Vet refuses to put our dog down, suggestions?

[shay20]

Edited becouse i just read that she is gone now.

I am truly sorry that she is gone.

 

[satay]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

What an ordeal you all had to go through. Please accept my condolences.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm sorry the assistant was completely inappropriate. When the animal's quality of life is gone, it's time. And only the family knows what that animal endures every day of its life.

 

[duckluck]

Okay, this is just CRAZY. I'm not even going to read anyone else's comments because you're looking for input here, so I'll give you my knee-jerk reaction without anyone else's help: the vet is working for YOU. I know other people are going to disagree with me, but this is not adoption counseling or end-of-life counseling for a nursing home patient. I can get into a whole other can of worms about how I feel about those but this isn't the venue. My point it, you are paying for a service and if they are going to call themselves a vet, they should be prepared to provide that service when you no longer feel you can continue with the dog *for any reason*. I feel is is very unprofessional of that vet assistant to play the adoption agency game with you. I recently had to get a little hard-ball on a vet of mine about a similar issue, but the guy simply doesn't like to put animals down because that's how he is and all his clients who have had him for any period of time know that. I had to allow him a few weeks to get the idea in his head and then I let him know in no uncertain terms what I expected of him. He did put our dog down for us though I am sure he cried afterward. So did I. But too bad; that's what I PAY him for. I didn't have to do that; I have a gun here and it would have been a lot cheaper to use that alternative. We felt the dog deserved a fast, painless and fear-free way to go and I feel as a vet, that it is his job to provide that and I held him to it. And, I can tell you that I am very glad I did...here's a spin I bet your vet isn't considering: the dog's problems may very well be more advaned than they can see in an exam. I knew our dog had some mouth tumors, but I examined her more closely myself post-mortem and she had them in her throat too. He would have had me have the mouth tumors removed, which could have been very painful and definitely very expensive, and where is someone going to stop on an old dog? She was 15 years old, and who knows where it would have all ended? I was going by my gut feeling and watching her eat, which he didn't get to do during the exam.

I'd drop that vet like a bad habit because it sure sounds like they have one, trying to play the guilt-trip game with you. YOUR dog, YOUR money, YOUR choice. Pets are all cute or we wouldn't have them! But that doesn't mean they all can or should be saved...no one has ever gotten out of life alive yet!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I have to agree to disagree about all treatments being tried...I wouldn't want it for myself or my animal. There are way too many unscrupulous doctors and vets out there who would be more than happy to have carte blanche with the tab and there seems like there's ALWAYS something else to try. I wouldn't be paying for anyone else's research or expensive cars. And I think there are far too many doctors out there willing to play the guilt game because of how they feel.

 

[ksalvagno]

Sorry for your loss. You know better than anyone else when you need to let go. None of us wants our pets to suffer and you did the right thing.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
Good on ya, TipsyDog!

Yeah, what is it with this exam thing?! Like a person needs an exam to tell them something is wrong when they know their pet? Let's just find ANOTHER thing to charge for before we MIGHT give consent to put the person's pet to sleep! Can you tell I'm mad about this and on the angry-bandwagon?!

Edited to note: I read your news, am sorry for your loss but commend you that you had the gumption to do what you knew you had to. I'm really mad that you had to go through all that.

 

[PineappleMama]

I think in this instance the key part of the title is ASSistant... if you'll pardon the language.

Just where does a NON VET get off telling ANYONE about the health and well being of any animal?
This person's job is to clean, and AID the vet. To follow the (educated, trained, and licensed) Vet's commands.
It is NOT their job to try and pretend to be a Vet when they themselves are not educated, trained OR licensed.

If that's the kind of care you can expect... that the Vet just blows off their patients (even very ill ones) and lets their assistants handle all the work... then I'd find another Vet. One that actually does the work that they charge you out the nose for, what they (not the assistants) have been trained/licensed for. I really don't think it's too much to ask at all for a doctor to give a fig about their patient. Don't want to deal with patients' complaints, then become a coroner.

 

[duckluck]

Hear hear, PineappleMama! I'm not even going to get started on doctors, that's a soapbox rant for another time...I need a drink of water now, I'm all fired up!