Rather miffed at my vets, & a bit concerned. How to handle this?

[Puppy]

I left Be at the vet hospital on Thursday night, and said to the vet and two other staff present to please only feed her rationed hay, no serious hard feed, or if it was required to administer drugs, only a handful of mix and chaff.

Last night when I went to visit her she was finishing a feed, and I stressed again, to another vet, that she should have absolute minimal rations as her weight was a concern.

This evening when I went to visit her, she was finishing a feed. I asked the vet nurse who was mucking her out what she'd had, and she said half a scoop of cubes, half a scoop of mix and chaff

It's her second feed of the day!! Jeez!! I nearly fell over!! She wouldn't have that amount in mid winter when she is out 24/7

Needless to say, I (politely, as not the nurse's fault, but I was pretty cheesed off) stressed that was ridiculous and incredibly concerning for me

and thank goodness she actually listened and shortly afterwards told me that she'd changed it, but I am concerned that the staff on Monday will just go and give her it all again.....

As the nurse said, to look at her you would never believe how little she is permitted to eat to try and keep her weight down, but I am still quite shocked at that amount for a horse on boxrest. I have no doubt in their veterinary ability, but I am concerned that with all the staff there she still might end up getting hard feed.

Do you think it would be too cheeky to put a sign on her door?

At home, she is on strict restricted grazing and gets only a daily measure of lo cal balancer, fed with a handful of good dooer chaff. I am thinking I should take a bag of lo cal in and request they only give her that. Not least because she is very loose from being on the drugs and I think lo cal is quite good for that...

I know I might seem an annoying neurotic owner

and I really don't want to put up a sign on their stable door

, but surely keeping the weight off a horse with leg trouble is pretty important!! Especially as she's not going to be able to work it off...

 

[kinglouis]

Hummm difficult one...if I were you I would take over premixed feeds in bags with her name on it & AM / PM - this is what I did when my horse had a 2 weeks in hospital. Not a fan of signs on doors as it gets people backs up. I hope otherwise they are fixing her for you?

 

[LouB]

I second taking her feed yourself.
I wouldn't be afraid to put a sign on her door, if you think lots of different people are doing her.
You pay the bills.

 

[Flame_]

[ QUOTE ]
This evening when I went to visit her, she was finishing a feed. I asked the vet nurse who was mucking her out what she'd had, and she said half a scoop of cubes, half a scoop of mix and chaff

[/ QUOTE ]
Why would they feed cubes and mix? That's really weird, even for a horse in work. I think you're right to be a bit concerned.

[ QUOTE ]
Do you think it would be too cheeky to put a sign on her door?


[/ QUOTE ]
Nope, do it if they have ignored what you told them.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I agree with the others. I would take up made up feeds and put a sign on her door - you are paying the bills and if either of mine were fed that much I would have a fruit loop to contend with and in view of your injuries etc you really don't need that - she will be like a bomb waiting to go off with all that inside her and no chance of burning it off!!

 

[popsicle]

Agree with the others, but wanted to add that it doesn't even seem as if the feed was introduced gradually!!! (A recipe for colic, surely).

If she is stabled 24/7 though she needs to be able to "graze" much of the time, so a couple of well soaked hay nets would be called for I should think.

 

[CrazyMare]

Whenever my horses have stayed away (vets/stud) I send her feed too. She is not, under any circumstances, allowed mix, so it puts my mind at easy to send her TopSpec.

 

[Puppy]

Thanks guys. I've felt a bit restless since I left as although the nurse certainly seemed to take note, I know someone else will be in charge Monday, and really can't bear the thought of her having anywhere near such feeds.

She is on soaked hay, yes, and I'm perfectly happy with that

I've never known such a good dooer as Be. She is on about 2/3 acre, lots of which is bare or weeds - this is the best bit of her field (rather drastically different from Star's

):

And as you can see, she's still a chubby bum!

I'm going to pick up some lo cal tomorrow and take it to the vets, along with a polite note to go on her door. The last thing my poor 3 legged pony needs is weight gain/laminitis/colic!!

 

[Pedantic]

It's not a charity, you are paying for a service, I dont think it's too much to ask or complicated for them to carry out, blimey if they cant get that right.... anyway I agree with others, take own feed and put a "polite" notice on the door.

If one of my customers asks me to fit a radiator on wall A, I dont go fitting it on wall B, if I did I would have to move it at my expense, same thing, you are the client.

 

[gails]

As my vet very honestly told me. They are only given a days lecture in feed for any animal.

When I told him my dogs were on the BARF diet, I thought he would be horrified, but he was more than willing to listen and as he said in his own word 'and learn'

They will be just feeding what 'their' feed company tell them.

As others have said take your own feed in

 

[glenruby]

Well we certainly didnt just have a days lecture on feeds for any animal. We had a whole course through 1st and 2nd (mostly 2ndyr) on nutrition in lectues and practicals on all species(no company names mentioned except for one practical on small animal nutrition to show the ACTUAL content of all these so-called premium feeds). Then a clinical nutrition (with no mention of company names) course in 4th year. A 2 day course in nutrition for small animals by Hills (most people left by midday of day one - I left by 10am).And practical clinical nutrition tutorials and sessions through final year in all the main rotations again with no mention ofcompany names.

However I would advise you to bring in your own feed for your horse if she is on a partiular diet. Most if not all practices stick to one feed company (as most yards do) so will usually just have one digestile diet for all patients. Its quite common for owners to ring their own feed with them and Ive never seen any staff not feed it as directed. I think if you just leave the feed with the yard manager or head nurse that should be enough. Otherwise maybe make a small sign saying "Please give own feed only".

 

[Puppy]

OK, will do

Thanks all.

It's tricky questioning how vets are treating your horse

but I feel sure about what's best for her diet...

 

[cptrayes]

When my horse went into hospital I knew he would fool them and I wrote them instructions NEVER to leave him in a box with no bars, or he could be "violently explosive". I don't know what more I could have done. What did they do the first day they mucked him out? You guessed it.

As expected, he attempted to batter down and climb over the door of the stable they put him in, and they soon found out that I wasn't the stupid touchy-feely owner they had me written down as just because my horses have no shoes.

Write them a letter, that way if she colics or gets laminitic at least you can sue them.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

whats he/she in for? most vets have got a grip on feeding said animal?

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
whats he/she in for? most vets have got a grip on feeding said animal?

[/ QUOTE ]

Said animal?! Hmm, charming!! "Said animal" is my horse, and the love of my life

, and I am certain, given how exceptional she is diet wise for her size and breed, that I know her dietary requirements and limitations better than a vet nurse...

I'm also confident that the main vet who is dealing with her (but not around this weekend) and the one who treated her at Rossdales, some months ago, would agree with me regarding the importance of her strict diet.

She is in for sudden, serious lameness, after stumbling when working in walk. Tests have shown that she has chronic osteoarthritis in the fetlock in question. The arthritis has understandably aggravated the blood vessels in the joint, and hence a small stumble has ruptured these, and caused the sudden lameness. The prognosis is that she is likely to overcome the serious lameness, but unlikely to return to proper work

and such has broken my heart

but I'm glad to see that she looks like she can be field sound, and there is no reason not to breed from her.

We can in theory hope for more, work wise, but I am not going to hope or expect it in the slightest.

 

[Pedantic]

[ QUOTE ]
When my horse went into hospital I knew he would fool them and I wrote them instructions NEVER to leave him in a box with no bars, or he could be "violently explosive". I don't know what more I could have done. What did they do the first day they mucked him out? You guessed it.

As expected, he attempted to batter down and climb over the door of the stable they put him in, and they soon found out that I wasn't the stupid touchy-feely owner they had me written down as just because my horses have no shoes.

Write them a letter, that way if she colics or gets laminitic at least you can sue them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why oh why do people not listen

 

[glenruby]

Well Pedantic, probably because of the uge amount of "numpty2 owners out there who will tell you tha their horse is dangerous, can only be handled by one person ( read - can only walk all over one person), requires 6 rugs/tonne of feed (when already obese) etc etc etc.
We had a lovely 24yo QH mare last year who had a strangely entrapped epiglottis and went for specialist surgery at a large university hospital in the States. She went home with instructions on how to clean and to give medication twice daily orally by syringe and to go to the local vets for follow up tx. We got a call 2 days later because she was dangerous and owners couldnt give her meds and she had banged her head while they tried to give meds and was pumping blood. This pony was the quietest thing Ive ever seen, no headcollar, not even a hand on her nose required when giving meds. Just the owner was a bit of a pansey - Im notbeing mean, and i hate to pass judgement on anyone, but this woman was absolutely lovely, but quite dotty and oh well, ud have to meet her to get the idea. Shed turn up to feed her pony carrots everyday and tbh leaving the lady in the paddock with her own pony was a liability. She just didnt have a clue. It was kind of funny how she praised us every day for taking such good care of her pony and how professional we must be to be able to manage her. she was a loevely woman, but its those sort of owners 9 and they are far far more numerous than you would think) that make vet health professionals sometimes take their instructions with a pinch of salt. personally, I would always take on board an owners instrucions, but then im a tolerant, patient person. most people arent.