Rafiki
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My old vet was amazing. Unfortunately, she is no longer in private practice so we had to find a new one. We wanted another mobile vet to minimize stress. We saw the new vet last week and there were several things that were red flags to me and I am wondering if folks here would view it the same. I will fully admit that I adored our old vet and she is a major hard act to follow.
Arrival:
Old vet - It took 2 trips for her and the assistant to bring the gear in.
New vet - Arrived with a stethoscope, blood draw equipment and a pad of paper.
Old vet - Set up in the master bedroom with the exam in the master bathroom. Small confined space.
New vet - Set up in kitchen on center island. Many avenues of escape.
Old vet - Asked us a full panel of questions. Asked to see all the feeding bowls (to ensure no lead paint or other toxins), asked what kind of water was provided etc. Introduced herself to the cats while this was going on and petted them.
New Vet - No questions other than what we wanted done. Made no attempt to approach either cat.
Exam:
Old vet - Talked and stroked the cats all the way thru the exam. Along with blood draws/vaccinations, she examined the cats for fleas, thoroughly checked the ears, scanned for microchips (each time, even though she is the one that implanted them to make sure they can still be read), took temperature, examined teeth, checked heart. If the cat acted up, she would stop the exam and pet them and talk to them until they were calm.
New vet - Did not talk to the cats at all. He checked the heart and felt them all over. Checked the eyes and teeth but I did not see him check the ears. Said that if we wanted weights, the scale was in the van. Did not check temperature. Forced them into submission - he and his assistant restrained them physically which made Rafiki act out. She hissed and growled and gave him a warning nip but did not bite. He could not get a blood draw on her and had to stick her in a carrier to bring her down to the van for the blood draw. Since I wanted the weight of Jammu, he opted to bring him to the van as well after doing a brief physical.
After exam:
Old vet - The cats would initially flee the room but would come back and circle around her after the exam. She would continue to pet them as she spoke to us about findings.
New vet - Rafiki was skittish and unapproachable for about 36 hours.
Attitude about savannahs:
Old vet - She did not really like savannahs. She has several cats of her own and prefers cuddly lap cats over high energy ones.
New vet - Categorizes savannahs with wolves and servals. When asked about this, his reply was that I should see some of the F1 savannahs he sees. Claimed that the furniture in these houses had bites taken out and that the owners were afraid of them.
Costs:
Old vet - travel costs for home visit was $75. She also had me drop off stool samples to her home to avoid this fee.
New vet - travel cost was $225. We are in his territory. Note: My bad. Price was not listed and we did not ask in advance.
Another home vet in the area that we were considering: $175 - includes the exam.
I am currently having liver issues with Rafiki (see "Rafkik not eating" thread). He asked to do a more comprehensive work up on the blood sample from Tuesday and I agreed. At the time of the exam, Rafiki had not eaten more than maybe 2 oz of meat per day for 10 days and I am wondering how much the liver counts are due to hepatic lipidosis. I had asked about an appetite stimulant and he replied that that would involve pilling her. I responded that I had had to give her both pills and liquid meds in the past and it had not been a problem. At that point, he said that he was considering giving her an antibiotic. I did not see anything in the blood work that implies infection and he would not know if she was running a temperature as he did not check.
He wants to do another blood draw next week. I definitely want to find another vet because I am not getting good vibes from him and I don't feel that he can properly handle Rafiki without traumatizing her. I am wondering if I should have him continue to treat her during this crisis or find another vet immediately.
Arrival:
Old vet - It took 2 trips for her and the assistant to bring the gear in.
New vet - Arrived with a stethoscope, blood draw equipment and a pad of paper.
Old vet - Set up in the master bedroom with the exam in the master bathroom. Small confined space.
New vet - Set up in kitchen on center island. Many avenues of escape.
Old vet - Asked us a full panel of questions. Asked to see all the feeding bowls (to ensure no lead paint or other toxins), asked what kind of water was provided etc. Introduced herself to the cats while this was going on and petted them.
New Vet - No questions other than what we wanted done. Made no attempt to approach either cat.
Exam:
Old vet - Talked and stroked the cats all the way thru the exam. Along with blood draws/vaccinations, she examined the cats for fleas, thoroughly checked the ears, scanned for microchips (each time, even though she is the one that implanted them to make sure they can still be read), took temperature, examined teeth, checked heart. If the cat acted up, she would stop the exam and pet them and talk to them until they were calm.
New vet - Did not talk to the cats at all. He checked the heart and felt them all over. Checked the eyes and teeth but I did not see him check the ears. Said that if we wanted weights, the scale was in the van. Did not check temperature. Forced them into submission - he and his assistant restrained them physically which made Rafiki act out. She hissed and growled and gave him a warning nip but did not bite. He could not get a blood draw on her and had to stick her in a carrier to bring her down to the van for the blood draw. Since I wanted the weight of Jammu, he opted to bring him to the van as well after doing a brief physical.
After exam:
Old vet - The cats would initially flee the room but would come back and circle around her after the exam. She would continue to pet them as she spoke to us about findings.
New vet - Rafiki was skittish and unapproachable for about 36 hours.
Attitude about savannahs:
Old vet - She did not really like savannahs. She has several cats of her own and prefers cuddly lap cats over high energy ones.
New vet - Categorizes savannahs with wolves and servals. When asked about this, his reply was that I should see some of the F1 savannahs he sees. Claimed that the furniture in these houses had bites taken out and that the owners were afraid of them.
Costs:
Old vet - travel costs for home visit was $75. She also had me drop off stool samples to her home to avoid this fee.
New vet - travel cost was $225. We are in his territory. Note: My bad. Price was not listed and we did not ask in advance.
Another home vet in the area that we were considering: $175 - includes the exam.
I am currently having liver issues with Rafiki (see "Rafkik not eating" thread). He asked to do a more comprehensive work up on the blood sample from Tuesday and I agreed. At the time of the exam, Rafiki had not eaten more than maybe 2 oz of meat per day for 10 days and I am wondering how much the liver counts are due to hepatic lipidosis. I had asked about an appetite stimulant and he replied that that would involve pilling her. I responded that I had had to give her both pills and liquid meds in the past and it had not been a problem. At that point, he said that he was considering giving her an antibiotic. I did not see anything in the blood work that implies infection and he would not know if she was running a temperature as he did not check.
He wants to do another blood draw next week. I definitely want to find another vet because I am not getting good vibes from him and I don't feel that he can properly handle Rafiki without traumatizing her. I am wondering if I should have him continue to treat her during this crisis or find another vet immediately.
