has your vet ever been wrong?

Question

my vet was! when i bought my heeler i took him straight to the vets for a check up, the first thing i was told was his eyes were not going to be protected from the sun and he would end up with skin cancer around his eyes, because he had no colour around them to be protected, the vet gave me heaps of info on the sun and my dog, tried to get me to buy this cream. the other thing he told me was his back legs were not straight enough, started to explain to me that he would need a operation to fix it. well i wasnt happy when i left so i went to another vet clinic and they told me not to worry about any of that, and that my dog would be fine. which he is and has been for 2 yrs. sometimes i think vets go a bit over board, or maybe they are like mechanics when women come in with their cars, and they try ripping you off cause your a female and have no idea bout cars.i put my full trust in my vet as i know nuthing about animal medicine. have you come across a bad vet?

Answer 1

Yes, I nearly lost one of my darling maltese many years ago thanks to vet stupidity and know-it-all. The pup had coccidea. I knew that. I took him to the vet, because what I didn't know was how to treat it. The vet was convinced it was parvo, ran expensive tests, realized it wasn't parvo, and said he had an upset tummy and gave me some amoxicillin, said he would be fine. The vet knows best right? What did I a country girl know? I followed his advice and put out $250 for the bill. 3 days later, my ex and I were headed to the mountains for the weekend, and poor Andrew was so weak he couldn't hold his head up! I was so scared, knew I only had hours until seisures and death. Found a country vet up there, and got him in pronto! Low and behold... it was coccidea! Who'd have thought? Doc gave me the proper medicine and only charged me $30.

After that, Andrew got well and was fine. As to the first vet, I demanded my money back, and got it, since he nearly killed my pup, and would have had I not known better. I then got me a vet handbook, and proceeded to be my own vet after that for minor problems that arose. I don't trust vets. They are arrogant, and overcharge. I know my animals, and I know how to care for them. I'm back in the country now though, we have vets here that care about the animals, aren't in it to rob you blind, and listen when you talk, as it's your animal, you know it best.

Answer 2

I've worked in the veterinary field for over 5 years, and unfortunately I have worked for some pretty shady doctors. There are a lot of doctors out there that are not so much concerned about your pets well being but more so money. It's always best to get a second opinion or check out the better business bureau's website to see if anyone has complained about the practice. If someone told you that there is something wrong with your pets legs (which is common) I would get x-rays. But most of the people that get x-rays to double check (instead of getting a second opinion) are owners with AKC registered dogs (as it is a requirement). But don't worry....just remember second opinions are the way to go. And I'm glad to hear your dog is now 2 yrs. old and has no problem! You are a great owner.

Answer 3

Wow, I am sorry you had such a bad experience. I think it is time for you to find a new veterinarian!!

No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. We cannot all be correct all of the time. Even the best doctors in the world make errors. I believe veterinary medicine is more challenging then human medicine (maybe that is why vet school is so darn hard to get into!). The pets cannot talk to tell you exactly how they feel, where they hurt, if they ate something they shouldn't have, if they feel nauseous, etc.

However, in your case it seems as though your vet was not making a mistake... it sounds like he wants more service ($). And that is very unfortunate.

Answer 4

First off I would just like to say that "Chalice" probably isn't listening to. Since she calls herself a vet nurse. There are no vet nurses....technician's and assistant's yes. I'm in school at UC Davis to be a veterinarian. Unfortunately it sounds like the Dr. you went to was only in it for the money. It could be a reaction from the medication. Pets are normally given a pain medication injection or tablet form after a surgery. Check to see if your pet is on a pain medication called Rimadyl which can cause multiple symptoms (many of which your pet seems to be experiencing). Otherwise it is best to have the dog checked out again. It could be an infection from the surgery (check to see if the incision feels warm) or a reaction from the anesthesia. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Well, I have worked for alot of vets and one thing you need to know is some vets wont worry you over things that cant be changed or that wont effect quality of life! All medical feilds are a trial and error kinda thing. As in humans they have to tell you the bad prognosis, They arent always that bad, Ive seen things that 10 Dr.'s said was bad turn out to be a miracle! 9 times out of 10 Vets are right on!!

Answer 6

you do no longer in uncomplicated terms take your vet to any previous vet with a DVM sign. Vets are knowledgeable to handle cats and canines, and a few have specialties, like exotics, which might incorporate guinea pigs. you may no longer take a guinea pig to a cat and dogs vet. additionally, from the sounds of it, your guinea pig improve into no longer appropriate taken care of, checked over often, and improve into already sick once you took him to the vet. while guinea pigs initiate showing you they're sick, they have already been hiding that fact from you as long as they might and are sicker than you think of they're. Sorry you lost your puppy, even though it is not your vet's fault.

Answer 7

I wouldn't call them bad, but yes, I've experienced three incidents where I had to insist on treatment or further tests. All were serious cases and could have ended badly had I not been stubborn and assertive.

I guess it is a bit of a balance to be a vet. I suspect they have to deal with plenty of hysterical pet owners, who go in to a panic if their pet as much as sneezes - on the other hand, the pet owner is the one who knows the pet best and who has had the best opportunity to observe changes in behaviour etc.

My field of education is similar to that of a vet's so I usually have a pretty good idea of what is wrong with my pets. This makes it easier for me to explain symptoms and argue, but I suspect it can be difficult for a person with no experience in the field to know when the vet might be wrong and to hold one's ground when having to tell a vet that you disagree with his/her judgement and treatment.

Answer 8

Vets are allowed to be wrong occasionally, they are human!!

In your case, I would say it may be more of a case of your vet being money-grubbing than actually being 'wrong'. Though it's only 2 years down the long - not too late for him to still turn out to be right!

There's a vet round the corner from our practice who does everything wrong - on purpose I think, he may be senile he's about 70. He tells people he won't spay their animals until they're a year old or until they've had a litter, that sort of thing. I think maybe he's regressed to the 40s or something. Gives the profession a bad name!!

Chalice

Answer 9

we had a puppy once and the bigger it got the more crooked its legs went , we took her to the vets from the first signs and he was treating her for rickets, when finally her condition was so bad she couldnt hold her weight (and after 6 different vets numerous fees and investigations ) a farmer told us it was congenital collagen disease we took her back to the first vet to have her put down we mentioned what we had been told and he said "good grief i hadnt thought of that" , im not sure if having correct diagnosis wouldve given a different result but i do know i couldnt watch the the deterioration any longer, we had her put down at 7 mnths old unable to leave her basket without help, its a difficult decision to make but im sorry we didnt do it sooner

Answer 10

There is no such thing as a perfect vet.

Just as there is no such thing as a perfect doctor.

I have had a vet I trust very much tell me the wrong information on an animal he doesn't normally see (Guinea Pig). BUT he did warn me that he knew next to nothing about them. He called a friend of his to ask whether his information was correct and the friend corrected him on his information.

An honest vet is far better than a know-it-all.

In your case, you need to find an honest vet.