The vet said....

[Helly]

Yep, we had one of those calls today. We had a Dalmation that was boarding for several weeks. Earlier this week she managed to cut her leg, and we aren't even sure how she did it. It was way up, on the inside of her thigh, a straight laceration, about an inch long, and just in the skin. The kennel staff cleaned it up and kept antibiotic ointment on it. It was no big deal.

I gave her a bath today, before she went home, and while it didn't look infected or anything, I thought it probably could have used a suture or two, or a little glue, but it looked like it was healing up reasonably well. When the owner picked her up, she was, of course, informed of the injury, and that it wasn't serious, and was healing fine.

A couple of hours later, my boss comes back and asked me if I'd seen the cut when I bathed her. I said "Yes. Why?" Well, Mrs. Owner called and said, (are you ready for this?), "I just took Phydough to the vet, and he said she needs surgery."

SURGERY?!? For a one inch skin lac? No way! A suture or two, maybe. But not surgery. Call the vet.

So my boss called the vet.

What the vet REALLY said: "Let's wait until Monday and see how it looks. If you still think it needs sutures, we can do it then, but I really don't think it's necessary."

That's right. He never mentioned surgery. He didn't even think the dog needed sutures. Mrs. Owner suggested them, but he didn't think it was necessary, and by Monday the cut should be healed enough that Mrs. Owner won't think they're necessary, either. Hopefully.

Just another example of the difference between what the vet said and what the client wanted to hear.

[Jadenlea]

Thanks for posting that Helly. I say all the time that "The vet probably didnt say that" to groomers here who are upset that vets would slam them like the owners say. I dont think many believe me. Im glad for the blatant example.

Sure there are some jerky vets out there but for the most part they are good people who arnt out to "hurt" other people in the pet care profession. Vets understand we are working with moving, live animals with preexisting conditions. And they KNOW what difficult owners are like.

Owners on the other hand hear what they want to hear and pick out words or ideas that fit what they feel in their own heads.

[goldiphlox]

What the vet said....

Yep, we had one of those calls not too long ago. A woman came in with her poodle. New customer. She said she wanted the dogs gravy buckets (just kidding, from another post) where was I. She wanted the dogs glands expressed. The glands were really swollen & red. So of course when she came in we explained to her that she would need to take Fido to the vet. She calls us back 3 days later demanding that we pay her vet bill of $300.00. She said the vet told her that the dog's gland ruptured because we didn't do it!!!What??? Call the vet. Well of course the vet told her that the dogs gland had in fact ruptured. That they probably hadn't been done in quite awhile. But we weren't to blame because we couldn't do them the way they were. The dog needed to go to the vet. Oh, and the $300.00 bill. That included shots that the dog needed aas well. I guess she thought we were responsible for those too(being that it was our fault she had to go to the vet in the 1st place) sigh...........some people.

[SiotehCat]

The key to both of your stories is that you guys CALLED THE VET. So many groomers just hear "The vet said..", and its easy to get upset at that. However, all it takes is a phone call to clear things up. We did a little experiment when I was in junior high. The class would get in a line and the teacher would be at the front. The teacher would tell a story or a rumor to the first kid, the kid would try to tell the story or rumor to kid 2, kid 2 would tell kid 3... etc. At the end, the last kid would tell the class what the rumor was, and the teacher would give the original rumor/story. We would compare. Its incredible how even in that short time, the story got blown out of proportion.

[baddog]

The three most hated words in grooming "The Vet said!". In my state gromers can no longer get "patient" info w/o permission from the owener, so we now have to try to decifer the b.s. and fish out the real story!

[diamienono]

People must really be dumb to think we won't call the vet to find out the truth.

[PetsRus]

The three most hated words in grooming "The Vet said!". In my state gromers can no longer get "patient" info w/o permission from the owener, so we now have to try to decifer the b.s. and fish out the real story!

Where are you located? I have never heard of the privacy law regarding vets, god that is all we need.

[barknpurr]

Where are you located? I have never heard of the privacy law regarding vets, god that is all we need.

This is actually true here in New Jersey as well. I am lucky that I have a good relationship with the two vets that most of my clients go to. If I have a problem or if the dog has an issue, I can call the vet and discuss it with them.

Helly, this works both ways. Sometimes the client goes to the vet and says- "The groomer said...". I love it when the client turns your words upside down to the vet and they call you about it. "Lucy - you got some 'splainin' to do!".

[Helly]

This is actually true here in New Jersey as well. I am lucky that I have a good relationship with the two vets that most of my clients go to. If I have a problem or if the dog has an issue, I can call the vet and discuss it with them.

Helly, this works both ways. Sometimes the client goes to the vet and says- "The groomer said...". I love it when the client turns your words upside down to the vet and they call you about it. "Lucy - you got some 'splainin' to do!".

That's where a "report" card comes in handy. Anything I find that I think requires a trip to the vet, I write up a report on a card. I'll say something like "right ear red, itchy, lots of debris. also red oozing area on neck, hairloss minimal, bad odor", "pea sized lump on breast bone, soft, mobile, doesn't seem painful" "coughing upon exertion, tongue turns dusky, mucus membranes pale" or "limping on left rear leg, left foot swollen".

I read the card to the owner as written, along with suggesting the vet needs to check it out. Please give the vet the card, so he can call me with any questions. If the owner asks what I think is wrong, I just say "I don't know. That's why I think the vet should look at it."

Notice I made no diagnosis. What I write is the "S" part of taking S.O.A.P. notes; Subjective report, Objective report, Assesment, Plan (treatment). The subjective report is simply what you observed. The objective is clinical observations; what the vet sees, hears, lab results, assesment is diagnosis, and plan is the treatment prescribed. The last 3 are the vets venue, and I stay out of that.

As for the vet discussing any of this with me; if a pet owner expects the groomer to pay the bill, they should be willing to permit the vet to, at the very least, offer up a report of findings and an itemized bill. I don't know about anyone else, but if I couldn't discuss the findings with the vet, I wouldn't be willing to pay the bill.