vets giving advice when you asked for a visit ?

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JLD

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Hi, bit off topic as pig related not horse related but same principle. We booked a visit for vet to see pig losing weight and difficulty eating - mouth/tooth problem to my mind. Has just rung OH and given advice over phone ?? how ?? apparently weather too bad to sedate - surely *******s as have brought pig into clean dry indoor stable for the examination ? OH not used to dealing with vets for large animals and thought was reasonable. Has taken time off work to sort this out. Anyone else think this is rubbish - is it worth row with vet +/- OH ??
 
Maybe pigs don't do well generally under sedation - and given the appalling weather, the vet thinks it better not to???

I'd give the vet a buzz yourself and go from there.
 
Blimey I get the opposite from mine !
They insist on visiting & then charge me for agreeing that what's required is Imaverol/Equitrim/Neopen or a week or so of box rest & some Bute.
 
I have had this experience once when I rang for a vet because I suspected a horse had either colic or azotouria and because it was a Saturday evening he asked me if I thought he really needed to come and started to advise me on what to do and how I should wait and see how the horse looked in a few hours. I was so angry, because quite frankly I don't ring the vet lightly on a Saturday evening, that I slammed the phone down and rang a different vet.

Basically if you are prepared to pay for a visit then the vet should come, you are the client and it is impossible to diagnose illnesses from a distance. I would be very angry personally and would be on to the surgery to complain. Hope the pig is ok by the way.
 
Ive had this to from my Vets when i phoned up for an emergancy call out for one of my Old boys, however it was a vet who didnt know me who decided to give advise over the phone.
I also was very concerned because his age was brought up all through the conversation as if he was a second rate horse because of his age. I said on numerous times i definitely needed a call out. But Vet wouldnt have it said he was an old horse & they do suffer weired things occasionally.:eek:

I politely rung back & told them that i had rung for a reason & needed a visit & that i didnt want anything to do with the Vet i had spoke to on the phone. I got my visit & it was a serious problem my usual Vet appologised & took the other Vet to task.

I guess it is hard being a vet they must get the most rediculous call out's.
 
agree they will get called for rubbish but we booked this last week. Am fairly new to pig keeping so not confident to challenge like I would with my horse. Was probably overreacting as worried about doing the right thing by the pig !. will follow advice and see how it goes - pig not ill just losing condition and eating a bit funny, have gone onto horse mode and have been giving soaked higher calorie pig nuts for past few days to reverse the trend which are going down well apart from the punch ups with the other fat one who wants the nice warm porridge too and so doesnt need it !
 
TGM said:
They do indeed - I know someone who rang the emergency vet at gone midnight on a weekend because they thought their horse had a foot abscess! The vet wasn't amused at all!
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dont get me started - I deal with the human side - I've woken up at 3 by someone who rang emergency doc to say they couldnt sleep and at 4 am with someone who had a blocked nose with a cold.
 
My friend keeps pigs and I am afraid that the vets are extremely matter of fact with them. Don 't really seem to be interested in examining them, as they assume that if it isn't a very simple problem you will have it shot. Suppose because farmers have to make decisions based on economics as well as welfare. She had one who was limping and the vet hardly looked at it when he visited, left her with medication and advised if not better in a week have it shot. The man from the abattoir was much more informative and seemed to care more about the pig. Very odd.
 
JLD said:
agree they will get called for rubbish but we booked this last week. Am fairly new to pig keeping so not confident to challenge like I would with my horse. Was probably overreacting as worried about doing the right thing by the pig !. will follow advice and see how it goes - pig not ill just losing condition and eating a bit funny, have gone onto horse mode and have been giving soaked higher calorie pig nuts for past few days to reverse the trend which are going down well apart from the punch ups with the other fat one who wants the nice warm porridge too and so doesnt need it !
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How old are piggies? One of our started to lose condition - could manage pig nuts but wasn't interested in the parsnips, it was noticeably have problems chewing but tbh there was little that could be done as it was a passing phase. It recovered it's chew in about 10 days and began to gain weight.

Are you keeping them as pets?
 
Sedating pigs is certainly far more of an adventure than sedating horses.

I would want a pig to be pretty damn sleepy before I put my hands or face anywhere near its teeth I'm afraid! They can give one hell of a bite. Sedating them can be a risky business and certainly not one to try in bad weather as pigs are not good at regulating their body temperature at the best of times.

Do you have suitable facilities for safely handling and injecting the pig? Believe me they are not very tame once you start trying to mess about with them and most small scale pig keepers do not have the facilities (nor in many cases, the expertise) to safely handle a pig to allow the vet to carry out a satisfactory exam and treatment if necessary.

Not wanting to sound arsey, but it is not the vet's job to be handling and restraining clients animals. I have been in potentially dangerous situations with poorly handled pigs more than once, and it ain't fun!
 
At the end of the day we know our animals and vets should be guided by our
inside knowledge, we have an old death row gsd, he is a companion, not a pet, he has issues with muzzles and vets, having had his head jammed in a
doorway prior to being castrated, this dog was trained as a guard dog and in his mind is doing his job, he is the most loving dog and is slowly learning not to bite when he thinks fit. We have an hours journey to our vet who understands this dogs background, the dog needs sedated for any treatment and this is done in the back of the car where the dog feels comfortable, the last time he resisted the sedative and a visiting vet suggested jamming his head in a door, i told him that was what caused his issues in the first place and no it wasn't an option.
Our usual vet deals with all the rescue dogs, all with issues, listens to the owners, but quite rightly will not risk himself or his staff and there is usually a compromise to be found but realises that the owners of these dogs only seek medical help when absolutely nessessary and act accordingly
 
Its likely that there's reasoning behind him deciding against coming out to you, he would be getting paid after all. But if you're concerned I'd give your vet a ring and speak to him yourself.
 
polopony said:
he would be getting paid after all
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Contrary to popular belief, this is not the only factor that decides it for us! :)

I can't really comment, as the last time I had anything to do with pigs I was revising for my finals... It sounds like a communication problem (ie. your vet not explaining clearly to you OH why a visit was not appropriate). I would phone and clarify.
 
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TGM said:
They do indeed - I know someone who rang the emergency vet at gone midnight on a weekend because they thought their horse had a foot abscess! The vet wasn't amused at all!
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Oh yes! I've had the vet there treating my horse, and she's had an 'emergency' call about smelly feet! :rolleyes:
 
would want a pig to be pretty damn sleepy before I put my hands or face anywhere near its teeth I'm afraid! They can give one hell of a bite. Sedating them can be a risky business and certainly not one to try in bad weather as pigs are not good at regulating their body temperature at the best of times.
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Thanks for this - it was my initial feeling to on first reading the post.
 
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