Veterinary clinics

I wanted to bring some awareness and help some owners save money when it comes to veterinary clinics. I have been working in the field for 10 years in a variety of settings so I have pretty good experience. I will try and leave my personal opinion out of this

A lot of owners don't realize that everything is optional. Just because a professional (Veterinarian) recommends something it does not mean it HAS to be done (or is even necessary). There are only a few things that are legally required (I would check your local laws to make sure.) An examination is the minimum (and that does have to be paid but other than that- it's up to the owner.)

Please keep in mind a lot of clinics are self owned by the veterinarian, etc so some people (yes, even though they work with animals think of the clinic as a small business. And just that... Need to make money. Some places actually give Veterinarians bonuses and commission depending on what type of money they're bringing into the business.

You have to decide what is important to you. Do you feel like your animal needs to have a yearly exam even when they are not sick or there is no concerns? Do you think your 11 year old cat (yes, on the older side) HAS to get a blood panel done even though there is no concerns at home?

If money is not an issue for you and you can afford anything, I would like you to consider the stress it is putting on your pet. From experience, the treatments done "in the back" would horrify owners if they were to see what goes on. For some things that are getting done (blood draws, etc) animals do need to be restrained to sit still. A lot of animals, especially really terrified ones will fight this. A lot of staff in the veterinary field have been taught to hold them down and fight with them(even if it means the animals are screaming and going to the bathroom because it is so scared.) If you are ok with needles, etc I always tell owners to have the Veterinarian do everything in the room (a good one will not protest this

It's not a surprise that animals hate going to the vet. They have had bad experiences. A lot of bad experiences can be avoided however and it does not have to be a terrible experience (ESPECIALLY when it comes to puppies and kittens). With their first visit, there should be a lot of positive reinforcement, a lot of treats, a lot of play so they don't associate the vet with being a bad place. If you do have a puppy, stop by the office every now and then and just get treats from the staff so it doesn't have to be only when they're being poked with needles and it being negative.

Was the point to talk people out of ever going to a vet?

I'm not talking people out of going to the vet, at all. Some pet owners are just ignorant about their options is all.

I even encouraged it in the last paragraph. The point was to say that it doesn't have to be negative- it can be a positive experience.

What alternatives?

Growing up, my family had dogs that we only took the vet when they were sick, and they lived long and happy lives. I have taken my current dog (my first pet alone) to the vet way more than any childhood pet because he has had allergic reactions before (one even caused by our vet because they gave him too many shots at once... AND they charged me for the meds to get the swelling down and stop the itching even though it was THEIR fault). I've learned through these experiences that constant vet visits aren't necessary and you know your pet better than any vet does. I take my dog to the vet now only to stay up-to-date on shots because boarding places and daycare places in my area require it, and I take him to daycare sometimes. He's happy and healthy.

What I got from it is : veterinarians are crooks you don't actually need to go to the vet and your animals will be tortured in the back room .

Awesome brienoch!

Some pet owners are just ignorant

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I prefer to get my cats vaccinations done even though they don't go out . I also get them a yearly exam . All exams of my cats are done in front of me. Rabies is now taking an upsearch in our area . Cats sometimes escape the house as people know . Our vet was wonderful when one of our cats needed to be put down when he had cancer . They made it very very peaceful. All things were done in front of us.

What I got from it is : veterinarians are crooks you don't actually need to go to the vet and your animals will be tortured in the back room .

I didn't get that from the post. I understand the point made.

I didn't get that from the post. I understand the point made.

What are the " alternatives " though ? If people decided they knew better than Drs most people here would think they were nuts right? The alternative presented was you know better so don't pay up. But do you REALLY know your pet is ok?

Back in the day, when I was a teenager, there were no vets back home, pets were being fed human food and we would go dig construction sites to get sand for their "litter". When I found a one day old kitten abandoned in the street, I raised her with cow's milk through the pump of a fountain pen, because there was nothing else available. All my pets had long lives and never had issues.

After I moved to the States, I met my fair share of crook vets. I met awesome ones too, of course. But the crooks...well, they tortured my cat, cut her up unnecessarily for "investigations" (worth almost $10,000 that I had to pay) and when she got cancer they failed to recognize it even though her belly was full of it, you could feel it easily when you held her in your arms. The vet said nothing about it, but I kept worrying about the many growths she had so I went back a few days later, asking him to biopsy them. It was of coarse cancer, even Joe Schmo in the street could have told you that.

The vet I have right now refused to see me in a case of emergency, even if I live 2 minutes away from their office. I had to drive far away where I did find a kinder vet willing to help.

It's hit and miss, with more misses than hits. I would never advocate never taking pets to the vet, and I don't believe OP was trying to do so. I am however against pointless vet visits, where they do close to nothing but charge $500 per visit. I go only when I see signs anything might be off with my pets, other than that I make sure I feed them good quality food, never let them outside, and just pay attention to them daily to make sure they are ok. That's just my preference, as a person with a looooong history of pet ownership.

I must have a real gem of a vet then because I don't have those experiences . She does animal rescue and I've even adopted two cats from her .

But I have had all kinds of pets since I was five years old . Dogs ,cats ,rabbits ,guinea pigs ,gerbils and birds. I found in the 70s and 80s the only time your pet went to the vet was well basically to die. But I do remember in the 80s paying $450 for a vet to take a roast string out of my Siamese . He had pulled the string off a roast out of the garbage and eaten it and it had expanded in his intestines.

One of my present polydactyly as an umbilical hernia . I was told right away what it was but it doesn't need surgery it's not big enough .

All three of my cats get their annual health check .

I've had really good experiences with my vet . She may be on the expensive side but I do trust her .

I also take my polydactylys every two months to get their claws cut . They have claws in between their toes and double claws and I don't want to hurt them . I also don't want a claw to get embedded in their paw.

I must have a real gem of a vet then because I don't have those experiences . She does animal rescue and I've even adopted two cats from her .

 

But I have had all kinds of pets since I was five years old . Dogs ,cats ,rabbits ,guinea pigs ,gerbils and birds. I found in the 70s and 80s the only time your pet went to the vet was well basically to die. But I do remember in the 80s paying $450 for a vet to take a roast string out of my Siamese . He had pulled the string off a roast out of the garbage and eaten it and it had expanded in his intestines.

 

One of my present polydactyly as an umbilical hernia . I was told right away what it was but it doesn't need surgery it's not big enough .

 

All three of my cats get their annual health check .

 

I've had really good experiences with my vet . She may be on the expensive side but I do trust her .

When you find a great vet, stick to him/her because they are really difficult to find! Once my cat needed surgery and it was late at night and we had to go somewhere in the boonies to an emergency vet. We were lucky to find a vet who was amazing, not only professionally-wise but also a great guy, he kept phoning us every couple of hours to let us know how the cat was doing, and even after they released her he called a few times just to follow up. Unfortunately he was very far away and we couldn't keep going to him, but that was one special vet. The others...not so much. So if you like and trust the one you have, hold on to him tight

Thank you for sharing your experience Greta and I'm sorry about your bad experience - that's so unfortunate. Your last paragraph is excellent too- exactly what I wish all pet owners knew!