EOB-6....
We all are familiar with "Pet Peeves"...things that, for one reason or another, go against our grain and bother us. For an interesting way of looking at this concept from a different point of view, Helpful Buckeye would like to discuss things that pet owners do when visiting their veterinarian that may or may not be bothersome to the veterinarian and his/her staff. Granted, we're always reminded that the "customer is always right" and, therefore, can do no wrong. However, a pet owner visiting their veterinarian is obviously there for help and advice concerning their pet...and a cordial, informative conversation will be more likely to benefit all concerned parties.
Let's look at some "Vet Peeves":
Vet Peeves
by Victoria SchadeI stopped by to visit my friends at a local vet office today and we got to chatting about patient do’s and don’ts. I asked them if they had any human client pet peeves, and wouldn’t you know it, the floodgates opened wide. My veterinarian friends and their vet techs offered up an impressive list of bothersome traits. Think you might have peeved your vet? Here’s your chance to find out. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Top Ten Vet Peeves List:
1. Letting your pet greet other pets in the waiting room without permission. The waiting area in most vet offices is typically small and filled with agitated animals. Sure, your pup is just there for a nail trim, but the dog two seats over is dealing with a serious case of diarrhea and the discomfort that comes with it. He doesn’t want a face full of puppy, and he’ll make that very clear. With his teeth.
2. Extendible leashes in the waiting room. Tight
space + sick animals + 15 feet of freedom = a big mess. Flexible leashes turn
an already stressful room into a potential battle zone. See number 1.
3. Laughing when your dog bites the veterinarian.
Really? People actually do this? The vets assured me that it happens – often –
and that the laughter is usually accompanied by the person saying “Oh, what did
that big bad vet do to you, Fido?” Yeah, the vets ain’t laughing with you.
4. Praising your dog as he growls. The vet office is
bound to evoke some unusual canine reactions, but growling and surliness are
serious business and need to be treated as such. Telling Fido “It’s OK sweetie,
it’s OK!” as he growls at the vet tech is not a sound strategy.
5. Mentioning your pet’s sensitive areas after the
fact. “Fido bit you? Oh, I should have told you that he hates to have his feet
examined.” Too late, and thanks for the bleeding wounds.
6. Giving your child a pet as a “gift”. We’ve
covered this one too, folks. Pets aren’t presents.
7. New puppy, no money. New puppy parenthood comes
with boatloads of responsibilities, and a yacht-load of bills. Vets can’t
understand the sticker-shock expressed by their new puppy clients. Thorough
research, that oft neglected step of getting a dog, would have left little
doubt as to the high costs associated with puppyhood.
8. Forcing the vet to give you a breast exam as she
examines your pet. Clingy pet parents, beware: if you can’t surrender your pet
to the vet for examination, be prepared for accidental chest grazes and gropes.
The exam table is there for a reason. Put your pet on it and let your vet do
her job.
9. “Doctor, the treatment you suggested didn’t work
…” “ …Um, no I didn’t finish the pain meds. Or the antibiotics. But why is he
still sick?”
10. Not researching your breed. (Amen, my
veterinarian brothers and sisters, I’m with you on this one.) You wanted a
small dog so you got a Jack Russell. Any JRT owners care to comment on just how
“small” the breed really is? You’re a starving college student and you got an
English Bulldog because you like how they look. What happens when the breed’s
far-too-common genetic defects start surfacing, and the vet bills pile up? When
I meet with new clients I’ll often ask why they selected a certain breed. (The
correct answer begins with “I did a ton of research and…”) When I hear “I just
wanted a pretty dog,” I want to head for the hills. Did you recognize yourself
on this list? It’s never too late to add a New Year resolution … why not vow to
be a better patient and make your vet’s job a little easier?
Adapted from: http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves...See anything on that list that looks familiar??? Might you be an offender on some of them?
"Vet Peeves": What We Do Wrong at the
Vet's
Office
by Victoria Schade
I compiled what I thought was an exhaustive top 10
list of “vet peeves” (the things that we do wrong in and around the exam room
at the veterinarian) back in 2008. During a recent disastrous appointment at
the vet with Olive I discovered that I might be one of the peevers (more on my
embarrassing experience later), so I decided to revisit the “vet peeves”
concept and see what else might be missing from my original list. After some
coaxing, an honest veterinary technician and veterinarian weighed in with the
things that we do to make their jobs more difficult.
1. Everything that relates to restraining your
animal.
Restraint is probably the most unpleasant part of a
vet visit for both you and your animal, and based on the feedback I received,
it can be equally unpleasant for the techs and vets doing it. When it comes to
restraint it’s important that we all take a deep breath and take a step back,
literally. Hovering near your dog as she’s being restrained (guilty as
charged), handling your dog during restraint (guilty as charged), getting in
the way of the person trying to restrain your animal, and touching the vet tech
or veterinarian as she’s trying to hold on all make the process that much more
difficult. As much as you want to comfort your dog during this scary time,
understand that it will probably go faster if you let the professionals do
their jobs.
2. Not paying attention when discussing
post-treatment care.
It’s dumbfounding to me that people zone out when it
comes to the most important part of a vet visit: what you have to do once you
leave the office in order to make or keep your dog healthy. The vet tech told
me about a person who wouldn’t stop watching the TV in the waiting room while
she was relaying complicated dosing instructions. Maybe the dog was paying
attention?
3. Animals that are poorly groomed or neglected.
You can try to keep secrets from your vet, but some
of them are written all over your animal. The dogs with long curled over nails,
or mats so tight that they have to be cut out convey that you’re denying your
dog the basic care that he deserves. One poor cat came into the office with a
rump impacted with enough fur and dried on fecal matter that the poor thing
couldn’t even defecate.
4. People who walk in without an appointment and
demand immediate care.
Now, we’re not talking about emergency situations
here. People actually show up and expect a well-run office to screech to a halt
in order to accommodate their needs. Would you try this at your primary care
physician’s office? Probably not. Though I didn’t chat with the front desk
staff, I’m sure that this is one of their big vet peeves too.
5. Arriving late for an appointment.
This one is common sense, but it still happens often
enough to warrant a mention. Diagnosing accurately takes time, and if you show
up late you not only risk a rushed appointment, you also inconvenience everyone
who has an appointment after you. If we’re being completely honest here, MY vet
peeve is that I always show up on time but wind up waiting 15 to 20 minutes
before we’re seen. I’m guessing that the two peeves are related.
6. Getting insulted if you’re asked to leave the
room.
Sometimes pets react better when their person isn’t
standing right beside them, so if the staff asks you to step outside, go with
it. Keep in mind that they’re not going to hurt your dog (this assumption is
another vet peeve), they just want to perform the procedure as quickly and
efficiently as possible. If you’re worried about what’s happening to your
animal when you’re not in the room it might be worthwhile to ask yourself why,
and consider finding a facility that you trust completely.
I hang my head in shame, as I know that I’m now a
frequent peever. After a 20-year history of perfect canine patients, I’m living
with a very unruly one. Olive’s handling issues escalated in dramatic fashion
when we had to do a blood draw last week, so I’m going to be working hard to
avoid being one of those people my veterinarian dreads seeing. Hopefully this
list will help you do the same!
Victoria Schade has been a dog trainer for over
eleven years.
Adapted from: http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves-what-we-do-wrong-veterinarian-officeHelpful Buckeye would like to emphasize that there isn't usually an antagonistic relationship between a veterinarian and pet owner. If a pet owner feels that such is the case, they will most likely decide to visit another veterinary hospital where they feel more comfortable. However, many of these "Vet Peeves" don't necessarily involve antagonism, but rather a certain amount of inconsideration and inattentiveness on the part of the pet owner. If any of these apply to you, perhaps now is the time to re-evaluate how you prepare for your next visit to the veterinarian.
Did They Really Say That?
Dr. Ken Tudor
As with all professions, veterinary clients and
customers are capable of saying some outrageously hilarious things.
I think veterinary staffs get an inordinate amount
of these experiences owing to the large numbers of owners that have such
limited understanding of basic animal biology. I am sure my nursing and medical
doctor colleagues share many of the same hysterical moments with each other.
Today I want to be less serious about pet health and nutrition and share some
of my funny experiences.
No. 1
Ms. W had to euthanize her dog for acute
irreversible kidney failure. Our hospital policy is to make a clay imprint of
the pet’s paw and provide the imprint and a lock of fur to the owner prior to
final care of the remains. In this case the owner elected to have the remains
of her pet cremated. When she returned to the hospital to retrieve her pet’s
ashes she asked if we could make her a second paw imprint for her sister, who
was also very close to the deceased dog.
Kudos to the staff! They treated the situation very
delicately, rather than hysterically, and explained the impossibility of such a
request.
No. 2
At closing time, Mr. X rushed into our hospital with
a limp puppy that was weak from violent vomiting and diarrhea. Mr. X was
concerned, and he was convinced that he knew exactly why the dog was seriously
ill. He had a previous dog that he had also purchased in Utah and it had died
of Provo. The puppy did indeed have Parvovirus, and he responded well to
treatment.
Mr. X has sworn never to buy another dog in Utah,
especially from the city of Provo.
No. 3
Mrs. Y presented her dog to me with very bad breath
and was adamant that the fecal smell was caused by constipation. She insisted
that I give her dog an enema despite the fact that I could not palpate any
stool in the dog’s colon. She refused an X-ray to solve the mystery, insisting
that constipation could be the only reason for fecal breath. Not so delicately,
I asked if she had fecal smelling breath when she was constipated. She assured
me that such an assumption was absurd and that dogs were different.
The fact that the dog ate its own feces was immaterial.
No. 4
Mr. Z reported that his dog was constantly voiding
small amounts of urine very frequently. X-rays revealed that the dog had over
30 stones in its bladder. When I showed the X-ray to the owner, his response
was, "How did she eat all of those stones!" Explaining to the owner
that the urinary system and the gastrointestinal system are not connected was
an absolute exercise in futility.
Fortunately, he let us surgically remove the stones
from his dog’s bladder, but he has since removed all stones and gravel from his
yard to prevent a repeat of the problem. Dietary management of mineral and
water content made absolutely no sense to him.
Adapted from: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudor/2013/feb/the-funny-things-people-say-at-the-veterinariansAny comments or questions should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at dogcatvethelp@gmail.com or submitted at the "Comments" section at the end of this issue.
~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~
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