A Holiday Wish From Your Vet’s Office!
Dec 20 2007
This was posted on my message board by luckyducky, and I know you don’t all read that so I thought I’d bring it over. It’s well worth cross posting!
I have worked for a equine veterinary clinic for 7 years now. In that time I have dealt with ALOT and I would love to post my Christmas list up to see if any of my wishes come true.
1. I would like for all owners to call me and know EXACTLY what they need, or at least have a fair idea. if you are call for routine care, please have your records (that reminder we sent you last month is even better) ready.
2. I would love for people to remember that I talk to between 75 – 100 people a day, and there is more than 1 person working in our office. Please don’t begin your call with “Hi, I just talked to you.” Or “Hey, this is Jim” Or, my personal favorite ” Hi, this is Beau’s mom” Do you know how many Beaus we see? My favorite clients call and say ” Hello, this is Joe Blow, and my horse Tuffy was due for his (insert info from previously mentioned Reminder) on Monday the 12.” I LOVE THAT!!! (FHOTD in: Oh seriously. I HATE when people do that to me at work too. Oh, hi, blahblahblah…IDENTIFY YOURSELF! You are not my best friend and I DO NOT know your voice. While we are at it, slow down and let me get a word in edgewise and you will not have to repeat your story all over again when you find out there is nothing I can do to help you and you have the wrong department entirely.)
3. I would like clients to know when they are available to have their horses seen. Nothing is more frustrating then leafing through the appointment book 20 times trying to find a time for your horse to have a dental done between your yoga class and your child’s tuba lesson. Set aside a few days for your appointment when you can cancel or move a less important appointment. Yoga can be missed 1 time without the world imploding!
4. I cannot promise that your appointment will not get bumped if my Dr. is taking emergencies that day. I wish that clients would not call and chew my ass because Precious couldn’t get her Legend shot today due to the Doc being at a down and thrashing colic. If it were your horses colicking would you want him to stop for something routine? Please be patient with me. I want your horse to be taken care of as much as you do.
5. On that same note, I can’t control traffic, weather, road closures, Dr. potty breaks, or anything else that would make him late to your appointment. I wish for clients who understand that and don’t scream at me because they are at the barn 20 minutes longer than expected. @#%$ happens. (FHOTD in: And again, if you board, odds are your BM or BO will handle for the vet for you for a fee. If you are busy and on a schedule, JUST PAY IT. Don’t sit there and be pissy because the vet is late. The vet is ALMOST ALWAYS going to be late, it’s the nature of things.)
6. I wish for clients who treat the person on the phone with respect. I am an intelligent person, I know my job. Please don’t talk down to me, or act like I couldn’t possibly know what you mean when you say your horse is lame or has Cushings or whatever other problem you can think of. I have worked here long enough to know the ins and outs of equine vet medicine. (FHOTD in: And quite frankly, anyone who thinks they can talk down to whoever they perceive to be a “low level” employee is a royal asshat anyway. Grow up. You do not look cool yelling at some underpaid office worker, who for all you know is in grad school about to become far more successful than you will ever be.)
7. I wish for clients who can maintain a shred of composure when disaster strikes. If you have an emergency, I need facts. Don’t say your horse is colicking and then not be able to tell me what is going on. I need to know, is your horse down? Has it drunk anything? How long has it been acting this way? If it’s down can you get it up? If not, is it lying peacefully or is it thrashing? The same goes for lacerations, laminitis, accidents, chokes, whatever emergency situation you find yourelf in. No hysterics. I need a person on the phone who can give me directions if needed, and all the facts. If you can’t do that, please put someone on the phone who can.
8. I wish for clients who understand that the advice I give comes straight from the Dr. I do not pull it out of my heiney. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman with a old horse that was down. not thrashing, laying peacefully. I told her as long as he was laying there, not rolling to let him be, but I could tell she was a “walker” so I didn’t press it. I then left for the night. Well, got in this morning and found out she had gotten the horse up, and LUNGED it for 1 1/2 hours til the Dr showed up. Guess what, the horse wasn’t colicy, it was laminitic. She chased that horse around for 1 1/2 hours on poor little laminitis feet!! (FHOTD in: OK, now I understand why some of you are anti-walking. The thought that someone could not identify colic properly had not occurred to me. I am 100% in favor of making them walk and/or light longing (sure as hell not 1-1/2 hours, I’m talking 10 min) when you see a gas colic start, but it seriously did not occur to me that someone could confuse symptoms of stomach pain with symptoms of foot pain. I guess you see it all when you work for a vet.)
9. Lastly, I wish for clients who will say Thank you, and good job. Not just to me on the phone, but when I’m out with the Dr. I may not have alot to say when I’m out there assisting, but I am working hard, and I always appreciate a pat on the back! (FHOTD in: Or something nice at Christmas. It is the holidays, folks…now is a good time to say thank you to those who have helped keep your horses together all year.)
Happy Holidays form your vet staff!!!
FHOTD back in: I’d like to add one more. I’m sure the OP would agree.
Know what’s normal for your horse! This is SUCH a money saver as well as good for your horse. Just pay attention. If your horse who normally takes off running when he’s turned out goes and stands in the corner, trust me, something is wrong. Call out the vet NOW and you will save money and possibly save the horse. Remember my story about how Lacy was picking at her feed and it turned out she had split her jugular open, right between her hairy, yak-like cheekbones? How often are you looking at the underside of your horse’s cheekbones? I surely wasn’t. It was the picking at her food that tipped me off and gave her ten more years of life.
And yeah, we all have “bad vet” stories so when you find a good one…treat them and their staff well and let them know you appreciate them!
100 comments to “A Holiday Wish From Your Vet’s Office!”
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This whole advice post goes to any person who is working in a service position, be it retail, or answering phones at the doctors office.
I like to live by this rule: If I would not like how I am treating someone, I stop. And I always make sure to be polite and say thank you to my cashiers.
And true that, knowing how your horse behaves! We had a case of mild colic (thank goodness it was only mild and passed after some pepsid and oil) and we noticed it only because one of the mares was laying down, flat out, which she never does.
/salute OP, more people need to read this. We should send it to our newspapers for the editorial column and just make it generic advice to shoppers this holiday season.
What would be an apropriate gift to give a vet?
We’ve had the same one for years , but shes so different then us we always struggle with what to get her…
One of my clients lounged her foundering mare after the vet’s assistant and I told her to leave the poor mare laying down. She had been to COLLEGE so she knew EVERYTHING and her mare WAS colicing. I only know high school stuff (since living on a horse farm my whole life doesn’t count. The mare aborted her foal and was put to sleep. I hate people. *grumbles*
trickroperdeluxe: I always get my vets a gift certificate to a local nice restaurant so they can take their family out. I also promise not to call during dinner
(Pending serious emergency of course!)
A-FREAKEN-MEN!!!!! Working in the public has it’s definate drawbacks, but I wish EVERYONE had to have a job where they delt with people regularly. Particually people in a stressed position. It can make a sane, sound, able-minded person go running naked in the snow screaming and tearing their hair sometimes!
Really, those receptionist and assistants that have to put up with all the crap that’s asked of them daily by the public really appreciate a kind word, a card, a friggen tub of popcorn or collection of teas and cookies… and you know they remember that too! Saying “Thanks” and “You’re appreciated” has it’s own paybacks
I got a 450′ barn driveway cemented for FREE because I bought the guys and gals at the local construction company a $30 lunch as a thanks. Perks people, PERKS!
I would love to take the opportunity to say I love my veterinarians. They have been some of the most wonderful people I know and they deserve every dollar they earn – and more- I know I’ve been undercharged on way too many occasions.
Who else drops everything and comes running when you call sobbing at all hours of the day or night?
Thanks for the reminder about taking the time to thank them.
AMEN! I LOVE my vets and the staff. They are AWESOME! I will be dropping off a treat for them Saturday. Maybe a fruit tray or some sort of sweet basket and a card. They are fabulous!
I work in a Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, and my biggest complaint is people who have NO idea what is normal and what is not.
I also wish Vets would would put some history on the submission forms too, half the time we are working blind, and have no idea what we are looking for.
And remember folks, the people in the lab do not know your precious Beau, Sadie or Molly by name, so when calling about results, please have a case number or vet’s name ready.
I love my vets. They’ve been with my through triumphs and tragedies.
I would add one more thing to the list-
Pay Your Bill.
They come out on the truck and do the dirty work, but they have to get paid, and nobody at that office likes to chase us down for it. I’ve had to work out deals to pay a little each week rather than the whole amount, or arranged for my parents to pay it. I’d rather be in debt with my mom than the vets office. They are generally very understanding when it’s a huge unexpected bill, above normal health care costs.
I have a hard time paying for everything- vet, mortgage, fuel, food. But here’s the thing- your phone company doesn’t give a crap about you. Your vet does. Respect.
I agree 100%. Oh, a vet assistant (and the vet too) must see/hear some doozies! I bet they could fill their own blog for fugly horseowners. But I’m glad they choose to share on this blog! lol
So, so important to know your horse.
Just last week, I arrived at the barn where I board, looked out and saw my mare bucking in place with no other horse around. She then trotted, stopped, bucked a couple more times in place. I immediately knew this was unusual behavior. Why? Because I know my horse and I pay attention to her! She is young, and loves to run and buck with the rest of the herd like any other healthy horse, but buck in place, with no other horse around or even wanting to play, that was weird.
I brought her in and put her on the cross ties – restless, trying to turn her head and bucking in place. Clearly no lameness or visible injuries. I put her in her stall and she immediately circled in her stall, looked several times at her sides and started to drop to roll. Hmmm, you think that might be colic???
Mistaking laminitis for colic goes along with the whole BYB, LEA, crappy-ass horse owners who actually know nothing about horses.
Who all was at one time a medical receptionist to support their horse habit?
*hand up*
God. I saw more in the job…it makes me polite to good receptionists, and I respond with venom to crappy receptionists. I pasted the cheery smile on every day and repeated the SAME SPIEL over and over…if you’re a receptionist and you can’t do that…MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE DECIDED TO BE A RECEPTIONIST TODAY.
That said, my vet is amazing, and the assistants who answer her phone are patient, kind and knowledgeable. I made a point of paying my last bill in person so that I could thank them.
My vet ROCKS!
I agree with Heidi. Pay them, and they will come. And help. And do it happily.
I could never afford to give my vet a Christmas present worthy of what she means to me and my furry family. But, I know that the small token that I am able to afford will be appreciated.
AMEN!!! General courtesies should be extended to all people, prefessional or not, but please treat your animal health care and the human health care professionals with decency and dignity. After all, theya re there to help you.
Excellent points made about knowing what is up when making appointments from the times you are available to what the animal is exhibiting to what is normal for your animal. All to better serve you!
We had a great vet. Unfortunately, she contracted a terminal disease and passed away.
The folks that came in to replace her have been spotty, at best.
I sure miss her. She was one in a million. I wish I would have thought to tell her so.
I just sent Christmas cards to the vet practice I use. One for my regular vet, the other was for the staff. I’m grateful to the vet staff who often sit on the phone with me, talking through some minor issue that doesn’t warrant a visit. I would never treat them rudely, I need them way too often!
That thing about knowing your animal is so true. I took a midnight vet visit once because I didn’t hear my dog’s tail thump. I was already a little worried about her, since she’d been under the weather all day, and was up late worrying. When I finally went to bed, she settled down beside the bed. I put a hand down, patted her. And she didn’t wag her tail. It is impossible to explain logically how important that was; I didn’t consciously register it at the time, I just went from uneasy to urgent, and only later pinpointed that as the reason. And we caught the stomach issue before it blew up into pancreatitis and put all of us through a hospitalization (which is, speaking from experience, hard on me, my dog and the hospital
) And got my poor dog some painkillers, and you could see the difference the next day. Tired but able to relax. And back to wagging her tail lovingly even from a sound sleep.
OMG! BRAVO So well put!
Let me just add one more. I was recently working for an equine vet too.
Please save all your medical questions for the vet. My job is to hold the horse, hold equipment, fetch equipment, wrap wounds, clip, prep and scrub, jog the horse, and clean everything up afterwards. I do not give shots, draw blood, administer meds or dole them out like drugstore. Please don’t ask me about meds, dosing info, treatments or aftercare.
Although I have years of horse care experience, I do not have the letters DVM behind or as part of my name. I may know the correct dosages for some thngs but not all.
Since I am not the DR. I am not allowed to give medical advice, only my opinion which may at times be wrong or contradict what the DR. says to do.
I was always taught to walk a horse that is tying up. Our vet told us to put the horse in the stall and blanket them as well as the 10cc dose of banamine. Blanketing warms the muscles and helps them relax, where walking doesn’t allow that as much. Makes sense, so guess what we do for them now.
Some great examples already posted about how important it is to know your horse/other animals so that you know when something is just not quite right!
>>What would be an apropriate gift to give a vet?< <
I’d ask her staff what she likes, they probably have some insider info!
I was always taught not to make a horse move if they are tying up but to blanket them and keep them warm and give banamine. I’ve only seen it happen a few times, ever…once was at polo when the temperature dropped dramatically when the horses were still wet from baths (one of those 80 degrees to 50 degrees drops that will happen in the Midwest).
I forgot another one- Please do not bring your ‘other horse for the doc to look at’. You knew when you scheduled the appointment what you were scheduling it for.
IF something came up with another horse, please either call and reschedule for both horses, or schedule another appointment for the 2nd horse and inform the vet BEFORE they arrive that the more urgent of the two cases will be what they are treating that day.
I cannot tell you how many times we have ended up cancelling other appointments or being late for obligations becuse some inconsiderate FUCTARD, who was told on the phone, NO we are only treating ONE horse, pulled out ‘one more for you to look at while you are here’ or “Let me run home and get Blackie, we just live around the corner.”
This once turned a 3 hour appointment into a 20 hour joint injection marathon. The Fuckheads kept pulling out “One more while you are here, Doc”.
There time is valuable and appointments are scheduled for a reason. Assholes like this are what makes them late getting to your house to treat your horse.
AMEN TO THAT!
I know a woman who noticed her horses not eating, not taking the bit, and acting like complete jerks and didn’t do anything about it for TWO WEEKS. Finally she called because it was annoying her. The vet found HUGE sores and gashes in her horses mouths. Turned out they were eating hay with metal, bark, stickers, and other pieces of trash in it. ONe of the horses even had a huge piece of metal buried deep in his soft palate and it had to be surgically removed. My horses don’t even go 2 days without eating for me to be on the phone saying, “This isn’t normal, can you please come out here when you have the chance? I think my horses are in pain and this is what is going on.” But I’m more organized than my vet, he even calls me asking me what my horses need and says, “Please keep me on track, you are good at that.” I tell you it is years worth of 4-H and Pony Club record books!
This was a young roping stallion who was spending his first season with us and learning how to behave when breeding. He came off the mare and tyed up.
We called the vet and then the owner who said: C’mon everyone say it with me- “Well he’s never done that before?”
It was mild in comparison to some I have seen and we wondered if this was why the horse was for sale when they bought him. We also wonder how many times it had happened at ropings and went undetected. These weren’t the brightest bulbs on the tree.
“CutNJump said…
This was a young roping stallion who was spending his first season with us and learning how to behave when breeding. He came off the mare and tyed up.”
Wow, that doesn’t sound like the tying up cases I’ve dealt with. What was his HYPP status?
Galen said:” “CutNJump said…
This was a young roping stallion who was spending his first season with us and learning how to behave when breeding. He came off the mare and tyed up.”
Wow, that doesn’t sound like the tying up cases I’ve dealt with. What was his HYPP status?”
This does not sound like HYPP to me. I had one horse who had it and have been around many who did and they shiver and quake and buckle not get stiff. The rope horse Cutnjump is talking about sounds more like he has EPSM.
Great post! As both a vet customer and an employee at an four-vet office; these are great remiders for us all!
Any boarding barn should include these with the board bill, post them in a high-traffic area…like in front of the barn phone and include them with the borading agreement!
Most vet techs and vet assistants work really hard for a surprisingly low wage yet they have the same education as many human medical assistants. Kudos to vet sna their employees! Merry Christmas, everyone!
I have often thought that the world would be a better place if, during high school, everyone had to take a class in which they had to:
Work in any retail/cashier/receptionist-type job for 9 weeks, preferably during the holidays.
Spend 9 weeks doing clean-up of public places
Spend 9 weeks working in a nursing home/elderly care facility
Spend 9 weeks in a military-type setting
Not only would this make people more polite, but it would far better prepare people for the real world than taking (insert ridiculous elective class here)
It always amazes me that people are always so careful to be “Politically Correct” and yet they are so rude. The epitome of hypocritical, and unfortunately, the norm. *sigh*
but it would far better prepare people for the real world than taking (insert ridiculous elective class here)
Marketing
Public Relations
Human Resources
God. I took a 300-level Marketing class at University and showed up three times. Once for the quiz, one for the test and one for the final. I didn’t get an honors grade, but I’m pretty sure if I had bought the textbook I could have. Let’s just say I didn’t get lower than a B-.
“Public Relations” – total tripe. You want to relate to the public? Work retail/office/sales for TWO weeks. Them’s the public.
I have many more violently retarded electives to fill that space…none of them taught me as much about leadership and public relations as 5 years in Marching Band.
when i read this one:
8. I wish for clients who understand that the advice I give comes straight from the Dr. I do not pull it out of my heiney. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman with a old horse that was down. not thrashing, laying peacefully. I told her as long as he was laying there, not rolling to let him be, but I could tell she was a “walker” so I didn’t press it. I then left for the night. Well, got in this morning and found out she had gotten the horse up, and LUNGED it for 1 1/2 hours til the Dr showed up. Guess what, the horse wasn’t colicy, it was laminitic. She chased that horse around for 1 1/2 hours on poor little laminitis feet!! (FHOTD in: OK, now I understand why some of you are anti-walking. The thought that someone could not identify colic properly had not occurred to me. I am 100% in favor of making them walk and/or light longing (sure as hell not 1-1/2 hours, I’m talking 10 min) when you see a gas colic start, but it seriously did not occur to me that someone could confuse symptoms of stomach pain with symptoms of foot pain. I guess you see it all when you work for a vet.)
i immediately flashed on the image from Sarah Stetners YOUTUBE video of her harassing that poor old lame QH into longing.(and obviously rode him for hours after that, too)
so sad
” Dontyouridenofuglyhorse said…
This does not sound like HYPP to me. I had one horse who had it and have been around many who did and they shiver and quake and buckle not get stiff. The rope horse Cutnjump is talking about sounds more like he has EPSM.”
I agree. Gotta remember to engage brain before fingers on keyboard- especially with all the available acronyms.
>>Not only would this make people more polite, but it would far better prepare people for the real world than taking (insert ridiculous elective class here)< <
Like Survey of Media? I took that in high school. We watched cartoons. It was awesome, dude. In retrospect, the class I needed was something along the lines of Balancing Checkbooks For Morons.
I must say I have the most wonderful Vet- when he gives a time you can set your watch by it- if an emergency comes up he lets you know and lets you know when to expect him, I’ve never had to wait. When I’ve had an emergency he does his best to get there ASAP. I’ve never fretted for very long.
He has a young family and I am a 4-H leader (where’s the connection?) He’s the teaching type, always explaining what he’s doing, why, what’s going on, etc, so I knew he would provide a wealth of information for my group but I was hesitant to ask because in his position his own time is pretty precious. I had hardly broached the subject and he interjected with ‘I know what you’re going to ask and sure, be happy to’. He faithfully comes every year and talks to my 4-Hers.
He’s a Darling. (anyone who lives in my area would get that)
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas! Thanks Fugs for the service you provide- I’ve learned lots. Heading out to hug my slightly muddy equine friends.
We have several large animal vets here but they mostly treat the dairy cows. We have two ambulatory vets that are the best! Dr. Pat Pence and Dr. Melinda Roche are there asap and I have never heard them complain about the hours either.
I always have every thing ready when I call. I make sure that I know when it happen, how it happen and anything else they may need to know. I am a bit anal when it comes to record keeping, it makes it so much easier to have their history right there when the vet arrives. I always have the horse ready and clean for when they arrive. My kids and dogs are always kept in the house out of the way as well.
If I have to make an appointment I let them decided when they can be here. I make myself available when then can be here not the other way around. They are doing my horse and myself a great service by just agreeing to come out no way am I going to make it harder on them.
I always say thank you, greatly appreciate your help and time, and I don’t interrupt them when they are doing their exam. I keep my mouth shut till they ask me questions or have finished their exam.
When Dr. Roche came out to do health certs and coggins in 05, I didn’t realize that she wasn’t set up for credit card payments. So I had to run to the post office to get her a money order. Stupid post office shut down at 4:30, so I couldn’t pay her that day. She was fine with it but I made damn sure I was down there first thing and got the payment mailed that next day with a huge thank you for understanding.
I appreciate what my vets have gone through to be a vet. I appreciate the kindness that they treat the local idiots with, I sure wouldn’t! I appreciate their compassion when they can’t save an animal. What I appreciate most of all about my vets is that they are there when I call and will drop what they are doing just to come and try to help my horse out!
We need to have a “Appreciate your vet day” to remind ppl to thank their vets!
I love my vets! And thankfully, they love us too. They know us well… and probably appreciate that we always pay our bills on time!
For example, we had a vet out for an emergency call – around supper time. Since she had come to us from another emergency call, and was headed back there after dealing with us – we sent her on her way with hot chocolate and cookies so she wouldn’t starve! We figured it was the least we could do.
I really just don’t get how some people can get so upset when their vet is 20 minutes late, or has to leave for an emergency. *$&@ happens people!
I think that more people need to know the parts of the horse too. I really push this onto my students so that if there is an emergency and someone has to relay information to a vet, owner, whomever, they can be as descriptive as possible so that the situation can be evaluated and proper instructions can be made.
There is a world of difference between a hock and “that pointy thing on the back of the back leg.”
Also, IMO, if you are not happy with the treatment, are concerned with the results or execution of the procedures applied to your horse, speak up! Get a second opinion, IN A PROFFESSIONAL MANNER if you feel that is necessary. Vets are human and can make mistakes, but ALWAYS treat the situation with respect. You know your horse; they went to school forever and a day. Make that team work.
Excellent post, dear FHOTD. I am happy to say that my trainer has an annual Vet Clinic Appreciation Day where she serves a nice lunch, gives a little speech, and I give buggy rides with my horse to anyone who wants a ride. One of the three vets is getting to be a pretty good driver and we may get him into the show ring even.
Our clinic’s staff seems to enjoy this annual event and closes up shop for two hours so the secretaries, techs, and receptionists can attend, too.
Oh, and the best way to show your appreciation to your vet: Pay your bill right away! In addition to the clinic that serves the training barn I have a nice fresh-out-of-college vet who travels by van around our county. She;’s sewed up lacerations, gelded a couple, treated colics, given shots and well-baby checkups. I always pay her on the spot so she doesn’t have the hassle of billing me. I want her in my driveway when ol’ Trigger colics at 2am.
I cannot remember his breeding, but his name contained the words Hickory & Boon. Maybe not in that order. I will look and see what I can dig up. As far as I know they are still roping on him AND breeding him.
Like I said not the brightest bulbs on the tree. They are not advertising either him from what I havn’t seen.
I registered just to post this, saw this on another forum and according to the video the man still has horses! Deplorable conditions for horses..
http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=7520967
As a Computer Service Tech for 30 years, it still amazes me how rude people can be.
If a person is there to perform a service, be there, be ready and be thankful they came to help you. Hooking up your trailer and hauling a sick horse or disconnecting your computer and hauling that into for major medical treatment is a hassle. The Vets that do come out are such a blessing!!
Carrie Giannandrea
Dances with Horses
Formula One Farms
If I suspect colic, I hand walk the horse for brief periods, giving water and food to see if I can get them to eat and drink, rest the horse frequently and listen for gut sounds. If the horse looks exhausted, I stop entirely and wait for the vet. I will give corn oil if I know for an absolute fact that the horse has impaction colic, but I always prefer to wait for the vet.
I think this lounging thing started because some owners needed to feel they were doing something for their horses and they couldn’t think of anything else. The fact that they make the colic worse doing that, and risk their horses’ lives, never seems to occur to them. It IS, I guess, all about the owners, then? Not the horse at all? BS
Here’s some suggestions for vets, their assistants and their office staff:
1. NEVER say to me, “It’s only a fucking horse!” I fired one vet for that and for the following indiscretion.
2. My gelding WAS acting up. It was the first time Jazz had had his teeth floated and he was scared. Instead of sootheing him and giving him more tranquilizer, this medical asshat hauled off and kicked him in the gut. Now the very sight of that vet sends Jazz running for cover. He won’t come anywhere near until the jerk is gone.
Everyone? I know how rare large animal vets are getting, BUT you can always find another one. We did — We now use a wonderful, gentle vet out of the same clinic. He has absolutely no problem with any of our four and can’t understand why the first asshat vet was such a jerk. It’s how they approach the horse sometimes. The asshat will never treat any of my horses again, if we can help it.
3. I have NO complaints about any of the office staff at this clinic, or the assistants. Anyone who looks down on a person for working for a living in a quickly changing, hard-to-keep-up-with profession needs an attitude adjustment with a baseball bat.
4. The giving of holiday presents to vets, staff and farriers is not even a question. Do it. If you can’t think of anything to get them, give gift certificates, gas cards, stuff for the office, etc. They work hard and it is selfish as hell not to give them their due once a year.
Ok the stallion of which I spoke, seems to be heavily linebred Doc Bar in the 4th & 5th generation. His name contains the word Hickory, but I was wrong about the word Boon.
They have him listed as siring one foal, but he was bred to two other mares while at our place the year before that. This was when he had problems.
This is his accomplishment in life-
Quoted from their ad where he was bred to the mare for sale:
first year shown qualified to the AQHA World Show in Senior Heading, Senior Heeling & Amatuer Heading. 11th high point rope horse in hte country AQHA amatuer heading. Big boned, shoes, loads, easy to be around.
Qualified first year shown, but hasn’t done much since, and my guess is never will.
Knowing your live-in critter (and it works for people, too) is so important. I once told a vet that there was something wrong with my cat because she wasn’t being obnoxious. Normally she’s a real pain in the ass…and she was being exceptionally quiet. Turned out she had a throat infection that needed antibiotics.
If you call the vet and you don’t pay the vet and it’s not either because you’re on your deathbed and literally can’t pay, you are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Being good to the office staff at my vet’s is a very big deal to me. Being nice and polite sometimes means the difference in an appointment today and a sick horse tomorrow that may not get seen till next week! I also have my vet’s personal cell number, so if I catch one of the office gals on a bad day, I just call the Doc personally!
That is all so true..
My 3yr old APHA gelding just got cleared from Stangles last week. When we took him up there for his last Scope and PenGel We took the vet clinic 2 Larg Lofs of Homemade Bread and 3 jars of Jelly. They loved it. with a Clinic of 5 vets and who knows how many other staff members. they all loved it. Geepers had Stayed there for almost 2 weeks and was a very sick boy.
I’ll add one more, as I also work for a vet, although a small animal one. Don’t call and ask ME to diagnose your pet over the phone! I’m not the vet, and I AM going to tell you to bring Fluffy, or Spot in, if you are worried. I’m not going to tell you to give your kitty or puppy some aspirin and a cold washcloth….stop being a cheapskate and BRING YOUR PET IN for goodness sake!
That just annoys the hell out of me. Also, anyone that asks me the question ‘what would you do’…I’ll say the same thing…BRING YOUR PET IN!!!
They work hard and it is selfish as hell not to give them their due once a year.
Wow, entitlement complex?
You pay for a service, and people do their jobs by providing the service.
You do owe it to them to be polite and as prepared as possible.
You DO NOT owe them anything beyond their wages. It might be a nice gesture, it will always be appreciated, but you should never feel obligated to gift someone for doing their job.
sarcastabitch said…
They work hard and it is selfish as hell not to give them their due once a year.
Wow, entitlement complex?
You pay for a service, and people do their jobs by providing the service.
You do owe it to them to be polite and as prepared as possible.
You DO NOT owe them anything beyond their wages. It might be a nice gesture, it will always be appreciated, but you should never feel obligated to gift someone for doing their job.
December 20, 2007 11:16 AM
Amen to that!
A CARD would suffice, and would probably be appreciated.
A gift certificate out to dinner would be a bit extravagant, but probably appreciated.
Vets get paid to do a service.
Do you send your pediatrician a card every year? They take care of your KIDS.
Do you send your mechanic a card every year? They take care of your MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION to and from the JOB you hold to PAY for the horses and the kids.
Silly to think we have to send EVERYBODY gifts at Christmas. A rememberance is nice, but anything over that seems… over the top to me.
A bit off topic BUT….Did you see this?
237 Dogs Removed From Woman’s Home
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/237-dogs-removed-from-womans-home/20071220081109990001
One thing I have done that costs nothing and is really a good way to thank someone for great service is to write a letter to the company commending them. I’ve done this for baristas, bank tellers, fast food employees, things like that. I once had someone tell me gleefully that she got promoted partially due to my letter. Helping someone get to a higher rate of pay is one of the best gifts you can give, and again, all it’s going to cost is a postage stamp. (Use real mail – companies take it more seriously)
Blogger Sanders BUT not the COLONEL said…
A bit off topic BUT….Did you see this?
237 Dogs Removed From Woman’s Home
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/237-dogs-removed-from-womans-home/20071220081109990001
December 20, 2007 11:38 AM
HOLY SHIT! i thought i was approaching hoarder status with 6!
“We had a great vet. Unfortunately, she contracted a terminal disease and passed away.”
Us too. I have loved all my vets, but Dr Killian was special. We boarded our touchy, aggressive rescue cat with him for five weeks while we were travelling. I came back in great trepidation: “How many of you did she bite? What do I owe you for medical bills?”
He was surprised. “I found her a very mild and patient cat,” he said.
He died of cancer a few years later. Cat’s still around and she still bites, but is mostly mild and patient these days. Dr Killian gave me a glimpse of what she could be.
I wrote his widow a long, grateful letter when he died.
Sarcastabitch said:
I have many more violently retarded electives to fill that space…none of them taught me as much about leadership and public relations as 5 years in Marching Band.
I couldn’t agree with you more!!!
I was a “band geek” for 6 years. 2 in Middle School and 4 in High School. Our director was a dictator and a tyrant BUT… We were State Champs for 15+ years under his tutelage. He was not our friend. He was our teacher and teach us he did! About manners, respect and responsibility.
I have to give Kudos to my vet facility for dealing with me about a month ago. My dog had been acting strangely for a day or so and I was watching her closely. I left her in her bed to go to work and came home at lunch just 5 hours later. She was in the same spot and hadn’t moved. When I asked her to go out she wanted to move but couldn’t get up. I tried to help her but she cried like I was killing her. I had to use a towel to get her up and heft her into the truck. She’s an 80lb rottie-aussie mix. When we got to the vet office I was a mess. The vet had to carry her into the office. He’s a big guy so it wasn’t difficult for him. 3 hours and a couple hundred later, she’s diagnosed with Lymes Disease. She’s great now. I thanked my vet, the lady at the front, the aide who held her head, EVERYONE!!
Hi! Long-time reader, first-time poster.
Let me just say that I wholeheartedly agree. I just started working at a vet (small animal) . I’m a kennel assistant, so I don’t get much interaction with the customers, but I have to take dogs back to get groomed and bring them out.
I understand that you think you know what you’re dog is thinking, but ushering it to the door is not going to make him any less scared. Walk away so he can’t see you and he’ll walk right through the door like it’s no big deal. I’ve had a dog nearly bite me once because Mom wouldn’t leave him be to get his act together so I could take him through the door.
And on the note of gifts- if you have the time, try and put together a little winter gift package. A client at our practice put together a mug with Hershey Kisses, a candy cane, and hot chocolate for EVERYONE who worked there, including the kennel assistants who people hardly ever see (I work with another 16 year-old vet-to-be). It was a really nice gift- you could see they put thought and time into and I was incredibly that someone thought about those of us who are paid minimum wage and clean cages.
By the way, LOVE the blog. I’m learning so much. But if you don’t have anything planned, could you do a post on hips and shoulders? I can’t seem to understand what’s good and what’s not. Thanks!
There really should be an edit button…
Forgot to mention. Food it always a great idea. We (the non-Dr.s) don’t really get lunch breaks, so we bring in food and snack when we can. So if you can drop of a pizza or a couple holiday snacks (chocolate is PERFECT!), everyone appreciates it.
And please, arrive on time. We have a client who never shows up on time, if at all. And of course, everyone shows up to pick up their dogs ten minutes to closing time. We all want to go home, too. We like sleep!
oh_for_crying_out_loud said…
sarcastabitch said…
They work hard and it is selfish as hell not to give them their due once a year.
Wow, entitlement complex?
You pay for a service, and people do their jobs by providing the service.
You do owe it to them to be polite and as prepared as possible.
You DO NOT owe them anything beyond their wages. It might be a nice gesture, it will always be appreciated, but you should never feel obligated to gift someone for doing their job.
December 20, 2007 11:16 AM
Amen to that!
A CARD would suffice, and would probably be appreciated.
A gift certificate out to dinner would be a bit extravagant, but probably appreciated.
Vets get paid to do a service.
Do you send your pediatrician a card every year? They take care of your KIDS.
Do you send your mechanic a card every year? They take care of your MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION to and from the JOB you hold to PAY for the horses and the kids.
Silly to think we have to send EVERYBODY gifts at Christmas. A rememberance is nice, but anything over that seems… over the top to me.
December 20, 2007 11:35 AM
ACTUALLY
I do send my pediatrician a Christmas Card every year, plus on for the office staff. I also take in homebaked goodies every now and again for them.
Of course we do have the best pediatrician, period!!!! The man has made house calls for us so that we would not have to take a sick child out. We live 30 miles away from him. He also will fly in to KC to visit some of his patients who are being treated at Childrens Mercy Hospital. He lives 3 and 1/2 hours from there.
HE DESERVES at least a Christmas Card.
Amy
When my dog of 9 1/2 years died 10 years ago, I got cards from BOTH of the vet offices who had treated her.
In 3 months we had been to three vets offices 6 times. Twice to the first one, three times to the second one and finally one visit to the 24 hour clinic. Both the first and second vet offices sent condolences cards signed by all of the vets and everyone on the staff of each.
While shopping for thank you cards for both offices, (they did everything they could, for her and to my checkbook! LOL!) as I left the store I was approached by two girls and their father. Each girl was holding a puppy.
Although I had just put my dog down on Tuesday and it was barely the following Sunday, I brought home one of those puppies. Turns out they were selling the puppies to raise money to have Momma dog fixed so there would be no more puppies.
The vet they were using? The same vet #1, I had taken my Punkin dog to for years. Kudos to Dr. Meyers & his staff!
The puppy? Abbigail with a Waggily tail is still a fixture in our house, is still going strong at 10 years old and was spayed on her first heat cycle by vet #2. Kudos to Dr. Cromer and his staff!
BTW- I met Dr C when he was doing his internship at Dr M’s clinic. They are such family, Dr C, was dropping off a wedding gift for Dr M’s son(?) on one of our visits. He was there when my dog had her HUGE, out of the blue, seizure in the hallway, while I was writing the check to pay for the visit.
Could you add an FUGLY horse to the main vet-blog? Just a randon FUGLY will do or better yet a FUGLY getting a vet exam?? I miss my dose of FUGLYness……..
OT-but important and about Humane Transportation for slaughter bound horses.
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=11000
I saw this poem on Craig’s List today. I wish more people would follow it!
http://columbus.craigslist.org/grd/513045987.html
FHOTD,
Your idea about sending a letter of thanks is spot on! I worked as a veterinary receptionist/assistant for small animal clinics for 5 years. I still have a card that a client sent me after I helped them during the loss of their pet. I always remembered the clients that were nice to me and would go out of my way for the ones that said Thank You.
I still see my former clients in the grocery store, we always strike up a conversation. If I can’t remember their name, I always remember their pets name.
I don’t miss the high stress or the small pay check, but I do miss those few really great clients that made the job worth getting up in the morning for.
FHOTD in: And quite frankly, anyone who thinks they can talk down to whoever they perceive to be a “low level” employee is a royal asshat anyway. Grow up. You do not look cool yelling at some underpaid office worker, who for all you know is in grad school about to become far more successful than you will ever be.
Thank you, FHOTD! I spent the last year in customer service being treated like the scum of the earth by clients AND my boss, all while working long hours for little pay. Now, six months after being dumped on my hindquarters, I make 3 times what I used and twice what my old boss made.
Lesson of the day: Be nice to the little people, we grow up.
Amy Ellen said…
ACTUALLY
I do send my pediatrician a Christmas Card every year, plus on for the office staff. I also take in homebaked goodies every now and again for them.
Of course we do have the best pediatrician, period!!!! The man has made house calls for us so that we would not have to take a sick child out. We live 30 miles away from him. He also will fly in to KC to visit some of his patients who are being treated at Childrens Mercy Hospital. He lives 3 and 1/2 hours from there.
HE DESERVES at least a Christmas Card.
Amy
Wow… you really DO have the best pediatrician. Mine is good, and thorough, but she’s ALWAYS at LEAST an hour late (which is SO fun, waiting in the waiting room with 20 other cranky sick kids!), wouldn’t DREAM of making house calls (who does that, anyway?! That’s crazy!), and I’m fairly sure she doesn’t fly off anywhere to see kids that are sick.
In that case, I absolutely agree that a Christmas card is due.
Mine? Her terrible front desk staff would likely just throw it in the trash. Not her fault her staff is nasty, I suppose. But it doesn’t mean I’m sending them a Christmas card!
I love my vet. I love most of my vet’s office staff, particularly the one girl (she’s a lady now, I guess, LOL) who has worked there since I moved to this general area 14 years ago.
I like to think that I am, and have been, a good, thoughtful “patient” for him. He seems to like me & my animals well enough.
He’s always done a terrific job when I’ve needed him, both for emergencies (luckily not very many!) and routine calls.
Also, know what your vet is good at. Some clinics that do both large and small animals stretch themselves too thin. We have had several leg injuries misdiagnosed by a 3 vet clinic because the vets had more experience working with dogs, cats, and cattle. Now we have an equine specialist that we will travel 2 hours to use. We also have him take care of our horses dental because he no longer uses hand tools but has more precise power floaters.
Also, any gifts, notes, and/or cards recieved are always appreciated.
Wow, entitlement complex?
You pay for a service, and people do their jobs by providing the service.
You do owe it to them to be polite and as prepared as possible.
You DO NOT owe them anything beyond their wages. It might be a nice gesture, it will always be appreciated, but you should never feel obligated to gift someone for doing their job.
Well, I see where you got your handle. There’s doing what is necessary and doing what is right. As for “entitlement complex,” I guess you feel entitled to the best service and never have to step one toe beyond what is “expected.” Sorry. I have a different sort of life.
Dear Fugly,
You have a troll. I doubt I need mention who it is. This person is consistently critical and bullying on the board. She recently made an offensive comment toward me and I’ve seen her do the same with others. Please handle him/her/it.
Yes but it sucks when you tell the vet something is wrong and your horse is off and they tell you it isn’t. Only to have all four of its legs swell up two days later and find out it is septic!!!
The vets here won’t come out to where your horse is even if it is down. Scares me and I hope I never have one down!!!
God love equine vets and farriers. They work their asses off in rain, sleet, snow, heat, and have to deal with ignorant owners, slow payers, non-payers, ill-behaved horses, and people whining about how ‘expensive’ they are. In Maine, we are faced with a critical shortage of vets even willling to treat horses, so much so that when we were searching for a property where we could operate our rescue, we intentionally located close to a really awesome vet who does indeed treat horses AND who tells it like it is. He knows we are a rescue and he knows why we do what we do, though he has said, “you can spend as much money on a good horse as a bad one, you know.” He comes off as crusty but we know he cares. He’s great with the horses and knows his stuff. I feel very fortunate to have Dr. Sherburne as our vet. The very least we can do is show him and his staff a little “love”
We have the same regard for our farrier who has put up with some real challenging horses and hoof problems for us. She too knows why we do what we do and has been a tremendous blessing to us. I agree with Fugly, this is a great time of year to really show those folks how important they are to us all year long!
As someone who makes a living answering the phone, even if it has nothing to do with animals, THANK you! Most of this could be applied to any phone job, especially the bits about just treating people with respect and not assuming that whoever’s answering those phones isn’t capable of anything more than pushing the hold and transfer buttons.
As for Fugly’s addition, amen! One of my dogs ceased being her usual high-strung, hyperactive self last week and started acting, well… like a normal dog. Calm, laid back, was eating and drinking but not getting enthusiastic about anything, etc. Even though I couldn’t find any other symptoms other than an apparent reluctance to climb onto the couch, I took her to an emergency vet (it was late sunday night), who treated me like I was nuts, checked her vitals, and sent me home feeling like a dogowning hypochondriac. After a few more days of having a way-too-normal dog, I took her in to my regular vet, who took me seriously, checked her from head to toe, and discovered her anal glands were infected. One day after having them cleaned out, she was back to her usual self.
You’re right, I need to add the staff there to my christmas list. I think I’ll do that.
Denna
gypsey cob for sale, rare horse in the us – $15000
——————————————————————————–
Reply to: see below
Date: 2007-11-17, 4:06PM EST
solid black, filly striking gypsey cob registered, 13.2h very flashy big hair, feathers, we just started her, under saddle she is 2.5 years old, she loves to trot we ride her english, trained professionally,will be shown at the local shows, by kids, great to drive, great to ride, if you want a one of a kind horse that will only go up in value…. call 561-792-2666 $15,0000
yes gotta love the rare ones
http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/grd/514332029.html
Guy”s …don”t know what to get that special girl in your life
Well here is the gift shes been waiting for!
RDM said…
“Dear Fugly,
You have a troll. I doubt I need mention who it is. This person is consistently critical and bullying on the board. She recently made an offensive comment toward me and I’ve seen her do the same with others. Please handle him/her/it.”
On THIS board??? You are kidding, right??!
Wasn’t this what we were all discussing the other day???
First ad-
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1100241
No mention of the reason the second ad from the new owners is selling her- for half the price mind you…
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1100241
I am going to try contacting the current owners- yeah, like I need another horse, but hey. I can explain it all later to hubby. Maybe while he’s sleeping! After she shows up! Hee Hee!
Yes he’s a gonna shoot me one day, but he’ll still have to take care of all of the horses.
BTW- check out the website for seller#2. More stallion leg hugging going on.
Is that another new fugly acronym? SLH…
On THIS board??? You are kidding, right??!
As hard as it is to believe — yes. It is a very serious matter, too. Trolls live under bridges and eat little children and their horses as they trip-trap over.
They must be stopped!
Okay — cupcake and holiday candy overload. I feel the brain cells melting as we speak.
*snorts*
Yes, but Fugly runs a strictly non-restrictive blog. In otherwords, she doesn’t delete *anyone*.
If you really have a troll, the best thing to do is to not let them get to you, ignore them and they will eventually go away.
I read a really good ‘care and feeding of an internet troll’ post somewhere once.
>>You have a troll. I doubt I need mention who it is. This person is consistently critical and bullying on the board. She recently made an offensive comment toward me and I’ve seen her do the same with others. Please handle him/her/it.< <
I don’t censor at all on this blog, even if they’re attacking me personally. The only thing I’ve ever deleted is, like, 300 lines of the same thing posted for the point of being obnoxious.
We are all grown-ups here. You handle it. You are free to respond however you feel is appropriate if someone offends you. I won’t censor you, either.
We are all grown-ups here. You handle it. You are free to respond however you feel is appropriate if someone offends you. I won’t censor you, either.
Good, Fugly. My fingers are properly sharpened for the job should this idiot keep up his/her/its nonsense.
Rita
And quite frankly, anyone who thinks they can talk down to whoever they perceive to be a “low level” employee is a royal asshat anyway. Grow up. You do not look cool yelling at some underpaid office worker, who for all you know is in grad school about to become far more successful than you will ever be.
I just have to repeat all the previous posters who said “well done” for that comment. I’m frequently appalled at how people will treat “the girl who just answers the phone.” Even if you’re the rudest person in the world, you’d think simple self interest would compel you to treat the gatekeeper to needed professionals respectively.
Take, for example, a former fellow boarder at my barn. Let’s call him “SIA” for “self important asshole.”
SIA was nice as can be to the vet. However, he treated the assistants like crap. He’d call and harangue them when the vet was a few minutes late. He didn’t use profanity, but he would yell, call the staff incompetent, etc. When the vet arrived, SIA would go back to being as nice as can be. Vet would finish up with an explanation of what charges SIA could expect, and SIA continued to be sweet as a peach. Once the bill arrived, however, SIA would call the office and again abuse the staff and argue over every penny! Apparently, SIA felt only those with an advanced degree and position of prestige merited any politeness.
SIA never realized why I was able to get much more convenient appointments than he was or why the vet would sometimes tell me “I was on my way past you anyway, so I won’t charge you a farm call”.
The staff liked me so the vet liked me. The staff hated SIA so the vet tolerated him only as long as he had to (when SIA went to another barn where vet didn’t have clients, vet severed the relationship). The staff liked me so they’d work with my on scheduling. SIA just got what was available with little extra effort.
Here is a longer-term thing: encourage your local horse-loving pre-vet student to at least consider large animal work. It’s longer hours and more dangerous and more pain in the butt than work with smaller critters, but we need more horse vets.
And be nice to the vet you do have; it will help us all in the end.
Great blog as usual.
I’ve been going to the same vet for over 20 years. This year I’ve been in the office a lot. Have had a very sick cat who was finally diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, thanks to the sharp skills of one of the vets. This cat is everyone’s favorite – so we were trying everything before we had to put him to sleep. He’s doing much better now…so did I go out and buy them the biggest boy scout popcorn tin I could find? Of course I did!
Gratitude opens the heart of the giver and the recipient…
I’m glad you all have such great vets… at least I know there are some out there! The ones we have around here really suck. They wouldn’t come out for an emergency if you offered to pay them six times the normal emergency rate. Luckily, we have two “far away” vets ( one is two hours away and one is three hours away) that come up once a month to do any checkups needed. Needless to say the local ones will NOT be receiving any type of Christmas card.
No, HH, send ‘em a card saying “Merry Christmas, I hope to meet you someday!”
I am currently working as a veterinary assistant for a single veterinarian clinic that handles dogs, cats and horses. Yes, polite, kind behavior goes a LONG way toward getting your way.
I would add another couple notations to your list:
1. Know what constitutes an emergency. If you’re going away on a nice vacation (probably something I could never afford and in some wonderful warm location) you’ll probably have “Scruffy” booked at a nice boarding facility while you’re gone. I know for a FACT that the boarding facilities in the area ALL let you know of the vaccine and sometimes heartworm & fecal testing requirements up front. The fact that you are getting on the plane in 2 hours and need to get Scruffy’s bordatella vaccine updated because you just now remembered does NOT constitute an emergency on our part. Just because you couldn’t get off your lazy ass and get this done ahead of time doesn’t mean there’s anything I can do. I’ll sure try my hardest to get you in, but if the vet is off on an emergency farm call or in the middle of an arthroscopic surgery I can’t help you……and NO I cannot give the vaccine for him.
2. If your dog has been vomiting for a week, or your cat has had a giant abscess that burst on Monday don’t call us with an “emergency” just before we close on a Friday just before a holiday because you now suddenly realize it’s a problem. Of course it’s an “emergency”, but you can’t get here until late tonight because you have some shopping to get done and you have a soccer game and manicure appointment in the morning. Oh and you have family coming over so could we please keep the animal until the following week because it is making a mess of your clean house. Bring the animal in now or take it to an emergency clinic later. Our vet normally does his own emergency calls/visits, but he would like to spend a single holiday without having to check constantly on an animal that might have been sick, but with meds could have gone home once treated. I know emergency clinics are expensive, but you wouldn’t have needed an emergency clinic if you’d done anything about the issue earlier in the week. If it’s an emergency then get your ass to the clinic…….we don’t schedule “emergency appointments”.
3. The holidays are NOT the time to put down old Rover because he smells and leaks urine and you don’t want guests to have to deal with his odor. We can always tell when a holiday is around the corner because the number of euthanasia calls goes WAY up. If your pet is comfortable and happy there’s no reason to put him down so that your holiday plans are easier. Have a little more respect for your friend than that.
4. If you give your own vaccines (or don’t because you “don’t need ‘em”) and never call the vet for any kind of maintenance for your animal then don’t expect him to jump on an emergency. The worst offenders of this are the ones that “don’t have a vet” and start calling down the list looking for someone cheap. I know our vet clinic bills clients instead of taking payment at the farm and these type of emergency calls = unpaid bills. In order to have a vet on call you need to have at least SOME relationship with that vet and that INCLUDES paying your bills!
4. Speaking of paying bills…….if we’ve sent you to collections once and are nice enough to take you on as a CASH-ONLY client then that means bring money with you. If you were sent to collections and STILL have not paid your bill then don’t call us with an emergency and yell at us for “not caring about the animals” because we can’t take your animal in. Hell, the last bill you never paid was an emergency and we’ve still not been paid for that one!!
5. If your dog or cat goes home with an elizabethan collar to prevent it from pulling out stitches or ripping off a bandage then that collar is there for a reason! Don’t get mad at us when you take the collar off “for a few minutes” and the dog/cat rips out/off the sutures/bandage. Having to resuture/rebandage the animal (and yes there is a fee for that) one should have “learned ‘ya” but if you have to bring the animal in again (and sometimes again and again) then YES you will be charged for the resuture/rebandage. It is NOT our fault that you didn’t follow instructions.
6. Just because you are a rescue does not mean it’s okay to come in 30 minutes late EVERY time we set up an appointment for one of your animals and to bring 4 other dogs when you do arrive. We do need to know this stuff ahead of time!!
7. If you want to speak with the vet and we ask you what it is regarding it’s NOT because we want to be nosy. When the vet is busy there are certain types of calls he can step away for, but there are others we need to take a message so he can get back with you. Please don’t consider us so far below you that you won’t even speak to us to set up an appointment…….that’s a waste of the Dr.’s time and that is why he has ASSISTANTS to do that work.
All that said, we do have some wonderful clients. They show up on time, understand when there are emergencies that take the vet away unexpectedly, have all their information available, know what they want and are pleasant on the phone. They make my job so much more tolerable.
(ugh, I typed way too much and don’t feel like checking it over for errors now so you’ll just have to take it errors and all……)
I second the thought that you should be nice to service people. I worked for an airline in a reservation center for 5 years. I have come to the conclusion that most people are stupid and evil. Airlines do not control the damn weather. Safety comes first. If you are flying into or out of Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan or some other frozen northern weather hellhole do not be surprised by deicing delays, flight diversions/cancelations in the months of Nov-Apr. No it wasn’t done just to inconvenience you. It wasn’t done because there were not enough people on the flight. I routinely flew on a mostly empty flight Minneapolis to Seattle. The plane was needed for a very busy flight in the morning and would have flown empty if need be. If the onward path of travel is screwed up other flights may be cancelled.
geesh, I should have taken the time to reread that before sending…….what a mess.
I’d like to add to this as someone who worked in a feed/tack store for 2.5 years:
DO NOT call your local tack store clerk for medical emergencies! Yes, we sell “vet supplies” but NO we are not vets! Don’t be a cheap f*ing bastard and call your vet if you suspect something is wrong.
Calls that I got while working at the feed store:
1. My horse ripped up it’s side, I can see the ribs. What do you have there for that? What do I do?
CALL THE GODDAMN VET!
2. My horse is down trashing, can YOU come out and check on him.
F*CK NO! I AM NOT A F*ING VET!
3. My dogs attacked my horse and now his wounds are infected, should I just pour iodine on the wounds.
I’d like to pour iodine on your gaping wounds. NO, CALL YOUR VET!
4. I forgot to give my horse water for two days (in the middle of a California summer), should I give him electrolites?
FUCK NO! CALL YOUR GODDAMN VET!
5. I decided to self diagnose a sick horse and gave a penicillian shot directly under the skin and now it’s a huge bubble. Should I cut it with my pocket kife?
WHAT PART OF INTRAMUSCULAR DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!? If you can’t understand the f*ing bottle, don’t use it yourself, call your VET!
6. My 30yr old horse is down and has been for two days, do you sell the drugs to put them down?
NO, CALL YOUR VET!
sooooooo many more, but you get the picture.
This is why I love my vet, they know who I am, and who my horse is on a first name basis. There is only one doctor and her husband handles the phones. They are professional and prompt, but flexible as needed. If my vet wasn’t able to make it out for an urgent call, she worked with me as much as possible to ensure my horse still got the care she needed.
Over the past two years they’ve become just as much family friends as they are my horse’s vet.
I know what kind of care I want for my horse, and I know I can’t find it at a large multi-dr practice. The same thing goes for my own personal doctors.
There are so many more of these I could add. I could start my own blog with the f’ed up things people do with and to their horses. Mostly what I wanted when I wrote this was for people to have some respect and understanding for the “other” people who work at the clinic. I understand that the Dr is the knight in shining armor in these cases, but sometimes “Simon the stable boy” needs some love too. I get totalk to people who hero worship the Dr’s all day long, and once in awhile, I would like to hear that I’m great too!!! But, enough ranting, for all of you who understand my job and how difficult it is, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You guys are why I get up and go to work in the morning. To talk to a client who truly cares for their horses, and is courteous and friendly really makes my day. Bad owners seem to be a dime a dozen these days, and I will admit,I am not above putting your appointment off a few days if your one of them (IF your horses do not have anything serious!) In the end, I really don’t need a gift (although it would be nice) I really like Fugs idea of a letter. I recieved a letter from a client who I helped place a horse. I got that letter the year I started (2000) and I still have it hanging on my bulletin board. Those things go a long way for a long suffering clinic employee!
Well, Being in New Zealand things are slightly different here (our horses were NEVER stabled, in the field year round). Also you either have your horses at your own property or graze then, there isn’t barn staff/farm staff to sort horses for vets or farriers.
Because the best farrier operated out of a forge at the local racetrack – we would take the horses to him (hot shoes custom made for one OTTB that needed corrective shoeing to get things right). We also drove past the vet clinic on the way so sine we had a large trailer float, and the horses were better confined than they would be at home, teeth floats were usally done there.
had one time that the vet had been kicked in the head by a cow and was getting his head stiched when we arrived – they said he’d be able to do the horse after he was back from the dr’s. We just told them to call us when he was doing farm visits in the area… I got a float, selium shot, and the horse tranq’d for the proceedure for about $50, it should have been over $150…
Also during spring when they are doing a lot of dairy cow call outs, if we had to have a vet come out for routine work we would have the horses in well before the vet arrived, and the jug would have been put on, so that while waiting for the tranq to work (we had a series of horses that didn’t like men/vets and needed tranq’ing
as all the large animal vets were male!) the vet got a tea/coffee and cake/biscuts. That sort of thing works wonders when they go to write the bill!
We also got “discount” because we were Always there to hold the horse, often vets turn up and the horses are in the paddock or in a yard, and they have to do everything themselves. Also, if the horse was being difficult – hell, some of them couldn’t stand menbut had to put up with a man all over their face for floating teeth – tanq the damn thing, it’s eaier on the horse, the vet and the person holding the horse… don’t give bullshit excuses for why you don’t want your horse tranq’d.
Thanks for the reminder to appreciate our vets and staff. I dropped off a giant decorated chococlate chip cookie and a card this morning. I hope they all enjoy it.
Another thing that my LONG-TIME vet super appreciates is when I preface my phone call with my phone number AND if it is an emergency or not…Like “Hi Clint, this is Lori Da—–, 407-944-abcd, and this is/is NOT an emergency” and then on to what the call is about…How many times have you spent minutes listening to a message to get a phone number and it was all for nuthin’? In the Equus article this month, regarding vets, we are losing them by the handful all the time…let’s treat our pros with love…
I’ve read there is an alarming shortage of large animal vets and it’s only going to get worse. There are not enough students in vet school specializing in large animals either. Some of it is attributed to less and less kids growing up with large animals so they don’t want to handle the large animals in practice. It’s a shame there aren’t as many kids growing up on farms and raising livestock nowadays.
Sometimes those who abuse others they believe to be “below” them on the power scale get their due. Decades ago I was involved in selecting candidates for coveted training positions. Process involved lots of applications, phone calls, and then interviews, all directed thru Bonnie, the “secretary” in charge of hiring. I was present when we were weighing candidates, stuck between two, and Bonnie spoke up. Seems one guy had been a rude PIA to her, consistently. He went to the bottom of the pile. And we asked Bonnie’s opinion ever after, she was our secret “jerkwad” detector!!
Our old vet was fab, very calm and good with the horses. We had a new one out today, its always a bit daunting but she was brilliant too. Pony needed her teeth rasped and the lovely vet put up with her swinging her face around and backing up. She couldn’t get it done safely so is coming back next week with the power tools and sedation. I was very impressed.
This reminds me, i must get the farier a box of chocolates, they’re another person who doesn’t get the recognition they need sometimes!
What I say to this person’s post is: GET OVER YOURSELF! Your in a customer service position. I work for an airline and can talk to 500+ people per day and when in Seattle, I talked to 1000+ per day. Do I repeat myself all day? Do I get stupid questions all day? YES! Who cares, that’s my flippin’ job!!! And it’s your job too! If you don’t like it, get a job cleaning the kennels and walking the dogs in the back.
Wild rose cowgirl-
Really your post says it all, Get over yourself. Your job is difficult and so is mine. I have an audience of customers and clients on this forum that I can possibly educate about how I wopudl like to be treated. I’m sorry that you have no way of contacting the thousands of people that are rude to you everyday, but my suggestion to you is that possibly you should have a little bit of empathy for others, and realize that not everyone handles thing the exact same way you do. by the way, I have done my time as a kennel girl and I work as a assistant with one of the Drs once or twice a week, and you know what? I still deal with the same bullshit.
By the way, I wonder how much the staff at your vets office like you?
Luckyduck said…
“I have an audience of customers and clients on this forum that I can possibly educate about how I wopudl like to be treated”
Not only that, you did it much nicer than I did.
Honestly…how many people COULDN’T think of a dozen peeves about their job…and don’t or wouldn’t vent in the presence of people with whom they have some degree of commonality.
Getting over myself? Hey, no prob. It’s getting over the condescending sphincterites and thoughtless toads that gives me a struggle.
“Sphincterites.” omg, that’s awesome. I’m sorry, but I’m stealing that for personal use.
cnsdubie,
I’m not in a call center. I’m face to face with people every day. In fact I do have people who expect me to remember them and I do have people who just walk up and tell me their name, as if I have a clue of which flight or destination they are going. But again… THAT’S MY JOB. Rather than getting bent over it, I just tease them and make a joke of it.
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
If the original poster doesn’t like their job, then they should search for another position.
The assistant for our vet is just lovely. My horse coliced badly, to the point where she spent four days in intensive care on an IV drip.
The assistant called me every other day, and then semi-regularly a few weeks after the horse came home, to check in and see how she was doing. She didn’t need to, and I know she was busy. It was just nice to know she was keeping an eye out for my horse.
Had the vet out for a colic yesterday and he added a piece of advice that is worth passing on. He said PLEASE CALL when something is wrong even if you don’t intend to have him out immediately. At least then he can make a recommendation for a course of action. He had a lady who gave her 28 year old horse, are ya ready, THIRTY CC’s OF BANAMINE trying to fix her colic herself yesterday.
Hers is dead, mine is alive.
Nobody wants to lose a horse especially on Christmas…if you aren’t positive you’re doing the right thing, please call your vet and ask first!
cnsdubie,
“I just tease them and make a joke of it.”
That could get you fired in many professional positions, when you deal with a public that lacks a sense of humor…and you’re dealing with something they are passionate about (like their kids or pets…)
Nobody said here that we don’t smile and behave professionally…again…I refer to my previous question to which you did not respond. Do you never, when out relaxing with a group, vent a bit? Do you never tell anyone what you wish you could change about your job? Because that is all she did here…
If you don’t, then perhaps you should. It would help you get over yourself, too.