Since this will most likely be my last time on TPF, I've decided to post some Do's and Dont's for pet owners ( Pet Peeves of my own, and most other fellow veterinary clinic employees including the veterinarians.) when visiting the vet clinic.
1- Keep your dog ON A LEASH, and your cat in a carrier!!
A veterinary clinic is NOT a dog park. It is for veterinary care which not only means giving routine care/vaccines etc. to healthy animals. It also means some of the animals in the clinic waiting area may be SICK (read and possibly contagious!) DO NOT allow your animals, sick or otherwise to approach/touch or try to play with other animals in the waiting area! This can not be stressed enough. This may cause your animal to get sick, or to be attacked and injured by another animal that may not want your dog sniffing it's rear or jumping on it, especially if it's not feeling well. Our vets have actually had to suture up wounds on animals who were attacked in the waiting area because someone let their dog run up in the face of another dog because "Fido just wanted to say hello and play"!
2- TRAIN YOUR DOG TO WALK ON A LEASH! I can not count how many times myself and other coworkers have been drug, yanked around, knocked over etc. by dogs that have not been taught to properly walk on a leash.
3- Teach you dog MANNERS and get them used to being handled for vet care.
If you have an animal that may bite, let the vet clinic employees know in advance so they can take precautions to protect their safety!! I was injured BADLY 3 years ago by a dog that turned out had a reputation for attacks. I was left with permanent partial disability in my right hand from the injuries from this dog's attack. The owner never said a thing about the dog's propensity for biting, AND never once apologized for his dog's behavior or even called back to inquire how I was or about my injuries.
4-Do not complain and make a scene in the lobby about prices or your bill. If you have a question or concern, ask to speak with the office manager away from the lobby. If you think the clinic prices are too high, go to another vet clinic. Veterinary prices go up because the cost of equipment, drugs, etc goes up. Believe it or not, vet clinics can not operate for free.
5- If your pet is sick or exhibiting signs of something not right, and you are not sure if they need to be seen, call the clinic and ask. Do NOT assume whatever it is will go away on it's own.
6- Believe it or not, there are state laws that require your animal to have a yearly exam (sick or not) and certain tests before some medications can be refilled (heartworm meds for example) it is NOT a scam by your veterinarian to get more money out of you if they tell you your pet needs an exam before they can dispense a refill.
7-When it comes to medications for your pets, give them AS DIRECTED, and antibiotics are to be given usually until they are ALL gone. (not just until the animal shows signs of feeling better and then stop)
8-If your animal is suffering from a skin condition, do not give them a bath before they come in for their exam. This may wash away things that the veterinarian may need to see or test to make a diagnosis. Also, do not give any medication directly before coming in to have your animal seen. These meds may mask symptoms your vet needs to see to make a diagnosis.
9-DO NOT give ANY human drugs to your animal unless you check first with your vet to make sure they are okay to give to animls. Some can be deadly to animals.
10-Your Veterinarian is the TRAINED PROFESSIONAL, as are his employees. They are also human like anyone else. They can make mistakes like anyone else. We are in the veterinary field because (hopefully) we love and care about animals and want to help them. Veterinarians and their employees rarely get rich from their profession. The ones I know care deeply for your animal's health and welfare, work LONG hours, (some even taking calls at their home during the night) at times putting themselves at risk of personal injury, come in contact with animal's bodily fluids, and other things many non-veterinary employees would be too grossed out to even hear about, let alone see on a daily basis. Many times we don't even get a thank you from the clients.
I'm certain I could come up with more if I kept thinking about it, but these are the most common issues. With that I am pretty much out of here.
1- Keep your dog ON A LEASH, and your cat in a carrier!!
A veterinary clinic is NOT a dog park. It is for veterinary care which not only means giving routine care/vaccines etc. to healthy animals. It also means some of the animals in the clinic waiting area may be SICK (read and possibly contagious!) DO NOT allow your animals, sick or otherwise to approach/touch or try to play with other animals in the waiting area! This can not be stressed enough. This may cause your animal to get sick, or to be attacked and injured by another animal that may not want your dog sniffing it's rear or jumping on it, especially if it's not feeling well. Our vets have actually had to suture up wounds on animals who were attacked in the waiting area because someone let their dog run up in the face of another dog because "Fido just wanted to say hello and play"!
2- TRAIN YOUR DOG TO WALK ON A LEASH! I can not count how many times myself and other coworkers have been drug, yanked around, knocked over etc. by dogs that have not been taught to properly walk on a leash.
3- Teach you dog MANNERS and get them used to being handled for vet care.
If you have an animal that may bite, let the vet clinic employees know in advance so they can take precautions to protect their safety!! I was injured BADLY 3 years ago by a dog that turned out had a reputation for attacks. I was left with permanent partial disability in my right hand from the injuries from this dog's attack. The owner never said a thing about the dog's propensity for biting, AND never once apologized for his dog's behavior or even called back to inquire how I was or about my injuries.
4-Do not complain and make a scene in the lobby about prices or your bill. If you have a question or concern, ask to speak with the office manager away from the lobby. If you think the clinic prices are too high, go to another vet clinic. Veterinary prices go up because the cost of equipment, drugs, etc goes up. Believe it or not, vet clinics can not operate for free.
5- If your pet is sick or exhibiting signs of something not right, and you are not sure if they need to be seen, call the clinic and ask. Do NOT assume whatever it is will go away on it's own.
6- Believe it or not, there are state laws that require your animal to have a yearly exam (sick or not) and certain tests before some medications can be refilled (heartworm meds for example) it is NOT a scam by your veterinarian to get more money out of you if they tell you your pet needs an exam before they can dispense a refill.
7-When it comes to medications for your pets, give them AS DIRECTED, and antibiotics are to be given usually until they are ALL gone. (not just until the animal shows signs of feeling better and then stop)
8-If your animal is suffering from a skin condition, do not give them a bath before they come in for their exam. This may wash away things that the veterinarian may need to see or test to make a diagnosis. Also, do not give any medication directly before coming in to have your animal seen. These meds may mask symptoms your vet needs to see to make a diagnosis.
9-DO NOT give ANY human drugs to your animal unless you check first with your vet to make sure they are okay to give to animls. Some can be deadly to animals.
10-Your Veterinarian is the TRAINED PROFESSIONAL, as are his employees. They are also human like anyone else. They can make mistakes like anyone else. We are in the veterinary field because (hopefully) we love and care about animals and want to help them. Veterinarians and their employees rarely get rich from their profession. The ones I know care deeply for your animal's health and welfare, work LONG hours, (some even taking calls at their home during the night) at times putting themselves at risk of personal injury, come in contact with animal's bodily fluids, and other things many non-veterinary employees would be too grossed out to even hear about, let alone see on a daily basis. Many times we don't even get a thank you from the clients.
I'm certain I could come up with more if I kept thinking about it, but these are the most common issues. With that I am pretty much out of here.
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Just report the offensive post and move on. To tell you the truth I am not sure how it is still opened. One thing you can say for animal people, they are always passionate.
