Changing vets

Cinnamontoast

Cinnamontoast

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My favourite vet left the practise a while ago. The owner is the main vet in a very small practise and whilst he's a nice guy, I don't like the 'You're an idiot and know nothing' vibe I sometimes get.

I asked for a further x ray for Zak today and was told it was pointless. The first x ray was over a year ago when we first noticed the limping. Now he's two and full grown, I want to see if there are degenerative changes: I just want to know the extent of the problem, particularly as he seems lots worse. I have insisted on an x ray and because the last x ray of Zak's brother was, IMO, appallingly badly done, I've asked for a BVA type plate, legs blocked etc, not taken at an odd angle with the legs splayed out. I got the death stare for asking this. I didn't think it was a mad request. I also got told that talking about a potential far in the future referral to an orthapaedic surgeon would be a waste of time and would to solve any problem. :confused: Currently, we monitor exercise, weight and manage his dysplasia conservatively.

I think it's time to switch. The horse is with another mixed practise nearby, so it makes sense to amalgamate the care.

My question is, having paid for a total of three x rays, can I ask for them so I can give them to the new practise? I will wet my pants asking because I'm bound to be asked why and I don't want to burn any boats! I don't want to offend, but as the customer, I feel that I would prefer to switch and spend my money elsewhere.
 
You are going to have to take a deep breath and just ask for the x-rays - they are yours - you paid for them. I don't think there is an easy way to get around the fact that you want to change vets.

I think I'd want to change too...
 
Call the new vets and ask them - I think when I changed, the new ones called my old vets and got all the notes, and the old vets just called me to confirm this was ok and find out why I was leaving before handing them over.
 
By law xrays are the vets not the clients/patients, the same with clinical history.

When changing vets however you just let the new clinic know your previous vets details and they should send everything to them direct.

We would never pass clinical notes/xrays to owner.

xx
 
I switched equine vets due to (IMO) malpractice and they refused to send the x-rays to the new practice - claimed they couldn't send them digitally - so I stood in their reception and made a fuss until they gave me a physical copy. My poor horse had suffered under their care so I was quite brazen about telling them I was moving.

New vet automatically emails me a copy of any x-rays taken, I don't even have to ask, it's just standard practice for them.
 
twiglet84 said:
By law xrays are the vets not the clients/patients, the same with clinical history.

When changing vets however you just let the new clinic know your previous vets details and they should send everything to them direct.

We would never pass clinical notes/xrays to owner.

xx
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I'm surprised at that given I paid for them! I hope they do just send them: they will need x rays as Zak will no doubt need further treatment, as may the others.

blackcob said:
I switched equine vets due to (IMO) malpractice and they refused to send the x-rays to the new practice - claimed they couldn't send them digitally - so I stood in their reception and made a fuss until they gave me a physical copy. My poor horse had suffered under their care so I was quite brazen about telling them I was moving.

New vet automatically emails me a copy of any x-rays taken, I don't even have to ask, it's just standard practice for them.
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I'm appalling with confrontation: I hope it doesn't come to that! I could send in the OH in uniform!! :D
 
Yeah its a bit odd but thats what we were taught. I think you are entitled to copies - which is fine if its a digital machine but legally the originals are the vets property so if using the films then they cant be handed over. x
 
I have got the X-rays and MRI scans of my mare but have never asked for those of my dogs (will ask next time)

I can not see why it would be a problem. I can read X-rays so my vet for the dogs has shown me them.

You pay a high price for X-rays so it should be no problem having copies.
 
I switched for a variety of reasons, I still use the local practise for small things like wormers etc but big stuff we travel 40 miles and pay a lot of dough but the dog is better looked after. I did not make a fuss, just took my business elsewhere because they were as much use as a chocolate teapot in terms of B's sensitivities/allergies.

You may find the originals may have been destroyed.....
With digital, the new vet was tripping over himself to show us everything and give us copies.
I have B and his sisters' hip and elbow prelims from when they were six months old and I think we still even have our old girl's BVA plates from 1979 :o

I keep pics of the young dog's hips and elbows on my phone as they were sent abroad and are not coming back it would seem!

And thanks for reminding me I forgot to pick up wormer today, ARGH!!!
 
I switched years ago to my current vets. Didn't even tell the previous vets just registered with the new ones, no x rays or anything outstanding though. My vets always send me the x ray (not sure if its a copy or the original) when they send me the hip score sheets. They have also put digital x rays on a disc straight way whilst x raying pony's foot and given me the disc.
I had a battle getting x rays from the vet bc mentions, they weren't my vet but were treating our pony whilst on loan. I wanted our vet to take over as wasn't happy with the treatment but they wouldn't send me the x rays, in the end my vets phoned them and I think demanded them and they were sent straight to him.
If you don't want to confront them ct perhaps just ask the new vet to contact them and ask for the x rays, I would imagine they would be considered essential to his continuing care so they should release them.

ETS blackcob, how is your mare doing?
 
If you want to avoid confrontation you could always get your new practice to ask for them for you after you've switched. More likely to send them to another practice as opposed to give them to you if they're film copies (having said that managed to get my vets to allow me to personally transport some for loaner's vet to look at and when I took the horse back these vets posted them back to me as opposed to the vets (even posted all the history to me with them rather than to my vets, bit random but there ya go)
 
How strange that it seems easier to get access to your own medical records than to your pet's?!

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1309.aspx?categoryid=68&subcategoryid=160

IMO you don't even have to explain anything to your current vets about deciding to change to another vet, but for your own peace of mind maybe just give them a quick call to say thanks for the help in the past, appreciate it, but you've decided to amalgamate vets and take your dogs to your horse's vet in future.
 
They don't do digital copies. I saw an original X-ray today and having asked for a blocked legs, BVA type position, I got this, but the exposure was appalling!

However, from what I could make out, his hips are pretty damn fabulous. The femoral heads are sitting nicely in the socket although there's an extra part of the right femoral head sticking out of the socket. I think I need a referral to a specialist: I don't think the problems are in the hips. :confused:

Rubbish picture, sorry, but it's clear that the femoral heads are both in the socket. The left is 'perfect' according to the vet, the right has an odd extra part from what I can make out.
IMAG0659.jpg
 
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Tbh I can't really judge on that xray, as you say the quality is appalling. I would say the sockets are maybe a little shallow, and it does look like there is some shadowing (arthritic changes?) on the left hip but really it is impossible to tell from those plates.
Is this vet who is saying his hips are "perfect" the same one who originally diagnosed him with hd? I think I would be asking for another x ray, done properly and then submit it to BVA for scoring, apart from anything else I expect the breeder would be interested in the scores. In fact they might even contribute to the costs of scoring.
 
It wouldn't be wrong to ask for a second opinion even if you were happy with your vets.

Mine on occasion have referred me on to a specialist practice for malocclusion (dental problems) in chinchillas - I now know that there is nothing that can be done for this when it is advanced, but at least I know I investigated all options.


Personally a refusal to give you the x-rays to get a second opinion would be good enough reason to change vets anyhow. With a reasonable digital camera or scanner you can get a really good quality copy of an x-rat so they don't even need to part with the original.

One thing I would say though is that part of the responsibility of being a pet owner is knowing when further treatment has a good chance of working and leading to a reasonable period of pain free life, and when it is just prolonging or adding pain and it's braver to let them go. For example I no longer have radical dental surgery done on chinchillas, even going otherwise healthy ones, as its a lot of pain and the problem always recurs, but I had one with osteomyelitis in it's foot bones, but put the little fella through and amputation because i knew if he survived it would cure the pain. He's been racing around on 3 feet for the last 2 years and will probably live several ore with no pain from it.

Paula
 
I'd say the left is as close to perfect as I've seen. The right is a tiny bit shallow, certainly not enough to make him lame. The vet who took the original x ray told me the dog was dysplastic a year ago. The vet who talked me through this x ray says he's hardly got anything wrong.

Either way, think I'm going to switch vets for any further treatment as despite asking for decent x rays, I've again been given crap quality plates, so frustrating! I can't send them to the BVA, the dog was neutered yesterday! I never intended to breed, he's from a BYB and is DA! :eek:
 
cinnamontoast said:
.......

I think it's time to switch. .......

My question is, having paid for a total of three x rays, can I ask for them so I can give them to the new practise? I will wet my pants asking because I'm bound to be asked why and I don't want to burn any boats! .......

..
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I agree with you, it's time for a change.

As you've paid for the plates, and though you may not have Copyright on them, you certainly have a moral right to copies, I'd say.

To save you wetting your pants, take the fight to the enemy! ;) 'Phone them up, speak with your vet, point out that as it's your dog, that makes it your decision, and you'd like copies of the x/rays for a second opinion. That's it, full stop. If he argues with you, or resists, then shut down your relationship with him, and if he can be that high handed with you, then he deserves to lose customers.

Alec.
 
MurphysMinder said:
ETS blackcob, how is your mare doing?
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A mixed bag really - the vet and farrier took back a LOT of toe five weeks ago, right into soft tissue, in order to artificially align the pedal bone and hoof wall. On x-ray it looked brilliant, in reality she was very very sore again for a couple of weeks. However she then improved dramatically and is now marching around the yard with her Imprints on, kicking the stable door and generally being very bored and 'orrible.

Another set of Imprints due next week, if she remains sound on those she can go out again for short periods but we're just struggling to find somewhere to turn her out. She can not have grass at all - there's been two occasions now where we've grazed her in hand for literally five minutes and her feet and legs come up red hot within a couple of hours. She's fine on blue Horsehage, we just need to find somewhere we can create a gravel or sand paddock which is a big (and expensive) ask. :(
 
Its so frustrating isn't it bc, you think you are winning and then they have another setback. Our Beauty has been sound for about 3 months, tonight she was hobbling, I think she has an abcess:( So she is back in, with a poultice on, hopefully that will make her comfier, from previous experience her abcesses are never straight forward.
ct, going back to your lad, I hope you are able to change vets without too many problems, and then you will hopefully now exactly what the situation is with his hips. The more I look at the x rays the worse they look (quality wise) to me. I will try and scan in a couple of x rays I have had done to show you the difference in clarity.
 
I work at a vets and I believed that the x-rays and clinical notes belonged to the client. We had a referral vet recently refuse to send us x-rays as the client had not payed their bill. But once payed up we got them through. However there is presently a problem with the machine so can't nget them off the computer, hope that this doesn;t sound like an excuse!
 
I mentioned a potential future referral to eg Fitzpatrick and mentioned someone I know whose Malamute had two full hip replacements with him. My vet told me surgery will not in any way solve Zak's problems and I shouldn't look at an orthopaedic referral. I was somewhat gobsmacked at this. Given his hips look reasonable, I wonder if the issue is elsewhere.
 
CAYLA said:
Im just happy reading all of this I can waltz into work and pick whichever vet i deem the best for the job and have a huge choice:D
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Handy, but my practise only has two vets. I think the owner doesn't like that I go in with an idea of what I want :o but I've done my research. I'd be better off with a bigger practise which has rave reviews and happens to be where the horse is registered. :)

I'm really peed off that having asked in the nicest possible way for a decent set of plates, I've again been given crap x rays. :(
 
Done you're research, yes great, but repeatedly xraying hips (and sedating him every time) has risks. It is not a benign process so just be careful how many times you put him through it. Those plates are pretty bad looking exposure wise, but if a vet sent everyone who wanted an orthopaedic referral to the surgeons he'd be a bad vet as it's his job to advise owners to calm down when they're panicing.
That said. If he is lamer, and obviously very little can be seen in the xrays, a second opiinion would be the way to go. probably xraying from paw upwards to see if any problems can be found and possibly spine (although it can be difficult to see spinal lesions on xray-mri is more accurate but may not be necessary at this point). Is it just one leg or shifting?
 
for anything like this now i go straight to the orthopaedic guy! The only reason we for getting a repeat referral would be for insurance, but i dont insure now anyway. A call to the ortho guy's practice, tell them who i am and that he saw my dog the previous year etc etc and appointment made. Not sure if you could do the same but thought id mention it.

Ive switched vets also and like you i hate confrontation. I just registered with the new place and got them to request all records were sent on.

good luck hun x
 
I'm not x raying repeatedly. I wanted this (his second) to be his last, hence the request for a really good one :rolleyes: I didn't ask for a referral, I said some years in the future it's something we need to possibly consider.

I'll be switching as soon as the ten day check is done.
 
I would get a referral to Gary Clayton Jones in Tenterden ,Kent.He is the absolute best in my opinion ..he used to lecture at the vet college,and probably taught Fitzpatrick!He has NEVER been wrong on any second opinion I have asked of him,including the first time,when there was "an extra bit" on the plate,which he looked at and said "oh that..that is a water mark on the plate!"
 
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