At What Point... ?

Question

At what point has a vet overstepped boundaries and violated his code of ethics? I understand vets are there to make money as much as help pets, which is why they promote crappy foods they are paid to endorse, and try to run excessive blood tests when there's nothing wrong with the dog to start with, and try to sell expensive shampoos that are no different than pet store brands. I've even caught them adding nail trims and ear cleanings to my bill when I did not ask for nor receive such services!! But the other day, I feel a vet went too far, and may have even endangered a dog's health for the sake of making money. (continued below)

I'm a groomer, and a man came into my shop with a schnauzer to have his ears plucked & washed. We did, and he took the dog to the vet for a checkup. The vet looked in his ears, told the man the dog had cuts in his ears and needed antibiotics. The man told the vet where he'd taken the dog before, and the vet told him WE cut the dogs ears to get the hair out. (We pluck hair out the proper way, with ear powder and our finger tips only.) The man came back, furious, and we looked at the dogs ears- in ONE ear, there was a tiny red mark from a fingernail scratch when we plucked it- no cuts, no open wounds, nothing. Just irritation which is normal and goes away after a day. We washed the ears afterward with ear cleaner, which is mostly alcohol, so there no chance of infection. And the vet put him on a course of injectable antibiotics. He gave the first shot without even clearing it with the owner, then told him he had to come back and pay for more shots the next week! Can they DO this?

Subject a dog to pointless antibiotics, comprimising his immune system, for PROFIT??

And to those who said I should change vets, I thank you, but I don't use that vet and never had, it was a grooming client of mine. I like my own vet and I make sure they don't do anything I don't ask them for (I left the ones who did the nail trims and such unasked) and I know what my pets need and don't need. I just wanted to know if anything can legally be done to this guy for doing this.

Answer 1

If the owner takes the dog back he can do it. The owner of the pet has to say something.

Answer 2

It's possible that in the eyes of the vet, you actually hurt the dog.
It's obvious that in your eyes, you did not hurt the dog.
It seems like the vet should have contacted you to get the whole story before prescribing antibiotics, but what we have here are three people who had the dog's best interests in mind (the groomer, the owner and the vet) who can't agree on a common cause and result. Unfortunately, I don't think that any of you can easily resolve this, and I believe that either you (the groomer) or the vet might lose a customer here.
Let's just hope that the dog is OK ... right?

Answer 3

I find most vets don't understand about ear plucking, some even advise their clients not to have it done!

The situation is not helped by groomers who yank out huge wads of hair at once (leaving sore ears that are ripe for bacteria) or fail to mention to the owners that the dog's ears are infected/irritated/sore (which they were BEFORE they were plucked, but you couldn't see if because of the hair).

But some vets are complete morons when it comes to grooming. I once groomed a dog with a skin irritation, I gave her an oatmeal bath and then clipped her body with a #4 and told the owner about it. The idiot vet told the owner the skin was because I gave the dog clipper burn!

Answer 4

Guess it depends on the vet.

I work for the veterinarian that takes care of my animals. He isn't getting rich from being a veterinarian I can tell you that. The cost of blood tests from companies like Antech and the cost of medications is astronomical. But why wouldn't they be, they are for humans. The drug companies need to make their billions in profits.

Once they did trim my cats nails without me asking, but that was because the receptionist marked it down and they did what was on the sheet. I simply went to them and said that I didn't ask for this service and they took it off the bill. (I trim my own cats nails).

Do some vets do unneeded services? Absolutely, just like doctors for humans. Is it to make money? Maybe. Or maybe it's because we can tell doctors what is wrong with us and how we're feeling and our pets can't so they try every way to ensure our pets health. I'm sure there are some unscrupulous vets out there.

We only sell one type of food at our clinic (Hill's Science Diet). It's expensive because it's a prescription. It's the same food my vet feeds his pets, so he sells what he uses.

As for medicating when unneeded or stepping over boundries, I guess it happens places. If anyone is unhappy with their doctor, they can change them. Ultimately, it's the pet owners responsibility to make sure they are comfortable with their doctor and with the care their pets are being given.

JMHO.....

Answer 5

It sounds like you have a bad vet. There are a lot more good vets than there are bad vets. Just keep looking for a better one. I had the same thing happen when I moved home. I had worked for two great vets in my previous town and when I moved back to my hometown I went to the vet that had taken over for my previous vet there (he had passed away) He wanted to put my cat on prescription food with out running any tests (he was blocked) and then my husbands grandmother went to him with her 12 yr old German Shepard because she was VERY sick. From my experience I thought she was obstructed. Well she went to this vet and he didnt even examine the dog and he told her "Its probably cancer and it will cost you 200 dollars just to xray it and tell us thats what it is and we wont be able to do anything. " So she left. A month later the dog was still sick, so she took it to another vet in town and he exmained Sammy and said she wasnt obstructed but ran bloodwork and found that her kidneys were failing. If the 1st doctor had actually done his job Sammy might not have had to be put to sleep. It was like going to the doctor and saying "there is some pain in my breast" and teh doctor with out examining you says "oh well its cancer there is nothing you can do." It sucks when you have bad vets. But like I said the vets I have worked for always look out for the pet first. Our motto at my old clinic was "Do Whats Best For The Pet" We werent about money just wanted to care for sick animals.
Good luck finding a better vet in your town.

Answer 6

They can do it as long as you let them. The man has a choice. He can seek out a better vet. They're not all charlatans. I have a very good vet, which I'm quite happy with, and the way I got him was through an acquaintance. I came from a bad situation where they were overdiagnosing to try and make money, to a situation where the vet charges a nominal fee and gives excellent service.

Answer 7

Unfortunately, some are like this. That mightly dollar rules in some cases. I would be seeking out a different vet and if you know who it is, I sure would make sure not to refer anyone to this guy. What's worse is that he's giving your groomers a bad name for the sake of making some extra cash.

Answer 8

I see this just like the rabies shots. Here in Kansas they are a vaccine for three years and yet we have to get a brand new one every year as of veterinary clinics around here. Then when you register your dog with the city you have to have their rabies shot taken before you can have them registered in the city. Yet they are proven to prevent rabies for 3 years. I think its crazy all of the things veterinarians and even doctors can do, mainly I think it is because the endorsments with the pharmacutical companies, I don't know if there are any laws aqianst it yet.

Answer 9

Get a new vet, I have never had these problems with mine, I tell them what I want done. They always try to recommend, and I just say I cannot afford to pay for things that are not needed.

Answer 10

Wow, that's awful. I have worked for a vet that was like that and I fought battles with him every day about what he would try to get away with. He has way stepped over his boundaries and is just in it to make money. I understand he has an overhead to upkeep but sometimes it is just plain greed. I would suggest reporting this man to the Better business Bureau and speaking to your clients and help them steer clear of this man.