I have always taken me cat to the same Vet. Clinic and always request the same Vet. there. Last routine annual visit I requested him again but a different Vet. came in saying other Vet. Was busy and I could wait if I wanted. I went ahead and saw my new one as it was a routine checkup with vacc., blood work and worming. Ver. Asked me a few questions about any problems and I could tell he knew nothing of my cats history and he admitted he hadn’t looked at history. This makes me feel uneasy. Am I expecting too much out of my Vet’s office?
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Do you always see same Vet.?
- Thread starter Foundkitty
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if you asked for a specific vet then that's who you should have seen, its bad practice to say "I'm busy". Looking at the pets record if you havent seen the pet before basic I think so in answer to your question, no you are definately not asking too much.
I do usually ask for the same vet for Ruby. However, I've had different ones at the same practice, when something's come up and her regular vet wasn't working.
For you to be booked with a particular vet, and then to tell you they were busy, is odd. But then emergencies can come up with pets, and it's possible your vet was in surgery, or something else that really couldn't be interrupted. Since it was just a routine checkup, it was probably fine to have the other vet. In fact, maybe even a good thing, as now another vet at the clinic has met your cat.
For you to be booked with a particular vet, and then to tell you they were busy, is odd. But then emergencies can come up with pets, and it's possible your vet was in surgery, or something else that really couldn't be interrupted. Since it was just a routine checkup, it was probably fine to have the other vet. In fact, maybe even a good thing, as now another vet at the clinic has met your cat.
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I always see same vet. This is because at my old vet when Isabelle started going, there was another vet that saw her besides our usual and she would try to get me to do so many tests, etc. to have me spend more money. I refuse to go to her because of this and my normal vet isn't as test crazy, while still being thorough. My mom started taking our other cat there, too, when she wasn't happy with the care and treatment when he got sick as he didn't seem to be getting better and they didn't seem very worried or know what next steps to take. He ended up having kidney disease, while the old vet didn't state that it for sure was that. I encouraged her to take him to the vet I'd been using, and specifically ask for my vet. She had been to the other vet at my place a couple times since, but has also noticed she goes way overboard on wanting tests/prescribing things and doesn't like to see her either, so she asks for my vet.
It seems extremely unprofessional to not have read the chart before seeing you, and would make me uncomfortable, too. You aleady seem to know this makes you uncomfortable, trust yourself. You are paying for a service and get to decide who you feel comfortable seeing and what is best for your cat. <3 But like others have mentioned, things happen. My vet place gave me an honest answer for an appointment running late, which was they were behind on a surgery because of something unexpected. I still waited for my vet, but that was because of my previous experience and knew I only wanted her.
It seems extremely unprofessional to not have read the chart before seeing you, and would make me uncomfortable, too. You aleady seem to know this makes you uncomfortable, trust yourself. You are paying for a service and get to decide who you feel comfortable seeing and what is best for your cat. <3 But like others have mentioned, things happen. My vet place gave me an honest answer for an appointment running late, which was they were behind on a surgery because of something unexpected. I still waited for my vet, but that was because of my previous experience and knew I only wanted her.
If you request a specific vet, you should see that vet at the appointment. Sure, things happen (emergency cases, etc) and vets are running late and another vet may be asked to fill in but the client should be informed of the change and the covering vet should take a few minutes to review the pet's records.
I always see the same vet. If there are any changes, the vet's secretary will inform me as soon as she knows. If I'm already waiting at the hospital and something changes, a vet tech will inform me.
I always see the same vet. If there are any changes, the vet's secretary will inform me as soon as she knows. If I'm already waiting at the hospital and something changes, a vet tech will inform me.
I don't see any harm in seeing different vets, but it depends on the circumstances and yours was not the best. Doctors who have to pinch hit for other doctors usually do read charts or familiarize themselves with the patient. It is not like it was free, so you did pay for the uninformed vet.
Otherwise, I think it is situational. My dog's vet cold called me when my "real" vet completely dropped the ball, introducing herself and saying that I was legally entitled to the quality of service for which I had paid and she has since taken over, and saved his life, in two instances. However, about 15 years ago I lost a dog in surgery because the substitute vet never bothered to check the modifications that were supposedly going to be made for my dog's condition.
This can be a sort of gut level question....if it feels wrong, it probably is. If you are treated professionally and with a good reason for the substitution, it is probably okay. I don't know that I would agree to extended procedures or services if I did not speak to my real vet though.
Otherwise, I think it is situational. My dog's vet cold called me when my "real" vet completely dropped the ball, introducing herself and saying that I was legally entitled to the quality of service for which I had paid and she has since taken over, and saved his life, in two instances. However, about 15 years ago I lost a dog in surgery because the substitute vet never bothered to check the modifications that were supposedly going to be made for my dog's condition.
This can be a sort of gut level question....if it feels wrong, it probably is. If you are treated professionally and with a good reason for the substitution, it is probably okay. I don't know that I would agree to extended procedures or services if I did not speak to my real vet though.
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In defense Of the Vet., he did say reg. Vet. Was busy and I could wait if I wanted to. It did bother me that he hadn’t checked the records. Next time I’ll just wait for reg. Vet. Thanks for all the responses.
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My vet's office only has one vet! So yeah, I always see the same one.
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With my cat and now my kitten, I see one of four vets I like, used to be five, but one retired. All five are at the same clinic. With my rabbits, I see one vet at a different clinic.
I’m way more comfortable exchanging vets for a common species, like cats. That said, unless your vet was dealing with an emergency, be it personal or professional, they ought to’ve seen you! It is not for them to choose your cat’s care - you’re paying.
I’m way more comfortable exchanging vets for a common species, like cats. That said, unless your vet was dealing with an emergency, be it personal or professional, they ought to’ve seen you! It is not for them to choose your cat’s care - you’re paying.
Our cat's clinic is a 5 or 6 doctor practice. When we go, we have made it a point to get acquainted with at least 3 of the vets and we set appointments with whichever of the 3 are available on our planned day. This way, our cats have met more than one, they are more comfortable with more than one vet, and more than one vet knows the history because they've seen our gang. We have one favorite who is our "preferred" vet with whom I have a particular rapport and we consider her our "main vet" (and she is the practice owner), but the other two are also good. If an emergency comes up, I can almost guarantee that a vet who knows our cats will be on duty, and I'm fine with waiting a little bit (if it isn't a life threatening situation). We have a new kitten, and all 3 have cared for her during an illness and for her kitten stuff, so all of them will know her as she grows up. They will be life-long vets for our baby, and I am confident that she will receive excellent care from vets who have known her from the beginning.
We have seen the same vet for the past 12 years. He left one practice and joined another one. We switched practices just to continue having him as our vet. He is very familiar with the medical history of our cats. He has helped us through the loss of 2 cats, helped make arrangements for special surgery at NC State, and done research on cat seizure disorders and put Loki on what has been a very effective medication. He goes the extra mile for us. It's not unusual for us to get a phone call from him on a Sunday with the results of lab work. Our older daughter used him for her 2 cats and he helped her through the loss of one of them. He wrote a vet school recommendation for her. And, we have had him and his wife at our home for Christmas dinner (so he could see our cats in their "native" environment 
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I go to a vet clinic that has 4 vets and the clinic owner actually coached my niece through veterinary school.
But one vet there who was new saw Blue when he had constipation from raiding the neighbours dry dog food, he was going on about x-rays and scans and all sorts of things before even examining the cat and lecturing me about caring for the cat.
I lost it and told him get out of my face or else I am going to *&^^% break your nose..( I have a bad temper with stupid people sometimes) Then yelled at reception to get another vet in here.
That vet didn't last there very long..lol
Otherwise very pleased with the care of the other vets..they are all cat people.
But one vet there who was new saw Blue when he had constipation from raiding the neighbours dry dog food, he was going on about x-rays and scans and all sorts of things before even examining the cat and lecturing me about caring for the cat.
I lost it and told him get out of my face or else I am going to *&^^% break your nose..( I have a bad temper with stupid people sometimes) Then yelled at reception to get another vet in here.
That vet didn't last there very long..lol
Otherwise very pleased with the care of the other vets..they are all cat people.
I like having more than a vet at different clinics. It makes getting a second opinion far easier, and also if one isn't available or moves away there is the other, etc
But not reading the history of the cat nor asking you to tell about it is just doing a bad job.
But not reading the history of the cat nor asking you to tell about it is just doing a bad job.
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I use two different practices, but Willow has just been to the vax clinic and the holistic vet so far. I asked to see the same vet regularly at the practice that is close enough for when my car doesn't work and they looked at me strange and made me feel very old fashioned.
There are only two vets at the holistic practice, which I prefer. I have three young pets and had established a fairly good relationship with Dr. D. by the time Willow came along, so it was jarring to see Dr. S. about a serious allergy issue, but she had read Laurel's charts, possibly discussed her case with Dr. D., and I was satisfied with the care we received.
Ideally, I'd like to wait for Dr. D. so that the furkids can know her better and feel more comfortable with her when they are sick and vulnerable, but I do need second opinions for some of their issues and I am low income so I have to prioritize and sometimes compromise.
Marcus Welby doesn't make house calls to see me when I get sick either.
There are only two vets at the holistic practice, which I prefer. I have three young pets and had established a fairly good relationship with Dr. D. by the time Willow came along, so it was jarring to see Dr. S. about a serious allergy issue, but she had read Laurel's charts, possibly discussed her case with Dr. D., and I was satisfied with the care we received.
Ideally, I'd like to wait for Dr. D. so that the furkids can know her better and feel more comfortable with her when they are sick and vulnerable, but I do need second opinions for some of their issues and I am low income so I have to prioritize and sometimes compromise.
Marcus Welby doesn't make house calls to see me when I get sick either.
´No you are not expecting too much from the Vet. In fairness he was honest, however, that was a serious newbie / neglectful move on their part. Thankfully it sounds like you were able to give them the information that they needed, but still, it would make me uneasy too.
Here's two examples of why that can be a potential issue. My one cat,Charlie, was double vaccinated two years running because they were too distracted to read his chart fully. The Vet practice was a clinic of three and I never got to see the same one year to year. The last one was distracted by a sales call from the telephone company (that he had been waiting on) that despite the fact I told him Charlie was already double vaccinated accidentally the year before (rabies) - he did it again! Needless to say that was the final straw for me at that clinic and I fired them. His new Vet is amazing though.
One of my other kitties, Braveheart, had I not read her chart, I would never have known that she had apnea during a biopsy and it was recommended a different anesthesia was used. If another vet didn't read her chart and she needed a sedative or what not - they could potentially kill her.
So imho it's very important that they review the charts and notes before offering to take on your kitties care in replacement of your regular Vet.
We always see the same vet, though there are 4 in the practice where we go. The 4th just started recently, and we did see her a few times. If our regular vet isn't there, we will book with the new one, because she used to work in the ER at the emergency vet office that we have gone to. The other 2 aren't really "cat" people and the staff have admitted as much, so it's not really an issue. Plus one of my babies is "flagged" as being rambunctious so there's basically a tight circle on him anyway, and the other has been deemed my "problem child", so I like that there's really one vet who knows her history inside and out that can communicate with the emergency/specialist clinic and knows what meds to stay away from. Plus she has just gone so far above and beyond with us, and she doesn't view me as a "paranoid mom" anymore, which really has helped the relationship a lot. I hope she never leaves, it would be horrible to start over!!
It's hard when you don't have consistency to feel secure. If it's not the same vet, you should at the very least be able to feel confident that they read the chart. If you were at your doctor's office and you saw a fill-in instead of your primary doctor, they would read your chart before coming in the room. Why should your baby deserve anything less?
It's hard when you don't have consistency to feel secure. If it's not the same vet, you should at the very least be able to feel confident that they read the chart. If you were at your doctor's office and you saw a fill-in instead of your primary doctor, they would read your chart before coming in the room. Why should your baby deserve anything less?
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- #19
Funny you mentioned a Dr.’s office. I know this is off topic but I asked my Pcp if I should always ask for him (there are 3) and he said it didnt matter that they have a team approach! My BS alarm went off. I always ask for same one.
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Yes, I ask for one of the two co-owners of the practice and only go to one of the newer vets (4 vets total work here) when they are completely unavailable.
As far as your particular case. It sounds like the office and your exclusive vet were extremely busy. I wouldn't fault your usual vet, now the office in general, this new vet however, if asking specific questions should have at least glanced at the animal's history. Kudos however for this vet admitting they had not looked!
It being a routine vaccination appointment and not a particular problem relating to the animal I can see wanting to help out and take the load off. "Busy" might have meant an emergency with another animal.
As far as your particular case. It sounds like the office and your exclusive vet were extremely busy. I wouldn't fault your usual vet, now the office in general, this new vet however, if asking specific questions should have at least glanced at the animal's history. Kudos however for this vet admitting they had not looked!
It being a routine vaccination appointment and not a particular problem relating to the animal I can see wanting to help out and take the load off. "Busy" might have meant an emergency with another animal.
