Having a relationship with a vet...

Rosey's 15 1/2... been to the vet maybe 8 times. Maybe.

Renegade's 5, but have had him for 2 years and a bit... been to the vet probably 10 times at least.

Definitely have my vet for the ferrets, LOL

Well in their defense that's usually how it's supposed to be done if everyone wants to remain safe. A lot of dogs are just fine... until you actually do the procedure, and that's when they freak out and you get the potential for biting. I'd rather expect the worse and just get the head well restrained from the get go. Of course there are good and bad ways to go about it - just in general though, headlocks are good lol.


I don't really like doing things in front of clients. Stresses me out because, for example I think people secretly start getting ticked off if we can't get blood on the first poke. Or I feel bad if their animal doesn't like being restrained and starts fighting us about it. I really hate it with cats, looks so bad when we scruff them and stretch them on their side, and cats are less tolerant of things in general so that's always fun. Much easier to just bring them to the treatment area for procedures. It's not a scary animal abuse chamber back there, I promise

I have a vet I use when the dogs get sick and I need things I can't do myself... which is almost never. I also know where the nearest e-vet is, just in case.

Other than that, I don't see the point in spending $150 for vaccines when I can get them done for $10 or less.

I don't need a personal relationship with my vet, I just need to know that I can get good care when I need it.

On a side note, I am very good friends with a vet... but he's a specialist and works for a lab. lol.

What vet charges that much for vaccines?? That's crazy.

That. I pay $90 for a full senior work-up and vaccines.

All the vets around me. You get hit with an office fee, the vaccine fee, the medical waste fee, and any other fee they can think of.

But, I also live in a very wealthy area. Just to live as middle class around here you need to make at least 90k/year.

We had a fabulous vet for about a year when I was in SC that took 2 years to find. Then we moved. If she weren't 3.5 hours away, we'd still be seeing her.

Right now we have a clinic I am happy using, though we're still new so there's not much rapport there yet. I do have to be more careful of what vaccines they give (Aeri got one with lepto as a *7* way, ugh, because I didn't think to ask beforehand) because they are def a traditional practice, which is annoying, but they generally let me handle my own dogs, they get me in and out fast, they are game for whatever I want to do vaccine-wise, don't question my intact dogs, and their prices are great. The male vet there even spent a full 15 minutes with me at Aeri's annual appointment which is fairly unusual with traditional vets around here.

We have someone for holistic care that I was using full time but she's in another city and I didn't like that in case of an emergency and she stopped being as good about returning my calls, so I've dropped her back to a "consult as needed" vet.

This. Absolutely. It's hard to understand until you're a professional bitee. Lol!

My family went to one vet clinic for about 15+ years until 1. We moved farther away and 2. The vet we liked cut way back on his hours (he is old but hasn't been able to make himself retire, he loves the work too much) and hired these young, straight out of vet school, believe everything they're told vets and I really don't like them much. But this clinic knew us well, especially with Daisy since she was always getting some infection or other, poor dog. Now my mom uses a vet closer to her house who is nice.

I work at a vet in area known for being more upscale. Their office visit alone is $77. Since I work there I would get a discount, but it is probably still pretty expensive. I really like most of the people that work there, nobody does any CM bullcrap and everything is all about the animals.

About vets pushing spay/neuter, I actually read a magazine aimed at vets that I found in the recycle can at the clinic that had an article pushing early spay/neuter as a way to stem pet overpopulation. The article claimed that there were no studies that confirmed any drawbacks to having your pet spayed or neutered as a puppy. The magazine was this month's issue. So veterinarians are subject to misinformation just like JQP.

I faint if I get a strong smell of blood
For example, when Fromo came out of dental surgery he still had quite a bit of blood in his mouth/throat, but I had to be there when he woke up so that he wouldn't try to eat anyone. I had to have Ryan sit with him so I could go across the room and sit down before I passed out because every time he exhaled all I could smell was blood.

If he is skittish of strangers, acting nervous, and needs to have something done to him then of course were going to hold him in a position that keeps everyone safe. Would you rather he potentially bite someone or nip at someone? There are less stressful ways to go about putting a hold on an animal, but it Needs to be done. I am not going to risk my face, hands, career, etc and Not hold an animal just because he doesnt like it. They all sit there fine until you need to draw blood, stick something down their ear, look in the mouth, etc.

We had a student doing a shadowing one day for school and she fainted when we were doing a dental.

As far as 'headlocks' go, while certainly all vets and techs aren't created equal, most of the restraints holding the head certainly are not anything close to a headlock. They're usually designed to protect the dog (flailing during a neck draw can result in nasty bruising..and then that's our fault too ) and the tech/vet (no one likes being bitten and scratched). I know at our clinic, we always go the 'less is more' route, but we're also not going to put ourselves OR the pet in danger.

As far as vet relationships go, my dogs go to the vet clinic I work at. But, I see most of the vets equally.

I like our current vet but he's more of the traditional old-fashioned vet. In fact, my mom like me to double check everything I do with Kailey with him. He doesn't know I feed raw because she hasn't seen him since then, but I feel like he'd tell me I'm wasting my money; he's already recommended Purina several times.
Just a minor detail, but he also always likes to make me do the math when giving the dogs shots. Teencey bit annoying to me.
Long story short, he does his job and it's pretty good most of the time, but I'll be going elsewhere. My mom just agreed to pay for vet bills the first two years and I'd feel bad dragging her somewhere else that's more expensive or she's not as comfortable with.

There's probably 6 or 7 vets at the main clinic we go to.. and really, I'd see any of them except the owner. Rosey had a bite record on her chart (that my awesome vet took off) because the owner decided to come into the room, not say anything, and start poking and prodding her elbows, that we were saying we were concerned she had pain in. Yah, my mostly blind/mostly deaf dog is going to snark. She didn't even make contact.

ETA: Also, NO vet we've ever seen there have pushed spaying on us. They asked once when she was in for her puppy shots, my parents said they aren't interested, and that was the end of it.

I can't freaking find a good vet. The one that kinda sorta knows about rats basically let my girl die because he didn't notice the HOLE in her chin after he drained an abscess. But at least he'll give a rat steroids for an ear infection... Ugh. Can't win around here. Haven't found one that can handle my vet-reactive dog without tranquilizing her either... I'm going to yet another new vet for the vaccs and wellness exam this year and I am bringing TONS of hot dogs. Because she needs to get over it... I'm always so embarrassed at the vet with her. The one vet I did love passed away from cancer...

I can't be the only one who read the title of this thread and assume we were talking about.. you know.. relationships

haha can't say I would be surprised! Vet bills sure can add up! haha

Thank God for this, because I had the exact same thought when this thread first popped up, and was surprised (and a bit embarrassed) when no one else seemed to have had the same thought

Hot young vet? Um yes, please! :lol-sign:

In all seriousness, we actually don't visit the vet much, either. In the last 2 years, we might have been there once. We do rabies after puppy vaccinations and are fortunate enough to have the luxury of boarding at Trent's breeder's facilities, so no one nags on us about must having this and that vaccination.

Our current vet is incredible, friendly staff, they know how to handle dogs, which is extremely important to me (and should be a given but unfortunately it isn't always). Vaccines cost about $15 - $30 tops, and even then they usually do a cursory feel/check up on the dog along with the vaccination. They never try to sell us anything we don't need, don't push specific dog food brands, and haven't even brought up the fact that Trent's intact.

Love them, but don't see them nearly enough to be on close terms.

I know exactly what you're saying...even around here with a zillion local vets it's almost impossible to find care for rats...they probably worked with them in medical school...now they all but tell you to call an exterminator!

We lucked out, while I was trying to find a vet to treat a rat we found the perfect doc for dogs and cats too. The practice we go to now treats all pets with equal care. Sophie is reactive to noise among other things. They have a separate hall to the treatment rooms. There are three doctors in the practice, all equally competent and low key. One even knows holistic medicine.

I *like* my vet, but we don't visit often. I take my animals to an awesome low cost clinic for all of their vaccines, and also get their HW tests & HW meds there. Why would I pay $45 just for the HW test (+ a $45 exam fee) at my regular vet when I can get it for $25 at the low cost clinic (who also does a "mini exam" every time you go)?

I have a great relationship with my vet clinic. I visit more than some think is necessary. My dogs get elbows and hips, back xrayed once a year after they are a year old. Before a year they are xrayed 3-4 times for monitoring joint growth.

They get yearly bloodwork and the old dog gets bloodwork 2x a year because of his pain medication being Rimadyl. Then my young dogs get OFAed at 2.

If we have a concern we go to the vet. I don't like hopping around vets cause then they never have all the records and information. My vet is reasonable though and very worth every penny I have ever given him.

We do have a chiropractor that tthe LoLa and Judge see once a month.