My (former) Vet: A rant

When I first received Niko from the shelter, they highly recommended the vet that they used, so when it was time for him to get neutered, I went there. It turned out to be the same place my ex and I took his pups, so I was quite comfy with 'em.

Strike One: The shelter (and this site) educated me quite well on what he needed to have done for his neutering, how much it would cost (they were paying for it), aftercare, and all that kinda stuff. So I went in for my very first vet appointment, feeling well informed, and to drop him off for his li'l snip-snip. The tech I spoke to about the procedure told me about how he needed to have pre-op blood work done and how it was IMPERATIVE that he have pain medication for afterwards. When I said that I had done my homework and I didn't feel he needed pain meds, she told me I was: "cruel and don't know what you're talking about, it's surgery- he NEEDS pain management." So, feeling like I was being a mean mommy, I opted in for the extras. Lo' and behold, I speak to the shelter that evening and he already HAD his pre-op blood work (at the same place!), and I was told NOT to give him the pain meds 'cause he most likely wouldn't need it and since he was so little, it'd make him dopey. The vet charged me $200+ for everything, after all was said and done, when I wasn't supposed to pay ANYTHING for him to get neutered. I was told the shelter was only covering the actual operation, not the extras. Fine.. money down the drain, but that's okay. Whatever.

Strike Two: He's a VERY well behaved kitty, I haven't seen any aggression in him whatsoever (unless he's in play mode, of course), so when I brought him in, I told the tech (same one as above) that he prolly won't struggle with her too much and that he's quite gentle. Without hesitation, she roughly plopped his carrier on the table, reached in and /yanked/ him out by his scruff. No trying to calm him down, no soft words, nada. She then simply walked away, without any warning or letting me say goodbye. He was looking at me over her shoulder, both his arms reached out towards me, trying to scramble back into my arms.. crying. I just about lost it right there, the tears were welling up. He was gonna be there for two days, is it so wrong to let me snuggle him goodbye?! I made a comment to the receptionist and she had the tech bring him back in for a quick snug, the tech just rolled her eyes at me.

Strike Three: When I picked him up from getting neutered, the actual vet was very nice, but seemed in a hurry. We spoke briefly about diet, and of course, he suggested I put him BACK on the Science Diet he was eating while in the shelter. Right, whatever. He then quickly told me how to administer the pain meds and scooted me out the door. When we get home, I realize that one of his claws (one that didn't always fully retract) was crooked, bent to the side. I'm guessing he was fighting against the Evil Tech and got it caught on something. You'd think they would have frickin' (trying hard NOT to curse, here) noticed that he injured his paw! If they did notice, they didn't mention it to me. I mean, you'd think since I was paying for all this extra BS that they'd look him over a bit better before handing him back to me.

*takes a deep breath*

So... I told the shelter about my experience and they were FURIOUS, esp. since Niko was one of their golden children (I'm still in touch with them and his former fosterer, sending pics and videos all the time).

I changed vets immediately, to one my aunt used when before her cat passed away and they are absolutely wonderful. His initial appointment with them went like a dream. The tech was as sweet as can be, gave him treats, spoke to him softly.. coaxed him out, on his own, from his carrier. The vet, herself, was another wondrous experience. She tried to make friends with him before she even examined him, giving him scritches and loves, even closing the door to the exam room and putting him on the floor so he could get comfortable with his surroundings before she did anything. And yanno what? He purred through his entire exam. He nose-bumped and licked her hands, and even let her clip his back claws (which even /I/ can't do) without incident. I also spoke to her about diet, and told her about the EVO and Cal. Natural I've been feeding him as opposed to the Science Diet. Her response? She picked him up, snuggled him, and said, "You've got such a good mommy!"

I now love my vet, as does Niko.

Sorry for such a long post, this just gets me so riled up. If anyone's in the Central New Jersey area and is interested in what vets I'm speaking of, PM me.

I don't think that I would like your old vet either.

Unlike most others on here, I do believe in pain meds for post-spaying or neutering for several days after surgery. My vet keeps the spays for 2-3 days post-op and the neuters overnight so that he can hydrate, medicate and observe immediately postop. The pain meds that I take home are mild ones and I am given certain guidelines for their use. Having dealt with humans after the same surgeries, I am more comfortable with this setup.

Poor Niko!!!!! Good that you found a WONDERFUL vet! If I lived in that area, you would be getting a PM from me. That's how a vet should be!

Oh my goodness. If someone snatched my Pixel puss out of a carrier and did what you said they did to your baby I would have been FURIOUS right there on the spot. My hubby would have been mad but I would have taken her back home and rescheduled with a different vet!

Mom of 4: I agree with ya for the most part, and he would have gotten the meds if he seemed like he was uncomfy. When I brought him home from the neuter, he came out of the carrier and immediately wanted to play... after he loved up against every surface of the house. He prolly thought he was never gonna see any of it again since they kept him for two days. I made him take it easy for the rest of the week, though.

Kittee: If this were not my first cat (hell, my first ever /anything/!) or first experience with a vet, I would have made a /scene/. At first, I just thought that's how vets were; all business and direct to the point. I have been to many a doctor that had a HORRIBLE bedside manner, so I thought it was par for the course. After I was able to absorb all that had happened, I went apesh- ... apecrap.

Pain meds are not routinely given to cats here, so most Dutch people would not feel it was normal to give a cat meds after neutering. It's accepted good mommy practice not to drug your furkids as a matter of course.
However, I went to a symposium this march at Utrecht university (it's extra schooling for vets but other interested persons can attend too) and there was a lecture about pain meds for cats. Cats hide their pain pretty well, since their instincts tell them that if you show you're weak "they" will get you.
Did you know dogs get pain meds more often than cats do after the same operations ?
A problem with pain meds that was discussed is that there aren't many that are safe for cats and can be used at home.
I'm still undecided about giving pain meds but I will take it up with my vet if the cats might ever need any.

I too have different experiences with vets. My old vet was more of a dog person and a terrible people person. She always made me feel I was doing things wrong, she wouldn't listen to my concerns and told me things about my cats I knew were plain wrong.
I fed my cats RC babycat which they didn't find very palatable, I noticed they ate way better if I mixed in a little Whiskas. I was making them picky, she said. My cats eat everything know and most sources agree you make them picky by making them accustomed to one food only when they are kittens.
When I announced we were getting a third cat she wasn't happy for us, but very critical to the point she guaranteed us they would start soiling the house, she made it very clear it was irresponsible. When we got Flynn and dEUS (4th cat ) they fit right in and even alleviated tensions between Ernesto and Mimosa.
When Mimosa was spayed i printed out an article about pointed cats being sensitive to anaesthetic, she just waved it away in stead of talking to me about it. When I made an appointment for dEUS to be neutered my new vet's the assistant said: oh I see he's a pointed cat, we'll take extra care with the anaesthetic then.
The old vet also insisted Ernesto was a Maine Coon mix, and that with his sister Mimosa right in front of her ! I don't think any Maine Coon breeders would be thrilled with pointed Coons My new vets are very honest and just say it when they don't know about something, they don't feed you misinformation.

Anyway, it's good you got a new vet
You need someone you and your kittie can trust.

Neutering is relatively minor. Tiny was OK without meds afterwards... it's about as much pain as a vasectomy, I've been told; and most human men are OK with going back to work the day after, even though it's a bit sore. So it's a matter of opinion--I guess older cats would need pain meds more often than younger ones, since they'll take a bit longer to heal. Healthy kittens just bounce back from neuters.

So why did this vet tech even *become* a vet tech, if s/he didn't like animals? I don't get it!

Originally Posted by Kittee

Oh my goodness. If someone snatched my Pixel puss out of a carrier and did what you said they did to your baby I would have been FURIOUS right there on the spot. My hubby would have been mad but I would have taken her back home and rescheduled with a different vet!

Click to expand...

I'm glad you got a new vet you can both be happy with. At my vet, they always have me take them out of the carrier and sit in the exam room with them for a few minutes before the vet tech comes in, etc...seems to make it a little less scary although Bella still growled at the vet

You poor thing - what a horrible experience. I hope the shelter finds a better vet and that you found a better vet for your furbaby.

I am not a fan of pain killers either. I don't like to even take them for myself. With the kitties, unlike humans, you can't explain to them that they must take it easy for a few days and IMO, if they have pain killers, they may overdo their activity because the pain is numbed and they may hurt themselves more than they would if they felt the pain of certain movements. So I basically agree with Mimosa (your cats are gorgeous by the way).

Mimosa - you sure had a winner of a vet didn't you? That's the kind of vet that gives a bad name to the others. Glad you found a better one.