[Dogwalker]

I've noticed in several livestock threads there seems to be a distrust/reluctance to consult vets.
 
I've found the vets here easy to ask advise from, willing to explain things to a beginner and understanding of the need not to spend when not necessary.
It is a farming area so perhaps that makes a difference.
They have after all had years of training and experience so should know a bit more than I do.
 
They may not always get everything right but from my experience neither do doctors, solicitors, car mechanics, electricians, builders or any other 'experts' we have to use.

[happygolucky]

I was thinking that too, its good to get a vet you feel you can trust, they all  have their opinions and views on treatments, but at least these days with forums like this and the internet we can double check and "help" any vet, most people I came across in my childhood in a rural area, did most vet stuff themself, I suppose we learn as we go along, I so remember taking an itchy dog to the vets with what appeared to me to be warts!!! and was embarrassed they were ticks!!!!
I think the key is to learn as much as we can and have the confidence to challenge any professional and just hope they respond OK!

[Alistair]

My vet, Anna, is a superstar, all the other vets I've used have been either useless or in one case took me for £200 worth if tests on my dog over 3 days, when Anna came back she took one look, diagnosed liver tumour, put the dog down, charged me for putting the dog down then gave me the difference back for the unnecessary tests and apologised for the locum vet, I didn't even ask for the money back

[Dan]

I think part of the problem is you often hear about the bad experiences with vets, but very rarely the good experiences?

Our's here are all superstars too, they're always willing to explain what they're doing and why, review health plans, and generally take an interest in what we're doing.

As with doctors, if you don't like / aren't impressed with your vet then change practices, or if that's not an option request a different vet.

[Fowgill Farm]

I've noticed in several livestock threads there seems to be a distrust/reluctance to consult vets.
 

A lot of the time simple advice from an experienced breeder/keeper can solve a problem without costly interaction with the vet, however any reputable breeder/keeper would always advise veterinary intervention if they were unable to offer help or suspected a serious threat to an animals life. There are good vets and bad vets and a lot depends on the area you live in. They are also an expense that you should factor in to your livestock keeping. Have to say our vets are very good, but i never look forward to their bills! lol.
Mandy

[Hassle]

I've had good and bad vets... my current one is a large animal farm vet and is awesome, nightmare on the phone because he will try and multi-task with one hand up a cows bottom and his shoulder balancing his phone and i'm sure he has got it the wrong way round sometimes with the phone in a very quiet place

But I speak to him when I call and not a secretary and can ask him questions and seek his advice and they don't cost.

[Fleecewife]

We are lucky enough to have a great vet practice just 4 miles away.  They have half their team dedicated to small animals and the other half to large animals, although they can each do the other bit if necessary.  The small animal bills are always much bigger than the large animal ones, but they have to earn their money somehow, and I suppose it's the income from the small animal stuff which enables them to continue providing such good support for farmers.
We are very happy with the care all our animals have been given over the years.
 
Incidentally, it will save a lot to take your farm animals down to the surgery rather than get the vet out.  For example, in the past we have stuck a labouring Jacob ewe in the back of the Land Rover, and come home with a ewe and two lambs, safely delivered (they would have all been lost at home).  Similarly when one of our Jacob lambs broke off his horn with some skull plate attached, we took him down immediately so he was treated quickly.  If we had had to wait for a home visit he might have died of catastrophic blood loss (it was quite impressive).  Each visit teaches us something, so next time we can deal with that problem ourselves.   I wonder if sometimes when the vet works hard on an animal but still loses it, if that isn't because the owners have tried to treat it themselves and the problem has gone on so long that it is a lost cause.  The bill will be high because more complex treatment is needed than if the vet had been consulted at the beginning, but you've lost the animal anyway.

[Dogwalker]

We are lucky enough to have a great vet practice just 4 miles away.  They have half their team dedicated to small animals and the other half to large animals, although they can each do the other bit if necessary.  The small animal bills are always much bigger than the large animal ones, but they have to earn their money somehow, and I suppose it's the income from the small animal stuff which enables them to continue providing such good support for farmers.
We are very happy with the care all our animals have been given over the years.
 
Incidentally, it will save a lot to take your farm animals down to the surgery rather than get the vet out.  For example, in the past we have stuck a labouring Jacob ewe in the back of the Land Rover, and come home with a ewe and two lambs, safely delivered (they would have all been lost at home).  Similarly when one of our Jacob lambs broke off his horn with some skull plate attached, we took him down immediately so he was treated quickly.  If we had had to wait for a home visit he might have died of catastrophic blood loss (it was quite impressive).  Each visit teaches us something, so next time we can deal with that problem ourselves.   I wonder if sometimes when the vet works hard on an animal but still loses it, if that isn't because the owners have tried to treat it themselves and the problem has gone on so long that it is a lost cause.  The bill will be high because more complex treatment is needed than if the vet had been consulted at the beginning, but you've lost the animal anyway.

That sounds similar to here.
 
The vets here admit to not treating many goats but will consult each other, look things up, phone drug companies etc. to answer a query.
Recently I had to take a very skinny goat over for bloods to be taken to rule out various things after not finding a solution by phone consultations.  (Still don't have an answer, but know a few things it''s not)

[Calvadnack]

The problem here is that the large animal vets with all the experience are retiring and the young ones keep moving on to get more experience (or to get away from endless TB testing).  Here (SW) they have good dairy/cattle knowledge but their hands-on sheep knowledge is woeful.  They don't get much chance to practice after their initial on-farm lambing slots and none of the few local farmers with sheep really seem to call out the vets.

[HesterF]

We haven't got any large animals so the opposite problem - we need vets that deal with small animals (chickens, ducks, geese, bearded dragons, cats) and our local vets are absolutely brilliant. They definitely know about the poultry and lizards which is probably an unusual combination. They're happy to treat anything that is a pet as opposed to farming scale - so they'd see a few sheep but not if we were commercial. One of the partners is the zoo vet for Port Lympne and Howletts zoo and they've all had experience of exotics so even things like Alpacas would be well within their remit. Given that I was a weekly visitor for a while last year, I know them well and have had brilliant help.

Talking to them and a friend who is a vet, vet training starts with dogs and then they move onto other animals by comparing their anatomy with that of a dog. Probably not so bad if it's a cat but distinctly a stretch when it becomes a horse, let alone reptiles or birds. So if they're keen, they do voluntary courses after they've qualified to specialise in other animals. I guess you need to ask what extra courses they've done unless you're taking in a dog.....

H