[GoldenShadow]

My vets have gone from being brilliant to being bloody hopeless in the last two weeks

They've managed to get me some oil capsules in which cost a bomb and which they had never heard of before, fantastic.

But!

I've rung up regarding a holistic referral on three occasions and been told someone will ring me. Not happened.

I've called to ask about his pancreatic episode and the oil dosage multiple times. They leave a voicemail saying call back, I do, and no one can talk to me. The vet left me a message at 5pm last night saying he would call me back to discuss x, y and z. He didn't. I ring them today, he's on holiday for a bloody week and nobody there knows anything about what he was going to talk to me about.

I just got a call back because I whinged about this, and now a vet I have never spoke to who has never met Rupert has told me it is not the steroids that caused his pancreatitis. Funny that, because this is why the first vet wants him off the steroids, because he feels they are likely to be the cause. Also, the vet who saw Rupert out of hours (still one of their own vets) also said he thought steroids were likely a catalyst at the very least in causing his pancreatitis.

Oil capsules are costing £250 for what could be anything from 1.5-3 months worth. I'm also pissed off because I rang twice asking them to run our situation past the practice manager to find out if they will accept payment direct from my insurance. Argos have paid out religiously for this claim and pretty quickly too. But no one has called me back about this either.

I'm pissed off because I know the capsules cost £160 if I buy them from elsewhere. I could buy them right now. I can't get them from the vets at £250 til payday because I just haven't got the cash. Which means that Rupert has to go without for longer.

If they were closer I would just go in person but its a half hour drive away and I don't have space until Tuesday which is my only bloody day off all week.

Just ARGHHHHHHHHHH :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

The pharmacist there is lovely and has been fantastic, but everyone else says they will leave a note for someone and nobody gets back to me. Its like going in bliddy circles. It was one of their vets who suggested I ask if they will take payment direct from my insurance anyway, he actually said he doesn't understand why people have to rack up credit card charges etc when they should be able to pay in instalments or in my instance be allowed to use insurance directly.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

No wonder why your fuming I would be, trying to do all you can for Rupert and no back up.

Re the refferal, dont know if you saw this, they are in potters Bar off the M25 dont know if that would be any good.

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=1

 

[Dogless]

The whole thing sounds enormously frustrating. Perhaps a letter outlining all your concerns might do the trick?

 

[GoldenShadow]

No wonder why your fuming I would be, trying to do all you can for Rupert and no back up.

Re the refferal, dont know if you saw this, they are in potters Bar off the M25 dont know if that would be any good.

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=1

That's the chap I have earmarked funnily enough, SDH! Thing is vets keep saying oh I'll speak to so and so and see if he knows of anyone and then nothing bloomin' well happens. And the chap they want to ask is now on holiday

The whole thing sounds enormously frustrating. Perhaps a letter outlining all your concerns might do the trick?

I'll be honest, I think it would take so long for them to get around to doing anything there would be little point

Basically I want to give Rupert the Moxxor and stop the steroids. I'm concerned about his pancreatitis and so I have decided I will take it upon myself to wean him off the steroids at what I have been told is a safe level, and give him a half dose of the Moxxor (when I get the bugger) until he is off the steroids.

If the Moxxor does nothing I will seek a holistic referral and not back off until they get me one. It might be the Moxxor does wonders for him, who knows. To be quite honest I don't have buckets of time to be taking him a holistic vet right now anyway, and if the Moxxor helps I would rather seek a holistic referral towards the end of the year. He will need steroids out of his system for that I imagine, hence another reason to try wean him off them now. I'm expecting he may have flare ups whilst seeing the holistic vet, and I'm better placed from December onwards to be running round rushing him back and fourth then instead of right now

 

[Guest]

Might be worth on your day off booking an appointment to see the practice manager face to face and tell them exactly what you think of their inefficient practice.

Not sure where you are but my vet is an holistic vet, absolutely excellent. Shropshire area.

 

[rona]

It sounds as if they have got too big or are taking on too much work.
I left a vet practice that I had been to for over 20 years because of things like this.

The personal touch/experience at a vet is my must have these days, not if they have super duper facilities. A vet that knows and cares about your dog is a godsend.

Forgetting to phone once is a mishap, 3 times is negligence.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

As far as I know you can go where you want too dont have to wait for them,
all they need to do is a letter of refferal and get copies of your medical records or Ruperts I should say. If thats where you want to go. Think you can even contact them for advice in the meantime if I remember rightly its on that link.

Read a lot off his stuff and he is brilliant well IMO anyway.

 

[GoldenShadow]

Thanks everyone

The vets are still better than everyone else we've tried round here, and believe me I've looked at soooooooooo many

Hopefully its just a blip and things will improve there, definitely not that happy about it yet

Re that chap for it to go through my insurance I need my vets to set up the referral for me so I have to wait really...

 

[babycham2002]

grrr what a nightmare
hope you get it sorted soon sweetpea

xxx

 

[GoldenShadow]

They have redeemed themselves..! Or should I say one of the vets has redeemed them all.

The guy who left me a message on Fri night and is on holiday all this week just rang me. He said he had popped in to check his messages and remembered that he wanted to give me a call.

He talked me through it all and thinks that

1) It is good to reduce Roo's steroids if at all possible.

2) Re his pancreatitis two capsules should be a safe dosage but to give him one capsule for the first 2-3 weeks then up it.

3) It is likely to take 4-6 weeks to see any benefits of things like omega and so to wean him off or lower the steroid dosage during this time.

So the plan is to get the Moxxor and start him on one capsule daily. He will stay on 5mg pred every other day for two weeks.

After two weeks he goes down to 2.5mg pred every other day, and around this time I will double his Moxxor dosage to two capsules.

After approximately 4 weeks of 2.5mg pred every other day and two Moxxor capsules I would like to completely stop the steroids, or the vet said we could give him 2.5mg pred twice a week type thing.

But I feel a lot happier. He reinstated my preference that if steroids can be reduced this should be done and that he should be on the very lowest maintenance dose possible, even if it means giving him more come Spring time and lowering it again at the end of the year.

Going to get the Moxxor around Friday or Saturday (payday ) and start him on that then

 

[Dogless]

I am pleased that finally you got the advice you needed; hopefully you won't have to suffer such bad treatment again.

 

[leannelatty]

Maybe you should come and see my vets hun. He is fantastic, very caring and the practice itself is very understanding and gives you a real feeling that they care. And it only takes ya 20 mins to get here!