# I'm cheating on my vet!



## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

I've taken Chip and Mrowmrow to the same vet office for two years, and they've always given us great service and they seem like they truly do care about the animals. Our vet is incredibly gentle with Mrowmrow, which I really appreciate, and he even gave me a huge discount for his neuter when I was upset because I couldn't afford it and it REALLY needed to get done. 

However, I got the estimate for Chip's exam, vaccinations, HW test, prophy/dental cleaning, and extraction...and it totaled between 550-700$. They also don't seem to know much about raw feeding, which disappointed me. I called a holistic vet but it seemed like I couldn't get much information without setting up an appointment for Chip- which I did, and their new patient exam was 20$ cheaper than the one at our vet (only 45$). Chip is, however, coming up due for all of his vaccinations in July. I really made the exam to talk about a raw diet with this vet, but it seemed like they wanted to do all of the vaccinations there. 

Do you guys think I should keep this visit to the vet at a minimum- just the consult/exam- and then go back to our vet for his vaccines/HW test/fecal? Or, if the prices are significantly lower here, should I switch vets for Chip entirely? My friend thinks I shouldn't be going to two separate vets at all because that's horrible customer loyalty, and I wouldn't really know how to tell my present vet that they wouldn't be seeing Chip anymore. /: Our vet now actually knows my voice on the phone and will call me to check in on Mrowmrow every month or so because he's one of their "frequent fliers", but I almost don't feel TOO bad because they've only seen Chip once. They did take the time to get me an entire estimate, though, so I feel like it'd be really rude to just say "I've switched vets for him, sorry".


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

You can't think about the feelings of the vets - you have to think about yourself and your dog. Remember, they may be nice but they are a business partner and you have the option to switch.

I don't think you can have two primary vets for one animal - at least, when I go to Noah's (the emergency vet) they send everything to my primary vet, and they won't do any testing or anything that's not directly related to the emergency.

Some vets are much higher than others - I pay $30 for an office visit, and I really like my vet. if you want to keep Mrowmrow at one and take Chip to the other you could do that. 

you can also space Chip's vaccines out - get the rabies for legal, but everything else can be delayed. Those vaccines last much longer than they recommend you get them. Lots of people believe it can be very bad for a dog to get them all at the same time - I also believe that.


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## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

I vaccinate minimally myself. Rabies legally, and parvo and distemper. I'll never give multiple or combined vaccinations in one visit. A good friend of mine, her dog developed Addison's disease due to multiple vaccinations being administered. It's been a very expensive and stressful life change for them.
A lot of dogs have adverse reactions because of over vaccination. Some people chose not to vaccinate at all, but with that choice, tittering should be the alternative and responsible decision.
I might sound like a bit of a hippie, but I try and do things as natural as possible, for myself and my pets. And it keeps costs down! 

The choice is ultimately yours, I would sit down and weigh your pros and cons, and pick what you think will be the best for you and your guys!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I learned about titering on this board - never heard of it before. I'm talking to my vet about it next week.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

Montana said:


> I vaccinate minimally myself. Rabies legally, and parvo and distemper. I'll never give multiple or combined vaccinations in one visit. A good friend of mine, her dog developed Addison's disease due to multiple vaccinations being administered. It's been a very expensive and stressful life change for them.
> A lot of dogs have adverse reactions because of over vaccination. Some people chose not to vaccinate at all, but with that choice, tittering should be the alternative and responsible decision.
> I might sound like a bit of a hippie, but I try and do things as natural as possible, for myself and my pets. And it keeps costs down!
> 
> The choice is ultimately yours, I would sit down and weigh your pros and cons, and pick what you think will be the best for you and your guys!


That is something I am going to have to look into- I know Chip is technically "due" for his rabies and DHPP-L soon (he was vaccinated in July, but the vet wants to do them at his upcoming appt. 4/28?) and the technician I spoke to earlier at this new vet said that bordatella actually only lasts 6 months, and that's he's due again. Even knowing very little about vaccinations, I know he received a sub-q shot at one visit, and then a few weeks later he had a nasal spray administered that was supposed be a "booster"...so I really don't think he needs another. Here, dogs have to have a rabies shot yearly and at any dog park, they have to have current DHPP-L/bordatella/rabies PROOF or they won't let you bring your dog into the park. He also can't attend classes without these. 

@Xellil- I guess I'll just see how I feel about this vet and go from there. I was a bit put-off because I had originally called and they asked if I was a patient of record, and I said no...told them my whole spiel "looking for a vet who has thorough knowledge of a raw diet" etc. and they said that their resident holistic vet wasn't in today but that she'd be back Monday. They asked again if Chip had been seen before, and I said no. She asked for my name and number, which I gave, and said that their vet would call me back on Monday. I said that after I had spoken to the vet, I would decide if I wanted to see her with Chip. She said that was perfectly alright. About two minutes after I hang up, they called me back and said "Oh, we thought Chip had been seen before. Why don't we set up that appointment now and have you speak to the vet then?" 

Which pretty much made it seem like I wasn't going to be able to talk to the vet until she was sure I was paying for an exam. His appointment is the 28th but I plan to start raw this Sunday so it's really not as helpful as I'd like. I wasn't going to bombard the vet with questions, I was just going to ask if she had any experience with raw and if she advocated for it. Jeez


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

That does seem a little odd. When i was looking for a cardiologist for Snorkels, I had several email conversations with him before I committed to an appointment and paying for the consultation. Can you get the vet's email address? Maybe try that.

I totally forgot about the dog parks. Titering is out for us, or we'll be stranded on the outside looking in.


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Mokapi said:


> That is something I am going to have to look into- I know Chip is technically "due" for his rabies and DHPP-L soon (he was vaccinated in July, but the vet wants to do them at his upcoming appt. 4/28?) and the technician I spoke to earlier at this new vet said that bordatella actually only lasts 6 months, and that's he's due again. Even knowing very little about vaccinations, I know he received a sub-q shot at one visit, and then a few weeks later he had a nasal spray administered that was supposed be a "booster"...so I really don't think he needs another. Here, dogs have to have a rabies shot yearly and at any dog park, they have to have current DHPP-L/bordatella/rabies PROOF or they won't let you bring your dog into the park. He also can't attend classes without these.
> 
> @Xellil- I guess I'll just see how I feel about this vet and go from there. I was a bit put-off because I had originally called and they asked if I was a patient of record, and I said no...told them my whole spiel "looking for a vet who has thorough knowledge of a raw diet" etc. and they said that their resident holistic vet wasn't in today but that she'd be back Monday. They asked again if Chip had been seen before, and I said no. She asked for my name and number, which I gave, and said that their vet would call me back on Monday. I said that after I had spoken to the vet, I would decide if I wanted to see her with Chip. She said that was perfectly alright. About two minutes after I hang up, they called me back and said "Oh, we thought Chip had been seen before. Why don't we set up that appointment now and have you speak to the vet then?"
> 
> Which pretty much made it seem like I wasn't going to be able to talk to the vet until she was sure I was paying for an exam. His appointment is the 28th but I plan to start raw this Sunday so it's really not as helpful as I'd like. I wasn't going to bombard the vet with questions, I was just going to ask if she had any experience with raw and if she advocated for it. Jeez


If all you were asking was about the raw diet and how your vet felt about it/what he knew, he should have been able to talk with you on the phone about it. 
With my exotics vet, I get her on the phone even if I have to drag her by her toenails because there's NO WAY I'm making the 45 minute drive with a guinea pig or rabbit that is really stressed out by anything, for something that may not even require an appointment. I am friends with her and have been a client there for years and years... and most of the techs/nurses know my voice on the phone too because I am there a lot [at least once a month, between my animals and the fosters for my rabbit rescue]. So that probably gives me some pull. But still, you should not need to pay $45 or $65 just to talk to the guy... about something that is not a medical issue with your pet.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

What Silverbeat said. So much more eloquently than me.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

I might still call them on Monday and ask to speak with her. There wasn't much I could do today because she simply wasn't in, but...that's 45$ I can put towards his normal exam/vaccinations at his current vet. Or some raw diet stuffs


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

what customer loyalty? your dog is the patient.
i have a feeling your dog might not care what
Vet you choose. i think having 2 or 3 Vets is a good idea.
i use 2 Vets. one of the Vets i use is holistic and the
other one is more traditional. you have to be comfortable
with whatever Vet you use. you can also be loyal to
2 Vets or more.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Maybe I missed something but I'm not sure what you want to ask a vet about a raw diet. I can tell you that you won't find one that knows very much unless he actually feeds his own dogs a raw diet. You will get much more accurate information from most any raw feeder who has been feeding for a year.

The average vet can tell you, "Bones are dangerous. Germs are dangerous. You won't be able to balance the diet." Of course none of those statements are true. :smile:

If you are thinking about switching to raw, I wouldn't consider doing a dental until you have fed raw for 3 months or so. You wll most likely find that the dental is entirely unnecessary. :smile:

I wouldn't hire a vet without a free in person interview without a dog being present. Thats when you can ask questions about their feelings about raw and vaccs or any other subject that concerns you. Try to keep the interview to 10 minutes or less.


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## Mokapi (Apr 7, 2011)

RawFedDogs said:


> Maybe I missed something but I'm not sure what you want to ask a vet about a raw diet. I can tell you that you won't find one that knows very much unless he actually feeds his own dogs a raw diet. You will get much more accurate information from most any raw feeder who has been feeding for a year.
> 
> The average vet can tell you, "Bones are dangerous. Germs are dangerous. You won't be able to balance the diet." Of course none of those statements are true. :smile:
> 
> ...


Considering she is a "holistic" vet, my hope is that she DOES feed her dogs raw and that she will be able to direct me towards other people that do the same. I don't plan on letting her dissuade me from putting Chip on it if she doesn't advocate it/isn't familiar with it...absolutely not. 

I will just call back on Monday and ask if I can either speak to her over the phone or come in and talk to her for a few minutes- they aren't extremely close to me, but if it's pointless to bring him, then I just won't bring him. :|


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