Do you ever "test" a new vet?

[lilblu]

I was wondering if anyone here has ever required that their new vet take and pass a small oral test to actually test their knowledge?

I'm going to be going to two new vets and I really want to ask them a few questions to test their knowledge. Basically, it would be three short questions. But I'm afraid they'll think I'm some know-it-all jackass. I only want to ask them because some of my previous vets didn't know this stuff and they should've. They should've learned it in veterinary school and their lack of knowledge caused one of my cats to die prematurely. I could tell these two vets all that, but they'll still probably think I'm a jackass. But if they don't know common, important things that make the difference between life and death, then they shouldn't even be a vet and I really don't want to go to them.

So... I'm not sure what to do. Has anyone else done anything like this?

 

[catsallaround]

Can it be done in a matter of the visit as opposed to
Q1
Q2
Q3
May go over alot easier.

I ask many questions all the time-to gain more knowledge and to throw ideas of whats worked in the past on my cats. I have a prefernce for one antibiotic when ones needed that my one vet felt was not the "needed" one. 1st round she put the cat on "her" one...not much 2nd round was mine.

I have many cats and what works with a few cats is a bit different in my house so it took some time to find a vet willing to work with me on that but in end I found more then a few at this one hospital who are very openminded one in particular whos willing to do the research that I have done and look into other options besides the normal give this see you in xx amount of time.

 

[nerdrock]

When I'm switching vets I always schedule an exam for my dogs/cat so they don't really expect that I'm interviewing them, I can get a baseline for their prices and talk to them a bit. It's a bit expensive, but I find it's better than calling/emailing, they're off guard and aren't expecting an interrogation.

 

[big buddy]

I've recently moved and needed to find a new Vet; so I asked some friends, family and coworkers that lived in the area if they knew of a reputable vet. Unfortunately, no one had any recommendations that were close, so I contacted the rescue group that I got one of my cat's from. She gave me a vet's name & number that she swears by, so I just stopped by there without my cats. Talked to the receptionist for a few minutes, she even had the Doctor come up and talk to me; both people were really nice. 3 days later, I brought in my youngest for his checkup and yearly shots and all was well...

I've found that people that genuinely want to help you and your lil friends will give you all the time that you need to get comfortable and confident that they're the right vet for you.

My suggestion would be to just drop by and talk to them, try to get a few minutes with one of their Doctors; you will be able to tell if they want to be part of your life, or if they are just running a business.

Please let us know how it turns out!

 

[feralvr]

I also just drop in if I am looking at another vet. Most of them are pretty helpful and courteous and you have to be patient if they are currently busy with a customer, but I have found them to be very willing to talk about the vet's and divulging information about their history and specialties, etc.

 

[bastetservant]

Good suggestions here. I haven't looked for a new vet in about 25 years (no kidding!), but I looked for a new primary care physician for myself a few years ago. I prepared a list of questions and went to visit 5 physicians. They had to be internists, female, and within a reasonable distance. I've been going to the one who won (no contest) for about 6 years now, and I'm happy with her. I was clear to the doctors (and their office staff) that I was looking for a new physician and that I wanted to meet with them and ask my questions. I did have to pay for an office visit for each, which I was more than willing to do. Actually, with the health insurance I had at the time, I only had to pay $10 out of pocket per visit. The visits were only about 15 minutes each. At least one of these doctors was clearly uncomfortable with my whole idea of interviewing them. She didn't get my business. The others seemed to understand and were quite cooperative.

I have asked around to people I know who are involved in cat rescue and shelter care for the names of vets they use in case I need a second opinion at some point. I think getting referrals is a great way to know who to go to. But, I wouldn't hesitate to go the "interview" route I went through to find my own doctor, should I need to find a new vet.

Robin

 

[momofmany]

I always interview my new vets. I limit questions to understand their strengths and to see if their philosophy agrees with mine.

For example, I ask them what their approach is to treat terminally ill pets. If their answer doesn't include working with the owners to understand how the pet will react to that treatment, then I walk away.

I'll also ask them if they have any specialties, such as surgery, dentistry, hollistic medicine, etc. It gives me a sense of what they are good at.

If the conversation permits, I ask them how they keep up with current practices - sometimes I have to phrase it by asking them if they work with universities. If they are older and haven't worked with universities since they graduated, I know they aren't staying current.

I will fit in a conversation about my own personality type - that I do research on my own and would they be offended if I raised questions about what they recommend as treatment.

I also talk to the vet techs and/or receptionist about things like hours of operation, overnight staffing, weekend coverage, etc. If they can't answer basic questions, they are a bad choice.

 

[ducman69]

I would imagine that if you are deliberate about it as an actual competency quiz that most vets would be hostile toward that line of questioning. The idea of just judging different approaches though is more of a personal opinion type thing, and would go over better.

And, dang, I thought this thread was going to be about test driving the new 460hp Corvettes.

 

[bastetservant]

Oh, yeah, my questions to the physicians were not competancy questions. They were about philosophy of treatment, role of patient, that kind of thing. No doctor should be offended by that.

 

[rianna]

I would frame it more as questions than a quiz. Asking questions about your vet's experience and philosophy may be better than trying to test them. I've had some horrible experiences with vets so I know it can be trying to find the right one. Even now, I'm not completely satisfied with mine. Good luck!

 

[lilblu]

Wow! I'm way pickier than you all, I guess.

I suppose the questions I want to ask are to make sure they know what they're doing. For example, I want to ask what they think about a cat who becomes lethargic following subcutaneous fluids. One vet I went to didn't know that the lethargy is due to CHF. My cat ended up dying because of that, and unfortunately, that information is not well documented in books or on many websites so I missed it when doing research.
I'd also like to ask if they know what it means when a cat eats cat litter. One vet didn't know that was a sign of anemia. Many vets don't even think (or know) that cats with heart murmurs should have an ultrasound done.

I had two cats that had been seen by 3-4 different vets and none of them even bothered to diagnose or treat their bacterial infection that was causing eye discharge. I got my hands on some Amoxicillin and treated the cats myself (using an appropriate cat dosage) and the discharge went away after a week and has been gone ever since.

My favorite vet is someone who I admire and think is a wonderful, caring person and who genuinely cares about the animals they treat. But they don't know crap about veterinary medicine. They've made so many mistakes with my cats and they've been practicing for over 10 years. If I didn't think they were such a good-hearted person (the kind of person you come across once in a lifetime, if even that), I would've made it my mission in life to take them down, even if that meant I went down with them. The vet who I think is the most knowledgeable one I've been to, doesn't give a crap about the animals they treat.

I don't know if I can ask these questions when I take my cats in to see/test these vets. The questions aren't relevant to the cats I'm taking in. Also, there's always an assistant in the room and it's always the same one. So if I want to ask two different vets at the same clinic, that assistant is gonna think I'm crazy and that's not good.

I really wish pet owners would get copies of their pets' records and keep detailed notes about each visit. Better yet, take a tape recorder with you to each visit with the vet. It won't take you long to start being as picky as I am. Veterinary medicine is just as dirty as politics.