USING YOUR VET

Your veterinary surgeon is there to help you and your animals.  You do not need an appointment and a consultation to find out the best time to neuter a dog or what to do about worming.  A telephone call or a quick talk with the receptionist or a nurse will do for that.

It is up to you at the outset to visit local veterinary practices and choose the one that you respect and is convenient for you (not just the cheapest).  Then keep in touch so that they know you and your dog, and vice versa.

If you just use your local veterinarian for what are called ‘fire fighting’ jobs such as sudden illness, accidents and emergencies, you are not doing the best for your dog.  The work of the veterinary practice should involve total care; from the time an owner first acquires an animal to the last moments of its life.

You will be astonished to find out just how much the average veterinary practice can do.  Almost any practice in Western Europe or North America has the capacity to carry out advanced surgery, radiography, electro-cardiography and other refined veterinary procedures.

ROUND-THE-CLOCK-SERVICE 

Veterinarians in the UK must be on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Register.  They are required by law to provide a service around the clock, every single day of the year.  If there are several vets working together in a practice, they will take turns to be on call so that weekends and nights are covered.

Like doctors, vets need to know the work they have to do early in the working day.  If you want an appointment (and more so a house call) contact the practice before 10 AM – better still, by 9:30.  Cases that suddenly become urgent are another matter.

Veterinarians in the United States have office hours every weekday and usually on Saturday.  A few may have hours on a limited basis on Sundays.  Most require appointments in advance except, of course, in case of emergency.  Surgeries for spaying or neutering, teeth cleaning and non-emergency situations often require appointments a week or more in advance.

After hours emergencies may be attended to at Emergency Clinics especially set up for this purpose.  Checking with your veterinarian for the clinic nearest you could save you many anxious moments as well as the life of your pet.  Addresses and telephone numbers for these clinics are also listed in the telephone yellow pages.

Most veterinarians in small animal practices no longer make house calls in the United States.  A few will, but appointments and agreements must be made well in advance so that no misunderstandings occur.  The majority of small animal practitioners feel they are able to give more accurate and complete care at their clinics or hospitals.  Again, this is an individual situation between the pet owner and the veterinarians involved.

TYPES OF PRACTICE 

Dogs, even the very largest of them, come under the heading of ‘small animals’.  This distinguishes them from farm stock and although there are quite a few practices that will attend any domestic animal, most are predominantly either for large or for small ones. (Small animals are increasingly coming to be known as ‘companion animals’.

CHANGING YOUR VET 

If you are not happy with a practice you may change to another, but if you have an animal currently under treatment you must inform the vet of the change: besides being a courtesy, it saves a lot of unnecessary work.  The same applies to second opinions.  Ask for one with the full knowledge of your vet, and you will prevent a whole range of complications.  If a case is proving slow to resolve, you may wish to ask to have it referred to a specialist.  Do so by all means, but do not go direct – the specialist cannot act without hearing first from your vet.

INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL HELP 

Adequate pet insurance has been available in Europe for several years and it makes sense to use it.  It does not normally cover vaccination or neutering, but most other fees can be included in the policy.

Once your dog is insured, if an accident occurs you can get the best attention without the worry of having to find a lot of money quickly at a time that is already stressful for all the family.  There is the additional benefit of being covered for liability in case of any damage your dog may cause to third parties.

In the United States, this kind of health and accident insurance is a very recent innovation and has not been particularly well received in companion animal care circles.  There are few American companies in any case who offer this kind of coverage, and those that do, tend to limit coverage to accidents resulting in death and/or theft, rather than illness.  Professional handlers of show dogs and owners of valuable show and breeding stock may carry such policies.  Inquiries to insurance companies, local breed clubs, the American Kennel Club, as well as veterinarians in your area should lead you to this information.

Owners who can give clear proof of financial hardship may, in many countries, seek help from animal welfare societies.  If there is clearly going to be a problem with payment, it should be discussed with the charity and with the vet at an early stage.

In the United States, however, it is very rare for welfare agencies to give this kind of aid.  Usually it is up to the veterinarian concerned to sort out the problem of payment.  Delayed payments or payments on accounts may be made, but this is done on an individual basis.  The animal welfare agencies may be able to tell the pet owner which veterinarians they feel would be willing to work with a person unable to afford the necessary care.

Most veterinarians will give an estimate of the likely costs for any case, but it can only be an estimate and not a fixed quotation, unless a special arrangement is made at the outset.

HELPING AT THE EXAMINATION 

This normally takes place at the clinic or the local practice, or alternatively it may be in a veterinary hospital.  You are usually expected to give some help in lifting the dog and, if necessary, restraining it.  On the one hand you are the person most likely to be able to reassure and comfort the animal, and on the other it is your responsibility to warn the veterinary staff if the dog is at all likely to be dangerous.

The veterinarian will normally want to look at many aspects of the dog (whatever it is there for), and most of this will take place without the dog realizing it is under scrutiny.

from The Practical Guide to Dog & Puppy Care - Andrew Edney and Roger Mugford