Vets messed up - inc supplying incorrect meds

[An0therQuestion]

My dog has been back and forth to the vets for appointments and X-rays to confirm a problem I think she has. However over the course of the last 5 days, the vets have been awful. Not knowing information they should, general bad customer service all round, going ahead with putting my dog under general anaesthetic without consulting me in regards to certain information (despite me instructing this was to be done before the procedure took place), advising me that one of their surgeons (that possibly would have worked on my dog should she require the surgery) isn’t very confident in that “type of thing”, and amongst other mess ups, supplying me with controlled medication for another persons pet. I wouldn’t mind quite as much if the medication was just in the bag that was handed to me, but the reception manager pulled it out the bag, showed me the bottle then proceeded to tell me how to administer it by reading from the label. He now wants to collect this medication tomorrow as it’s not the type of drug that apparently can just be thrown away as it cannot get into the wrong persons hands apparently (!)

I would like to put in a complaint but I also don’t want to jeopardise my dogs treatment. I am hoping for a referral but at the moment not sure if this will happen so I don’t want to rock any boats.

Anyone know what steps I should take .. should I allow the office manager to turn up to my house and take the medication off me, or should I keep as proof if I am taking this further? I have taken photos of the bottle so i cannot see a reason as to why they can’t reclaim it, but I also don’t want to let this lie and if I should keep as proof, I will.

I am furious with them.

Is there another vet you can go to? I’d be inclined to get my dog’s health problem sorted somewhere completely different then I wouldn’t be conflicted if pursuing a complaint.
Let the staff member collect the medication if it’s convenient to you or drop it off. Good idea to take photos but you don’t need the bottle to take a complaint further.

Well there is talk of a possible referral which if is the case would be to a place which I have heard has a good reputation.

She isn’t poorly, so there is no rush as such, hence why I’m holding out for the second opinion and possible referral. If at any point my dogs health was on the line, I would ensure that she was seen by an alternative practice and vet.

Do you happen to know if your vets did an x-ray and blood work, can this information and results be sent over to another practice for them to review, or would I need to start again. I want to avoid having to put my dog through any unnecessary procedures if there is no need to.

Could you give a bit more info on the condition?

It sounds like you've lost trust in the vets providing your care. You can arrange a referral pretty easily yourself if you'd like to. Or make an appointment with another vet for a second opinion and clinical review.

I would start by a call to the practice manager and arranging to speak to a senior vet to discuss your dogs condition. Getting some progress about what is actually going on with ddog is the priority.

You'll gain nothing by keeping controlled medications hostage, and if you're planning to keep hold of drugs that aren't prescribed for your dog you could end up in hot water. They are trying to correct that problem.

Yes, if you wish to move your dog to another practice, your old vets will send on the medical history, including bloo results, xrays etc. This is a common occurrence between clinics.

It all sounds a bit messy OP. You would be within your rights to go for a second opinion. Whether you do that or not, you should also know that you can insist on a referral - to your preferred specialist if you like. Vets are generally very happy to refer where necessary - remember that veterinary care is private; it's not like the NHS where you are at the mercy of gatekeepers.

Best of luck with your pet.

No problem transferring records between vets.

But I'm really confused why you've had such extensive investigation for a dog that isn't poorly?

Well I say she isn’t poorly, she isn’t in pain, and for the majority it doesn’t affect her mobility, but she has problems with her legs.

last year she had surgery for a ripped cruciate ligament in one of her back legs, the surgeon who performed the operation did an amazing job and the aftercare and treatment was second to none (through the same vets might I add). I was advised that it was extremely likely that within a year (though it’s been 18 months) her other back leg would eventually suffer the same injury due to a disease she was born with which courses weakness in this area. I was advised by the surgeon that as soon as any problems arise with the “good” leg it needs to be addressed. The main reason being, she has a plate in her leg from the original surgery to hold the joints together, which cannot take too much weight. However, now her other leg seems to be causing her issues, she holds it up and distributes her weight over to the leg with the plate, which cannot happen. So the X-ray was to confirm if the other leg has now become problematic and will require the same surgery.

The vet that looked at the x-ray advised It’s not his area of expertise but to him she seems fine as by having a quick glance at the x-ray nothing was immediately jumping out at him as a problem. However the surgeon who worked on my dog previously advised it is quite a hard thing to detect unless you are skilled in that area, and sometimes can be missed, which I am worrying is the case with this vet. I have asked for a second opinion by someone who has more expertise in this area, and if they believe her “good” leg has now become affected they will be able to refer her to a place that specialises in this area.

I hope that answers the questions and I’ve explained well enough

Thankyou for the replies

Definitely complain to the practice manager. Also a referral is not dependent upon keeping them onside. Vets have an ethical obligation to refer when appropriate

They should also be able to send the X-rays on to the surgeon to review. I’d suggest just requesting a referral asap

Well all that sounds quite reasonable for an approach and plan for her care. I'm sorry it sounds like you've had some poor communication. I would speak to the PM and arrange for the X-rays to be sent to a referral centre for an opinion. Most offer that service and quite often it's worthwhile for assessment of possible subtle changes. Please do remember your vet is a human and not infallible. The meds mix up is a balls up, happens in human hospitals all the time sadly. Again, sorry it's happened. I hope you get some good progress on assessment of the leg going forward.

I would just add though, if she's favouring a particular leg then this will be due to pain so don't assume there isn't any.

I genuinely don’t think she is in pain, especially with all the prodding, pulling pushing and manipulating they have to do to do the leg when she’s awake with me present. I think it’s more a feeling of a dead leg where she can’t feel anything or at times has no strength. For example, if she sleeps on it, she then can hold her leg up for a while and hobble around.. and then half hour later get the zoomies and is running round like a nutter and fully weight bearing. This is how she was right up until her last surgery, with the surgeon also commenting that there is no suggestion she is in pain.

Of course I am working on the assumption that this IS the same as last time and not another type of injury she has picked up. However her behaviour closely mirrors how she was previously.

I am going to speak to the practice manager tomorrow and list my concerns. There’s a whole host of others things that have happened that I could add to this post, however I just wanted to list my main concerns.

Thanks again for the advice 😊