Lousy Recent Vet Experience

Marita40

Marita40

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
May 7, 2011
Messages
1,847
Location
St. Paul
Boy have times changed. Covid seems to have hit the profession so hard. On a recent appointment there was no personal touch at all, everyone tense and swamped. No going in— wait in car while pet brought in for procedure, pet returned, payment done in car. Then a simple blood test prior to teeth cleaning revealed “something” for which more testing is recommended. We’re looking at $1200+ now.
I realized my trust levels are way down with this vet and just cancelled all future appointments. Not sure where to go from here. Reviews for other area vets seem to suggest similar experiences. Count yourself lucky if you are happy with yours.
 
Marita40 said:
Boy have times changed. Covid seems to have hit the profession so hard. On a recent appointment there was no personal touch at all, everyone tense and swamped. No going in— wait in car while pet brought in for procedure, pet returned, payment done in car. Then a simple blood test prior to teeth cleaning revealed “something” for which more testing is recommended. We’re looking at $1200+ now.
I realized my trust levels are way down with this vet and just cancelled all future appointments. Not sure where to go from here. Reviews for other area vets seem to suggest similar experiences. Count yourself lucky if you are happy with yours.
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No appointments wait in your car 90+ minutes, don't you dare leave 'cause we'll cancel your appointment. No staff wearing masks. I gave up on my local vet of 25+ years and started going to the travelling vet who goes to the local pet store. Also no appointments but faster, pleasant and you can wait inside
 
Similar here. We got a new dog and I had to call three vets to find one that even took new patients. Costs are way up and morale seems to be way down. I get dog meds at Costco and that helps a little.
 
My local vet has also adopted strict COVID procedures. One of my cats was struggling with advanced kidney disease last year and needed multiple visits. This gave me ample opportunity to get used to the new protocols. On arrival, I text the office. They come out and pick up my kitty from me. Then, after examination, the vet comes out and talks with me about my kitty. If questions need to be asked, or procedures approved, it is taken care of then. Then kitty is returned, and payment taken care of outside. There are several vets at this practice, who are all good. I always ask for the same one. She's empathetic and experienced. I trust her, which counts for a lot while we navigate this different territory. Morale seems to be good. I think the business is well organized, and they are supporting each other.

I'm sorry to hear that you are having trouble with your vet, and wish you luck in finding a new one.
 
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I know this sounds crazy, but all vets are doing business as usual here on the north side of Houston, TX.
 
I'm sorry you are having problems. Our last vet's office was very pushy about high dollar services with limited upside for the animals.

We got a new vet and I am very happy with them. His office was recommended by a friend who loves her animals. In addition to being a large animal vet he also uses acupuncture and other alternative medicines.

I have attended all services in person and he follows the county guidelines. I was really impressed by how they handled a remotely possible parvo case. That process was handled outside and when the test was negative we came inside.
 
Marita40 said:
Boy have times changed. Covid seems to have hit the profession so hard. On a recent appointment there was no personal touch at all, everyone tense and swamped. No going in— wait in car while pet brought in for procedure, pet returned, payment done in car. Then a simple blood test prior to teeth cleaning revealed “something” for which more testing is recommended. We’re looking at $1200+ now.
I realized my trust levels are way down with this vet and just cancelled all future appointments. Not sure where to go from here. Reviews for other area vets seem to suggest similar experiences. Count yourself lucky if you are happy with yours.
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we had that same experience...twice...with two different vets. once while wintering in Mesa, AZ in 2020 just as the pandemic panic was ramping up and again last summer while we were clearing out my late BIL's place in San Jose, CA. but our hometown vet hasn't changed. in-person visits, come on in to the exam room with your pet to speak with the tech and doc, pay at the counter on the way out.
 
Not making excuses for bad vet behavior but the industry has been hit hard by COVID (I know, I know...which one hasn't?). The reasons are many, but I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our current office is down to 1 (out of 5) DVMs due to various issues. I feel incredibly bad for the staff as I have seen plenty of customers acting as bad as some these airline passengers that we see on the news.

A recent report shows that DVMs are 2.7x more likely to die by suicide than the general public.

https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/new...ctive-stresses-felt-veterinarians/7361193002/
 
We use two vets -- one of them is a cancer survivor, so I understand her reluctance to let people into her shop. Our little low-stress dog goes with the flow, so she's easy to drop off and pick up.

My athletic, high-drive, 55-lb. farm collie is not such a nice patient. He doesn't like needles, doesn't like to be poked and prodded. There's no way he's going to submit to an exam unless I'm in the room or he's comatose. I found a vet with a behaviorist on staff, and as a vet tech she does most of the contact work while I have the patient muzzled and preoccupied with a steady stream of treats. They let me accompany the dog into the office, including for "happy visits," where the only thing that happens is that he gets showered with goodies.

I mentioned this before, but from early on that office has had a sign on the door saying that people who can't/won't wear a mask in the building have to have their temperature taken, "and we only have rectal thermometers!"
 
Mr._Graybeard said:
I mentioned this before, but from early on that office has had a sign on the door saying that people who can't/won't wear a mask in the building have to have their temperature taken, "and we only have rectal thermometers!"
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I wish more public places had that sign!:)
 
aja8888 said:
I know this sounds crazy, but all vets are doing business as usual here on the north side of Houston, TX.
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Our vet clinic also operates as he did 3 years ago. Some people in the waiting room are wearing masks, but many don't.

Come to think about it, our local society is pretty much back to normal. Only place we see masking and distancing is in the grocery stores. But many people are not out and about as much as they used to be. We pretty much hang out at home.
 
I'm curious--what exactly has occurred to the vet profession that makes its current state so dire? I heard that people adopted many pets during Covid. Ok, so that makes sense, but is there an industry shortage in those entering the field? I'm shocked to see the suicide rate! Somehow I guess I've had a romanticized vision of the work--how fun would helping animals be?--but obviously that's not true. I realize my frustration partly comes from not only the draconian Covid measures but the increasingly enormous prices, along with the helpless feeling of just having to go along with it due to wanting the best for our pets.
 
Locally, I've read that many vet offices found that the patients were less stressed when the owners did not come in the exam room with them. So they decided to keep that protocol even beyond when they did it for Covid.

I'm not sure that applies to all pets and all owners so it appears that the vet staff liked it and decided to keep it that way. Our vet even added additional parking spots to handle the owners waiting outside.

Our dog was seriously ill in June and we were kept outside in the parking lot. It was terminal and I went back for the euthanasia and I was allowed inside to be with her. I was the only owner in the office.
 
Marita40 said:
I'm curious--what exactly has occurred to the vet profession that makes its current state so dire? I heard that people adopted many pets during Covid. Ok, so that makes sense, but is there an industry shortage in those entering the field? I'm shocked to see the suicide rate! Somehow I guess I've had a romanticized vision of the work--how fun would helping animals be?--but obviously that's not true. I realize my frustration partly comes from not only the draconian Covid measures but the increasingly enormous prices, along with the helpless feeling of just having to go along with it due to wanting the best for our pets.
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That rate is from BEFORE COVID, so if I were to assume...it's not any better and probably worse. There are a lot of articles that discuss it, but after talking to a family friend who recently retired as a DVM it's hard to really quantify. As I mentioned, the reasons are far and wide and COVID has only exasperated the situation.

As far as the helpless feeling and having to "go along", I am afraid much of this is simply supply and demand. Currently (at least where I live and where our recently retired DVM lives) there are way more patients than there are DVMs. So, it's ripe for profit. Not much different than trying to get a plumber to change out a faucet and getting that done for less than $200 (just a wag...don't hold that figure to me).

I have found that reading through a few popular forums for DVMs has been quite enlightening to see a little "behind the scenes" that most of us don't see.

Here is an example post where someone has asked about being a DVM as a second career. Many answers echoed the same sentiment:

The job is stressful and fast paced. You are constantly interrupted, and rarely get to finish anything or research/learn anything to your complete satisfaction. You deal with members of the general public, who can be super nice sometimes, OK most of the time and really, really awful on occasion. The pandemic has brought out the "awful" with increasing frequency. You are confronted (with increasing frequency these days) by animals who are so scared, they will injure or kill you if you make a wrong move.

Also, the work (and, therefore, the pay) are very sensitive to economic conditions. For years after the 2008 downturn I couldn't change jobs and made less money that a nurse working in human medicine. Now that demand is crazy high, I make a decent salary (not nearly as much as an electrical engineer), but work in places where the staffing is always too low and I am always over scheduled. (Actually, this last part was true until September when I walked out and became a part-time freelancer.)
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And another:

You're overworked, underappreciated, and at least once a day told that you should be ashamed for charging what the hospital charges. It's draining as a full time job, physically and emotionally. I'd rather make more and work less like my engineering friends, and then have free time to volunteer with animals.
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Our vet clinic used to have the "wait in the car, only one person inside" business once the pandemic took off. Now, it's back to normal, come on in, masks are optional.

3 DVMs plus a full staff of technicians, etc. No turnover that we've noticed, I guess the clinic must be a nice place to work. We've always been pleased with them and so is our little owner.

Same observation with our people doctor, no more waiting outside, temperature checks, etc. Just wear a mask inside.

Probably depends on the practice.

_B
 
Brought my boy into the vets two weeks ago. The 4 DVM practice is down to 2 DVMs. One retired early, not sure about the other. I called in October expecting a 2 week wait, surprised it was 2 months.

They are back to letting me in the exam room while last year's was drop off and wait outside. With the increase in infection in our county these past 2 weeks I will be surprised if it's not back to drop off and wait.

I've been with this vet for 35 years and do not look forward to her inevitable retirement.
 
We are still sit in the car service here in the Puget sound. We get great service from our vets and techs under these circumstances. Our roomie does the at-home euthanasia and yes, it is a depressing and stressful job. I see the toll on him daily.
 
We go to a wonderful vet office, they have always been so caring and professional. One of the techs does home/dog sitting for us when we have gone on vacation in the past.Actually, two of them fight over who gets the job because they love our pup! :)
They continue with their covid procedure-call when you arrive, tech comes and gets our dog, vet calls after exam and explains everything, bring dog out and pay over the phone.
I have no problem with it right now. They do also have a mobile van to come to our house if needed. A bit more spendy though and we have not used it.
 
Marita40 said:
I'm curious--what exactly has occurred to the vet profession that makes its current state so dire?
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For one thing, I've read that vet school is as hard to get into and as expensive as medical school so most vets have giant loans to pay off. And, like people medicine, it can be 24/7 when pets get sick or injured on the middle of the night or need monitoring after surgery.

I'm sure that every day they have to break the news to an owner with limited income that they can save Fluffy but it's going to cost $5,000 or $10,000 that they can't afford.

There are also giant profit-driven chains buying up practices and the vets are pressured to sell plans in which the pet owner pays monthly for a basket of services.

Tough field.
 
Well, our local vet earlier in the year had the in car handoff, but when we got the dog's bordetella and nail trim a few weeks ago, we were able to enter the office, but remained in the waiting room as it was simply done by a vet tech in the backroom.
 
ExFlyBoy5 said:
Not making excuses for bad vet behavior but the industry has been hit hard by COVID (I know, I know...which one hasn't?). The reasons are many, but I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Our current office is down to 1 (out of 5) DVMs due to various issues. I feel incredibly bad for the staff as I have seen plenty of customers acting as bad as some these airline passengers that we see on the news.

A recent report shows that DVMs are 2.7x more likely to die by suicide than the general public.

https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/new...ctive-stresses-felt-veterinarians/7361193002/
Click to expand...

I sympathize with the vets and never questioned the charges until the pandemic when their office stopped returning calls. I found Candian ivermectin on the internet at much less than they had been charging.
 
RetMD21 said:
.......I found Canadian ivermectin on the internet at much less than they had been charging.
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Turns out it isn't much good against Covid anyway. ;)
 
Somehow I guess I've had a romanticized vision of the work--how fun would helping animals be?--but obviously that's not true. I realize my frustration partly comes from not only the draconian Covid measures but the increasingly enormous prices, along with the helpless feeling of just having to go along with it due to wanting the best for our pets.
Click to expand...


One of those "many factors involved" problems and can't discuss them all in a forum. The great majority of vet school classes are now female--typically (not all-but many) women work full time a few years , get married, have kids then work 2-3 days a week or less--so, there goes a portion of the veterinary supply every year.
Yes, veterinary school is at least as difficult to get into as medical school and there are a lot less vet schools.



Many veterinary clinics have sold to "aggregators"--they buy clinics, raise the prices and when they get enough clinics with enough cash flow they sell them to the corporations--Google Mars veterinary. They recently purchased the two largest veterinary corporations--VCA and Banfield. They have some responsibility for the increased prices.



Having to pay veterinarians more due to student loans--the higher education industry is relentless in outpacing inflation over the years.


Vet clinics get their supplies from major drug companies--also relentless in increasing prices.


Vet clinics are also affected by the great mystery of "where did all the workers go" employee shortage.


Yes, working with the animals is often enjoyable but the only ones who don't come with one or more owners attached are the strays found injured on the street or in the shelter--not much revenue there to help pay the bills.


Support your locally owned vet clinic or next time your dog gets sick or injured wait for the traveling Vet to roll into town, collect your money and drive off into the sunset.
 
ktdtx said:
One of those "many factors involved" problems and can't discuss them all in a forum. The great majority of vet school classes are now female--typically (not all-but many) women work full time a few years , get married, have kids then work 2-3 days a week or less--so, there goes a portion of the veterinary supply every year.
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this is 2022 not 1957.
 
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