So, they took her in the back (for some reason, they don't let the owners see ANYTHING in the back, which I find a little peculiar), and she was there for 15 minutes or something! And when they brought her out, I was told that the vet would call me in a couple of days with the results of the test.
My response was, "A couple of days? Test results? Didn't you just measure her blood pressure?"
Apparently she was not qualified to tell me what Miss. Boo's BP readings were.
Did I mention that this BP check cost $60? I don't think nurses get paid 1/4 of that for a blood pressure reading on a human. Christ, you can do it on yourself for free if you go to CVS. I just found it a little bizarre that this was turning out to be so complicated.
Then I asked about getting additional medication.
"Are you OUT?" the vet tech asked.
"No, but I will be out eventually," I said.
"Oh you can just come back then."
Hmmm.... for another $60 appointment? Or are you telling me that the vet will write me scripts for this indefinitely, and that I will have to just pick them up each time I run out? Either way, it's still another 30 minute trip each way for me every time I have to get a script, and a bit of a pain in my ass. I kind of think if this continues, Miss. Boo can go right ahead and continue peeing on the couch.
Not to be a completely insensitive bitch, but I have better things to do with my weekends (because YES it is only on the weekends that I have access to a car) than schlepping back and forth to Ardmore to pick up pee pills for the Boo.
Anyway, I am approaching this from the human perspective where blood pressure checks are something a
What am I not understanding here?
16 Pearls of Wisdom:
I am not a Vet but my vet checks the BP free.
Here is a link that tells you about it. Very similiar to humans really with a cuff over the leg.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_high_blood_pressure.html
Why don't you ask your vet for a script and either order the pills online or if they are available at a human pharmacy you can fill it there.
There are safe online pet pharmacies that dispense good safe quality medications.
Hope this helps..
:-) My cat is diabetic and his vet makes me bring him in every other month for glucose monitoring at $95 a pop. In the last 3 years, his dose has stayed at 4u BID. Between $105 a month for Lantus and the vet bills, I spend more on my cat than I do on myself and husband combined. I'm diabetic, and I see my GP once a year for a HbA1c and a refill of Metformin. No fuss. What the H-E- double hockey sticks is wrong with the vets? :-)
I was charged $150 to cremate a bird. A very little canary with pneumonia. I paid more for the abx for the bird that it would cost me for 10 days. And he died anyway.
My sister brought into the vet while I was away and just asked him to dispose of it. If I had known about it, I would have just put him in with the roses.
$150??? Are you out of your mind??
As a new vet, that sounds weird to me too! BP monitoring is something that could and should be done by a technician. If an animal is a bit unruly, it can take a while, but the results should be available immediately and aren't all that hard to interpret (160 or higher may be cause for concern in your "typical" animal, may be higher if the animal is stressed, etc.). Around here BP checks run $25-$35, on top of the exam fee (which might be waived if you're bringing the animal in JUST for a BP to stay on meds).
As far as bringing the animals to a back room, away from the owners - it has become more standard because it's just EASIER generally - there are more people back there, if you need an extra holder you can just ask for help rather than having to leave the room and regroup. However, if it bothers you, and you'd like to be present, just ask. And actually, we'd make every effort to do BPs in the exam room with the owner, because the dog was more likely to be calm there.
As for the meds, that's weird too - definitely can't explain not scripting out chronic meds for a patient who is 30 mins away. Maybe they can send them to you.
Sounds like maybe you got a new technician?
I just stumbled upon this blog, but can address some of your questions!
BP is as simple in dogs as people, so I'm not sure why it took so long and why the vet was unable to discuss it with you right away. It's possible they took Boo in the back and waited until someone was available to quickly take her BP, or a new tech may have done it and taken her time to triple check? Perhaps the vet wants to go over previous history before discussing the BP with you, or he/she was insanely busy at the time?
The cost issue is something that comes up a lot in veterinary medicine. What you have to realize is that insurance covers a lot of the cost in human medicine whereas in vet med you as the owner are paying all of the cost. You probably paid $60 for the appointment and the BP reading was technically free.
As for the tech not willing to refill your prescription, I don't know enough about these pills but it's possible they may be abused by people for various reasons and thus they try to regulate the distribution?
It takes about 1-5 minutes to measure BP on a dog (depending on whether you do it the high-tech or low-tech way), and either method could be done by a trained monkey. The low-tech way you just inflate a leg cuff and stick a little sensor on the metatarsal artery, then listen for the pulse to return. It's hard to hear the increase in volume between systolic and diastolic since you're not using a stethoscope, so you usually just record one number. The high-tech way takes longer because the darn machines are so slow, but a machine does the inflation, deflation and detection FOR you, and you get both a systolic and diastolic reading.
And the pill thing is just weird. They might want to check her more frequently because she's a dog and therefore can't report symptoms of blood pressure alterations, but every MONTH?!?
Can I ask where you took her? You can just give me the initials if you don't want to "out" them.
My dogs are on meds for their arthritis and I order them online because it is cheaper than from the vet. The pharmacy faxes the vet, they fax back script and then they are mailed to me. Obviously my vet knows what is going on and is ok with it. As he told me they deal in bulk and I can get a better price with them. If your vet isn't ok with this then I'd find another vet. Some procedure I understand why the owner isn't allowed to see (most aren't med students either). But most things are done in the room with me because it is easier for me to control my dogs than some tech that doesn't know them. My vet has shown me how to do things like irrigating a wound so I wouldn't have to come back.
If I were you I'd start talking to your vet about showing you how to do the BP. If he isn't up with that change vets.
It better just be the BP they measured. Imagine if they ran a few blood tests on your dog with no informed consent from you. That will really piss me off. And yes, they do take the animals to the backroom to do whatever they want to do. I am not entirely comfortable with that, but maybe it is because i am too used to human medicine...
our clinic does BP checks free, writes scripts free, we go back with our pets ...
Too bad your ardmore isn't our ardmore I'd give you the referall to our clinic :(
Thanks for your comments everyone!
Anon -- For our $60 we saw a tech, not a vet. As a human, for $60 (which is what the insurance pays), I get 15 minutes with the doctor. I was expecting the visit to cost *something* but more like $30 or so, since we weren't seeing the vet.
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. If we go back, I think I will ask to go to the back room with them. A) Boo can freak out when she is taken away from me, and B) I am curious about what vets do and like to see. I don't know how my request will be received though. In this case I would have asked the tech rather than the vet, and (not to be a total bitch about it but...) if the techs are anything like the techs at a human doctor's office they probably aren't given any authority to say yes and as such would probably give me attitude if I asked. I'm just speculating on this, though.
Spud -- I hear you. I think that's my problem too.
I'll find out if she'll (the new vet) write me a script when she calls me on Monday to tell me the blood pressure reading over the phone. I know the vet in west Philly that we went to before won't do that. He started ranting at me on my first visit because the information that was given to me at the kennel where we adopted Boo contained fliers about online pet med pharmacies.
LIVS -- This practice is located in Ardmore off Rittenhouse street. There are several vets there. The one we saw the last time we went's name started with a G. She seemed nice and very professional.
Time to have a chat with the vet.
As for the medication, can you have it called in to a retail pharmacy closer to you? (Call the pharmacy so they can make a profile for the dog.) Unless the cost difference is huge, it may be more convenient for you.
$60 seems like a lot for a tech visit just to have the BP checked if nothing else was done. The office visit charge to see my vet is only $54. I know it depends on where you live as well.
My Vet always allows me to be present for any procedures except surgery and that is fine with me. But if my animals are awake I will be there.
In some states Vets must by law give you a script if you ask for it so it depends where you live. Yup there are bad online pet med pharmacies but there are very good ones as well. If Vets refuse to give scripts when asked then they had better start price matching or being a little more flexible because people have choices.
I could certainly see a BP check taking 15 minutes...We usually take 5 measurements at a minimum, and if there are wide variations between each measurement, we take more until the numbers become a little more consistent. Some animals are really nervous about the sound or the feeling of the cuff and are really good at kicking it off, and others are so freaked out about being at the vet at all the all BP measurements are through the roof and you have to decide whether those numbers are pathologic or not.
I agree that if you don't feel comfortable with your pet being taken away, you should ask to have procedures performed in the room or ask if you can be present with your pet in the treatment area.
Vet's office can call in prescriptions to pharmacy just like doctor's office. Also you can buy Insulin N and R without a prescription.
Get the vet to write you an outside script - chances are it's furosemide (Lasix), which is on many pharmacies' $4 list. My first Airedale had CHF - the vet wanted to charge $60+ for a drug that could be purchased at a human pharmacy for $16 - this was before $4 Rxs. She had Lasix for a while, but it was a real problem for a dog that drank as much as she did. Good luck to you and Ms Boo!
Wv: nessen - isn't that the whistleblower cardiologist?
I know this is an old post, but I wanted to comment for various reasons... First off, your dog is adorable! I'm a big bully advocate, and own an american bulldog myself...
That said, I NEVER allow a vet/tech to take my dog(s) out of my sight in order to do something other than surgery. If they can't do it in front of me, they aren't doing it. Period. End of subject. I hate this "hidden" world some vets/techs believe in where the owners need to see nothing. Bullshit.
I think that not only allows us to know for a fact whats going on, but it also allows us to see first hand what's being done to our animal (yes, some vets quickly add charges to your bill for useless crap they didn't do, or charge you needle disposal fees of $20 to dispose the needles after vax... Yeah... No)...
I live in BFE... My bully, Tank, had FOUR surgeries in six weeks. All four surgeries (which all involved him being put under), medications, and follow up visits totaled us at $1000... $250 per surgery average. Our vet charges a whopping $10 for an office visit, does unlimited free consultations over the phone, and really works with you... I think if one vet can get away with charging this, all of them can.
Depending on where you live, look for an older, more established vet instead of a big name practice... These guys have been out of school for a while and don't have to inflate their prices to cover their vet school bills... Banfield wanted to charge us $600 to fix Tank... Our vet not only fixed him, but also removed a small MCT for $140. Gave him the same meds during and after surgery, and the same going home scripts too...
Also, as for the peeing problemo.... Cranberry mixed in with his food for a few weeks can help strengthe her bladder :)... Heh... I managed a kennel for a few years and we learned a lot about taking care of animals and meds to use to help with certain issues...
Best of luck to you and Boo :)
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