How To Question And Choose A Vet
by
Diane Parrish,
A Los Angeles attorney representing pet owners and their pets in malpractice cases.
JUST ASKING QUESTIONS CAN SPARE YOUR COMPANION ANIMAL SOME VERY REAL SUFFERING.
Of the more than 10,000 veterinarians practicing in California, many are incompetent, careless or both. Others fail to deliver adequate care because their singular focus on profits makes them unwilling to pay for good-enough employees, equipment, supplies, etc. I know of one vet who dilutes her euthanasia drugs; another who re-uses single-use surgery supplies - both unconscionable cost-saving devices causing unnecessary deaths and suffering. This has become commonplace.
The California Veterinary Medical Board is charged with the responsibility of protecting you and your animals through enforcement of the Veterinary Practices Act. Until the Board starts doing its job of getting bad apples out of the profession, the only alternative is to avoid them by your own efforts. Here are some things you can to do:
WHEN SELECTING A VETERINARIAN...
1. Before making an appointment, ask friends and neighbors about him/her, and check the internet. Search under "veterinary malpractice." You can also check the California Veterinary Medical Board's website under "enforcement." AVOID ANY VET WHO APPEARS ON THE SITE, BUT ALSO be advised that NOT APPEARING on the site does not mean that he or she has a clean record. The Board may have received many valid complaints about the vet but the vet chose to "settle" them, and AVOID DISCLOSURE.
2. At your first appointment, and before letting anyone do anything to your pet, look for the vet's license. The law requires it be posted in a conspicuous place. Note when it was issued. Experience means a lot. Also note if it's "temporary." California permits "residents" and "interns" to practice under temporary licenses, but ONLY IN THEIR AREA OF RESIDENCY OR INTERNSHIP. In other words, an intern in veterinary dermatology is not licensed to spay your dog.
3. Ask if there's a registered veterinary technician on staff. That’s someone who passed a state test. If there isn't one, be aware that the skill and experience level of people giving care to your animal can range from none to a lot. ASK QUESTIONS!
(A client of mine took her beloved cat Louie to the vet for boarding for the weekend. On Sunday, Louie died. The employee left in charge of Louie's injections - A "TECH" THAT KNEW NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT INSULIN OR INSULIN SHOCK - gave Louie ten times too much insulin. Louie died of insulin shock, a condition that could have been reversed by someone with proper training. The vet was fully aware of the tech's limited abilities!!!!
4. Ask who takes the x-rays. Many diagnoses depend on what the x-ray reveals. And what is revealed depends on the quality of the x-ray, which in turn depends in part on the skill of the x-ray taker. NOTE: The law permits X-rays to be taken by someone with little or no skill. All it requires is that the procedure be "supervised" by a vet or registered tech. This is such an important part your animal's care that simply assuming that it will be done right is naive and risky. Beside diagnostic errors, improper procedures can result in over exposure to radiation.
5. ASK FOR A TOUR OF THE ENTIRE HOSPITAL--- KENNELS, RECOVERY ROOM, OPERATING ROOM, EXERCISE AREAS. IF YOU ARE REFUSED, GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. If you're offered a tour before you ask, go where they take you and then ask to see the rest.
WHEN YOU'VE SELECTED OR DECIDED ON A VETERINARIAN...
1. Write down your questions so you don't forget any. Take a pen and write down the answers. And don't be shy about writing down the answers in front of the vet. If the vet decides not to treat your animal, because you're a difficult client, be glad you get a chance to make a better selection. Good vets welcome careful consumers.
2. ALSO, AND MOST IMPORTANT: Take a friend along - Especially when you might be making treatment decisions. Be sure someone else is hearing what the vet is saying. A second set of eyes and ears is especially important when you're emotionally upset because of our pet's condition.
TIP: FIND AN EMERGENCY VET NOW--BEFORE YOU NEED ONE. ALL THE SAME QUESTIONS APPLY. IF THE ONE NEAREST YOUR HOME DOESN'T PASS MUSTER, CHECK OUT THE NEXT NEAREST ONE. BETTER TO TRAVEL A FEW MILES THAN RISK DISASTER. YOUR BEST BET WOULD BE A 24 HR EMERGENCY CLINIC THAT STAFFS A CERTIFIED SURGEON AS OPPOSED TO A VET TECH.
3. DO NOT ASSUME THAT YOUR PET WILL GET GOOD CARE JUST BECAUSE THE VET KNOWS HOW TO TALK TO AN ANIMAL. ITS UP TO YOU TO GET SOLID INFORMATION THAT WILL GUIDE YOUR DECISION-MAKING. IT'S THE LEAST YOU CAN DO---
WHEN THE VETERINARIAN RECOMMENDS TREATMENT...
1. Meds: Ask vet the name of the medication and the dose. Write it down and then check the label to make sure they match. Ask who fills the prescription and what their training is. Can they read English? Can they read the vet's handwriting?
2. Surgery or other treatment - Before agreeing to anything:
KNOW ABOUT THE PROCEDURE. Hit the books, or the INTERNET. If you're given a diagnosis, check it out. Learn the cause, symptoms and customary treatments. That way you'll know if your pet is being used for some new procedure. You'll also know if the surgery is really necessary.
3. ASK HOW MANY TIMES HE/SHE HAS DONE THE PROCEDURE AND THE SUCCESS RATE. Get names and numbers of owners of patients who had same treatment or surgery. Call them all!
4. GET A SECOND OPINION - ESPECIALLY FOR SURGERY OR CHEMOTHERAPY. WOULD YOU DO ANY LESS OR YOURSELF???
5. WHO WILL DO WHAT? Find out what part of the treatment the vet will do and what parts will be done by "technicians". THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH REGARD TO POST OPERATIVE CARE. I had one case where a vet assigned the injection of insulin to a tech that didn't know anything about diabetes, insulin, or insulin shock. The tech gave kitty 10 times the correct dose and then didn't know how to bring kitty out of the resulting insulin shock. Kitty died.
A final word about TAKING YOUR PET TO A GROOMER...
If you take your cat to be groomed, either to a professional groomer or to a veterinary hospital, ask if they EVER SEDATE BEFORE BATHING. If the answer is yes, it's time to leave. Groomers sedate for one reason - more sleeping cats can be bathed in a day than sleeping ones.
My client took her cat, Bette, to a VETERINARIAN for a bath. WITHOUT CONSENT AND WITHOUT KNOWING WHEN BETTE HAD LAST EATEN--- the VET gave Bette a sedative. She choked to death on her own vomit.
DO THE SMART THING - ASK QUESTIONS!