Unhappy with vet's service - Do I have a leg to stand on?

[tristar]

question the costing of the bill, then say the horse was left in pain with an undiagnosed problem,which was later diagnosed and treated by someone else, who you now have to pay, therefore you are not intending to pay the first vets bill, because in fact you feel that it is money for nothing,no one gets paid for doing nothing, in fact they should give YOU an apology and a discount off your next bill , if you stay with them, no need to be nasty, if they threaten you with action just remember the court will agree with you so i doubt very much if that would happen.

sometimes you hear from others at a later date about similar experiences with the same person, you are probably not the only victim

 

[Murphy88]

I normally think its unfair the amount of stick that vets get on here, but in this case OP I think you are right to be annoyed. Was it an equine practice you called out, or could it be that the vet who came was actually a small animal vet on call? I would think that any half decent equine vet would know to check the hoof first in any lameness, plus xrays aren't going to diagnose a ligament problem and if he was suspicious of any kind of tendon/suspensory problem he should have had you bandaging/cold hosing in case.

I am just about to sit my finals so will *hopefully* be a vet come July, and it is absolutely drilled into us to always check the foot first. The majority of horses referred to uni have had at least partial lameness work-ups already if not nerve blocks and xrays, so we know they don't have an abscess, but god help the student who doesn't answer 'hoof testers' when asked what diagnostic test they want to do first!

I would write to the practice with your complaints, if nothing else I would hope you would receive a letter of apology and hopefully at least a partial reduction in the bill.

 

[flowerlady]

If the horse had to be sedated just to have its leg felt I'm not suprised no proper diagnosis could be made.

I suspect that if you made a complaint then that is the response you'd get.

Must admit this is what I was thinking. OP you told the vet your horse wouldn't let them feel the leg let alone pick the foot up? The second vet (your usual vet) knows your horse. Why didn't you pick the foot up for the vet? Sorry if this sounds harsh. I do agree I would certainly be challenging the price and advice.

Good luck let us know how you get on.

 

[chessy]

Must admit this is what I was thinking. OP you told the vet your horse wouldn't let them feel the leg let alone pick the foot up? The second vet (your usual vet) knows your horse. Why didn't you pick the foot up for the vet? Sorry if this sounds harsh. I do agree I would certainly be challenging the price and advice.

Good luck let us know how you get on.

My horse was abused in the past and now won't trust any stranger around her legs and feet at all.
I told the vet my horse was unlikely to let him feel the leg unless she was under sedation - so he sedated her. At that point, you could've done a tap dance on her back and she wouldn't have noticed, so I don't see any excuse for him not to check her hoof?

My usual vet also sedated her on his visit, and was able to pick the hoof up and diagnose the abscess without a problem.

It wasn't a matter of my usual vet "knowing my horse" - actually, neither of them know her that well because I rarely need the vet down. Just that my usual vet had the sense to check her hoof first, and the other didn't!

Thank you for the good luck vibes flowerlady

Murphy88 - It was indeed an equine practice. I don't think all vets are bad. My usual vet is fantastic and I've certainly learnt a lesson here, and that's not to go to anyone else. Good vets are like gold dust, hang onto them! Good luck with your finals!

Also I'd like to thank people for sharing their experiences here! Some interesting ones at that!