vet rant

So I recently decided to check out a different vet in the area. The only reason I decided to do this is because my regular place was all booked up. Anyways, I had heard that this place is supposed to be one of the best in St. Louis. Hmm.

First, I arrived for my appointment on time but had to wait 45 minutes to be seen. Ok, that's not horrible, and I did have to deal with some paperwork because it was my first time.

Second, some people have no control over their dogs (either that or they just let them do whatever they want). Several dogs came right up to the carrier while I was doing the paperwork and sniffed and barked at my kitties . So of course my cats attack the side of the carrier and get all upset.

Third, so finally they are ready to see us and the assistant wants to weigh my kitties on a scale in the reception area, where all the dogs are. I ask her if she is kidding, surely this is just the dog scale, but she said that they do it all the time. So she lets Monty out of the carrier and puts him on the scale. For obvious reasons he is pretty scared and struggles to get away. So the assistant, she starts handling him very roughly and grabs him tightly by his collar, choking him, but he escapes her anyways and jumps off the scale. The assistant then grabs him by his tail and drags him back . I tell the assistant "Please do not drag my cat by his tail." and she ignores me. Then I tell her to let me handle him. When she stops grabbing him and I'm lightly holding him in place then he is calm and stays no problem.

By then I was furious and when we were left alone and the doctor came in I told him what had happened. He didn't seem terribly concerned about it though and said that he would have a talk with her about proper handling of animals. The doctor was ok but I didn't like how he grabbed my kitties by their collars as well. But he did give them their distemper boosters without upsetting them very much.

So when I went to pay I told the receptionist that I wished to file a complaint and told her what had happened with the aggressive assistant dragging my kitty by his tail. The receptionist went and told her boss. The boss then comes out and has me fill out an incident report. In this report I was asked to suggest some resolution so I suggested that this assistant not be allowed to handle animals any more. The boss and the receptionist are now apologising profusely and saying that something will be done about this. They also said that they want to call me in a week about what resolution they would decide.

Sigh, I don't think I should like to go back there, even though they say that they will never allow that assistant touch my cats again.

As if trips to the vet weren't hard enough, something like that has to happen....

I would have left after the tail grabing part. I have a cat who is a biter. When her rear leg was amputated she ended up biting two of the techs in one morning. One of the techs who was bitten helped the vet with our follow up visit. Even though she was bitten by Sweetie just a few days before she was still gentle and loving to her. If they can not handle animals correctly they need to find a new line of work!

One of my vet trips was very similar to this. My vet's office is right next to a very busy street. Cleo got very nervous. They were weighing her (in the back away from all the dogs) and had taken her back to the waiting room. The tech left the door open and Cleo bolted out the door. She ran outside and almost through the parking lot. The tech ran after her and she began to slow down, eventually flopping down on her tummy to be picked up. Instead of picking her up, the tech stood on her tail and called for someone to "sedate that crazy *@#$%^% of a cat". If people are going to work in vet's office, they need to be kind but forceful, not just out right cruel. It's awful when the owner sees how their animal is treated first hand. It makes me wonder how the animals kept overnight are treated.

I have to say, you handled the situation much more nicely than I would have. A lot more would have come out of my mouth than, "Please don't grab my cat by his tail."

You did the right thing. Good for you!

I am so sorry that this happened to you!

Do any of you guys that have had a bad experience have access to a feline-only vet practice? Since I switched, I have been very impressed with how they handle and treat my kitties and how much less stress they go through at the office...not to mention that the whole building is absolutely spotless and very warm and inviting...

I would have been furious with anyone pulling my cat's tail. Carly has little muscle-control over her tail and it just hangs there. She was that way when we first got her about a year ago and I did research in to tail-pull injuries. These can seriously affect a cat to the point of having bowel and kidney problems.

Reading stories like this make me really appreciate my feline-only vet. Everyone there knows and loves our cats.

1st of all....... AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKK! That is horrible - all of it. You have every right to rant. Yikes. I can't even imagine them dragging your cat by it's tail! Makes me want to go into a rant and I wasn't even there. Your poor kitty. I'm so glad you spoke up (multiple times).

Give your kitty a big hug from me.

Originally Posted by furbum

Second, some people have no control over their dogs (either that or they just let them do whatever they want). Several dogs came right up to the carrier while I was doing the paperwork and sniffed and barked at my kitties

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That is a huge pet peeve for me. I used to have a dog (lab) that didn't really like other dogs getting into his face. I was always so annoyed and surprised how many people don't control their dogs and let them just run up to any animal in the vets office.

Furbum and Cassie-ondra,

I was appalled when I read what had happened to your cats! These sort of people should not be allowed to work in veterinary surgeries!! They can't be animal lovers otherwise they would know not to treat any animal like that! This then begs the question of why on earth they are working in a veterinary practice

If you can, find another practice - these people do not deserve the privilege of having your babies as clients

I agree whole heartedly that this was mishandling of your kitty. There are times when cats need to be "scruffed" when restrained, but if it's done gently, it acts as a relaxant because when they were kittens, their mother taught them but picking them up by the scruff and they just curl into a ball and relax.
Being one of the "best" clinics, as you heard they were, has it's ups and downs. While there may be a normal amount of regular appointments for the day, their clientel is so large that there are usually a lot of "last minute" or emergency type things that will throw off the rest of the day's appointments, making people wait longer than usual. Then the room backs up with lots of loud barking dogs and the louder they are, the louder people have to talk, and it's all very overwhelming for cats.
We are re-doing our clinic, and we are putting in a waiting room that is divided so if there are a lot of people waiting, at least they can be sectioned off somewhat.
I hope your kitties have gotten over the trauma!

When it come to my cats I'm not shy. About the time anyone grabbed my cats by the tail. I would have them by the hair and ask "How do You Like it?" Then I'd be out the door so fast ! This sounds like the vet visit from ****.They took your cats out and weighed them in the same room as the dogs where at?? Don't go back there again.
I'm glad you made a complaint it might prevent this from happening to some one elses cat. I hope your kitties have calmed down and are ok..

Wow I am shocked.

When I take one of mine, they have an examining room ready for you and you take your animal in there until the vet is ready to see you, sometimes you do have to wait, but not in a room with other animals. The scale is in the examining room.

Once they were super busy (we brought a lost cat in to get it checked and scanned for a microchip before taking to a shelter as it looked hurt and I don't think much of our local shelter) and they had to scan for the chip in the main reception area but that was us just walking in and waiting for an emergency appointment

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

There are times when cats need to be "scruffed" when restrained, but if it's done gently, it acts as a relaxant because when they were kittens, their mother taught them but picking them up by the scruff and they just curl into a ball and relax.

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We actually gently scruff the naughty orphans sometimes when we're outlining their boundaries, as it were...as long as you're doing the "firm but gentle" and not supporting them by the scruff after they're weaned, I don't think it is mishandling...

just a note, proper restraint of cats includes holding them by thier scruff while supporting thier hindend. (it makes handleing the cat who want to kill you that much easier)

that being said, scale in reseption area, my work tried that for a week, it was a train wreck, moved it back to where it was

Originally Posted by jeanor

1st of all....... AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKK! That is horrible - all of it. You have every right to rant. Yikes. I can't even imagine them dragging your cat by it's tail! Makes me want to go into a rant and I wasn't even there. Your poor kitty. I'm so glad you spoke up (multiple times).

Give your kitty a big hug from me.

That is a huge pet peeve for me. I used to have a dog (lab) that didn't really like other dogs getting into his face. I was always so annoyed and surprised how many people don't control their dogs and let them just run up to any animal in the vets office.

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you know whats worse, people who don't keep thier kids in line, if the kid gets bit the practice is liable.

Wow - you were very much in control of yourself there. If anyone ever grabbed and dragged one of my cats by the tail they would have been grabbed and dragged by the HAIR by ME out the back where they would have got the tongue-lashing of their lives. THEN I would have left straight away, and told every single person I knew what had happened, and probably contacted the RSPCA, AND the local television stations.

That is SHOCKING. My jaw literally dropped when I read that. You poor thing, and your poor kitties. That assistant shouldn't be allowed to handle ANY animal ever again, not just your cats.

Thanks for your support everyone.

Cassie-ondra, what happened to your kitty is just horrifying. It kills me that people like this are working in veterinary clinics. How on earth do they get this job?

I almost left after the tail pulling incident. While pacing around the examining room I decided to stay in hopes that the assistant wouldn't come back and the doctor wouldn't be so aweful. Unfortunately the assistant did come back when they had to get their shots to hold my kitties down. That made me pretty upset. I put my hands near hers on my kitties and prepared to remove her hands from my cats should she try anything else.

I didn't know that tail pulling could cause them long term problems!! That just makes me more upset about the whole thing. Certainly the veterinary assistants should know this!!

I think Monty and Bootsie were really well-behaved there and didn't even meow or growl or hiss the whole time. Also, they didn't struggle that much and their claws are trimmed. So, there was really no reason to get rough with them.

Oi.. I would really like to find a feline-only clinic. That sounds absolutely wonderful.

Well, it seems that they are not traumatized, thank goodness. Yesterday they spent most of the rest of the day in their cat bed grooming each other. They're quite inseparable and it seems that they took it better since they were together. Poor dears.

What an awful experience! I'm glad they're not traumatised and are back to smooching each other.
I just love your siggy pics, they make me smile every time I see them, especially Monty's expression in the second one. Makes me so mad to think of anyone hurting him, especially at a vet's office. Geez, if you can't expect there to be animal lovers in a vet's office, just what hope is there?!

MY vet clinic has a dog/cat scale. However all dogs are always on a leash or in a carrier. When I weigh my cats I take them out of carrier and place on scale. The vet checks the weight. Unless it seems like I have a problem they don't assist. When I was bitten by Tommie he was at the clinic for observation for 10 days. They weighed him in the carrier and weighed the carrier after he was put in the crate. I haven't every had a problem. They are moving to a new facility on March. I'll have to see how the set up will be at that time.
I can't believe a person would grab a cat by the tail!!