Re: choosing a vet -OT
true. I'm extremely stressed at the doctor's office. lol. Marylyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: It certainly can't help. Dixie stayed in the dog area of the vet's for a few days when we found out she was FeLV+. She was obviously not happy but other cats could not be exposed to her either. She was very safe but I am sure unhappydogs, strange place, caged. There just wasn't much choice though. I wonder if the meowing, scents etc of other cats aren't upsetting too though Frankly, anytime I am in a doctor's office, even with someone, I am stressed. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:26 AM Subject: Re: choosing a vet -OT I feel like the barking of dogs traumatizes the cats when they're already upset about going to the vet anyway. Especially if they have to be left there for any length of time with dogs barking I just wondered if any of you felt the same about cat only clinics t Kelley Saveika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: 1. No importance. 2. No importance. 3. Very important, I have actually never had a vet that did this, I was always welcome to be in the room with the cat. My current vet does temp and weight in the back and that's about it. On 9/28/07, catatonya wrote: > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > 1- a cat only clinic > 2-doesn't declaw > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those > criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and > Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I > hate.. > > I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my > area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not > to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem > good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I > should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very > knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( > tonya > > -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
Some vets are afraid that you will faint and injure yourself etc or become upset when they draw blood--not necessarily from the sight of blood but from the way you hold the cat to do it. Just lots of things. I am very lucky and my vets let me be there with my critters. I can understand where they are coming from but I really don't like it. If you feel good with the vet though she may be a keeper. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:00 AM Subject: Re: choosing a vet -OT It's a big decision. And I always second guess my decisions. It's hard to know what to do. I think I'm going to stick with this vet (Dr. Roesner) for my situation with Bob, and then meet the vet that's a parent in my class as well. Dr. Roesner didn't react negatively when I told her Bob had once been positive and had lived his life with 2 positive cats. I suggested we do a retest just in case, and she agreed it wouldn't hurt to rule it out. He was negative, of course. I hate to jinx myself, but I have retested my negatives so many times that I really think I'm wasting my money to do it whenever one of them gets sick. She does seem like a 'good' vet and had a good rapport with Bob and me. She took my concerns about 'taking him to the back' for procedures very seriously, and told me she would always do what she could in my presence. (They brought him and a litterbox into the room with me to wait for the enema to 'work' although they took him to the back to give the enema, for example.) The front office, and all staff were/are very nice and seem informed. This vet also told me not to worry about the money when making my decisions about what to do or not to do. She said that we could work that out, and she didn't even know me. So that's a good sign. t t MaryChristine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: many places don't HAVE cat-only clinics, so it's not even an option i've worked with both, can't say that either kind were intrinsically BETTER. the chemistry between vet and cat, the openness to new ideas and learning is what's paramount to me--i've seen pompous, know-everything, don't-talk-to-me cat-only vets, and i've had general practice vets who talked to me as i were another professional. if my cats like them, they seem to like my cats, and they work with me, that's a major factor. (like when i called my housecall vet and asked if he had room to take on a few more cats, cuz i'd started a new job that needed a vet he asked how many, and i said, um, well, 500. he was silent for a moment, but didn't hang up or say no yep, he's still my vet.) i don't know of any local vets that absolutely do not declaw, but i've also never ever been to one who pushed it--it'd NEVER bee suggested to me, it's never been offered as part of a spay/neuter deal, i don't declaw, tho i have some rescues with both front and all-four declaws, but i don't think i would have realized from my own experience that so many people just thought it was the done thing to do, nor that so many vets and veterinary chains push it so aggressively as a money-making item. so it's never occurred to me to even ask. i agree with marylyn that i'd MUCH rather have a good, compassionate, aware vet doing a declaw if one had to be done--even if the reason is one that many of us would NOT consider valid--with the most up-to-date procedures, pain medication and follow-up than someone who pushes it on all cats. i don't really have that much trouble with the vets taking cats in the back--but the only time i take cats TO the vet (as opposed to the vet coming here to the house, where, clearly, everyone sees almost everything!) is when it's for surgeries that my housecall vet can't do. having tired of chasing cats throughout my and other folks' house while trying to get bloods, ken now takes them out to his new, larger van to do it, but i'm welcome to go sit with them if i want to. i usually don't, as i know how ken treats them, so i trust him with them. one thing that's been mentioned in a lot of places that i'll probably do if i leave town and have to break in a whole new set of vets (a thought that absolutely terrifies me), is to make an initial appointment to tour the clinic--a
Re: choosing a vet -OT
It certainly can't help. Dixie stayed in the dog area of the vet's for a few days when we found out she was FeLV+. She was obviously not happy but other cats could not be exposed to her either. She was very safe but I am sure unhappydogs, strange place, caged. There just wasn't much choice though. I wonder if the meowing, scents etc of other cats aren't upsetting too though Frankly, anytime I am in a doctor's office, even with someone, I am stressed. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:26 AM Subject: Re: choosing a vet -OT I feel like the barking of dogs traumatizes the cats when they're already upset about going to the vet anyway. Especially if they have to be left there for any length of time with dogs barking I just wondered if any of you felt the same about cat only clinics t Kelley Saveika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: 1. No importance. 2. No importance. 3. Very important, I have actually never had a vet that did this, I was always welcome to be in the room with the cat. My current vet does temp and weight in the back and that's about it. On 9/28/07, catatonya wrote: > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > 1- a cat only clinic > 2-doesn't declaw > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those > criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and > Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I > hate.. > > I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my > area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not > to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem > good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I > should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very > knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( > tonya > > -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
Some vets are afraid that you will faint and injure yourself etc or become upset when they draw blood--not necessarily from the sight of blood but from the way you hold the cat to do it. Just lots of things. I am very lucky and my vets let me be there with my critters. I can understand where they are coming from but I really don't like it. If you feel good with the vet though she may be a keeper. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:00 AM Subject: Re: choosing a vet -OT It's a big decision. And I always second guess my decisions. It's hard to know what to do. I think I'm going to stick with this vet (Dr. Roesner) for my situation with Bob, and then meet the vet that's a parent in my class as well. Dr. Roesner didn't react negatively when I told her Bob had once been positive and had lived his life with 2 positive cats. I suggested we do a retest just in case, and she agreed it wouldn't hurt to rule it out. He was negative, of course. I hate to jinx myself, but I have retested my negatives so many times that I really think I'm wasting my money to do it whenever one of them gets sick. She does seem like a 'good' vet and had a good rapport with Bob and me. She took my concerns about 'taking him to the back' for procedures very seriously, and told me she would always do what she could in my presence. (They brought him and a litterbox into the room with me to wait for the enema to 'work' although they took him to the back to give the enema, for example.) The front office, and all staff were/are very nice and seem informed. This vet also told me not to worry about the money when making my decisions about what to do or not to do. She said that we could work that out, and she didn't even know me. So that's a good sign. t t MaryChristine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: many places don't HAVE cat-only clinics, so it's not even an option i've worked with both, can't say that either kind were intrinsically BETTER. the chemistry between vet and cat, the openness to new ideas and learning is what's paramount to me--i've seen pompous, know-everything, don't-talk-to-me cat-only vets, and i've had general practice vets who talked to me as i were another professional. if my cats like them, they seem to like my cats, and they work with me, that's a major factor. (like when i called my housecall vet and asked if he had room to take on a few more cats, cuz i'd started a new job that needed a vet he asked how many, and i said, um, well, 500. he was silent for a moment, but didn't hang up or say no yep, he's still my vet.) i don't know of any local vets that absolutely do not declaw, but i've also never ever been to one who pushed it--it'd NEVER bee suggested to me, it's never been offered as part of a spay/neuter deal, i don't declaw, tho i have some rescues with both front and all-four declaws, but i don't think i would have realized from my own experience that so many people just thought it was the done thing to do, nor that so many vets and veterinary chains push it so aggressively as a money-making item. so it's never occurred to me to even ask. i agree with marylyn that i'd MUCH rather have a good, compassionate, aware vet doing a declaw if one had to be done--even if the reason is one that many of us would NOT consider valid--with the most up-to-date procedures, pain medication and follow-up than someone who pushes it on all cats. i don't really have that much trouble with the vets taking cats in the back--but the only time i take cats TO the vet (as opposed to the vet coming here to the house, where, clearly, everyone sees almost everything!) is when it's for surgeries that my housecall vet can't do. having tired of chasing cats throughout my and other folks' house while trying to get bloods, ken now takes them out to his new, larger van to do it, but i'm welcome to go sit with them if i want to. i usually don't, as i know how ken treats them, so i trust him with them. one thing that's been mentioned in a lot of places that i'll probably do if i leave town and have to break in a whole new set of vets (a thought that absolutely terrifies me), is to make an initial appointment to tour the clinic--a
Re: choosing a vet -OT
I feel a lot more concerned about the quality of the vet than I do issues such as whether it is a cat only clinic. There can be bad vets who choose to operate cat only clinics. My cats do not mind dogs or their barking, but I don't hear significant amounts of barking at the vet anyway. Now at the shelter is a different story. On 9/30/07, catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I feel like the barking of dogs traumatizes the cats when they're already > upset about going to the vet anyway. Especially if they have to be left > there for any length of time with dogs barking I just wondered if any of > you felt the same about cat only clinics > t > > Kelley Saveika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 1. No importance. > 2. No importance. > 3. Very important, I have actually never had a vet that did this, I > was always welcome to be in the room with the cat. My current vet > does temp and weight in the back and that's about it. > > On 9/28/07, catatonya wrote: > > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > > > 1- a cat only clinic > > 2-doesn't declaw > > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those > > criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and > > Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I > > hate.. > > > > I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my > > area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required > not > > to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem > > good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if > I > > should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very > > knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( > > tonya > > > > > > > -- > Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. > > http://www.rescuties.org > > Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! > > http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 > > Please help George! > > http://rescuties.chipin.com/george > > I GoodSearch for Rescuties. > > Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the > Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo! > > > -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
I feel like the barking of dogs traumatizes the cats when they're already upset about going to the vet anyway. Especially if they have to be left there for any length of time with dogs barking I just wondered if any of you felt the same about cat only clinics t Kelley Saveika <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: 1. No importance. 2. No importance. 3. Very important, I have actually never had a vet that did this, I was always welcome to be in the room with the cat. My current vet does temp and weight in the back and that's about it. On 9/28/07, catatonya wrote: > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > 1- a cat only clinic > 2-doesn't declaw > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those > criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and > Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I > hate.. > > I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my > area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not > to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem > good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I > should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very > knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( > tonya > > -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
On 9/30/07, catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It's a big decision. And I always second guess my decisions. It's hard to > know what to do. I think I'm going to stick with this vet (Dr. Roesner) for > my situation with Bob, and then meet the vet that's a parent in my class as > well. Dr. Roesner didn't react negatively when I told her Bob had once been > positive and had lived his life with 2 positive cats. I suggested we do a > retest just in case, and she agreed it wouldn't hurt to rule it out. He was > negative, of course. I hate to jinx myself, but I have retested my > negatives so many times that I really think I'm wasting my money to do it > whenever one of them gets sick. I don't think you are wasting your money. Current AAFP guidelines indicate cats should be tested when sick regardless of prior test results. "Cats should be tested for FeLV infection under the following circumstances: Whenever they are sick, regardless of age, negative results of previous FeLV tests, and FeLV vaccination status." http://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidelines/Felv_FIV_Guidelines.pdf -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
It's a big decision. And I always second guess my decisions. It's hard to know what to do. I think I'm going to stick with this vet (Dr. Roesner) for my situation with Bob, and then meet the vet that's a parent in my class as well. Dr. Roesner didn't react negatively when I told her Bob had once been positive and had lived his life with 2 positive cats. I suggested we do a retest just in case, and she agreed it wouldn't hurt to rule it out. He was negative, of course. I hate to jinx myself, but I have retested my negatives so many times that I really think I'm wasting my money to do it whenever one of them gets sick. She does seem like a 'good' vet and had a good rapport with Bob and me. She took my concerns about 'taking him to the back' for procedures very seriously, and told me she would always do what she could in my presence. (They brought him and a litterbox into the room with me to wait for the enema to 'work' although they took him to the back to give the enema, for example.) The front office, and all staff were/are very nice and seem informed. This vet also told me not to worry about the money when making my decisions about what to do or not to do. She said that we could work that out, and she didn't even know me. So that's a good sign. t t MaryChristine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: many places don't HAVE cat-only clinics, so it's not even an option i've worked with both, can't say that either kind were intrinsically BETTER. the chemistry between vet and cat, the openness to new ideas and learning is what's paramount to me--i've seen pompous, know-everything, don't-talk-to-me cat-only vets, and i've had general practice vets who talked to me as i were another professional. if my cats like them, they seem to like my cats, and they work with me, that's a major factor. (like when i called my housecall vet and asked if he had room to take on a few more cats, cuz i'd started a new job that needed a vet he asked how many, and i said, um, well, 500. he was silent for a moment, but didn't hang up or say no yep, he's still my vet.) i don't know of any local vets that absolutely do not declaw, but i've also never ever been to one who pushed it--it'd NEVER bee suggested to me, it's never been offered as part of a spay/neuter deal, i don't declaw, tho i have some rescues with both front and all-four declaws, but i don't think i would have realized from my own experience that so many people just thought it was the done thing to do, nor that so many vets and veterinary chains push it so aggressively as a money-making item. so it's never occurred to me to even ask. i agree with marylyn that i'd MUCH rather have a good, compassionate, aware vet doing a declaw if one had to be done--even if the reason is one that many of us would NOT consider valid--with the most up-to-date procedures, pain medication and follow-up than someone who pushes it on all cats. i don't really have that much trouble with the vets taking cats in the back--but the only time i take cats TO the vet (as opposed to the vet coming here to the house, where, clearly, everyone sees almost everything!) is when it's for surgeries that my housecall vet can't do. having tired of chasing cats throughout my and other folks' house while trying to get bloods, ken now takes them out to his new, larger van to do it, but i'm welcome to go sit with them if i want to. i usually don't, as i know how ken treats them, so i trust him with them. one thing that's been mentioned in a lot of places that i'll probably do if i leave town and have to break in a whole new set of vets (a thought that absolutely terrifies me), is to make an initial appointment to tour the clinic--and if you're not welcome to, take that as a warning bell right from the start. what vet clients--and human patients--tend to forget is that WE PAY THE BILLS, we are the customers, and we don't have to settle for things that make us uncomfortable. see how the FRONT-OFFICE STAFF TREATS YOU, on the phone and in person. we (a nationwide rescue group, with vets all over the country we work with) had a long-standing relationship with a wonderful vet, with an incredibly well-equipped facility--and an office staff that was atrocious. rude, inefficient, uncaring--but no one had the guts to say anything to the vet guess who was asked to be the one to do so. find out IN ADVANCE how the vet will handle emergencies, and emergency PAYMENT. as some of you know, i've been disabled for many years, but worked part-time til 1991, since then i've been on disability based on part-time work. i couldn't afford to rent a litterbox in most large american cities so a major surgery, or a catastrophic illness is not something i will EVER be able to handle upfront. but i have NEVER found a vet, other than ER ones, who was not willing to work with me. but i told them about my circumstances at
Re: choosing a vet -OT
My vet that gave up her practice was just so 'perfect' that it's hard to handle changing. I HATE changing vets. My vet I had years ago told me about declaws that she was running a 'business' and they did promote the declaws. It was easy for me to leave there when I found out about an all cat clinic that refused to declaw. I envy you your vet Belinda. t Belinda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I would choose the vet I thought was giving the best care to my furkids, that would be the most important thing to me. I'm sure you could find something you didn't particularly like with just about any vet so so for me I'd go with the one I feel most comfortable with and feel is giving the best care to my furkids. Of course if you can find a vet that fits all your criteria that would be a bonus!! -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: choosing a vet -OT
I've asked her about 'taking him to the back' to get blood, etc things I'd rather have done in the exam. room. She says she does it with her own cats, and that it's a legal thing, and a personal thing. She says she is not her own cats' vet and lets another vet be their vet because they can be more objective and that she doesn't even go in with her own cats for procedures. She says she doesn't even let her friends do this either It's just her policy. The problem is that I DO like this vet. She seems very concerned, very thorough, etc As I said she totally changed the dx from my 'new' vet that I got stuck with. I have much more confidence in her than my previous clinic. I have a student in my class whose father is a vet. I'm thinking about checking out his clinic as well.. t Marylyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Thoughts: vets who see more than one type of animal may be more open to ideas.."well, cats don't normally get this but dogs do and possibly this cat picked it up in a 1 in 1000 chance" Declawing is a volatile but personal issue and may not be a black and white issue. Perhaps it is better to have a really good vet do it and a good follow up than to have a vet who isn't so good totally screw it up. I really have an issue with people who won't let me stay with my little friend. Maybe you can explain this to the vet and work something out? Frankly, if I had bad feelings about a vet and had an option I would take the option. You may hate yourself if you don't. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 4:22 AM Subject: choosing a vet -OT How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be 1- a cat only clinic 2-doesn't declaw 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I hate.. I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( tonya
Re: choosing a vet -OT
many places don't HAVE cat-only clinics, so it's not even an option i've worked with both, can't say that either kind were intrinsically BETTER. the chemistry between vet and cat, the openness to new ideas and learning is what's paramount to me--i've seen pompous, know-everything, don't-talk-to-me cat-only vets, and i've had general practice vets who talked to me as i were another professional. if my cats like them, they seem to like my cats, and they work with me, that's a major factor. (like when i called my housecall vet and asked if he had room to take on a few more cats, cuz i'd started a new job that needed a vet he asked how many, and i said, um, well, 500. he was silent for a moment, but didn't hang up or say no yep, he's still my vet.) i don't know of any local vets that absolutely do not declaw, but i've also never ever been to one who pushed it--it'd NEVER bee suggested to me, it's never been offered as part of a spay/neuter deal, i don't declaw, tho i have some rescues with both front and all-four declaws, but i don't think i would have realized from my own experience that so many people just thought it was the done thing to do, nor that so many vets and veterinary chains push it so aggressively as a money-making item. so it's never occurred to me to even ask. i agree with marylyn that i'd MUCH rather have a good, compassionate, aware vet doing a declaw if one had to be done--even if the reason is one that many of us would NOT consider valid--with the most up-to-date procedures, pain medication and follow-up than someone who pushes it on all cats. i don't really have that much trouble with the vets taking cats in the back--but the only time i take cats TO the vet (as opposed to the vet coming here to the house, where, clearly, everyone sees almost everything!) is when it's for surgeries that my housecall vet can't do. having tired of chasing cats throughout my and other folks' house while trying to get bloods, ken now takes them out to his new, larger van to do it, but i'm welcome to go sit with them if i want to. i usually don't, as i know how ken treats them, so i trust him with them. one thing that's been mentioned in a lot of places that i'll probably do if i leave town and have to break in a whole new set of vets (a thought that absolutely terrifies me), is to make an initial appointment to tour the clinic--and if you're not welcome to, take that as a warning bell right from the start. what vet clients--and human patients--tend to forget is that WE PAY THE BILLS, we are the customers, and we don't have to settle for things that make us uncomfortable. see how the FRONT-OFFICE STAFF TREATS YOU, on the phone and in person. we (a nationwide rescue group, with vets all over the country we work with) had a long-standing relationship with a wonderful vet, with an incredibly well-equipped facility--and an office staff that was atrocious. rude, inefficient, uncaring--but no one had the guts to say anything to the vet guess who was asked to be the one to do so. find out IN ADVANCE how the vet will handle emergencies, and emergency PAYMENT. as some of you know, i've been disabled for many years, but worked part-time til 1991, since then i've been on disability based on part-time work. i couldn't afford to rent a litterbox in most large american cities so a major surgery, or a catastrophic illness is not something i will EVER be able to handle upfront. but i have NEVER found a vet, other than ER ones, who was not willing to work with me. but i told them about my circumstances at the very beginning, and always made every payment, so that when the times came when a big bill needed to be stretched out, i already had a history with them. places that will NOT make arrangements for payment are, to my mind, not the people i want caring for my animals--yes, it's a business, and yes they need to pay their bills and i understand that--but if they're passionate about the human/animal bond, they are not going to make people choose pain and death for their animals due to an immediate shortage of cash. this is a good discussion to have; maybe input from lots of us could be edited into a separate page on the site for folks on, "what to look for in a vet," or, "interviewing your next vet?" we used to hold periodic chats on this with vets, to see what the best client for THEM is--it's possible i could get one to come to the list and talk about that, if there's interest (she's a cat-only vet) On 9/28/07, catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > 1- a cat only clinic > 2-doesn't declaw > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but does
Re: choosing a vet -OT
1. No importance. 2. No importance. 3. Very important, I have actually never had a vet that did this, I was always welcome to be in the room with the cat. My current vet does temp and weight in the back and that's about it. On 9/28/07, catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be > > 1- a cat only clinic > 2-doesn't declaw > 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? > > That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the > morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all > until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she > seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those > criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and > Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I > hate.. > > I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my > area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not > to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem > good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I > should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very > knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( > tonya > > -- Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time. http://www.rescuties.org Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life! http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20 Please help George! http://rescuties.chipin.com/george I GoodSearch for Rescuties. Raise money for your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
Re: choosing a vet -OT
I would choose the vet I thought was giving the best care to my furkids, that would be the most important thing to me. I'm sure you could find something you didn't particularly like with just about any vet so so for me I'd go with the one I feel most comfortable with and feel is giving the best care to my furkids. Of course if you can find a vet that fits all your criteria that would be a bonus!! -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: choosing a vet -OT
Thoughts: vets who see more than one type of animal may be more open to ideas.."well, cats don't normally get this but dogs do and possibly this cat picked it up in a 1 in 1000 chance" Declawing is a volatile but personal issue and may not be a black and white issue. Perhaps it is better to have a really good vet do it and a good follow up than to have a vet who isn't so good totally screw it up. I really have an issue with people who won't let me stay with my little friend. Maybe you can explain this to the vet and work something out? Frankly, if I had bad feelings about a vet and had an option I would take the option. You may hate yourself if you don't. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 4:22 AM Subject: choosing a vet -OT How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be 1- a cat only clinic 2-doesn't declaw 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I hate.. I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( tonya
choosing a vet -OT
How important is it to you when looking for a vet that it be 1- a cat only clinic 2-doesn't declaw 3 doesn't take your cat 'to the back' to do everything? That is what I had and lost. When Bob got sick last week I took off the morning to call and get him in and there was no doctor coming in at all until 2:00. So I tried this highly recommended new vet I'm seeing and she seems very knowledgeable and thorough, but doesn't meet any of those criteria. She is far away, but they are open until 9:00 every night and Saturday and Sunday. That would keep me out of the emergency vets whom I hate.. I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I don't know of any other vets in my area that don't declaw. The new vet at my old vet's office was required not to do it as part of the sale of the practice. But she just does not seem good at all, she does everything in the back as wellthus wondering if I should put up with these things and use this new vet I feel is very knowledgeable or keep looking. And I have been looking and looking. :( tonya
