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"Silly" question, request for reassurance/neuter today


powerfulgazelle
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Okay...maybe this gets filed under "you get what you pay for":

 

Dear dog is scheduled for neuter today.

 

We with hold food after midnight and present him at 730 AM to the Banfield clinic.

 

(Yes, we opted for the Banfield vet, because, although there are a few things I am growing to dislike about the front office staff and business practice, the vet is okay.)

 

I asked for a call from the vet to let me know how things went post-op. The receptionist declined, telling me they had four other surgeries set for today (implying that the vet is too busy, I guess), but said the "pet nurse" or receptionist would call to let us know after the operation.

 

First, I am a registered nurse. For humans. If the staff are credentialed veterinary professionals, they should use their appropriate titles---registered vet tech or whatever. But that is OT....

 

They close at 5PM today. Dog has been NPO since midnight. As of 1:30PM, DH called to check on dear dog to learn that "a dental surgery and a euthanasia came in" so Sollers' surgery had not been started yet.

 

Is it me? I guess from what we were told, Sollers' surgery was to be in the AM, to give him time to recoup under their observation in the kennel...

 

I do not want to bring home a dog that had GA at 4PM...when the office shuts and is closed on Tuesdays....

 

Am I being picky?

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No, I don’t think you’re being too picky.

 

If my vet office said “pet will be ready at such-and-such a time” I would expect that. If not, there’d better be a good reason. Outside of very extenuating circumstances, i.e., life & death emerg surgery, your pet should be ready to come home when you expected him to be ready.

 

You mentioned you like the vet but not the shenanigans going on in the front office. Perhaps a chat with the vet about the office personnel is in order. S/he may not be aware of the treatment being doled out to clients. I had a similar experience with my dentist once and after talking with him things (read, personnel) dropped the carppy attitude.

 

 

my 2 pennies

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Not silly. Request to speak with the vet when you pick the dog up. Do not accept no for an answer. Then, inform said vet that the receptionist refused your request to hear from the vet after the surgery. Most vets do not like receptionists speaking for them. What she should have done was say that the vet was busy, but would call when available. You have every right to know how your dog did. I would imagine you want him home no matter what, but if you get there and he is still not good on his feet, make sure they know that you are concerned about his condition.

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They close at 5PM today. Dog has been NPO since midnight. As of 1:30PM, DH called to check on dear dog to learn that "a dental surgery and a euthanasia came in" so Sollers' surgery had not been started yet.

 

This would bother me. Have you heard anything yet? Is it too late to say "Never mind, I'm coming to pick him up now?"

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Hi,

 

I don't think you are being too picky, just very concerned but there are a few things I will play devil's advocate on.

 

First of all, at our clinic- we ask for pets to be dropped off for surgery first thing in the morning. This allows the doctors to have time to check in the patients without affecting their morning medical appointments and allows any in-house preoperative blood work and catheter placements to be done before our surgery time of 10-2pm. So if you called my clinic to check on your dog at 1:30- it may be just ready to go on the table at that time and still be able to be released between 4-5pm with no complications.

 

Secondly, our doctors are concentrating on surgery and medical cases during that 10-2pm time period. If you call and request to talk to them, they may not be able to. Patient "flow" is very important in a busy practice and while I agree that someone should call you and give you an update on your dog, that it doesn't necessarily have to be the veterinarian for a routine procedure. At my practice, you can certainly expect and will get the vet's full attention on both check-in and check-out but it really disruptive to the vet's "flow" to have to call with an update on every routine procedure. If there truly was an emergency that day that delayed surgery (let's say the euthanasia was a crisis situation and the animal was suffering), I would consider that a reasonable delay to a routine procedure and would also try to place myself in the shoes of the family euthanising their dog. I would be glad that, if one of my dogs was suffering, that I would have the vet's full attention and efficient service.

 

What really bothers me is not that they haven't gotten your dog done yet or that the vet won't call you- its the manner of communication. You should have been clearly told what the surgery times were, when to expect an update and should have been called and told if you were going to have a delay in when you could pick up your pet. The receptionists should have only stated that the doctor could not call you because they were in surgery- to name off the where's and why's of the delay probably made you feel like a less important client. I would definitely be unhappy with my front office staff if they communicated in the manner you describe but it may not be their fault if , unlike our practice, they do not have a clear protocol on how to handle this situation.

 

I would describe to the vet what your expectations were and give him/her a chance to explain themselves- if he/she has a cavalier attitude about it instead of admitting a communication breakdown- you may want to go elsewhere.

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This would bother me. Have you heard anything yet? Is it too late to say "Never mind, I'm coming to pick him up now?"

 

 

DH and conferred and decided that exactly....to request to reschedule him for a less, um, hectic day.

 

(We had picked AM on a Monday, as they only do surgeries on Mon and Fri...but are closed on Tue and closed the 2nd half of Sat and all Sun. We figured if there were problems later, by having the surgery on Mon., if we got in a bind, our "regular" vet would at least be open, rather than having to go to a vet ER on the weekend...)

 

When DH called back, he was told they had started Sollers' surgery....

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DH and conferred and decided that exactly....to request to reschedule him for a less, um, hectic day.

 

(We had picked AM on a Monday, as they only do surgeries on Mon and Fri...but are closed on Tue and closed the 2nd half of Sat and all Sun. We figured if there were problems later, by having the surgery on Mon., if we got in a bind, our "regular" vet would at least be open, rather than having to go to a vet ER on the weekend...)

 

When DH called back, he was told they had started Sollers' surgery....

 

Well, maybe it's like Jaime said, and you just happened to call right before they put him on the table. :rolleyes: Do let us know how everything goes.

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Hi,

 

I don't think you are being too picky, just very concerned but there are a few things I will play devil's advocate on.

 

First of all, at our clinic- we ask for pets to be dropped off for surgery first thing in the morning. This allows the doctors to have time to check in the patients without affecting their morning medical appointments and allows any in-house preoperative blood work and catheter placements to be done before our surgery time of 10-2pm. So if you called my clinic to check on your dog at 1:30- it may be just ready to go on the table at that time and still be able to be released between 4-5pm with no complications.

 

Secondly, our doctors are concentrating on surgery and medical cases during that 10-2pm time period. If you call and request to talk to them, they may not be able to. Patient "flow" is very important in a busy practice and while I agree that someone should call you and give you an update on your dog, that it doesn't necessarily have to be the veterinarian for a routine procedure. At my practice, you can certainly expect and will get the vet's full attention on both check-in and check-out but it really disruptive to the vet's "flow" to have to call with an update on every routine procedure. If there truly was an emergency that day that delayed surgery (let's say the euthanasia was a crisis situation and the animal was suffering), I would consider that a reasonable delay to a routine procedure and would also try to place myself in the shoes of the family euthanising their dog. I would be glad that, if one of my dogs was suffering, that I would have the vet's full attention and efficient service.

 

What really bothers me is not that they haven't gotten your dog done yet or that the vet won't call you- its the manner of communication. You should have been clearly told what the surgery times were, when to expect an update and should have been called and told if you were going to have a delay in when you could pick up your pet. The receptionists should have only stated that the doctor could not call you because they were in surgery- to name off the where's and why's of the delay probably made you feel like a less important client. I would definitely be unhappy with my front office staff if they communicated in the manner you describe but it may not be their fault if , unlike our practice, they do not have a clear protocol on how to handle this situation.

 

I would describe to the vet what your expectations were and give him/her a chance to explain themselves- if he/she has a cavalier attitude about it instead of admitting a communication breakdown- you may want to go elsewhere.

 

 

Absolutely, Smokjbc---

 

Some of the things that caused me concern: We wanted to speak to the vet , not for a 15 min call, but a < 5mins, focused, "Did the dog do okay? Any problems? Anyhting unexpected? Anything we should watch for?" kind of thing. I guess I do expect that AT SOME POINT, before or after, a surgery should include 5 min of time to speak with the owner. WHEN during the office day is not such a big thing. So, DH had indicated to the staff when he dropped dog off that, at some point, we'd like to speak with the vet.

 

What worried me is that the receptionist called ME at work, after DH dropped dog off, to ask me, "So you had questions for the vet????".

 

When I said yes, and outlined the kids of things I would be asking (above), she proceeded to tell me HER version of "what to expect"... in a very watered down, as-if-speaking-to-a-5-yr old fashion...."we'll give your doggie pain medicine so he won't hurt..." When I asked, WHAT pain med and how, she said "Rimadyl". When I asked, "You mean, ongoing? One time dose?", she answered, "Well, your husband already signed for it", as if that ended the conversation. So I followed up with (because this has been an issue with the practice in the past), "and, can you please let me know the cost of the Rimadyl?", to which she replied, "Well, he's getting the Rimadyl because you have an acct credit with us." And followed up by telling me that the vet does not call the owners...that all communication about the dog's surgery would come from the receptionist or the "pet nurse". I guess that would be okay, if they had the knowledge to answer my questions....and it does not seem to be an efficiency of time if the non-answering of questions leads to a total of 4 phone calls...that could have been handled with one.

 

BTW....We have the $40 credit on our acct because they sent us home with a 6 mos supply, last week, of heartworm med AT THE WRONG DOSE. We called as soon as we got home, opened the bag and read the label...and, to their credit, they did take the medicine back (unopened box) and give us a credit on our acct. But, I don't want my dog getting medicine today for the sole reason that I have a credit to use up! (And I think receptionist presented poorly by answering that way....)

 

But, I guess ya get what ya pay for...I think the rest of Sollers' care will be from our "regular" vet.

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Update:

 

Sollers came home.

 

His incision looks tidy.

 

HE, however, is miserable. It has been a pathetic whine-and-whimperfest for 5 hrs now. :D

 

The vet did call---about 8. She remarked that he had moved during his blood draw, so has a "mark" on him. He had the E-collar on, though, so I could not get a proper look til just now...he finally settled enough just now to take the E collar off and have a look. His ruff is a bit bloodstained; underneath the fur, he has a golfball to egg sized hematoma on his neck. :rolleyes:

 

Poor boy. Maybe he's just a bigger "baby" than my old guy (who, in truth, was very stoic), but he just looks all scared and shocked and miserable...and whenever we take him out, he just sits in the snow. :D

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These comments are after the fact, but I want to second what Jaime said. I also used to work for a vet, so I know what she said is pretty spot on. If we got treatments done early and there was time before the first appointment at 10, we'd start surgeries, doing the more routine/quick stuff early. But there was no guarantee that surgery would be done early in the a.m.--scheduled surgery time was 12-2. If an emergency came in, and especially an emergency surgery, then the routine procedures would be pushed back, but we always made sure that the folks whose pets had scheduled surgery knew if there were delays that would affect pick up time (back then overnight stays were pretty much de rigeur, so doing a surgery later than planned wasn't as big a deal).

 

That said, I generally expect a consult with my vet after a surgery, and if need be, I will set up a "discharge office visit" so that specific time is set aside for the vet to talk to me (for example, when Lark was hit by a car, although I spoke with the vet on the phone a couple of times during the day, I also had a discharge appointment so he could show me the X-rays, etc.). This was not even my regular vet practice, but someone my neighbors use, whose office is much closer, since when you have a dog HBC, time if of the essence, and I didn't want to spend half an hour driving to my regular practice when I had a good vet recommended to me who was just 10 minutes away. When I arrived that morning, the vet was not there, but the staff called him while I stood there (he was on his way), and got his instructions so the vet tech could start treating her (she was shocky and needed immediate treatment). I'm sure my case pushed some regular clients back on that day's schedule, but I sure was grateful that they were so willing with a client they didn't even know.

 

With Willow's recent surgery, the vet called me (I'm sure it was after she had completed all her surgeries for the day, but before I needed to leave home to go get Willow) *and* she came out into the waiting room and talked to me again when I showed up to get Willow. She then (of course) called me when she got the biopsy results back. This particular vet is not my regular vet in this practice--she had an open surgery time a couple of weeks sooner than my regular vet and since time was of the essence, I chose to let her do the surgery, even though she's not my regular vet there. I couldn't have been happier with her and the way Willow's case was handled. Yes, I pay a bit more at this practice, but one reason I am willing to do so is because of the service I get. It's imporant to me to have an excellent relationship with my vet practice. That doesn't mean I automatically choose the most expensive practice (in fact, I chose this particular practice largely because they have a holisitc vet on staff--my main vet--and they are a large animal practice, so if I ever need a vet for the sheep, I already have a relationship with these folks).

 

That said, those were special cases. I wouldn't necessarily expect the vet to call me after a routine procedure if everything went well. I would be okay with the receptionist or vet tech telling me that the surgery went well. In general, though, I would still expect a quick "consult" with the vet when I went to pick up my critter, understanding, of course, that I might have to wait for the vet to have a free moment to speak with me in between scheduled appointments. If there was a concern that I wouldn't be able to talk to the vet, I'd set up a discharge appointment so I had a set time on the schedule to talk with the vet. I would probably do that only if the surgery/procedure were something other than routine.

 

I agree that if you are unhappy with your treatment at the hands of the vet's staff, you should speak to him directly. If he doesn't know that his staff is irritating his clients, he can't do anything about it. Also remember that you need to be your dog's advocate, and if that means standing up to the staff, then don't feel bad about doing so. If a receptionist tried to blow me off the way you described, I'd most certainly show up at the office and get the answers to my question in person or I'd demand of the receptionist to make me an appointment with the vet that afternoon to discuss what you were trying to discuss with the receptionist. At that time, you could get your questions answered and air your concerns about how you were treated by the staff.

 

My two cents....

 

J.

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Yep, I think it's probably fine, with close watching, to use this practice for vaccines and worm checks, but I think anything else might go back to the "regular" vet.... Chalk up to a learning opportunity.

 

BTW---they sent another dog's medicine home in Sollers' bag...whoever "Precious Tinkerbelle" is, she is missing her medicine this morning. :D

 

Sollers is back to himself a bit more. He FINALLY peed---about 18 hours must be the max capacity of his little bladder... He is still squeaking and whimpering when he gets an opportunity, but no longer looks dazed.

 

And, he has discovered that the E collar makes a fine snowplow... :rolleyes:

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Between getting the wrong dose, sending someone else's medication home with you - this practice needs to get with the program. These mistakes are just not acceptable in a medical practice. Good that Sollers is home and this is behind him :D

 

Yep, I think it's probably fine, with close watching, to use this practice for vaccines and worm checks, but I think anything else might go back to the "regular" vet.... Chalk up to a learning opportunity.

 

BTW---they sent another dog's medicine home in Sollers' bag...whoever "Precious Tinkerbelle" is, she is missing her medicine this morning. :D

 

Sollers is back to himself a bit more. He FINALLY peed---about 18 hours must be the max capacity of his little bladder... He is still squeaking and whimpering when he gets an opportunity, but no longer looks dazed.

 

And, he has discovered that the E collar makes a fine snowplow... :rolleyes:

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Yep, I think it's probably fine, with close watching, to use this practice for vaccines and worm checks, but I think anything else might go back to the "regular" vet.... Chalk up to a learning opportunity.

 

BTW---they sent another dog's medicine home in Sollers' bag...whoever "Precious Tinkerbelle" is, she is missing her medicine this morning. :rolleyes:

 

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I always wonder if my critters would get the same level of service if they're not the vet's regular patient. So I use my regular vet for the routine visits as opportunities for him to get to know my critters, even though I could do my own vaccines and worming much more cheaply.

 

The mixed-up medicine thing would freak me out, TBH. Since you're an RN it's maybe not as big a hazard for you, but in my case I'd be worried that I'd get the wrong meds and not realize the difference until it was too late.

 

About that hematoma - Scot, my BC/pyr cross, came with a chestnut-sized lump just behind his right foreleg when I pulled him from the shelter, where he was neutered. The vet said it was a distinct mass - he could pinch skin behind it - not like a sebaceous cyst or anything. He wanted to do a histogram once we got Scot's HW treatment behind him. But the thing disappeared on its own in a couple of weeks. Do you suppose it could've been related to something the shelter vet did?

 

I'm glad Sollers is better. :D

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Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I always wonder if my critters would get the same level of service if they're not the vet's regular patient. So I use my regular vet for the routine visits as opportunities for him to get to know my critters, even though I could do my own vaccines and worming much more cheaply.

 

The mixed-up medicine thing would freak me out, TBH. Since you're an RN it's maybe not as big a hazard for you, but in my case I'd be worried that I'd get the wrong meds and not realize the difference until it was too late.

 

About that hematoma - Scot, my BC/pyr cross, came with a chestnut-sized lump just behind his right foreleg when I pulled him from the shelter, where he was neutered. The vet said it was a distinct mass - he could pinch skin behind it - not like a sebaceous cyst or anything. He wanted to do a histogram once we got Scot's HW treatment behind him. But the thing disappeared on its own in a couple of weeks. Do you suppose it could've been related to something the shelter vet did?

 

I'm glad Sollers is better. :rolleyes:

 

Yep, Sollers is mostly back to right.

 

The vet is new to us....she is in the Banfield/Petsmart clinic near us. We rec'd an "adoption gift" from a family member of the 1st-year-puppy-wellness package. We thought it was a good deal for vaccines and office calls....especially given that there was NO vet care in the shelter where Sollers came from...he had not even been kept current on vaccines or wormer. I did hesitate about the neuter though..but felt okay enough about it after thinking it over to go ahead. I think anything else major will have to come from our regular vet, though. The medicine thing did freak me out too...it is the second time the meds haven't been right. I always read the label, thank goodness.

 

I wonder if Scot's lump was from where they gave fluids to him? This is SO not my area, but, I think vets still give animals what's called a clysis of fluid rather than putting an IV in (giving fluids under the skin to be absorbed) sometimes.

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Well, I am glad that he's doing well now! That's great!

 

I know it's after the fact, but their front of house staff don't sound so great. When I brought Daisy in they told me they like to keep the dogs over night "just incase". This bothered me since at the time she had bad separation anxiety and was very leary of strangers. I requested that if she came out of the op. ok I would prefer her come home, just so it didn't cause more emotional damage in the long run. I explained that I've had dogs fixed before and I knew the drill. They were very understanding and told me when surgeries happened and a rough estimate of how long it took the dogs to come out of the aenasthetic and that I should call at x time to see how she was doing. I called, she was ok and I picked her up just before they closed with one last look over by the surgeon. This made me feel very confident that my vet cared. It's little things like that, that make the difference to me....

I would worry about the meds...two times?

 

Anyway, glad he's a-ok! And likes his snow plow! (Daisy got her's caught on the carpet the first night and just stood there with the cone to the ground, it was the saddest thing I ever saw!!)

 

Julie

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