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Loading...10 Pet Parent Complaints That Really Annoy Vets
- Nicolas, selected from petMD
- August 8, 2012
- 5:06 pm
- 382 comments
By Dr. Patty Khuly, PetMD
In a column for USA Today, I couldn’t help but offer up the ways in which some clients can perturb us with their protests. I’d had a hectic week so the column just kind of wrote itself and got itself e-mailed before I had a chance to take it back. This is always a bad thing.
For my efforts, I got treated to disparaging e-mails and comments regarding my compassion for my clients, from people saying they would never want to see a veterinarian who thought so poorly of them. Hmmm, I thought… maybe they’re right and I was too harsh. And maybe they’re not.
Some pet owners really get my goat. They’re the ones whose moans, lamentations and out-sized hand-wringing makes me and my staff want to wring their necks. You know who they are. They’re not your favorites, either. They’re just as willing to regularly return food at restaurants and routinely declare war against anyone behind a counter. Tiresome, right?
In a veterinary environment, such whining takes on very specific forms. In an effort to exorcise the demons of a difficult week (and for your infotainment, of course), here’s a list of the most common pet owner complaints I hear.
1. The free pet wail
“This FREE [fill in the blank species] is costing me hundreds of dollars!”
Need I explain why this grievance grates like nails on a chalkboard?
2. Dental extraction denial
“But I’ve had dogs my entire life and none has ever needed all this expensive dentistry — and all those extractions!”
Are you sure about that?
These owners want their pet to keep all her teeth but they’re unwilling or unable to do what’s necessary to mitigate the root cause: periodontal disease. Nor are they willing to accept that sometimes diseases truly are beyond our control.
3. The sick pet protest
A corollary to number two:
“Why do all my pets get sick?”
“How can this be?”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Why isn’t he getting any better?”
To which I can only answer, “With your help, we will do our utmost to get your pets well again. We can only do as much as our technology and your cooperation (funds, sometimes) allows.”
I understand this one, really I do, partly because my (animal) family is commonly afflicted with all kinds of bizarre and stressful issues that aren’t always treatable. But to lodge a complaint against the veterinarian, as if it’s effectively the vet’s fault that your pet has X disease, (as many clients are wont to do) is completely unfair and highly counterproductive.
See Also: Dog Food Allergy Myths
Read more: Animal Rights, Behavior & Communication, Cats, Cute Pet Photos, Dogs, Everyday Pet Care, Humor & Inspiration, Pet Health, Pets, Remedies & Treatments, Safety, vet, veterinarian
Nicolas, selected from petMD
petMD is a leading online resource focused solely on the health and well-being of pets. The site maintains the world's largest pet health library, written and approved by a network of trusted veterinarians. petMD was founded to inspire pet owners to provide an ever-increasing quality of life for their pets and to connect pet owners with pet experts and other animal lovers. For more information, visit petMD.com.
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382 comments
+ add your ownI think a major problem with all or almost all people is they are afraid to question authority and both doctor and vets represent authority. If your gut tells you....by all means ask questions, by all means go somewhere else...get a second opinion, by all means turn down treatment that appears to be geared towards money and not the ailment or health of your pet. Don't ignore the health issue, but nothing is stopping any of us from checking out another doctor or vet. Not all vets are good, not all vets have the welfare of the animal first and foremost in their minds...hate to say this but some vets are only concerned about their next car payment or saving for a nice vacation or suffering major burn-out!!! Our most beloved pets can't tell us what goes on after we leave...if you have any 'bad feeling', any apprehension, any discomfort or doubts about the office, the staff or the vet...please go somewhere else!
Great article,thanks for sharing
Thank you.
Make sure to do what you ought to before complaining
Let me add a current experience my daughter just had with one of the major Vet centers in the area. Happens to be the same I had issues with before, in her case this was a different doctor. (Excuse the lengthy post)
She brought her 10 year old cat in because she was lethargic and didn't seem to be eating. The vet took her temp which was elevated by 2 whole degrees, he said she was dehydrated. He decided from just this information a FIV test is what was needed for $45 and they will have the results right away. FIV?? ooookay, weird first thing to check rather than say...white blood count. But hey it's fine. It is just money.
The test is positive for FIV. He then gives my daugter 2 options, euthanasia for about $250 or she could admit her for hydration for $1500. That was it, pick one.
They picked neither and left.
Many cats are FIV positive and have completely normal lengthy lives. I have a coworker that adopted 2 FIV pos cats years and years ago.
-Did the vet offer any antibiotic for the temp? Nope!
-Did the vet offer on the spot hydration which they gave MY cat in my first complaint in this
thread for about $60? Nope!
Just 2 options, a cheap quick profit death or $1500 for a hope.
Well she brought her to a new vet who did indeed hydrate her, gave her some vitamin b to encourage eating as well as some other tests. The entire bill came to $220,
The vet spent 2.5 hours with them as they were his last patient of the day.
The cat is eating normally and drinking tod
I had a dear little Chi, Bambi, who was going through a really tough time. She was a rescue, about 14 yo, and I knew very little about her medical history...common problem with rescues. I was away from home and Bambi became very sick, took her to a local vet found in the yellow pages. He asked if she had been neutered and I replied that I thought so. The vet couldn't find a scar and so he wanted to......do exploratory surgery ($700) to see if she still had her uterus (he couldn't feel it). I said....you want to do major surgery on a senior dog just to SEE if she still has her uterus and charge ME $700 for it? He look at me with a straight face and said yes! I said....give me broad spectrum antibiotics. She live 4 years after that, passed from old age. She was a dear, sweet little girl.
thanks
vets are good some of them. Most i think they want $$$$. It's to bad.
Wow. It sounds like you're experiencing burn-out and need a vacation. Why is the free pet wail like nails on a chalkboard? There are many of us pet owners in the current economy which favors the rich over everyone else who don't have a lot of money to spend on pet care, especially when the costs have seemingly skyrocketed. It's probably best at that moment to take a step back and just be sympathetic, that yes, we go into pet ownership hoping it won't cost an arm and a leg but sometimes are pet friends need us to go the extra mile to keep them healthy. My ex and I joke about our $1000 shelter cat...she cost about $100 to adopt originally, and $900 a year later when she managed to swallow part of a toy that lodged in her gut. We love and we spent the money. When my companion, my furry best friend, was 14 and very ill and the previous $900 at the vet's office had revealed nothing except dehydration, I had been unemployed for several months and had no savings left to lavish on vet bills or even a relatively pleasant euthanasia. I had to take her to the Humane Society and pay the bare minimum to have her put to sleep away from my eyes, and they were so busy they forgot I was there so I kept going up every hour or so to find out when she was gone. I felt terrible doing that but it was all I could afford at the time. I accepted a box of food from a pantry and ate very little of it myself so I could feed my son and still do that much for the cat who had been with me through
My vet, I go to with my cat/s and for a long long time, are very understanding and generous to me. Back in May, my beautiful Bombay cat, after a short illness, had to be euthanised and over the time I took him until the end they allowed me to pay it off on regular payments which i established with them. I would say most Vets would allow you to do it, providing you were honest and paid the total in the required time.
Some people dont quite understand and live with blinkers on and cant see if their pet is sick. Fortunately I can see and know b/c i have a very close relationship with my animals. I guess too that with the Vet i see he knows Im a responsible cat owner, which i guess helps.
I give my cats good food and they live mostly to a good old age. i have just recently adopted a rescue and needs total obedience training. btw Im her 3rd owner and at this time she is only 21mths old.
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