Currently, my pup has no issues but the recent post about Martha's passing brought this to mind. When I was a nurse in a pediatric clinic, we had appointments for non-urgent checkups, physicals and such, yet our docs always had small blocks in the morning and the afternoon for those 'emergencies' that weren't urgent enough to warrant an expensive trip to the ER. Why can't veterinarians do the same?
I have been frustrated so many times in the last 30 years to call my vet's office with an ailment that I felt needed immediate attention, like 'any time today please'. Bloody stools from my puppy and you can't see him until next Thursday??? This is FRIDAY! Well, we can squeeze him in but there is an additional $100 fee for emergencies. Years ago, one of my dachshunds ate pine bark mulch, passing blood and in obvious distress. I drove him to the clinic. 'Well, we don't have any appointments available for today.' ME: 'You don't have a vet tech to do a triage to determine the urgency?' RECEPT-'Well, they aren't vets...' (But I'd bet they could see that my wiener dog was in distress with blood dripping from his butt!) And these experiences weren't with just one vet clinic but 4 over the years. I did have one vet that would do 'same day' appointments but her clinic was in a small town and she wasn't swamped. Then I moved...
A friend of mine, a vet tech, posted on her FB page that the clinic she works at won't be taking on any more new "wellness" clients due to the high demand for urgent care. Two vets in the office will be dedicated to surgery and "sick call", another will do wellness and annual checks for established clients. That they are willing to forego new clients to care for their current clients until another vet can be hired. I applaud this clinic for addressing these needs. There are some things that just can't wait until "next Thursday", some not even until tomorrow.
Anyway, that's my gripe! These are living creatures, dear to our hearts. We spend a lot of $$ at the vet's, shots, heartworm pills, etc. So why has vet care taken on a "for-profit' attitude? Surely most every clinic gets calls on a daily basis with a sick or injured dog that can't wait until "next Thursday".
I have been frustrated so many times in the last 30 years to call my vet's office with an ailment that I felt needed immediate attention, like 'any time today please'. Bloody stools from my puppy and you can't see him until next Thursday??? This is FRIDAY! Well, we can squeeze him in but there is an additional $100 fee for emergencies. Years ago, one of my dachshunds ate pine bark mulch, passing blood and in obvious distress. I drove him to the clinic. 'Well, we don't have any appointments available for today.' ME: 'You don't have a vet tech to do a triage to determine the urgency?' RECEPT-'Well, they aren't vets...' (But I'd bet they could see that my wiener dog was in distress with blood dripping from his butt!) And these experiences weren't with just one vet clinic but 4 over the years. I did have one vet that would do 'same day' appointments but her clinic was in a small town and she wasn't swamped. Then I moved...
A friend of mine, a vet tech, posted on her FB page that the clinic she works at won't be taking on any more new "wellness" clients due to the high demand for urgent care. Two vets in the office will be dedicated to surgery and "sick call", another will do wellness and annual checks for established clients. That they are willing to forego new clients to care for their current clients until another vet can be hired. I applaud this clinic for addressing these needs. There are some things that just can't wait until "next Thursday", some not even until tomorrow.
Anyway, that's my gripe! These are living creatures, dear to our hearts. We spend a lot of $$ at the vet's, shots, heartworm pills, etc. So why has vet care taken on a "for-profit' attitude? Surely most every clinic gets calls on a daily basis with a sick or injured dog that can't wait until "next Thursday".
We left and drove another 20 miles to a small ER. We arrived, Buster miraculously discovered he could walk again when he saw another dog and we were seen in 30 mins. $145 later after being diagnosed with a sprain, we left and were home before the other vet would have even shown up! The vet at the 2nd ER was great. No rush and explained everything and said to rest him and if no improvement, then have him x-rayed with his regular vet. Which is exactly what we did. He rested and was fine! 
