Vet appointments during lockdown

[PermanentlyDizzy]

Just wanted to know how many of you are able to book veterinary appointments for advice over the telephone at the moment. It seems some people are only having phone calls and then see a vet if they decide it’s necessary (a bit like most GP’s have been doing).

Our vets have not had people in consulting rooms since March last year. They take the dog in, then come out and speak to you in the carpark. Fair enough, limiting exposure is sensible at the moment.

(They don’t offer a euthanasia service other than the dog going in without you either. It’s a whole other story, but my other dog died at home last year, because he was terrified of the vets and we couldn’t have just handed him over to die without us and they wouldn’t offer an alternative.)

My elderly dog was seen and examined a couple of weeks ago. We are monitoring him, as he has been having a few episodes that the vet thinks are neurological, he also has a tooth which could do with coming out, but they aren’t happy to put him under because of the neuro issue.

I have just called to see if I can book a telephone consultation to discuss the way forward. He doesn’t need to be examined, we need to make some decisions. I was willing to book a slot and pay a full consultation fee for the call. Apparently they don’t do telephone consults as they are too busy with appointments. Surely it’s easier to pick up the phone and call me at his allotted appointment time, than it is to have him in, then bring him out and discuss it all in the car park face to face. Not to mention it’s going to be a difficult conversation and I would rather not have it standing in a car park in front of other vet clients and the queue for the local cafe’s coffee take away. I also have health issues, which mean we have pretty much avoided all contact except vet, GP and hospital appointments for the past year. It just seems a bit strange to, understandably, be wanting to limit contact due to Covid, but then to refuse to speak on the phone and insist you go down there. It won’t take any longer or need to be done in the evening, I was wanting to book an appointment slot.

Incidentally, their website has claimed for a year that they do video consults and has an online form to book them. I asked about that and they said they aren’t doing them at the moment due to technical difficulties (they weren’t doing them last May when my other dog was dying either) so I said, surely I could book a video slot, but speak on the phone instead. Apparently not.

We know we don’t have long left with him, we lost our younger dog in horrible circumstances in the first lockdown and I am feeling very emotional about the situation, so accept that I am probably oversensitive about all this because of that. If my perspective is skewed/off and/or I am missing something I am happy to take than on board. (FWIW I have booked him in for an appointment anyway, as obviously his needs come first.)

I have been with this practice for over 30 years, but am seriously considering moving to a new one for my next dog. They were taken over by a large corporate firm fairly recently, the vet we had a relationship with has left and after how things went with my other dog least year, I feel like I have lost faith in them.

I have a cat but appointments pretty much as normal except for screens up and one in one out in the waiting bit
They're working alternate shifts in two teams so that if anyone is in contact it doesn't take the whole surgery down

Our vets are doing bubble shifts too, but you are not allowed in the building for any reason and haven’t been since last March. I

I total respect and understand the need for Covid safety and if they don’t want to do face to face, fair enough, but then it seems bonkers not to offer phone appointments and the vet can then decide if they need to see the animal, much like GPs are doing. Both my ds and I have had telephone GP appointments, one ds’ appointment resulted in a week of medication, then a face to face review, as he needed an examination, other ds and mine didn’t.

I've had no issues with any vets appointments all the way though.

I've sadly had an elderly cat deteriorating since half way through covid. Vet would not let us enter the building since March last year, have to hand pet in and be on your phone in the car park. Not great as DH takes car to work and I have to stand in the car park with everyone walking by listening.

Anyway, after many many tests we wanted to make a telephone appointment about treatment options. Cat didn't have to be at the vet again and would be distressing to be handled for no reason.

Booked it, though they were a bit confused.

Waited and they didn't call. Called them after an hour of appointment time to be told they are busy with consultations. I said I have a consultation, I am being charged the fee and I need to speak to them.

Promised it would happen after 2pm

Nothing

Next day called and told they don't do telephone appointments.
Sadly, cat had to be out to sleep. Vet wouldn't allow anyone in, we all had to say goodbye in the car park.

We collected the pet carrier with the ashes a week later and they left 4 syringes in the pet carrier.

First cat passed away 2 years ago and we received a lovely card from vet. This time we had no card and truthfully appalling service which seems to mirror yours OP so I understand completely.

Oh, they got annoyed at me not wanting to pay the bill over the the phone by reading all my card details out loud in the car park. Wouldn't bring the card machine outside and had to reluctantly agree to me calling them once home and coming back to collect prescription once paid

Yeah that seems odd. We are allowed in, just have mask on but can go in for consultation etc
Mine is booked in Saturday for a steroid jab/flea/claw clip

Different vets are offering different levels of service at the moment as there is guidance but it is up to the individual vets to decide how they can make there premises 'Covid safe'. Ours is operating a 'no members of the public in the building' at the moment, so all consults are done in the car park, then animals taken in. It is not a pleasant way to work when it is pouring with rain and there are 30mph winds and work is unbelievably busy at the moment!

Please be patient with your vets it is not an easy way to work! Having said that, I think your request for a telephone consult which you are willing to pay for, is perfectly reasonable. At our place we did telephone consults during the 1st lockdown but did not find them very satisfactory (it's easy to miss something over the phone) and we found that some people were not happy to pay for them. For euthanasia for dogs we tend to offer placing a catheter/long line placed in the building and then euthanasia with owner in the back of the car, or sedation with owner, then the animal taken inside for the final injection (maybe ask about this option as he would be asleep before he went in). I agree that it is not ideal particularly in terms of privacy and it does vary in terms of the set up/car park at your particular vets.

There is an element of making the best of a bad situation, but if you are not happy with the service offered, then you should consider moving to a different vets.

@frogsbreath I am so sorry, that sounds very similar to our experience last year, although we delayed making the decision due to having to hand him over, opting for palliative care instead and he had a catastrophic event and died at home. We felt like we failed him and I’m still not over it.

I really don’t want to have to drag him down there if we don’t need to. It stresses him out and stress triggers his episodes, so it’s not in his best interests, but it seems we have no choice.

The irony is that half the time you wait in the carpark and they call your mobile to speak to you, so it’s a phone consult anyway.

@landofgiants I really do have every sympathy for them having to work through the pandemic and totally understand the need to be covid safe. I am also really grateful that they have continued to see patients. It just makes no sense to insist on speaking to people on their mobiles in the carpark, when they are willing to pay to have that conversation at home. Re payment, they take the money upfront via an online system anyway, so no problems with non-payment.

Re euthanasia, I asked about both the long catheter line and sedation options, but it was a flat out no. The only option was for them to drag my very sick, distressed dog into the vets without me and pts without me there.

Mine aren’t letting people in the building either...

But they will do phone consults.

That sounds awful op. Our vets allow one person wearing a mask to come in to the building for the consultation: not into the examination room but the surgery layout means you can see and hear everything from the corridor. I've had much better experiences getting diagnoses and treatment for my dog than I have using phone and video consults for myself at the GP's surgery. But I think they are the only veterinary practice in my (large) town doing this, and unsurprisingly they are full and not taking on any new clients.

I was talking about this only today.

Our vets are not allowing owners into the surgery and it has been hard to get all the information you need from a consultation over the phone in the carpark. Also on examining the dogs it is hard for the vets to know what is normal or not normal for your pet without the owners input.

So much so that I did phone yesterday again and spoke to the vet again to clarify facts. This did resolve issues but obviously doubled the vets time spent on the case.

They are not issuing detailed receipts so it is hard to track the medication/injections that has been given unless you ask outright as they have a basic online payment system.

Euthansia is carried out inside without owners who say goodbye in the carpark and this has been heartbreaking to witness.

There are firms that do home visits to euthanise and they are working in lockdown and will come into your house or the garden if appropriate.

A hard situation for everyone involved.

Our appointments have gone ahead as normal. I just picked my kitten up from being neutered an hour ago, and my beagle went during the last lockdown for a sprained paw.

Handovers for things like neuterings are at the door of the surgery and they bring out a card machine for payments. If you need to go in with your pet for whatever reason, they're happy to accommodate it as long as you wear a mask and there's only one family/bubble in the surgery at once.

No complaints here at all. Aside from the masks and door handovers, it feels normal.

How can it be so different? How can some surgeries let owners in and others dont.

Is it area dependent?

Re euthanasia, I asked about both the long catheter line and sedation options, but it was a flat out no. The only option was for them to drag my very sick, distressed dog into the vets without me and pts without me there.

We were told this last year during the first lockdown. Like your dog, ours was utterly terrified of the vets. There was no way we were prepared to hand him over in the car park. In the end we used a mobile vet that specialises in home euthanasia and DDog was pts in our garden with both of us cuddling him. It was very peaceful and he had no idea that the lady who came to the house was a vet.

@GCAcademic I think I will start looking to see if I can find a similar service locally. When we donated our other dogs meds, coats, etc to a local-ish dog rescue after he died, they said the same, ie they’d switched to a mobile vet that would come out and pts in the garden using a long catheter line.

It’s awful enough being stressed and upset worrying about him and watching him like a hawk in case he has another episode, without having to worry about what will happen when we do have to let him go.

At the moment he is still perfectly content, gets excited for walks, meals and treat toys, occupies himself trailing where the squirrels have run around in the garden and is re-living his misspent youth, by restarting his old trick of pinching food off the kitchen table if you take your eyes off it for even a second, when he hasn’t done that for at least 14 years. So it’s not time yet, but we are seeing a fairly rapid deterioration and know we will have to make a hard decision in the near future. In the meantime, if he can’t have an op for his tooth, I want to make sure he’s on decent pain relief, so he’s not suffering with it and we need to discuss what signs we need to be watching for that would mean we need to make the call. I feel really anxious about getting it right for him, especially with already feeling like we failed our other dog.

@PollyRoulson

How can it be so different? How can some surgeries let owners in and others dont.

Is it area dependent?

Different chains will have done different risk assessments, I guess.

Ours is a very small rural farm vet - there's two practises in total - a main one where all the surgeries are performed, and a smaller one for basic check-ups and vaccinations etc.

Like I said, I dropped my kitten off to be castrated this morning. The handover was outside, both myself and the vet nurse were masked. I signed all the forms, handed over the kitten and left. When I went to collect him, I rang a buzzer, said who I was there to collect and they brought him out to me, debriefed me on his meds etc. and brought out a card machine for payment.

When I took my beagle for a limp last lockdown, they got me to walk him up and down outside the practise, then took him to the consultation room for a more thorough examination, while I waited inside in the waiting room. They brought him out to me, explained what the problem was and what they were doing about it, I paid and left, and then the next patient came in.

Very professional, safe and not at all stressful. Nobody had to wait in cars or anything. I also know from local Facebook posts that they've been performing euthanasia as usual with families allowed inside to say goodbye and to be with their pets when they've passed. They've also happily come out to people's homes if clients preferred it.

Oh, I'm so sorry, OP, how awful for you.

Our vets are great - during lockdowns it has been the standard handover in the car park then the vet comes out to talk to you, but when not in strict lockdown it's been you can come into the surgery wearing a mask, but not into the consult room. So that offers a little more privacy.

But my vets are always happy to have a phone consultation if needed, even in normal times. They'll quite often call to follow up on an appointment. So I cannot imagine them acting this way at all to your reasonable request. I also think they habitually offer a home PTS service if needed, but thankfully haven't had to use that service.

I would look to change vets, I think.

I am normally a bit grumpy about our vet but they sound like they're not doing too bad, by comparison with some.

Consultations are outside and you're not allowed in with your pet but they have had some large garden shelters built in the car park so you go and stand in one of those (with or wihtout pet) and the vet comes and talks to you there. So at least there is some protection from the elements, whilst being well ventilated. It's obviously reduced the car parking space but needs must. It's still cold and uncomfortable so you find consultations are much shorter than normal, which tends to mean info gets missed.

They have a dedicated window and platform for paying at/collecting med. Plus an outdoor drop off point for anything you need to hand to them (e.g. samples).

They have a small garden and when we had a dog PTS last autumn they took her and her bed and prepped her first by putting a long line in and laying her bed in the garden. They then called us in so we could sit with her on the grass while the vet was a few metres away administering the injection through the long line. We could then sit in the garden for as long as we liked with her. It's not a glamerous garden and is mostly used for toiletting the overnight stays but we really appreciated the chance and space to be with her.

The biggest issue is the reception team, tbh (sorry all good vet receptionists!). It seems they need face to face communication otherwise they seem to really mess things up a bit. I've been handed the wrong flea meds, wrong medication volumes and been billed twice for the same thing - and I think it's because the process is all messed up when you're not stood there with them.

I'm sorry to all that have had a bad experience. It's stressful enough when your pet is ill or in pain or scared, without having the extra worry on top.

@sunflowersandbuttercups so you are not allowed in to the surgery?

Our pet vet hasn’t been great, but then I haven’t been particularly happy with them for a while anyway and will probably look for a new one once things open up a bit

We’re not allowed in the building, they won’t do telephone consultations either.

My dog had, what I had assumed was an ear infection a few weeks ago and I had to wait in the car park, they brought her out, threw some medication at me and then went back in. I put the dog in the car, turned back around and they’d gone. Didn’t tell me anything, didn’t tell me what the medication was or how much to give her, didn’t tell me what if anything they’d given her in the consultation, didn’t suggest anything to try and prevent infections going forward (she’s a spaniel and prone to mucky ears), didn’t even confirm it was an ear infection. No instructions printed on the medication box (ear drops, so obvious, but not how much or how often)

I had to phone prior to them bringing her back out while in the car park to pay the bill.

I rang when I got home to find out what was what and was promised a call back, but other than the receptionist calling back to tell me how many ear drops and how often, I still haven’t had a call from the vet.

Our equine vet - can’t fault them. Business as usual through out, apart from a few weeks in the first lockdown when they weren’t doing flu jabs/vettings. My retiree knocked herself in the field and was even more lame than usual. Video call, pain relief prescribed over the phone, sorted.

[quote PollyRoulson]@sunflowersandbuttercups so you are not allowed in to the surgery?[/quote]
It depends why you're there.

For dropping the kitten to be neutered there was no need for me to go inside and so I didn't and we did our handover at the door. But people have gone in with anxious dogs, or with dogs who were sadly being PTS.

They're dealing with it on a case by case basis.

@Springersrock - my advice: do NOT be palmed off with generic ear medication for a springer ear infection.

Insist on swabs and specific medication based on the results.

Your username suggest you might be a springer veteran so, if you know what you're doing, ignore me . But I know I'll never accept anything less again for my dog. That approach was costly and damaging for us.

@PollyRoulson

How can it be so different? How can some surgeries let owners in and others dont.

Is it area dependent?

I think it’s surgery dependant rather than area.

My vets is a really small practice - both actual size and number of staff. One positive case and they’d have to close to all self isolate... and I happen to know that at least one member of staff has a health condition that means they’re really vulnerable.

It's surgery dependent. My friend was present in the surgery for her cat to be PTS recently, but her sister who is a vet nurse said they are not allowing clients in for anything including euthanasia.
We had a chicken recently who I thought would be untreatable so I called the vet. They called me back, talked it through on the phone, reviewed a video I emailed them and agreed it was the end of the road. I had my husband put her down at home rather than drive her in to the vet, although in my experience the vet has never allowed me to be pregnant for chicken euthanasia because they use anaesthetic gas and I always seem to have been pregnant when they've had to put our chickens down (I can't do it myself). I don't know if it's permitted for cats and dogs with covid because we just made the best choice we could for the bird we had with the options available on the day. The vet didn't charge for the advice either.
When the cat went in for her jabs they just took her in her box in the car park and returned her ten minutes later. I called up from home to pay.