Good Vet? Bad Vet? - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

myfunnyvalentine · 03-26-2010, 06:44 AM

I'm looking for a new vet. There are two contenders. Southfork Animal Clinic is right down the street, has 30 years experience, is available for emergency surgery outside office hours, but has some interesting reviews. The other is Murphy Clinic and has a few good reviews but is not available for emergencies outside off office hours.

My main concern is what to do if Ivan has bloat later on. I would be scared to wait and go to an animal hospital. But some bad reviews may be not accurate. so I really don't know what to do :(

Harley_chik · 03-26-2010, 07:22 PM

I personally would talk to some local breeders about it. I got a great recommendation from a great local breeder. She has seven Spoos right now and she, a fellow breeder and her groomer (who has two of their dogs) all use the same vet so you know he has experience w/ Poodle issues. I talked to her quite a bit about the vet situation here. I have a vet and am not 100% happy w/ him. I will definately be taking my new puppy to the recommended vet for everything except urgent emergencies. (The breeder's vet is an hour away from and my current vet is only minutes away, the main reason I use him is b/c he has always been available during an emergency.) I will also be quizzing my current vet about his experience w/ bloat just in case.

partial2poodles · 03-26-2010, 07:49 PM

I know you didn't bring this up.....MONEY and PRICES. Don't assume that anything has to do with price. When I reccomend my vet, people ask me if he's cheap. I say he's not the cheapest but he is the best at accurately diagnosing a problem correctly the first time. He does not do emergency surgery...that doesn't bother me....he is 30 minutes away. I love him and his staff because of the love they show and how they treat my pets so gently. I trust them 100%

bigpoodleperson · 03-27-2010, 11:00 AM

Just remember, the amout of time you could Possibly be in for an emergency is FAR less then the amout of time you will be there for other things! Is there an emergency clinic available in your town? My vet clinic will do emergency surgeries when we are open, but there is an actual emergency vet open nights, weekends, holidays for the whole city that i would use if a problem were to happen.

Actual live reviews are the best. I also would recommend to call around and see which one you feel most comfortable with. If i call somewhere and the staff isnt friendly with me then i wouldnt go there. It personally does not bother me if a vet is not and expert on every breed issue as long as they know their general medicine well. If they know their general medicine then they will know of every disease.

Olie · 03-27-2010, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partial2poodles

I know you didn't bring this up.....MONEY and PRICES. Don't assume that anything has to do with price. When I reccomend my vet, people ask me if he's cheap. I say he's not the cheapest but he is the best at accurately diagnosing a problem correctly the first time. He does not do emergency surgery...that doesn't bother me....he is 30 minutes away. I love him and his staff because of the love they show and how they treat my pets so gently. I trust them 100%

Here's the thing. Cheap and/or affordable is IMPORTANT to some (ME!). If I can get the same health/medical needs from a Vet that charges 20-40% less, we are going there. That's if they are not asses from the receptionist to the exam room.

partial2poodles · 03-27-2010, 07:33 PM

My current vet, the one I love, LEFT another practice to open his own. (MY customers tell me lots of information on The OTHER place) The OTHER place gets a ton of clients. They all get the SAME treatment from ear infections, to torn dewclaws. The issue an antibiotic, a med-dose-pac of predinisone and also an injection of prednisone. STANDARD protocol for everything. It nauseates me. I have a young highschool senior who has very little money and she went there for a 2nd opinion. Of course, the vomiting and diarreah cleared up with steroids and antiobiotics....but as will ALL these client dogs who go to that vet, THE PROBLEM always comes back. And each time, the immune system is slightly more compromised and weakened. The clients ask me AFTER they've spent hundreds, even thousands, on skin and ears, who I recommend. I say, I told you a hundred times to quit going there but you say he/she always seems to get immediate relief when they go to the CHEAP VET. In the long run, CHEAPER is not always better. I have healthier dogs and more money to show for it. The other vets always TREATED the problem temporarily but they didn't want to CURE the problem.

I hope you find a vet who is not predinsone happy!

tintlet · 03-28-2010, 09:21 AM

One thing I find is if the Clinic is "receptionist and Vet-tech heavy" and has a computer system, they will always be higher priced.

Someone has to pay for all that help :-)

I would rather go to place that offers emergency care for it's regular clients. Find that the emergency place are 3-4 times higher