Split From:general Opinion For Pups Going Out

Earlier I noticed in one of Jess's Replies to Ramble that where she is Vets seems opinionated/ 'don't tell me' and 'look down on you' Jess says there was a poll 2003/4 that suggests Vets are moneymakers and PR for drug companies. This gave me an idea for a new thread......What is your vet like

Mine deals with both drugs and homeopathic and he will willingly discuss both options with you, sometimes he will reccommend drugs other times homeopathic (as he does for Reah, due to the amount of anti-biotics she's had in the past) I for one know my vet isn't out for the money. My old BC lived to the age of 23, our vet always made sure he treated her and not one of the other vet's. When her day came, he was the one who PTS and he also suggested that Reah came in afterwards to 'see where her friend had gone' as he said he believes it helps with the grieving. After he PTS, he gently lay Meg on the floor on a blanket, he too had tears in his eyes, whilst we were knelt next to her, he quietly went out into the reception and asked one of the nurses to bring in Reah. He knelt down too stroking Reah and Meg. Two days later I received a sympathy card and three days after that a personal call from our Vet asking how I was. My heartfelt thanks to him..........what is yours like, do they differ around the country/world. Input please

Sorry I lazily copied and pasted my original response....

I changed vets last year....but purely because of problems with a couple of routine ops.It was a big practice and I had issues with only one vet there. The others were all fantastic and very open to alternative treatments.

My current vets are an even bigger practice...but with regional surgeries, they are totally amazing and completely open to what WE want to do and how we want to treat our dogs. I totally trust them and their opinions and can hand on heart say they are NOT PR people for drugs companies. Before putting Mo on any sort of pain relief for his arthritis we were actively encouraged to seek out alternatives...the same with Biff.
I have yet to experience a vet who would try to persuade me to do something that I didn't agree with,BUT I have never suggested not vaccinating a puppy. I suspect they would shout at me then.


I know a lot of vets and I visit my vets regularly...having a lot of puppies in and out of the house and two, now sadly one, elderly dog, you tend to be there quite a lot. I admire, respect and trust them,as I say, they have only ever actively encouraged alternative treatments and that is at both practices...they also respect me and my OH and know we have a fair amount of knowledge and experience, again, both practices.


I would suggest that the vets that act as PR agents are in a minority and would be slammed by the majority of other vets.

We have used the same vets practice for about 20 years and are very happy with them.

Over the years we've been registered with our vets we've lost a number of pets. We always get a sympathy card from the vet if they are PTS by the vet, if they have been poorly we will get regular calls from the vets in between consultations to check on their progress.

I don't think all vets are moneymakers although some are obviously influenced by that. Max's favourite vet recommended where to get his glucosamine from (healthy direct) and told us it was exactly what they sold at the vets but at a fraction of the price of the vets.

They know Max's history and that he dreads the vets and he has home visits for his vaccinations. Emergencys though he has to go in and they are always very good with him and help to put him at ease.

Personally if I didn't like or trust my vet or respect their opinion I would change practices, my dog is far too precious to me to risk him being treated by someone who I do not feel is a competant vet.

To add..I asked my vets about online meds and they are more than happy to give me a prescription free of charge...infact volunteeered that they had to!!!

My vets are not rip off merchants.

The medicines I have from them never costs more than I could buy it on line and is usually cheaper than most. Where there are alternatives available he discusses these and tells me his reasons for the recommended choice.

He gave us (not sold us) a chunk of his supply of free sample foods but put no pressure on us long term to continue to use it. (has been suggested elsewhere that vets sell these rather than give them away).

What a great thread
Well I have been with my vet for over 10 years now , I first joined his practice when I got my sweet boy Juke ,
And have to say when i lived with my parents a lot of the vets my parents used were no where near as caring or understanding of animals as this man .
He takes in stray animals all the time , Just last year for instance he had a we grey hound dumped at the surgery ,With a note tied around it saying please take care of me my owners dont want me anymore ,He brought the we dog into his surgery checked him over and realised very quickly that it was greatly poorly and very under weight , He reckoned it was only about 4 to 5 months old , He called the police to notify them of what had happened ,And told them he would keep him at the surgery till he was claimed ,After a few tests it was apparent the puppy had parvo ,So he put him in the isolation unit and cared for him until he was again well ,No one turned up to claim the little pup who is now called miracle , He is now the surgery dog whom my vet cared for and spayed at his own expense .
He is a wonderful vet imo when i had Juke someone fed him anti freeze and he was close to death , I took him to the vet the same morning he was keep in and treated my vet sat up with Juke around the clock while the other vet a locom tended his surgery when we got Juke home from then on any time he was in the area mike called in to see how juke was ,Hew cared for Juke for the next 8 years , And became a very close personal friend to me and Juke , Even when Juke was diagnosed with a brain tumour he called every day to see his old pal ,And when the time came for me to say a final goodbye to my wonderful son Mike came to the house to put himto sleep ,He made his apologies to me and said im so sorry Jackie I cant as i cant bring myself as a human being to say a final farewell to my old friend ,So he sent out a locom to ease Juke pain ,
A few weeks late i was told by one of the vet nurses that he cried his heart out when he came back to the surgery .
So inconclusion my vet is a man ,and an animal lover first and foremost ,And he too uses homepathic treatment were visable .In no way imo is he a rip of merchant who is only in it for the money ,He has also been voted vet of the year for three years running by his clients for that area .He has a great way with the animals and is extremleyt understanding of both the client and animals needs xxdk
sorry for such a long post xx

I have two vets - one for my "small" animals and one for my horse.
The veterinary practice that my birds, bunnies and dogs go to is very good. It is a "pay on the day" practice, but I have been in several times (such as when Amber attempted suicide by drug overdose and found strip of my diazepam under the sofa that I didn't realise I had lost ) for a vet to give one of my animals a once over, and haven't been charged for it. Obviously, if I had required any kind of medicine or hospitalisation for my pet, I would have had to pay for that. I do think they are a bit expensive in some areas (I asked for a quote for an equine pre-purchase vetting and it was almost twice what my equine vet charged me for the same thing ) but they are very good, and genuinely care about animals.
The avian specialist, Mark, put my owl's wing back together after she had an accident and broke the radius in several places. It was pinned for months, and the poor thing had to wear a roll of vetwrap to stop her moving it. We were warned that she would probably never fly again, but it healed perfectly! Every time she goes in to have her talons clipped and for a check over, he likes to show her off around the surgery. She is the only bird he has performed that particular operation on, and he was so chuffed that it was successful!

My equine vet is equally good, although I have noticed that they sometimes bill me for things I don't actually need. When my horse was very ill last year, they were giving him two lots of sedative for x-rays. I didn't question it at first, but I actually went with him for his last lot and, in my opinion, my horse was so calm and out of it on the FIRST sedative still that the second was unnecessary, and doubled what I had to pay.

I have also been given medication for ringworm when my horse had a bald patch I asked the vet about "just in case", when even I could tell it wasn't ringworm, and I found out a few days later that it was a horse in the next field just being a bit enthusiastic at grooming my horse, and actually plucking hairs out! That was another £18 I didn't use. There have been a few times that the vet has over-prescribed anti-biotics, etc, "just in case" and it has meant I have paid more than I needed to.

However, generally, they are very good vets, who know their stuff and try to see you as soon as possible. They also invoice you at the end of the month for treatments (as they often have to come out to you to see horses) which has been beneficial in the past, but because our vet cannot be described as "financially struggling" he cannot understand people who are and that sometimes it means that the bill is a bit of a surprise that I struggle to pay for. I'd find it easier if I just gave them X amount a month, so I knew what was going out, and the money went on my account to pay the bills off as and when they occur.

So good and bad points for both practices.

My vet practice is brilliant, they were fantastic with my old girl last year when she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, the nurse held my hand while the vet told me how bad it was. Made me a cup of tea and let me blub for ages in the staff room while we talked treatments, ended up with me and the nurse crying into our teas. They were brilliant when her time came.

They have always been great with all my pets, and have never rushed me in and out the door, their prices are very reasonable, and most importantly you feel like they care. It is a modern practice with lots of facilities, but with a caring attitude. I have moved around a bit and I have never met an "In it for the money" vet.

I haven't yet used a vet since moving to Scotland in September but my old vet in Lancaster was fab! He always listened to my opinions and thoughts on matters, he never tried to talk me into having unnecessary work done or buying medicines the dogs didn't need. A lovely man

Now this is so interesting peeps, keep them coming because I'm going to count up at the how many good v bad............Interested to Moobli....as Jess lives in DunDee.
Upto now everyone seems to have 'listening' vets with 'good advice'