Good grief
People that quibble about the vaccination charges are really starting to annoy me!
You should get a thorough health test included that checks eyes, ears,, mouth, teeth, feet. legs,genitals, skin, coat, heart, lungs, tummy...if u have any concerns??? weight appetite, thirst etc etc...could go on!
Then a booster that protects against numerous FATAL diseases!
And all u lot want is the cheapest price pos.....goodgod, all i want is the best for my dog and if that means i pay more for an opinion of someone whom i trust and have total confidence in then fine.
Oh Gesic...I am sooooo glad you posted that! We came back from the vet at Pets At Home and your post really helps open up my report. I think you'll be very interested!
Just for the record though...before I begin, I'll let you all know that my dog is fed on Royal Canin food and fresh tripe, gets a choice of dried liver, sausages, paddywhack, parma ham bones, dried tripe, pigs snouts, pork strips or filled hooves as an evening snack (I always have them all 'in stock' under my stairs. He gets walked everyday and attends a KC accredited training school every week. Toys? Don't talk to me about toys. He has a set here at home and a set at my mum and dads. He gets more than the best from me. He gets my full attention.
However, I'm not exactly poor. And the reason for that is I shop around for the best price. His food is £46 a bag in pet shops; I buy it for £28. His parma ham bones are £1.90 each in the shops; I get them for 85p. His grooming rake...£6 in the shop; I got it for 50p. Giving my dog the best I believe I can give him is good for his health; but saving money while doing so is also good for mine.
Ok dokey people...here you go. Pets At Home Vets...the result:
We were gratefully received at the reception, and of course, as usual, Paddy got the attention of staff, customers and the vets themselves. That was nice.
We were waiting about 5 minutes when a lady in her 30's came out and apologized to us for our wait, but unfortunately there would be a delay. She explained that she was the veterinary nurse, and that Paddy had been booked in with her for what they mistakenly understood to be his second injections (this is a long story and totally my fault, so i shan't explain it here). They had realised very quickly on seeing him that it was actually his booster that would be needed, so she told me that I would need to see the vet for the appointment. I told her fine.
As I was told the wait would be around 10 minutes, I took Paddy outside for a wee (and me for a ciggy).
We went back in, spoke to a few more animal lovers and were then called in by the vet.
They had his full history up on screen. She asked me about his eye infection (3 months ago). She asked me all sorts of questions about his health. She got her stethoscope out and checked in about 5 places. She held his muzzle shut while doing this to prevent him from panting - and very confidently too. She checked his teeth, his eyes, his anus, his paws. Then she did the "feel along the ribs" check. She's a little concerned that she can't feel his ribs as easily as she should. Not fat apparently, but a warning not to increase his diet any more than I am.
She took him out with me and weighed him. 41.5 KG to be exact. She made a record.
The came more questions. His poos. His habits. Any coughing? Any vomiting? NOPE.
Then the praise. Great temperament. Fantastic coat.
Then the question. Am I intending to have him neutered? Not too much resistance at all when I replied, "Depends if I show him or not" thank God!
Then another question. Have any of your close friends or family recently gotten a puppy? Yep. They have.
Have any of the puppies been coughing or ill, or diagnosed with kennel cough?
Yep. They have. My uncle's bischon.
Is he being treated for it? Yes. He is on anti-biotics.
OK. I don't want you to take your dog anywhere near their house for at least 4-6 weeks. We do offer a separate kennel cough vaccination for £15, however, kennel cough comes in different strains. It's not guaranteed to immunize against all strains of kennel cough, so even with that you can't be sure. 4-6 weeks minimum. OK? Yup. Thanks for that info. (Although my uncle's vet told them 2 weeks).
Next step was the injection. She asked me if I had his vaccination record. I had unfortunately left it at home. No problem, she tells me I can drop in with it next week and get the stickers.
After the vaccination is done she checks I am worming and fleaing.
I explain that I have 1 dose of wormer and 1 dose of anti-flea left.
She checks to see which products I am using.
Frontline and Millimax.
She tells me that Frontline is being replaced as a recommended treatment with Advantix. I don't tell her, but my own vet had previously gone through this with me last time I was there.
Her advice is that after Paddy finishes with the Frontline and Millimax that I move onto Advantix and Millimax. She warns me though that I should never give both on the same day.
Both?? My vet told me that Advantix treats the fleas AND the worms. I clarify this with her........So I need to give the worming tablets AND Advantix?
Yes, but never on the same day.
I leave feeling confused, even after she has given me instructions on how to use the Advantix (which she recommends I wait for incase it's on special offer seeing as I have some Frontline left).
The bill? £19. Plus they scanned him for his microchip to make sure he was really mine! LOL
So anyway, I got home, and looked up Advantix.
Turns out my own vet is wrong and the vet at PaH is right. It is only a preventative for biting insects. It does not treat worms at all.
Do you know what? I got more value for my £19 than the sometimes hundreds of pounds that I've spent on visits to my local vet.
My advice is this...is your dog due a booster/vaccination/worming tablets? If so...ring up Pets at Home and put an appointment on. You won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll be pleasantly surprised. What's more...they're open late and on Saturday and Sunday where you'll pay normal vet prices.
Don't get ripped off by your local vets any longer. You think they care about your pet? When's the last time they (the vet) saw your pet and didn't charge you for it? Don't reward them for poor service any longer.
I am converted!
I'm not converted to their grooming parlour though. They said it would cost £50 to groom Paddy. My regular groomer does a fine job for £35! LOL
:thumbup:
