Absolute Worst Vet Experience Ever!! (mrstjohnson)

There are things offices can do to help reduce this sort of thing, but I do think it takes a cooperative owner or a very assertive office manager.  I happened to "drop in" to my vet's office during just such a display.  But I was there unexpectedly and they had waited to schedule these 3 rescued out of control gigantic german shepherd for the end of the day and no other patients or dogs were around at all.  I unfortunately stumbled in while they were trying to move them from the scales into a room.  The owner/foster was very apologetic to me but the staff should have stopped me at the door instead of allowing me to enter and walk up to the counter (to pick up meds) and then expected the poor woman to try to steer these dogs around me.

I don't see any problem with a vet telling the owners of dogs like that to only bring them during certain times, or alone, or muzzled, etc.  They do have the responsibility to keep their other patients safe (and their wee babies too!)  I'm glad Riley was kept safe and sound! 

I have yet to see a receptionist or any of the staff at any of the offices we've been to take charge of the situation.  It's always me, "do you mind if we go by first", "go ahead, I'll wait", "let me just put her in the car and I'll be back in to pay, etc".  Before I got the hang of taking her to the vet it was just a nightmare for us.

"certified" tends to mean 'bad news' but ... welll, it IS!!  But it also means "pay attention you're accountable for this".  And "personal and confidential" can open many doors! 

 And if you don't get any response, I'd consider reporting this to the state ... simply because there were SO many bad decisions made all around on this, someone could have gotten badly hurt ... not to mention sued.

Of course, I would never sue a vet for something that was my fault, or MY dog biting ME (moot point, because Cherokee's muzzled at the vet..from the time we get out of the car, to when we get back in). Do people really do that??

Yes, unfortunately some do! We get a monthly bulletin type thing at school...I can't remember the name of it...but it involved legal issues and discusses things that commonly happen in clinics and how to avoid them. Vets have gotten sued because an owners insisted on holding the dog and the dog bit them/jumped off the table/got hurt, etc. They've also been sued for giving a dog i a contraindicated medication even though the owner never told them that the dog was on another medication that would interact with the one that they were giving (and the owner insists they did, and usually wins in court even without written documentation), they sue for their dog dying of undetected cancer (after only bringing the dog very infrequently and it being a very acute and difficult-to-diagnose cancer), they sue when their dog has a bad reaction to a drug for some reason  even after all the usual tests (rare but always a possibility) and gets sick or dies....etc....some of the suits are utterly ridiculous and cost the vet their practice.

Again though, in this instance, the clinic was absolutely at fault and did place clients and their dogs in danger. 

 
They do have the responsibility to keep their other patients safe (and their wee babies too!)

 
Absolutely!!!