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Be Kind To Your Vet
Jun. 7th, 2010 08:19 pmI don't often post general pet ownership advice here - I tend to believe that, for the most part, people are reasonable, sane, responsible human beings, and that any advice like that should be between them and their veterinarian, so it can be tailored to their particular situation. But there's something that has been bothering me for a while, and has come to a head in the past couple of weeks. And it's occurred to me that it's a subject that vets don't generally discuss with their clients, so... on the off chance that it's not something y'all know, here goes.
Sometimes your pet may need to go to the vet, and you may not be able to take it for some reason, and it may occur to you to have a friend/neighbor/family member take it for you. Or you may be free, and have a friend who can't take their pet in, and want to help out by taking it for them. This is, invariably, far more complicated, challenging, and difficult than it seems on the surface. I'm not saying never to do this, but please, think before you do.
We are not Jiffy Lube. Your buddy can take your car to the shop and leave a Post-It note on the dashboard saying 'makes a funny noise when turning to the left' and they can poke, prod, fix it, and have it ready for you to pick up. We cannot pop the hood on your cat and take a look at the engine. We need more information, and our diagnostics take time, cost money, and can be potentially invasive.
We need more information, to start with. 'Vomiting for 3 days' isn't enough. It's a start, but there are dozens of details that we need to do a good job figuring out what's wrong and focusing in on where to start testing. Details that may not seem important to you can be very important to us, and there are questions that your friend probably won't be able to answer, not living with your pet.
We need to be able to share information with you, after the fact. We need to let you know what we found, what treatments we're recommending, and what to do if they don't work - or if they do. And while we can write this down, or tell it to your friend, that's not as helpful as being able to actually discuss it with you, make sure you understand, and clarify and answer your questions.
And finally, there's the legal issue. Pets are living creatures, but they're also property, and only you can consent to treatment. Your aunt can't give us permission to do surgery on your dog, or run blood tests, or give it an injection of pain medication. Only you can, unless you grant her permission in writing.
All that said, sometimes life happens, and your dog starts vomiting up blood on the morning of your wedding rehearsal, or your hamster swells up while you're in the middle of final exams, or some other equally unfair and ludicrous series of events befalls you. So how do you deal with this?
1) Give as detailed a history as humanly possible.
We need details. What's wrong, and how long has it been going on? Has it been getting better, worse, or staying the same? Are there any other problems that may not seem critical, but are going on at the same time? What treatments have you tried at home?
Has this ever happened before? Is your pet on any medications? What do you feed them? Are they still eating and drinking? Has there been any change in the diet, or in their routine? Is the animal acting sick, or are they still bright and energetic?
Are there any specific questions you want answered? Is there any chance your pet could have been exposed to or gotten into anything dangerous or toxic? Is your pet routinely exposed to other animals?
If you can write this down, all the better.
2) Make sure the person bringing the pet in has a way to contact you if at all possible.
3) Send the person and the pet with a written statement of consent to treat. You can write in any details you like - no bloodwork, no procedures that require anesthesia, nothing over $400, anything that suits your needs, but we need written or verbal consent to do anything beyond an exam. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or formal, just a note saying something like
'I, John Smith, give Bob White permission to consent to treatment for my dog, Fluffy.'
Signed
(Your signature here)
4) Call your vet afterwards. Even if everything seems fine and makes sense, please call us just to make sure. We want to be certain that there are no misunderstandings or gaps, that we've made everything clear, and that we're not talking past each other.
It won't make things perfect, but it'll make them a lot easier - for you, for your friend, for your pet, and for the doctor.
Any questions?
Sometimes your pet may need to go to the vet, and you may not be able to take it for some reason, and it may occur to you to have a friend/neighbor/family member take it for you. Or you may be free, and have a friend who can't take their pet in, and want to help out by taking it for them. This is, invariably, far more complicated, challenging, and difficult than it seems on the surface. I'm not saying never to do this, but please, think before you do.
We are not Jiffy Lube. Your buddy can take your car to the shop and leave a Post-It note on the dashboard saying 'makes a funny noise when turning to the left' and they can poke, prod, fix it, and have it ready for you to pick up. We cannot pop the hood on your cat and take a look at the engine. We need more information, and our diagnostics take time, cost money, and can be potentially invasive.
We need more information, to start with. 'Vomiting for 3 days' isn't enough. It's a start, but there are dozens of details that we need to do a good job figuring out what's wrong and focusing in on where to start testing. Details that may not seem important to you can be very important to us, and there are questions that your friend probably won't be able to answer, not living with your pet.
We need to be able to share information with you, after the fact. We need to let you know what we found, what treatments we're recommending, and what to do if they don't work - or if they do. And while we can write this down, or tell it to your friend, that's not as helpful as being able to actually discuss it with you, make sure you understand, and clarify and answer your questions.
And finally, there's the legal issue. Pets are living creatures, but they're also property, and only you can consent to treatment. Your aunt can't give us permission to do surgery on your dog, or run blood tests, or give it an injection of pain medication. Only you can, unless you grant her permission in writing.
All that said, sometimes life happens, and your dog starts vomiting up blood on the morning of your wedding rehearsal, or your hamster swells up while you're in the middle of final exams, or some other equally unfair and ludicrous series of events befalls you. So how do you deal with this?
1) Give as detailed a history as humanly possible.
We need details. What's wrong, and how long has it been going on? Has it been getting better, worse, or staying the same? Are there any other problems that may not seem critical, but are going on at the same time? What treatments have you tried at home?
Has this ever happened before? Is your pet on any medications? What do you feed them? Are they still eating and drinking? Has there been any change in the diet, or in their routine? Is the animal acting sick, or are they still bright and energetic?
Are there any specific questions you want answered? Is there any chance your pet could have been exposed to or gotten into anything dangerous or toxic? Is your pet routinely exposed to other animals?
If you can write this down, all the better.
2) Make sure the person bringing the pet in has a way to contact you if at all possible.
3) Send the person and the pet with a written statement of consent to treat. You can write in any details you like - no bloodwork, no procedures that require anesthesia, nothing over $400, anything that suits your needs, but we need written or verbal consent to do anything beyond an exam. It doesn't need to be anything fancy or formal, just a note saying something like
'I, John Smith, give Bob White permission to consent to treatment for my dog, Fluffy.'
Signed
(Your signature here)
4) Call your vet afterwards. Even if everything seems fine and makes sense, please call us just to make sure. We want to be certain that there are no misunderstandings or gaps, that we've made everything clear, and that we're not talking past each other.
It won't make things perfect, but it'll make them a lot easier - for you, for your friend, for your pet, and for the doctor.
Any questions?
