Ever get a vet you just don’t click with?

Casey76

Casey76

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I can safely say I will never have this vet out to see my horses ever again. I have never been talked to, or condescended to like that, ever. Fortunately it was just for a vaccination, and I tagged onto someone else’s appointment so we could share the call out.

The vaccination was no problem, but just afterwards I asked her not to give Tartine a treat, and the vet said “oh, one thing you know as a vet, after a vaccination, you must give a treat otherwise the next time the horse doesn’t want to know you”. Which is fair enough, but it irked me that she persisted in giving T something when I had asked her not to. The vet asked why I didn’t want T to get treats, and I explained that she had PSSM, at which point the vet took the p out of my French/accent and then things went downhill from there...

She asked why T was wearing two rugs, I said because she was really feeling the cold at the moment; then I went on to get a lecture about a horses core comfort level being completely different to a human, if she was feeling cold why was she clipped (because she sweats to an uncomfortable level when worked if left au natural), you do know she is fat, yes... oh sorry, we can’t say that to owners now, we have to say something like, she’s too short for her weight (yes, she is a bit fat at the moment, she gains weight very easily when on a hay only diet, but I’m aware of it and keeping an eye on it).

She said that if I stick my hand under the rugs, just how warm would it be, I should take one off, and she would work harder to keep warm and lose weight (yes, in principle I would agree, but T has myopathy/is metabolic, and if she gets cold her muscles lock up and she can’t walk; I only put the second rug on today as she has been showing increased discomfort - and here I indicated her nose), the vet said “of course she is showing discomfort, I’ve just stuck a needle in her chest”.

I stated that T is currently worked twice a day, to help both with the weightloss and with the muscle myopathy, which is 30 mins trot and canter on the lunge. The vet said, “oh, movement therapy, I don’t consider it work until they enter their fourth hour”

At which point I had to walk away before I said something very impolite...

Now, nothing which the vet said was untrue, but I was made to feel about 2ins tall; something I could really, really do without at the moment, as T has been really struggling for the past couple of weeks, and has gone down hill significantly in the past 3 days. It is mainly cold related, combined with having to stand in more than usual.

Given how ‘concerned’ the vet was T was wearing two rugs, she didn’t actually do even a cursory inspection or ask how T was, never mind doing heart and lungs, before jabbing her.

As I said, thankfully it was only for vaccinations, and thank goodness I won’t have to see her ever again!

/rant over!
 
I'm relieved one of the vets from my old practice left otherwise I would have been looking for a new practice. Like you, a horse with an underlying and poorly understood condition which really didn't get the attention she deserved (& I was paying for!). My OH once said that if my short, fat appaloosa was a glamorous warmblood then he didn't think the vet would have been so dismissive.

Take a deep breath and remember you know your horse best!
 
SEL said:
I'm relieved one of the vets from my old practice left otherwise I would have been looking for a new practice. Like you, a horse with an underlying and poorly understood condition which really didn't get the attention she deserved (& I was paying for!). My OH once said that if my short, fat appaloosa was a glamorous warmblood then he didn't think the vet would have been so dismissive.

Take a deep breath and remember you know your horse best!
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The thing which got me (well, one of them), was that Tartines “fatness” was deduced by having a feel of her crest (which is soft and well muscled, not hard, thick or fatty), she didn’t actually see T without her two rugs on - and yes, T looks like the Michelin pony with two 300g rugs on! But apart from a big hay belly, she is in really good shape at the moment, and has been in more consistent, high(er) level work than she has done ever with me.
 
She sounds fun........not!

The answer to your question is yes. I find most young vets difficult. They are too used to owners with no experience or knowledge. They are too used to insurance and unlimited funds to treat minor aliments. they treat you like you have not a clue. I always ask for the senior partner if i want any advice or a diagnosis, otherwise I just chit chat and do not talk horse. the art of diagnosis without loads of images and xrays is becoming a lost art. I'm not saying they shouldn't be used or that they are not vital just that young vets have lost an art.
 
I use a one vet practice to get maturity and good service. He had a reciprocal back-up arrangement with another one-man band vet of an equally good standard so there's no concern about when happens when he's not available. I won't use the big practices unless I get a partner - I've had some very bad experience with rude and clueless freshly qualified vets.
 
OP have you stopped to think that you are feeling this way because the vet was absolutely right and that actually what you are feeling is embarrassed?

Anyway I digress .. I dont tend to fall out with equine vets but small animal vets I normally have beef with, usually about feeding my cats and dog a RAW/BARF diet but now they just dont bother asking me because they know im always up for that fight ;)
 
Regardless of everything else I have never had a vet treat any of mine after a jab, it has never been suggested and would not occur to me to treat them afterwards, I can inject everything here myself when required so they have not suffered so her "one thing you know as a vet" comment would have wound me up and even without mine being metabolic I would probably have refused to allow it, mine rarely get treats and I certainly don't expect them to mug a vet when they are being examined.

Her time would have been better spent checking T was fit to be injected before the event.
 
Antw23uk said:
OP have you stopped to think that you are feeling this way because the vet was absolutely right and that actually what you are feeling is embarrassed?

Anyway I digress .. I dont tend to fall out with equine vets but small animal vets I normally have beef with, usually about feeding my cats and dog a RAW/BARF diet but now they just dont bother asking me because they know im always up for that fight ;)
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Actually, no, I do not feel embarrassed. I am trying my hardest to ensure my horses comfort, when she has had a constant medium level of discomfort for several days. With P1 horses, they often need rugging to much warmer levels when what is considered “normal” to keep the muscles pliant. Before I added the second rug today, T was actually cold under a 300g rug (groin area and loin), to the point she was a little shivery and had her nose and lips clamped very tight.
 
Yes but only with pet vets. My collie x Labrador was stinking fit. She was out daily with my exercising the point to pointers and literally could not have been in better shape. Vet told me I needed to watch her weight. Never been so stunned in my life. That dog was every inch muscle. My assumption is that as she looks like a stocky border collie he assumed her to be full border collie and felt she was too chunky for the breed. I didn't use him again. His opinion that day was laughable.
 
He wasn't called Tom was he?

Turned up at my yard late and when I asked if he hadn't been told where we were, said 'oh we've got it all written down but I couldn't be bothered to look it up'. Well thanks, my time is obviously of zero importance to you, then.

Looked at my Quarter Horse and said, unasked, 'he's a bit light of bone isn't he?' No, he's a quarter horse!

Told me my cob, condition score 3 from physio, was fat. And repeated it.

And allowed his dog to savage another vet's dog so that it need stitches. Thankfully, he didn't last long.
 
Oh yes!
One young vet lost us a foal and almost lost us the mare as well. I said that I would never have him on the yard again but he is now the senior equine vet, so I have had to deal with him occasionally (through gritted teeth) but I will only ever see him in an emergency. Interestingly a local, very knowledgeable farmer won't have him on the premises either as he insisted that a cow didn't need a c-section to calve, when farmer knew that she did. Cow and calf were lost.
 
Yes. My sec D was really struggling with her breathing. Said Vet claimed it was because she was fat and unfit and treated me like I was so stupid. She couldn’t understand why I wanted it investigated. She gave me a ‘fitness programme’ which worked up to trotting continuously for 1 hour and cantering continuously for 30 minutes and was really condescending when I questioned it. When pony ended up having a dynamic scope and it was very obvious that pony couldn’t breathe because her soft palate was blocking her airway during canter, she stood there and said ‘well I’m not convinced that that is the problem’ while the guy who did the scope and the other vet both said ‘ no wonder she can’t breath, poor pony’. Luckily she moved on from the practice soon after.
 
Yup.
New yearling (who came to me pretty much unhandled, straight from the field he was born in) went over/through a dry stone wall a couple of days after he arrived. Cleaned him up but he had a flappy cut on his fetlock that needed a few stitches. The vet who turned up was one of the large animal bods from my practice, hadn't met him before. I explained that yearling was new, unhandled, sorry in advance for any prattish behaviour. Took him 5 attempts to get the needle in. Yearling stood like a statue for the first 3, then started getting twitchy. Cue lots of swearing from the vet. Then he spent so long fannying around in the boot of his car that the sedative was starting to wear off before he even started stitching but he started stitching anyway. You can imagine. Cue more swearing and muttering about poorly handled horses. I may have lost my manners at this point and told him to zip it and get on with his job! Practice have instructions not to send him to my yard again. Moron.
 
Buddy'sMum said:
Yup.
New yearling (who came to me pretty much unhandled, straight from the field he was born in) went over/through a dry stone wall a couple of days after he arrived. Cleaned him up but he had a flappy cut on his fetlock that needed a few stitches. The vet who turned up was one of the large animal bods from my practice, hadn't met him before. I explained that yearling was new, unhandled, sorry in advance for any prattish behaviour. Took him 5 attempts to get the needle in. Yearling stood like a statue for the first 3, then started getting twitchy. Cue lots of swearing from the vet. Then he spent so long fannying around in the boot of his car that the sedative was starting to wear off before he even started stitching but he started stitching anyway. You can imagine. Cue more swearing and muttering about poorly handled horses. I may have lost my manners at this point and told him to zip it and get on with his job! Practice have instructions not to send him to my yard again. Moron.
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I think that practice might be the one I use, too. Not that the vet will be the same one. Depending on how long ago your incident was, I might have met your vet though. I ask for the vets I want to see by name, these days.
 
I use a very established equine practice and tbh have found them excellent. I do ask for certain vets for certain procedures eg teeth as two of their vets are specialists but for routine stuff I'm happy to have whoever. I usually get one of the less experienced for vaccs and that's fine, never tried to give a treat! I do find one of the partners a bit annoying as he tends to talk down a bit and use too many medical words but I know he's very very good so I forgive him. When I moved to the area I used a mixed animal vet practice and wasn't at all impressed as senior partner struggled with a 14 hh connie with a bit of mud fever then told me to scrub the area daily, he couldn't even get near the affected leg!!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I think that practice might be the one I use, too. Not that the vet will be the same one. Depending on how long ago your incident was, I might have met your vet though. I ask for the vets I want to see by name, these days.
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We pay the same callout fee so I think we might be with the same practice :) The equine vets have been fab so far, really can't fault them.
 
Buddy'sMum said:
We pay the same callout fee so I think we might be with the same practice :) The equine vets have been fab so far, really can't fault them.
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I must admit that I met a very good, young vet from that practice recently. We had a Cushings test booked and there had been a mix-up (what a surprise, they are not the best organised practice ever), so the receptionist asked if she could send a new vet, I ummed and ahhed a bit but agreed eventually and he was brilliant! The mare, who had been getting a bit upset about giving blood after a student did her vaccs, never noticed what he was doing. I would certainly have him back again.
 
I changed practice once on account of a cheeky new vet who was very patronising and left needles lying around that he dropped. I also know as a the owner of a pony with suspected PSSM that you are doing things a certain way because of that and it seems not every vet has a good grasp of this condition.
 
Yes! I had a vet to a colicing 38 year old. He'd been uncomfortable for hours even with Bute and after him not responding to initial treatment I asked her to pts. She refused and he got worse and worse. After a good hour he was literally beside himself with pain and I was begging (really begging) as were other liveries to put the poor thing down.
Instead she kind of freaked out, said I have to call another vet, got in her car and left with me banging on her windows shouting her to get out and help us.
She didn't, she drove away and it took another 30 minutes or more to get another vet.
Was horrific and I'll never ever forgive her. She's now quite a popular vet in the area.
 
A young vet made a cock up of euthanising my lovely old mare. I had her euthanised so she wouldn't suffer. Unfortunately she did suffer.
I complained to the partner and moved to a different practice. It's not something I ever want to witness again.
 
It wasn't a case of not clicking - it was a case of him being a lovely man but bordering on incompetent. He spent five weeks misdiagnosing T, despite me stating from the outset that I thought he had laminitis (he did). Was absolutely adamant that the pain was coming from his back/neck rather than his feet because he was a little twitchy about being poked and prodded by him. I explained that T can be a bit worried around men he doesn't know well, and that when I'd done the same things to his back he'd shown no reaction. Repeatedly told him that T was getting no better, finally booked him in to be put to sleep as I thought it was unfair to keep a horse alive that was so clearly uncomfortable, but luckily asked for a different vet to come out and do it so I could be given a second opinion beforehand. Nothing wrong with his back/neck, but some very sore feet that needed box rest and bute. Safe to say I had no qualms about making it clear that he's never to treat any of my horses again!
 
We did have one who injected a syringeful of sedative into an artery instead of a vein and almost killed one of the Shetlands if that counts....
He was only being sedated for a dental check up as well, and the worst thing is, the vet insisted it was the best thing to do(!)
Pony did eventually recover though, thank god, and lived to a ripe old age.
Don't mention that particular practice by name anymore; they're just "the idiots".
 
poiuytrewq said:
Yes! I had a vet to a colicing 38 year old. He'd been uncomfortable for hours even with Bute and after him not responding to initial treatment I asked her to pts. She refused and he got worse and worse. After a good hour he was literally beside himself with pain and I was begging (really begging) as were other liveries to put the poor thing down.
Instead she kind of freaked out, said I have to call another vet, got in her car and left with me banging on her windows shouting her to get out and help us.
She didn't, she drove away and it took another 30 minutes or more to get another vet.
Was horrific and I'll never ever forgive her. She's now quite a popular vet in the area.
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hope you put in a major complaint in about her-I have known vets judge and not be impartial, irrespective of what they would do-we pay their wages!
 
I like my practice but I won't have the senior partner on my yard, unless he was the one on call at the weekend. I had an appointment on a Monday, he was 2 1/2 hours late and after several calls from me, each time being told he'd be 30 or 40 mins said he'd been dealing with emergencies left after the weekend, which would have been fine if he or the practice had called me, I could have done something else or re booked. He then diagnosed my pony with a fairly classic sore back as lame in his front feet, x rays showed hooves so perfect they could be in a text book. I'm not the only one who can't stand him, he has a poor reputation about his attitude to women and even the pony, who wouldn't say boo to a goose as a rule tried to kick him, I trust my animals' instincts.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Yes! I had a vet to a colicing 38 year old. He'd been uncomfortable for hours even with Bute and after him not responding to initial treatment I asked her to pts. She refused and he got worse and worse. After a good hour he was literally beside himself with pain and I was begging (really begging) as were other liveries to put the poor thing down.
Instead she kind of freaked out, said I have to call another vet, got in her car and left with me banging on her windows shouting her to get out and help us.
She didn't, she drove away and it took another 30 minutes or more to get another vet.
Was horrific and I'll never ever forgive her. She's now quite a popular vet in the area.
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That’s horrific. Your poor lad :(

I had a very new vet who was unsuccessfully trying to sedate my needle phobic loan mare so she could debride a wound. She tried chucking a towel over her head, despite being told she was head shy. The horse got more and more wound up and the vet couldn’t get near her. Eventually my mate who shared with me took the injection and did it. I’m glad to say she didn’t stay long at the practice, thank god.
 
I had a vet on a Sunday to my old boy that was so patronising and unpleasant that when I had to make the decision later that day I didn’t feel I could be there for my boy at the end. I thought I may end up saying or doing something I’d regret to I asked OH to be there. Thankfully he’s now left the practice to concentrate on livestock which probably suits him better. I can’t imagine an experienced dairy farmer being spoken to like that but perhaps he’s not so offensive if emotions aren’t involved.
 
I get on with most vets as people but I am one of the annoying people who tends to request people by name if it's something non-routine or something involving IV injection or blood taking (Horse is an easily wound up, slightly unpredictable prat who you get 1, maybe 2 if you're lucky shots to inject or draw blood from before he panics so people who are good at getting the job done with no drama are preferred...) I erm did nearly lose it with a vet at a referral hospital once because I didn't feel that he was listening to a word I said and was talking at me rather than to me (I'm an RVN so normally avoid the being treated like I'm stupid part but people acting like they're just too clever for the rest of us really doesn't impress me) ... Having talked to other people since it seems I'm not the only one to dislike this particular guy. Horse is generally ok for IM injection and for generally examining so I don't actually mind who vaccinates him. I have honestly never had a vet question my rug choice and I've generally only had comments on his weight when I've been the one to start the conversation (Horse has metabolic issues and I struggle to keep weight on him so I do tend to ask opinions on condition).
 
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