When I took Buster for his check up and injections all the vet did was stand him on the table, put a sethoscope on his chest and rubbed his fur the wrong way (I guess checking for fleas and skin condition?) She said wait till he has settled in a few days before starting his injections so I am going back on Thursday. I was told I could settle the bill then. They quoted £16 for a check up but I was not impressed. I am hoping she will give him a better looking at on Thursday or I will be mentioning it and finding another vet.

I want to know his ears are opening out ok, his hips are in good shape, if he is in good shape, his eyes checked, why his eyes are running slightly etc etc. They just seemed to want to get you in and out as soon as possible!

Any other opinions or other experiences people have had with vets?

personally i would be choosing a new vet

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The Practise do seem to have a number of vets and you never know who you will be seeing each time you visit. Is it too much to ask that you see the same person so that you can build a relationship with them and the dog?

Yes i agree does not sound very good at all.....i think i would defo get a new vet

They don't sound like very good vets,
I would expect a full examination,your vet should weigh your puppy and check coat, ears, eyes, heart, lungs, teeth and gums.

Our vets also asked us about diet and microchipping.

We did ask about Micro Chipping but the recommended doing it at the second set of injections when he is a little bigger.

I'm not a vet but here are some of the things I would expect a vet to look at and comment on at a first check up.

Heart - listening for a murmur etc.
Eyes - colour of 'whites' indicative of certain conditions, any abnormalities of eyelids or eyelashes.
Gums - pale gums indicate problems
Teeth and jaw - looking for undershot or overshot jaw
Ears - mites etc
Body check - feeling for the internal organs, lymph glands etc that there is no swelling.
Skin/fur - fleas, ticks, uv check of an area where there fur is thinning to check for early signs of ringworm
Hips and shoulders - checking for excess looseness in the joints - pups are floppy so this check would only highlight the more extreme problems
Asking the owner about feeding, eating issues, any diahorrea, bladder control ( I don't mean house training, but some pups are constantly wet as wee just dribbles and that can be a malformation of the bladder).

On your specific points about ears opening out correctly - I don't know. As for hips and eyecheck, hips can only be scored (the only way to tell) by an x-ray after the age of one, best when the pup is fully grown and that my be quite a bit later. Eyes can be scanned by a specialist for congenital retinal folds at around six weeks - I understand they are more difficult to see later and a full eyetest again is at around a year.

I paid £22 for a vet check covering the above points in 2006. If you possibly can, see the same vet each time at whichever practice you choose. Have you asked how much the shots will be on Thursday? Does this vet do a shots and microchip together offer?
Does this vet follow the BSAVA guidelines on vaccinations and eventually does three yearly boosters or is she still going with yearly boosters after the shot at 12 months?

Hope the above helps,

Sgurr

Thanks for that. I ay even print it out and ask when I go tomorrow! I think the course of injections (8 and 10 weeks) is £38 and the Micro Chip is £22. Plus £16 for a check up. He needed Worming too so we were given 2 pills. One which we fed him on Sunday and another that we need to give in a few weeks I think. £76 in total plus the cost of worming pills.

I can see why you would want to change your vet as the service you got for your pup wasnt good. Did you ask for the other things to be checked whilst you were there as you had every right to have.I ask to see the same vets which they normally try to do although i know this is not always possible. With reguards to the fees you mentioned they dont sound to far out. A check up at our vets alone is 18 pounds, 38 for jabs, 18 for chipping and 18 or 22 for flea stuff depending on 3 months or 6. If you are not confident in your vet then it may put your mind at ease trying else were. My dog had his micro chip done at his 8 week jab by the breeder she was trained to do it. Mind you that was 8 years ago now so things may have changed a bit.

If that was all the vet did, it wasn't a very comprehensive check so would mention that at the next visit (if you go back to this practice). Did you mention to the vet your concerns about the pups ears/eyes etc? A lot of the time you need to mention this yourself, as the vet may think its normal but without you asking, won't really put your mind at rest.

Hope the next visit goes better.