• "Avoiding Dangerous Veterinarians" by Jan Rasmussen, award-winning author http://www.dogs4dogs.com:80/vet .


  • Thank you for this post.


  • You're welcome, Sharron!

    Personally, I think the advice to check to see if there is a vet tech or someone who stays with surgical patients left over night in a clinic is excellent. A friend of mine had her scotty neutered and the vet insisted that it stay overnight. No staff was on-hand during the night and there was a violent thunderstorm (her dog, goes wild over loud sounds) and tore out all the stitches and was a mess the next day.


  • @Kris_Christine:

    You're welcome, Sharron!

    Personally, I think the advice to check to see if there is a vet tech or someone who stays with surgical patients left over night in a clinic is excellent. A friend of mine had her scotty neutered and the vet insisted that it stay overnight. No staff was on-hand during the night and there was a violent thunderstorm (her dog, goes wild over loud sounds) and tore out all the stitches and was a mess the next day.

    That is a huge concern and people don't even think to ask if there is someone there overnight… It is amazing how many places just insist on keeping the pet overnight with no one there.... Of course I see no reason to leave them after a spay/neuter anyway and any vet that would "insist" on that would be looking for a new client...


  • Can you imagine a hospital leaving patients overnight without any staff? It's incredible, but some veterinary clinics insist on surgical patients having overnight stays and have no 24/7 coverage.

    Pet owners need to ask questions.


  • This came up at our house last night. A friend of mine just began working at a vet clinic a few months ago. She was amazed that the dogs (boarding and treatment) are let out for the last time at 5:00 pm and not again until 7:30 the next morning.

    Another tech at the clinic had surgery on her dog yesterday. At 6:00 pm the dog still hadn't come out of the anesthesia and the vets went home. They weren't planning on returning until 11:00 pm for a final check. The owner/tech went back up herself and stayed until the dog woke up at 8:00.

    My boys don't stay overnight at the vets for any reason. I know at home someone will be watching over them.


  • I can see both sides. The idea by having the dog/cat stay overnight is so it can rest. If you have several other pets, your recently surgicated animal may be too active and hurt itself. I worked in clinic for 8 years before coming to work here and we never had a problem.

    That being said, as an owner, I understand not wanting to leave your animal there without anyone being there.Especially sight hounds or other deep chested animals that can have difficulty with anesthesia. I dont' think the vet should refuse, just have the owner sign a waiver that explains what was reccomended and that the owner refused.


  • @dash:

    I can see both sides. The idea by having the dog/cat stay overnight is so it can rest. If you have several other pets, your recently surgicated animal may be too active and hurt itself. I worked in clinic for 8 years before coming to work here and we never had a problem.

    That being said, as an owner, I understand not wanting to leave your animal there without anyone being there.Especially sight hounds or other deep chested animals that can have difficulty with anesthesia. I dont' think the vet should refuse, just have the owner sign a waiver that explains what was reccomended and that the owner refused.

    Your pet is much more comfortable and able to relax at home then in a "vet hospital"… that said, of course there are times it is necessary... however in that case there MUST be someone there 24/7... And IMO, spay/neuter would not 99.9% of the time come under that heading....


  • @Kris_Christine:

    Can you imagine a hospital leaving patients overnight without any staff? It's incredible, but some veterinary clinics insist on surgical patients having overnight stays and have no 24/7 coverage.

    Pet owners need to ask questions.

    Exactly.. at my Vets off that I use now, there is a big old sign that says no one is there and they don't "let" pets stay overnight.. unless some pre-arrangement was made. They are move if necessary to a 24 ER clinic for the night… or sent home....


  • I bring my dogs home…I don't let them stay.
    A deal breaker for me..


  • When Meadow went to a veterinary surgical specialist for a major cancer surgery, they insisted on keeping him overnight – they did have 24/7 coverage, and I insisted on staying with him in their clinic. I brought a sleeping bag with me, and they finally relented around 10:00 at night and let me take him home.

    He was much less stressed being home on his own bed (with me sleeping beside him every night) in a quiet environment and the food he loves to eat and the comfort and love of his family.


  • @sharronhurlbut:

    I bring my dogs home…I don't let them stay.
    A deal breaker for me..

    I agree Sharron. I lost a Bully years ago due to an 'overnight vet'.

    Consequently I followed the "new" vet from that practice that was into continuing education and specialty breeds. She left my area for a short time for some additional training and came back with her own "mobile vet clinic". She gives door to door service for routine stuff and also provides surgical services, (neuter/spay, etc…). The most important thing we agree upon is a dog in recovery needs the most family support it can get for an easy recovery from anesthetic. She keeps the dog with her in a large kennel in the RV, checking vitals at every stop, then calls when they are ready to be picked up on her route, or dropped off at your house (the 'senjis never make it to the end of the day....the moaning and whining convinced her early on it was better to drop them off into the capable hands of "mom and dad" than put up with the attention getting behavior:)

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