Knightquest...What a horrible experience for you all, and what a trauma for your dog unnecessarily.
I work at a vets and unfortunately, my experience is that at least 50% of pet owners are idiots/ This means the vet has to gauge whether you are one of the numpties or not./So I think letting them know you are not a numpty is a good idea.
What a sad state of affairs that is. I bet I know which practice you work for.
Does this mean that the vet bases his diagnosis on the intelligence/ability/knowledge of the client, rather than on his/her knowledge/experience as a vet. I know there are vets who are very keen to con their clients into spending more money than they need to, but that is stretching it a bit.
I use several different vets depending on the animal/problem I have, right enough, as some of them simply are not good at their jobs, or are difficult to trust because they are known to be con artists.
I once took a litter of Border Terrier pups to a new vet who had set up a new practice near my home at the time. I believe in giving everyone a go, and this vet had cut a colt for me about a week previously. When I phoned initially, I was asked to bring the pups to the surgery "just before surgery, say, around noon", he said.
I arrived at ten past twelve, having been held up by an RTA, and the vet examined the pups. He declared one to have a prolapsed anus, one with a heart murmur, and they all had lice. When I asked him to show me the lice he said "Oh, I saw one, but its gone now".
He sold me a spray for the lice, and made me a follow-up appointment for the two suspect pups. The total charge was £56 which I paid by cheque before I left the surgery.
I then went to another vet whom I used for equine work, explained to him that I wanted the pups examined for a second opinion and he agreed, although he had to, for ethical reasons, to inform the other vet that he had been approached by me.
After a thorough examination, he declared all four pups to be healthy and sound. "What, no anal prolapse", I asked. "No", he said. "No heart murmer, either", I said. "No" was his reply.
So, I trouped off back to the first vet and told him the news, and asked him if he had anything to say. He did. He said I had been late for my appointment time. I explained to him that "just before surgery, say, around noon", was hardly an appointment, and asked how that may have had an effect on his consultation and ability to make correct diagnoses of the litter.
As he stammered and sweated, I said that he would have to give me my cheque back. He told me it was already on its way to the bank. I said I wanted him to refund me in full except for 50% of his consultation fee or I would call the police. He asked me to promise I wouldn't cancel the cheque if he gave me cash. I got my refund.
It's true that some vets can see us coming at a greater range than can some others, and very sad that one has to demonstrate knowledge of veterinary practice and proceedures in order to avoid being fleeced.
