A Tale of Two Dogtors

After the wretched experience with the vet that we initially saw for Penny's pancreatitis, we made an appointment with another vet in another practice. The first vet, in addition to having no personality, didn't flinch when we told her that Penny had no appetite, really didn't listen to a word we said, wanted a stool sample to check for giardia (after the pancreatitis snap test was positive!), and didn't want to give her any pain medication. I finally got her to write a script for 7 days worth of Tramadol. I know how much pain medication I used to give humans with pancreatitis, I can't imagine how much Penny was hurting!

So we saw the new dogtor on last Monday. And we love her. Penny got a very thorough exam, she listened to us, agreed that a pug with no appetite is not normal, thought the stool sample was absurd, and we had a long discussion on pain meds. She gave us a list of possible NSAIDs, and put what she would charge for the meds on the list so that we could comparison shop on-line! How amazing is that? We ended up with liquid metacam, and it has worked like magic. Dr. Patti doesn't like to give Rimadyl to older dogs, and thought that the metacam would be the best bet. She gave me a script for Tramadol, too, just in case. Penny likes her a lot, and likes the office staff, too. We were very impressed, and had her records transferred over from Dr. Personality's practice.

The two experiences were as different as night and day. Dr. Personality didn't like the fact that we wanted prescriptions to take to Target for the $4 thing (never mind how much the vet would charge!). Dr. Patti had no qualms writing scripts, mentioning that it would save us a bunch of money. She took the time to listen and answer questions, and asked a lot of questions, too. What really impressed me was that she said that running a lot of tests on a 14-year-old dog in good underlying health (except for the arthritis and pancreatitis) would serve no purpose. Dr. Personality ran a complete blood count and a blood chemistry panel, and everything, including liver and kidney functions, was normal. Once again, I was reminded to pay attention to Penny's reaction to people - she really didn't like Dr. Personality and didn't want Dr. Personality to touch her. In a way, I think it is more important to feel good about the dogtor than the human doctor, since Penny can't talk and describe what is going on.

Penny is doing very well - poops gradually firming up, no vomiting, and she is walking so much better. Thank you all for your concern and your good thoughts. Penny sends her woofs.

Excellent! A vet that is good to you and to your animal is worth his or her weight in gold to me.

northernwitch wrote:Excellent! A vet that is good to you and to your animal is worth his or her weight in gold to me.

I completely agree. I'm really glad to hear Penny Lane is on the mend, and she has a new personal care advisor.

northernwitch wrote:Excellent! A vet that is good to you and to your animal is worth his or her weight in gold to me.

Me too. Delighted to hear that Penny Lane is feeling much better now. Please give her a hug from her friends across the pond.

So glad Penny is feeling a bit better. Continued improvement!! And a bad doctor is worse than no doctor at all, in my opinion. That goes for humans and pugs.

I'm glad to hear that Penny is on the mend. And I couldn't agree more with what Blanche said. Glad you found a doctor you and Penny really like, Nancy.

It's SO important that both you AND Penny like and trust your veterinarian. I'm so glad you found a good one. Did Dr. Personality's office ask why you were leaving? If they're even remotely interested in keeping future clients happy, they should.

northernwitch wrote:Excellent! A vet that is good to you and to your animal is worth his or her weight in gold to me.

Totally agree. I'm glad you and Ms. Penny were able to find a great vet.

Good for you and Penny. A good vet is hard to find!

Wonderful news (both that you both like the new vet and that Penny is feeling better)!

thminis wrote:Wonderful news (both that you both like the new vet and that Penny is feeling better)!

Yes, it is!!!

I'm so glad you've found a dogtor that sounds so much more appropriate for a very special lady. And more importantly, Penny is doing better.

SacramentoPugs wrote:It's SO important that both you AND Penny like and trust your veterinarian. I'm so glad you found a good one. Did Dr. Personality's office ask why you were leaving? If they're even remotely interested in keeping future clients happy, they should.

Funny you should ask. Dr. Patti's office called up there and asked that Ms. Thang's records be sent down. They promptly faxed them, and I have not heard one mumbling word from them. I kind of expect to get a bill for the fax, which I will promptly shred.

Penny Lane here. Thank you to all my momma's pugfriends for thinking of me and sending good thoughts. I am now back to my normal self, eating kibble (although I do miss the chicken), pooping normally (although I'm not sure why momma picked me up and hugged and kissed me when I had my first normal poop), and bossing momma and Auntie Kelly around. And pffffft on that awful dogtor. I like Dr. Patty.