Are today's vets as compassionate as in time past?

My dog had some tests done the other week and the results were due back on Friday afternoon. I stayed by the phone for days but on the Friday morning I took her in the garden for a wee only to get back in the house to the phone ringing. It was my vet. She’d rang while I was in the garden (typical) but then rang again. She said the minute the result came through she rang me straight away as she knew how worried I was and everything was ok. Unfortunately I’ve read that many vets suffer from depression and there is a high suicide rate and it’s because they do the job to save animals and can’t cope with the downside. I’ve had some amazing vets over the years and they’ve always been there for me when I needed them. I had a pony that was going to be pts (she wasn’t going to survive the winter) but she got colic and I needed a vet straight away. My vet wasn’t supposed to be doing that sort of thing that day but, before I knew it she’d arrived. I asked her how she’d been able to come and she said ‘I made you a promise that I’d be there when it happened and I wasn’t going to let you down’. The last I heard of her she was suffering from stress. My lasting memory of her was us stood in the rain hugging each other and crying when she’d told me my girl couldn’t get through the winter. She was an angel. Left the practice soon after and I never saw her again.

My vet voluntarily came to my house on Tuesday (after they finished work) to give my elderly dog her monthly injection. It was done outside on our drive. Mind you this month alone I have spent over £600 with the practice as my other dog had some severe gastric problems.

I left my vets after eighteen years. They expanded and then sold to a larger group, and I never saw the same vet twice. The last time I went my dog had something in his eye, and the young vet I saw more or less ignored me and was laughing and joking with the nurse. I didn't like his behaviour considering my dog might have had to be admitted and put under to remove the foreign object.

I've now moved to a smaller independent vets where I see one of three vets, they listen to me, they know my dog's name, as well as mine.

I had an awful couple of months in May/ June having our 2 cats and our beautiful golden retriever who was only 8 put to sleep. With the cats the male vet was very matter of fact and said we as owners know when the time is right (they were 15). It was a bit weird discussing this in the car park and we didn't go into the surgery as I wanted them to go together as brothers as they came into the world. The practice sent a little card and requested payment about a week later. I coped ok.
The situation with our dog was far more traumatic. We handed him over to the young female vet to check him, she came out into the car park and said he needed an ultrasound. We went home and on the way she phoned to say she needed to do emergency surgery which would be £2000 to which we agreed. Then 20 minutes later she phoned again and came that awful decision to let him go. The vet herself was in tears, she even doubted herself saying maybe she shouldn't have opened him up but 2 other vets on duty came to look and confirmed her fears. No time for us to say goodbye. She sent a personal card with lovely wording telling us what a gentleman he was in the surgery. We had him cremated. No bills were sent until about 3 weeks after his parting.
When we got the new golden puppy in September we specifically asked to see the same vet so she could have a pleasant experience for which she was very grateful. Her compassion throughout was second to none. I wish everyone could have good experiences.

I've never met an uncompassionate vet

I've had excellent compassionate service from all the vets I've come into contact with. I've had to have horses, dogs and cats pts over the years, fortunately the dogs and cats were all very old and although much loved I knew they were coming to the end of their lives and was able to deal with the actual event quite calmly. I have, however, had to have two horses pts in absolutely tragic situations and tbh I was pretty distraught. The vets on both occasions were wonderful and I am so grateful to them, even thinking about it makes me well up! They both, whilst ensuring the horses were pain free, gave me time to compose myself so I could be with them at the very end, which is what I wanted. I did have a less than sympathetic receptionist though, who when I'd had one of my lovely dogs pts made the mistake of saying "I couldn't find him because he's dead" when I went to pay. She was, however, completely mortified so I forgave her.

In all my dealings with vets through the years I've always found them to be full of compassion and kindness. Our little dog needed surgery this year and our lovely vet and all his staff could not have been more concerned, loving and gentle with her and us. It was almost as though she was their pet.

I'm really aware that our vet in a small country practice is a Godsend.

CrazyH I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with your darling dog. My brother has lost two of his dogs recently (separate occasions - both very old puppers) and used a wonderful cremation service. The people came to the house and took the dogs away with such respect and gentleness and returned the ashes days later in the same way. When the time comes I will use them too.

Much more compassionate especially if the pet is insured well!.

Good and bad in all I guess. We noticed a real difference when our Vet ‘sold out’ to a National. The premises were updated and we felt (as did others) that owners were pressurised into unnecessary tests/treatment on some animals that wouldn’t really benefit, in order to recoup the costs. Does a 10 year old dog understand chemotherapy - at least a human can make an informed choice based on prognosis.
Costs were astronomical with the Vet expecting all animals to be insured. Our old cat had heart failure and we refused to have him scanned every 6 months at a cost of £500, when he obviously wasn’t going to improve, but gladly paid £90 a month for his meds.
We changed to an independent vet a bit further away who was very good and based treatment on common sense not emotion with the animal’s welfare the main priority, not the owner’s feelings.
Since Covid, with so many new pets going to previously no-pet homes I think things will get even more difficult with owners treating their pets as children (there’s a difference between that and being part of the family) and many may not accept or understand that not all treatment is for that pet’s benefit.
Just my opinion.

I think some vets are downright heartless. I called them to put my lovely old dog to sleep as I wanted her to die at home. Before they did what they had to do, the children and I sat with her, stroked her, kissed her and said our goodbyes. After that, the vets just carried her out to the van and almost threw her in and on top of that were having a private joke. I don’t know what it was about, but it was pretty disrespectful to our feelings. ?

Thank you, Germanshepherdsmum. As you know, it's the hardest thing any pet owner has to face, but our vets made it as 'easy' as they could under the very trying cirumstances of the time.

Sorry for your loss Blondiescot?. Glad it was done with such kindness and sensitivity.

Germanshepherdsmum

I have found my vets very compassionate.

Same here. We had to get our elderly Lab put to sleep last June, and obviously the Covid restrictions meant we couldn't actually go into the surgery with him. However, our vet (who we have been with for years) came out to the car and sedated him there, so the last thing he knew was falling asleep in our arms. I know of other owners who have had to get pets put to sleep during the pandemic and their vets were less than accommodating. I think if you go to a good local independent vet, rather than one which is part of a national chain, it does make a difference. I worked in a vet surgery as a receptionist for a short time and I can honestly say that, with one exception, the vets there were all extremely committed to their job and very compassionate.

I know a vet who adopts all pets that the owner wants put down unnecessarily. He does all the work the owners didn’t want to pay for, then finds them new homes (the pet not the owners!)

I wish my vet was my doctor. He’s lovely.

I have found my vets very compassionate.