnant woman who stepped in out of the two and said she would not feel intimidated and would try not to sedate my dog and take my word he was safe and highly trained.
She took one look at his foot and agreed it was probably broke. She took him back for xray and said she'd try her best not to out him out (all commands trained in Dutch and she wouldn't let me go back). The gal in the office (and vets) knew my aunt and uncle (local law enforcement there). Boy did she screw with me! She came back in and told me that my dog was out cold, it was a break, and the vet was finishing up. I signed nothing and was ready to kill somebody!
I raced to the xray room and my dog was motionless on the table all by himself. I was livid and took a deep breath to raise the roof on the place, he heard me and moved to lay up and look at me. About that time the vet came in and told me it was broke, I set it correctly, and that he was one of the best clients she has ever had to go through such prodding and pain of the exam and xray without so much as a whine.
The gal in the office was white, she knew I was pissed. She explained when she went in to get paperwork he was laying on his side so still she mistook it for him being put out.
They splinted him up, I gladly paid my $200, and have had several referrals for behavior clients come in from them, LOL.
It is so hard to find good vets that understand and are not intimidated with working dogs. Let alone the crap we owners have to deal with as part of having them and working them, be it hunting or other work.
Swear this state has to screw with everything!
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It ain't the bark, it ain't the growl, it's the bite that hurts!
Last edited by starplott on 02-10-2012 at 07:35 PM
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02-09-2012 07:13 PM
