I took my new cat to a new veterinarian a few months ago and both she and I had a terrible time. It's probably not too surprising that my poor little cat didn't have such a great time at the vet, but I did find it surprising that I had such a bad time. Mainly, I felt frustrated by a constant negotiation I had to have about the services and medicines I was willing to pay for. The vet insisted my cat needed various vaccinations and preventative medicines I've never in all my cat-owning years needed. The explanations offered when I questioned these things weren't reasoned or even particularly rational and she kept saying things like "because your cat will die". I am no veterinarian, but I am happy to report that, even though I did not take her up on her offer of a number of medicines and treatments, my cat is still alive.Forgive me for the silly picture - I just couldn't resist using a lolcat. Never heard of a lolcat? Check out the Wikipedia article.
BOOKS
ASPCA Complete Dog Care Manual
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats
There is a newer edition of this book and it is on order for APL. Keep your eye on Findit and you should see it in the next few months; however, this edition is still quite good and informative.
ASPCA Complete Dog Care Manual
Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats
There is a newer edition of this book and it is on order for APL. Keep your eye on Findit and you should see it in the next few months; however, this edition is still quite good and informative.
Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food
The Humane Society of the United States Complete Guide to Cat Care
The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health
Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Vet Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health
Whole Health for Happy Cats: A Guide to Keeping Your Cat Naturally Healthy, Happy, and Well-Fed
Posts
6 comments:
IMHO as a long-time pet owner, vets have been overmedicating and overvaccinating animals because owners could afford it, not because pets need it. When I was a kid, we got our dogs rabies shots and that was that. And I don't remember them getting sick, either.
Vets are going to get it pretty quickly, I think, that the economy has screeched to a halt and that vaccinating animals is becoming a luxury. In a good year, I don't spend as much with my human doctor as my vet wants me to spend on routine care for my dogs.
Animal Trustees is less expensive and non-profit: http://www.animaltrustees.org/ATA/site/index.asp
Thank you so much for pointing out the Animal Trustees! I was not familiar with this organization.
was it the south lamar animal hospital by any chance? those guys are like used car salesmen.
i moved on from them to riverside vet clinic, which i like a lot better.
This is a great article - thank you. I think we should question vets a lot more than we do currently - don't get me wrong, I think many are very good, but I think some capitalise on the fact that people want to do the best for their pets and, in some cases, recommend treatments etc. that really aren't necessary.
One recent example from me to illustrate the point - the vet said my cat needed a tooth extracting as it was "covered in tartar and beyond saving." He gave me all sorts of warnings about the consequences if I didn't get this done really quickly. I looked at her teeth myself and didn't think they were in bad condition at all (I had them cleaned a couple of years ago), and I couldn't see any that were covered in tartar. I took her to 2 other vets who both said her teeth were absolutely fine. Needless to say I've now permanently changed my vet.
I'm glad to know it's not just me then! I really considered after that visit that maybe I should quit acting like a big know-it-all and take the advice of a professional.
I know it's definitely not all vets because I've seen a few (one when I was living in North Carolina and one here in Austin) that have been caring and concerned and still managed to keep my trip affordable. I'll never show up blindly to a vet I don't know anything about again, though, that's for sure.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences!
I have not heard about Trustee,the picture which you have use in your blog is so interesting hows the pet live like that.
Post a Comment