Big Practice Vets - are they loosing touch with reality?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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More and more i am hearing of rather "bizzare" diagnosises from a certain vets practice that i used to be with. I moved vets after two extreamly horrific diagnosises that turned out to be no where near their first diagnosis - and if i had gone with there diagnosis i would be thousands out of pocket. But i have since heard (second hand) of 5 other diagnosis that have seamed rather- shall we say extreame - either in how to treat or the prognosis of operations etc.

I am not taring all vets with the same brush - so please do not take offence especially as the practice I am now with are the exact opposite of the practice i have left ie can you do the dressing, can you phone and update us, rather than the insistance of a "return visit" to change a bandage etc.

But has anyone else noticed this?
 
Think vets are feeling the pinch along with everyone else but that doesn't mean they should give wrong diagnoses. I changed vets a few years ago when they sent a small animal specialist out to see my horse as there was no-one else available. I sent her home after she admitted that she had no real idea what was wrong with my horse and didn't know how to treat her. It wasn't her fault but I'd much rather have been told that no-one was available and be given the option of obtaining an experienced horse vet from another practice, we were worried enough and relief at the vet arriving turned to annoyance when we were still in the same situation several hours later. At least they didn't bill me lol
 
They seem to have stopped diagnosing the most obvious causes, probably due to the wonderful new technology they have available and the fact that practically every owner has vets fees insurance!
I think that the avarage vet graduate comes out of vet school convinced that the horse fundementally is not designed to be ridden at all, an as a consequence will ultimately require the services of a physiotherapist, an osteopath, a massage therapist, a colour therapist, a regular annual MRI scan of most joints, liagments and vertebrae, prophylatic medicine through out its life and eventually palliative care to ease its demise!
 
I know they wanted me to send my old girl for an MRI scan and were horrified that i refused... she is 25 has arthritus in almost every joint has had a course of cartrophen and is on one danilon every other day, or every day depending on how she is. They have also taken about 30 x-rays of her various joints over the 14 years i have had her???? So the MRI scan was to prove what exactly? They made me feel like i was the owner of a neglect case.

Oh and then they were insistant that she is seen every 6 months for a blood test and repeat perscription of danilon - new vets will see her once a year at vacination time.

These same vets also refused to pts one of my friends 32 years old horses, as they said they would not put a healthy horse to sleep just because the owner could not afford the specialist £140 per pair shoes..... the horse had been through hell and back with laminitus.
 
Gingerwitch said:
I know they wanted me to send my old girl for an MRI scan and were horrified that i refused... she is 25 has arthritus in almost every joint has had a course of cartrophen and is on one danilon every other day, or every day depending on how she is. They have also taken about 30 x-rays of her various joints over the 14 years i have had her???? So the MRI scan was to prove what exactly? They made me feel like i was the owner of a neglect case.

Oh and then they were insistant that she is seen every 6 months for a blood test and repeat perscription of danilon - new vets will see her once a year at vacination time.

These same vets also refused to pts one of my friends 32 years old horses, as they said they would not put a healthy horse to sleep just because the owner could not afford the specialist £140 per pair shoes..... the horse had been through hell and back with laminitus.
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I'm not surprised you changed vets.
 
Interestingly, I changed from a "small" practice vet to a large one. Why?
because our shetland went mysteriously lame one thursday night, called our then vet, only to get a "call centre" with a promise of a return call. After repeatedly phoning them, no one returned my call, and in desperation I got hold of my farrier. He came out inspite of the late hour and short notice-and having been at a big local show as their on site farrier- and sorted the pony out. Imagine if it had been colic or something worse:mad:
After that, I called the biggest local practice in the area and checked I would get a horse vet in an emergency, which they assured me I would, and I switched to them, and have been very happy ever since.
 
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