Your experiences with vet competence

Megan used to go on about finding a decent vet, and surprised me with
how many vets are actually clueless and even dangerous.

As a simple consumer, I hadn't realized this was an issue. I mean,
these folks go to college, they get accredited, you would think there
would be uniformity in their skills.

Now that we have another cat in the household, I'm thinking about
shopping around again for a vet. Our current vet is close (minimizing
terrorized howling-in-the-carrier time) and good with people, but I
don't know how to evaluate whether they're good with our cats. Luckily
(touch wood) we haven't had any major crises with any cats since being
at that vet, but I'd like to think that if something did come up we
were giving them the best care possible.

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research do
you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and knowledgeable?

Thanks

BLink

Brian Link wrote:

Megan used to go on about finding a decent vet, and surprised me with
how many vets are actually clueless and even dangerous.

As a simple consumer, I hadn't realized this was an issue. I mean,
these folks go to college, they get accredited, you would think there
would be uniformity in their skills.

Now that we have another cat in the household, I'm thinking about
shopping around again for a vet. Our current vet is close (minimizing
terrorized howling-in-the-carrier time) and good with people, but I
don't know how to evaluate whether they're good with our cats. Luckily
(touch wood) we haven't had any major crises with any cats since being
at that vet, but I'd like to think that if something did come up we
were giving them the best care possible.

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research do
you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and knowledgeable?

Thanks

BLink


I prefer a cat-only veterinary clinic.

At least at those clinics there is some measure of specialization and
thus more of an indepth feline knowledge and the notion that those vets
working there are very likely feline fans.

I once would have thought cat-only clinics would be preferable. Then I
found out that my brother's cat-only vet recommended that his 22-pound
cat lose 5 pounds the first week, and at least 2 pounds a week after
that. I don't know much about feline nutrition, but I wouldn't even
suggest a human lose 5 pounds in a week, and generally a loss of 2
pounds/week is standard for humans who weigh 5+ times as much as cats.
Something was amiss, I thought, and I suggested they find another vet.

"Rona Y." wrote in message
oups.com...
I once would have thought cat-only clinics would be preferable. Then I
found out that my brother's cat-only vet recommended that his 22-pound
cat lose 5 pounds the first week, and at least 2 pounds a week after
that. I don't know much about feline nutrition, but I wouldn't even
suggest a human lose 5 pounds in a week, and generally a loss of 2
pounds/week is standard for humans who weigh 5+ times as much as cats.
Something was amiss, I thought, and I suggested they find another vet.


That's incredible. Are you sure your brother quoted the vet accurately? If
so, that is gross negligence and/or incompetence.

MaryL

In message Joe Canuck
wrote:

I prefer a cat-only veterinary clinic.

At least at those clinics there is some measure of specialization and
thus more of an indepth feline knowledge and the notion that those vets
working there are very likely feline fans.

I've found that the opposite is true, the cat-only ones tend to charge
significantly more and offer mediocre knowledge.

However, it probably varies depending on area.

--
To the book depository!
-- Homer

Brian wrote:

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research do
you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and knowledgeable?



I look at length of time a practice has been around and length of time the
vets at the practice have been there, first.

Then I want to know what they do for the community. Do they
participate in TNR programs etc.?

Once those requirements are met, I do my own research into
every health condition that comes up before I allow the vet to
do anything to my cat--if I can. Since I have never had a
sudden emergency I have always been able to. Used judiciously
the Internet is a treasure trove of good information.

Nobody is perfect. I check up on my own doctors as well before I let
them do anything to me or prescribe anything for me.

find out if they hire certified technicians or just people off the street to
care for your pets.

Kim

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
Megan used to go on about finding a decent vet, and surprised me with
how many vets are actually clueless and even dangerous.

As a simple consumer, I hadn't realized this was an issue. I mean,
these folks go to college, they get accredited, you would think there
would be uniformity in their skills.

Now that we have another cat in the household, I'm thinking about
shopping around again for a vet. Our current vet is close (minimizing
terrorized howling-in-the-carrier time) and good with people, but I
don't know how to evaluate whether they're good with our cats. Luckily
(touch wood) we haven't had any major crises with any cats since being
at that vet, but I'd like to think that if something did come up we
were giving them the best care possible.

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research do
you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and knowledgeable?

Thanks

BLink

Brian Link wrote:
Megan used to go on about finding a decent vet, and surprised me with
how many vets are actually clueless and even dangerous.

Very, very bad, vets, like most doctors, trading on their diplomas
instead of their actual knowledge which is mostly by rote. But that's
true for all doctors of any stripe.

As a simple consumer, I hadn't realized this was an issue. I mean,
these folks go to college, they get accredited, you would think there
would be uniformity in their skills.

But if the school and the teaching is bad? I have seen truly terrible
vets and their students at one of the best vet schools in the country,
an ivy-league vet school, deaf, dumb and blind is how I would describe
the vet students I met here. But there's a chance they will get better.
Things are getting better but they were truly terrible at one point and
churning out a lot of bad vets.

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research do
you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and knowledgeable?

I ask and ask again. A good local vet missed parasites that I diagnosed
sight unseen for someone. So I file that away. This vet appears to be
good for emergencies but dishes out too many it's the food as the
cause. In this case, missing parasites was just plain dumb on her part.
However, she did stay up with a very sick cat so for emergencies she
might be good.

Another vet I noticed had really good hands but not the academic
knowledge. And vice versa for yet a third vet, who was board certified
in her specialty but had clumsy and awkward hands, not a good vet for
handling the little critters.

I think that in general, vets are getting better. The ones I remember
from years ago were just terrible. Now I see some rather kind and
knowledgeable people. But I still remember that over-rated vet school
and the mistakes they made while pretending to be the best.

I better quit before I start naming names.

Brandy Alexandre wrote:

Brian Link wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav:


Megan used to go on about finding a decent vet, and surprised me
with how many vets are actually clueless and even dangerous.

As a simple consumer, I hadn't realized this was an issue. I mean,
these folks go to college, they get accredited, you would think
there would be uniformity in their skills.

Now that we have another cat in the household, I'm thinking about
shopping around again for a vet. Our current vet is close
(minimizing terrorized howling-in-the-carrier time) and good with
people, but I don't know how to evaluate whether they're good with
our cats. Luckily (touch wood) we haven't had any major crises
with any cats since being at that vet, but I'd like to think that
if something did come up we were giving them the best care
possible.

What do you folks think is the average competency of your
garden-variety vet? And what questions do you ask, what research
do you do to convince yourselves that a vet is safe and
knowledgeable?

Thanks

BLink



You really just go by gut instinct and ask lots of questions. If the
answers are direct and to the point, they know their stuff, and if the
response is meandering and vague, they're bluffing.

I adore our new vet since moving. When Kami had her asthma attack in
LA, we were given two different drugs, and the ER vet said at the first
sign use the Breathine and if it gets worse, the prednisone. I went
over the instructions with the new vet and she said to go straight for
the prednisone. Why? Both drugs are bad for the kidneys, so go for
the big guns that will stop it so you don't have to give any more. Her
logic is impeccable.


Oh yes, absolutely. rolls-eyes

"Joe Canuck" wrote in message
...

Oh yes, absolutely. rolls-eyes


Are you from Canada?