Outdoorschik and I have already had some lengthy communication via email earlier today (I think most everyone knows we 'know' each other from before I-Dog *grin*), but I wanted to kinda summarize here for the general benefit of posterity.
Mine may be a relatively uncommon feeling, but I'd rather trust a person I've gotten to know and trust, and in whom I have trust for their medical repuation because I've been able to draw some conclusions, than to trust someone just because they are 'board certified' or work for a particular clinic.
In short, I've been burned in a BIG way with human doctors, and not just me but close family as well. And honestly I don't 'trust' easily. The hardest position for ME to be in is to have to 'trust' someone just on the basis of reputation.
So, in short I've become a suspicious old biddy -- I learn to do things like check somone's credentials with the state vet board, or call governmental regulating agencies and see if they've been reported. Then I'm gonna see if I can find someone else who has been to them or used them, and I'm not above talking to techs OUTSIDE of work to find out what the guy is like to work for.
Flatly, I've heard the worst -- and the conclusions I've come to tend to be based on experience. But once I draw a bad conclusion about a vet I'm SO VOCAL. I will tell everyone what a bad vet Dr. Whoever is. I'm always careful not to be slanderous, and I won't put it in writing (unless it IS to the State vet board to complain and OH MAN will I do that).
But I've also learned the HARD way to ask questions. Open ended ones. Like "Did you notice anything that might become a red flag later?" "Tell me EXACTLY what to expect?"
Those of us who have been there DONE that with dog surgery know that anesthesia can do a number on some dogs -- it can constipate, it can make them thirsty, dogs can walk away from surgery (or lie around) and have all sorts or weirdness, and just my own personal experience would have made ME really leery about how Oliver was gonna poop after surgery (just cos he can't stand normally and 'push').
But that's because *I* have experience.
But now Outdoorschik has experience -- and unfortunately ... or ... well, maybe it IS *fortunately* .... experience is a hard teacher.
I might not go with a board certified guy, but then again I might! But I DO know to do a bunch of homework. I do know to check people out. I do actually have this mental laundry list when I'm checking out a vet and one of the things I will do is call other vets and ask THEM what they think of Dr. Schmuckatella or ABSleeze Vet Clinic.
Sometimes trying to figure out how TO check something out when you're already over-committed and over-whelmed is more than we can handle. But a lot of such "homework" is also a matter of knowing HOW to do it.
Learning to be bold as brass and ask hard questions is something we learn the hard way I think. But no one kicks us in the behind as hard as we ourselves do. "Why didn't I?" I think that's the worst question we have to ask ourselves.
But I've told Outdoorschik -- the hardest things I've ever learned, I've learned on behalf of my dogs. I'll never forget the FIRST time I took a vet on -- he was examining my dog when I told him I thot she was hurt.
I could see in her face he was hurting her and I YELLED at him. (I was all of about 23 at the time -- yeah, ancient history). He looked at me like "how DARE you question me" and said "She didn't yelp -- that didn't hur her"
I told him in no uncertain terms I knew my own dog and he HAD hurt her and if he had a sensitive bone in his body he woulda KNOWN that by how tense she got.
I walked out and neverr went back. it was my folks' widely respected vet and I hated him. It took more guts than I knew I had to go against my family ... but it taught me a lesson.
Stupid little stuff like a vet that can't remember my dog's name or sex while LOOKING at them -- "She's a cute little thing" ... and my husband calmly said "Um, Dr. ... I think the commonly accepted term is 'HE'".
But in this particular case, I think part of this is a vet who didn't want to overwhelm or scare the owner. But an owner/guardian who would RATHER have known before.
But knowing and getting it straight in your head how you are going to go in and ASK questions without burning your bridges behind you before you get to the other side and while preserving your relationship with your own vet -- these things are hard.
The other thing that I don't think has been brought out nearly enough ... and frankly it's something that a lot of us DON'T have to deal with ... is the fact that Outdoorschik is in a relatively remote part of the NE United States. She's in a pretty rural area of NH but had to go to Maine for this vet care.
My point is she doesn't have a ton of choice. She doesn't live near 6 vet specialists, nor does she have a lot of cash. She could have educated a child for a year or two at private school for what she's spent on Oliver this year. I have highest admiration for what she's done for him -- there was a lot that went 'before' that folks on here don't even know. Just the process of finding Oliver a good 'regular' vet was a labor of love (and expensive). But man, she's done it and she's STILL looking out for his best interests.
Keep going girl -- that doesn't mean you won't make mistakes but you're doing so well. And I still say -- Oliver's my buddy and I'm prouder to be 'aunt' to this dog (and to his human mom *grin*) than I can tell you.
You did well!!