Acceptable condition to discharge a horse after operation?

I would assume there has either been a massive oversight or the horse was sore or they didn't want to get more dirt near the op site. I would ring and query it as if it is an oversight it should be recitified for future animals.
 
He wasn't sore Susie, I can poke him everywhere except the actual incisions. I think maybe the best thing for me to do is send the picture to the head of the practice without much comment. It speaks for itself really.
 
I don't think that is acceptable.

For £36 a day livery I reckon they could manage a few moments to make the horse look presentable.

Very un-professional IMO, perhaps insure there wasn't a good reason for if though as it just seems such a huge oversight you have to wonder if it was intentional.

I would be feeling the same as you though, I would be extremely un-happy.
 
Unacceptable. It would indicate to me that standards of care from the yard staff were not as high as they should be.

Incidentally, vet did a couple of nerve blocks on the yard recently and he cleaned all the blood off the horse's white socks immediately afterwards. There was no medical reason, he just thoughtful and thorough.

The head nurse at the local equine hospital runs a very tight ship, horses, stables and yard are immaculate whatever time you turn up.
 
no, not acceptable in my view & would be most unhappy too. My lad was in liphook last week and he even came home with squeaky clean manly bits having arrived with it totally filthy (surgery not related to that area!) - now that's what I call service! ;)
 
I would ask why it wasn't washed off.
Not acceptable post op hygiene in my book

When much had his psd surgery and the first full length leg bandage was removed his whole leg was spotless despite being Palamino coloured legs
 
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Shooting Star said:
no, not acceptable in my view & would be most unhappy too. My lad was in liphook last week and he even came home with squeaky clean manly bits having arrived with it totally filthy (surgery not related to that area!) - now that's what I call service! ;)
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Wow:D ! Service indeed.
 
I think anyone who was looking after the horse after the op could have took the trouble to wash it off, it would have taken all of 5 minutes if I had seen any horse like that I would have washed it off, regardless of what kind of livery it had been on and although I have never been a vet nurse I have looked after many horses on part and full livery, I also think that as there are other issues that have not made you happy the dried blood is just going to seem much worse than it would be if it had been the only thing that had not been right.
 
cptrayes said:
What if the owner has a blood phobia Boobos? What about flies being attracted to the dried blood? Is £36 a day not enough to pay, not including any of the medical care, that's extra, for a horse to be washed off or brushed off some time in two whole days? £256 a week doesn't sound like a part livery to me.
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If the owner has a blood phobia, and wants to keep horses, then they should just harden up IMO.
Flies aren't attracted to dried blood.
And yes, that is a lot for part livery, but as its a hospital not a livery yard then you can't really compare can you?

glenruby said:
To be honest, if it were my horse I'd have more important things to be focusing my energy on than a patch of dried blood. And no I would not be cleaning it off when he was fresh out of surgery but maybe today.
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Totally agree.

cptrayes said:
Surgeon was a fantastic, by the way. Did a marvellous job for me and jeepers creepers the horse can flex his back like a longbow!!
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And you're considering sending them a 'howler'? Nice! 'Thanks for the surgery guys, glad you did a good job but it was the grooming I was more bothered about! Here follows a summary of my fury etc etc!' :rolleyes:

Cortez said:
Well, are you paying for surgery/fixing the problem or grooming? I assume you can do the grooming yourself (cosmetic), but not the surgery?
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Quite.

I'm glad I'm not one of your 'suppliers' cptrayes. You sound like a total nightmare!
 
Pinkvboots said:
I think anyone who was looking after the horse after the op could have took the trouble to wash it off, it would have taken all of 5 minutes if I had seen any horse like that I would have washed it off, regardless of what kind of livery it had been on and although I have never been a vet nurse I have looked after many horses on part and full livery, I also think that as there are other issues that have not made you happy the dried blood is just going to seem much worse than it would be if it had been the only thing that had not been right.
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Yes it's a bit camels and straws :)

I'm trying to focus on how incredible the increase in flexibility in his back is. I've written a mild 'is this right?' Email and sent it to the head of practice, who knows me well, with the photo.

I have also asked not to be billed for the day before surgery, because I took him in a day early at their request, but nothing whatsoever was done with him until an hour before the operation. I was going to just pay up on that, but this has changed my mind.

I just need to pop outside and stab the poor pincushion again now. He's on the most gigantic doses of antibiotics as a precaution.
 
SusieT said:
I would assume there has either been a massive oversight or the horse was sore or they didn't want to get more dirt near the op site. I would ring and query it as if it is an oversight it should be recitified for future animals.
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I rarely agree with susieT but on this I couldn't agree more!

The horse was probably sore and wants leaving alone, why not just ask before getting all high and mighty with your poor vet! Just because he will allow you, his owner that he knows, to touch it doesnt mean he would let a poor vet nurse who he doesnt know and now has every reason to distrust!

That expensive livery pays for your horse to be monitored closely day and night, not for grooming!
 
Your original post was about " is dried blood acceptable" { that's me getting straight to the point}
It is obvious {sp} it goes a lot deeper than dried blood, if you had mentioned every thing else in your post, { other than dried blood} people might have agreeded with you more.
 
Jesstickle said:
I rarely agree with susieT but on this I couldn't agree more!

The horse was probably sore and wants leaving alone, why not just ask before getting all high and mighty with your poor vet! Just because he will allow you, his owner that he knows, to touch it doesnt mean he would let a poor vet nurse who he doesnt know and now has every reason to distrust!

That expensive livery pays for your horse to be monitored closely day and night, not for grooming!
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Did you read my reply to Susie?

The horse was not sore anywhere near that blood.
 
ameeyal said:
Your original post was about " is dried blood acceptable" { that's me getting straight to the point}
It is obvious {sp} it goes a lot deeper than dried blood, if you had mentioned every thing else in your post, { other than dried blood} people might have agreeded with you more.
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People agreeded with me plenty as it was thanks :)
 
I don't think it's acceptable so long after the op unless caused by it not having been done as a result of an influx of emergency cases, and to me it would lead me to question the standards of care more widely. Which as you've mentioned you have other issues with that, possibly kind of fits in....

Of course owners don't expect a full grooming bath and brush up but I don't think that removing dried blood from the horse is in the same scale, it's just basic care.
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
I don't think it's acceptable so long after the op unless caused by it not having been done as a result of an influx of emergency cases, and to me it would lead me to question the standards of care more widely. Which as you've mentioned you have other issues with that, possibly kind of fits in....

Of course owners don't expect a full grooming bath and brush up but I don't think that removing dried blood from the horse is in the same scale, it's just basic care.
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My thought entirely. When I picked him up, two nurses and his vet were sitting in the office.

I really must go and puncture him instead of lying here being lazy!
 
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I am with you on this OP - Unacceptable imo. When my WB went to Newmarket despite his aggressive behaviour he was groomed daily for the fortnight he was there. He always looked immaculate, as did my mare who spent 3 weeks there; the grooms were lovely. They have high standards at AHT and I would expect no less for the high livery charges. I also know that the vets expected to be seeing a 'clean' horse. Every speck of sawdust when he rolled in the stable was removed before presentation to Sue Dyson. It's not just about presentation it's about care and comfort of the horse. Most horses enjoy the touch of a kind hand whether that is being sponged or groomed and it is that 'time' that you are also paying for in the livery charge.
 
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cptrayes said:
Did you read my reply to Susie?

The horse was not sore anywhere near that blood.
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Yes, which is why I said how the horse reacts to YOU isn't indicative of how he would react to a NURSE. Did you read my reply?! Clearly not!

If you don't want opinions don't ask for them. I wouldn't give a **** about a bit of dried blood if the vet had fixed my horse. I would just be grateful my horse had come out of it in one piece. Many people feel the same. That's fine isn't it? We all have opinions and you asked for them. You aren't going to change mine with your whining. My horse had a GA and surgery. I was incredibly grateful she was alive and relatively happy after it. I really didn't resent a single penny of the money I spent on livery as I know she was checked constantly all through the night and through the day and fed an endless stream of hay etc to keep her occupied. I couldn't have provided that level of care at home as I work and can't be there in the day and can't be up all night. If I had paid an outsider to check my horse every four hours all night it would cost a damn sight more than £36 a day by the time they had mucked out, hayed, watered three times as well.

If you want to question it with the vet question it but you said you're going to go in all guns blazing. Why?!
Why not just politely enquire?
 
cptrayes said:
When I picked him up, two nurses and his vet were sitting in the office.
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Did you not ask one of them why he hadn't been cleaned? Honestly, in this situation, I'd just be grateful the op had gone well and he was coming home.

The last (and I mean LAST) time one of mine was in hospital, when I went to visit him I found him weaving away like an old pro because the idiots had put him in a stable across from a weaver, so being a dimwit yearling he joined in. Did I go ballistic! Took a lot longer than 5 mins with soapy water and a sponge to put right!
 
Jesstickle said:
Yes, which is why I said how the horse reacts to YOU isn't indicative of how he would react to a NURSE. Did you read my reply?! Clearly not!

If you don't want opinions don't ask for them. I wouldn't give a **** about a bit of dried blood if the vet had fixed my horse. I would just be grateful my horse had come out of it in one piece. Many people feel the same. That's fine isn't it? We all have opinions and you asked for them. You aren't going to change mine with your whining. My horse had a GA and surgery. I was incredibly grateful she was alive and relatively happy after it. I really didn't resent a single penny of the money I spent on livery as I know she was checked constantly all through the night and through the day and fed an endless stream of hay etc to keep her occupied. I couldn't have provided that level of care at home as I work and can't be there in the day and can't be up all night. If I had paid an outsider to check my horse every four hours all night it would cost a damn sight more than £36 a day by the time they had mucked out, hayed, watered three times as well.

If you want to question it with the vet question it but you said you're going to go in all guns blazing. Why?!
Why not just politely enquire?
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How lovely and supportive your post is :D

The horse was happy to be handled by anyone. They were injecting him without any problems, he would let them wash or brush him.

You've missed an earlier post of mine. I did not go in all guns blazing. I took advice from people on here and sent a mild email to the head of the practice.
 
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Buddy's Mum, I am grateful that the surgeon, who is a freelance who could have operated on him anywhere with a hospital, did a fantastic job.

Why does that mean that I can't get upset about the lack of care shown by a nurse or stable hand employed by the practice?

If you flew on a safe flight but you didn't get the meal you had paid for, does that mean you can't complain about the meal because you had a great pilot?
 
Buddy'sMum said:
Did you not ask one of them why he hadn't been cleaned.
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No. As I explained very early on, the vet that came out of theatre with him apologised to me about what a bad job had been done cleaning him up. I assumed she woukd have it put right. When she didn't, there was simply no point in saying anything more. I just wanted him home, so I loaded him up and left.

It's a stressful enough situation without feeling you have an obligation to performance appraise your vets staff.
 
It's a bit of dried blood.
Your horse is fine, the op was a success (I'm guessing because of the skill and diligence of the staff, not just pure luck) and he is home healthy and happy, with a clean, and not infected wound.
However, you were considering sending them a howler because he had a bit of dried blood on his side.

My opinion is that you are just being whiny tbh. You strike me as someone who likes to be up in arms about something.

I feel for the poor veterinary team who have cared for your horse and put him through a successful op, and instead of a thank you card will be receiving a photo of a bit of dried blood and a guilt trip.
 
It's 'whiny' people like me who improve poor service for grateful people like you :)

I don't know why some people are still so deferential about the service sold by vets. Do you give your car mechanic a thankyou card? He is at least as skilled as a vet nurse, so if not, why not?

Don't feel too sorry for the vet team. I paid part of their wages the last two months. Without me being there to whine someone might have lost a job.
 
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cptrayes said:
No. As I explained very early on, the vet that came out of theatre with him apologised to me about what a bad job had been done cleaning him up. I assumed she woukd have it put right. When she didn't, there was simply no point in saying anything more. I just wanted him home, so I loaded him up and left.

It's a stressful enough situation without feeling you have an obligation to performance appraise your vets staff.
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Yes, of course it was a stressful situation but surely would have been better to have the chat face to face than to come away and spend a day or two getting more and more wound up about it?

Btw, I've been on plenty of business class flights where I've not had the meal I ordered (and paid a fortune for) but have never felt the need to shred the airline staff for it. But I don't sweat the small stuff - as long as I get to my destination, I'm a happy bunny!
 
cptrayes said:
It's 'whiny' people like me who improve poor service for grateful people like you :)

I don't know why some people are still so deferential about the service sold by vets. Do you give your car mechanic a thankyou card? He is at least as skilled as a vet nurse, so if not, why not?

Don't feel too sorry for the vet team. I paid part of their wages the last two months. Without me being there to whine someone might have lost a job.
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:eek:
Are you for real!?

FTR, NO, I do NOT send my mechanic a thank you card.....but then my car is not a living thing to whom I am extremely attached.
Oh, and congrats on single-handedly propping up the whole of the customer services industry. I hadnt realised that it was all down to you, so kudos on that.

Cptrayes, judging by this thread and previous ones you seem to be an absolute nightmare. So as you didn't really want opinions, ill change my answer -

OMG, dried blood, REALLY!!? You're KIDDING!! How is your horse still BREATHING!? ANYTHING could have happened! Nasty letter???? I'd scrape off the evidence and send it to them as proof! Good op result you say??? Pfffft, that's not the POINT! Your horse had DRIED. BLOOD. On his fur! His ACTUAL FUR! What's the world coming too!?
And you say you paid £36 a DAY for this?? And no one could find an hour to give him a good strapping!? SHOCKING! Once you pay for 2 nurses to check him round the clock, the overheads on a vet hospital (which can't be much, COME ON!) and the other costs, there should have been plenty left!
I am actually OUTRAGED on your behalf! Go forth, complain, COMPLAIN like you never have before, and save all the rest of us poor consumers from poor service.


:rolleyes:
 
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