I live in a small town, rural area. There are two vet clinics in town. The closest ER vet would be at least an hour away. The office I go to has 4 vets on staff. Someone is always on call and they have been very responsive to evening and weekend calls. There is one of the three that I don't like and/or trust, but the other three are great. They have met me at the office late at night or weekends or answer my questions on the phone and don't make me feel like I am imposing.
Several years back when my first Akita starting having seizures, my old vet (at a different office) just up and retired without telling anyone. Not even his staff! So I had to try a different vet (I started at the other office in our town). She was "ok" but her waiting room, exam room, and surgical room were filthy and I didn't like the attitudes of her staff. So I tried the office I'm at now. They did everything they could and suggested that I bring him to the University Vet Hospital 4 hours away, but at the time, I didn't see that as an option. When it became apparent that he was just getting worse and worse and wasn't going to get better, I called on a Sunday in tears and one of the female vets met us at the office and put him to sleep. She cried as much as I did and she barely knew Seiko. It was so much easier going there when there was no one else around.
I really like the option of having 4 vets on staff because even the one I don't like is knowledgable and they all bounce ideas off each other.
The main one that I see now is GREAT. I do call him at home. I think he would come to our house if I called him. He has bent over backward to help me through all the surgeries and stuff at the University Vet Hospital. He convinced me to go there when Worf tore his first CCL and it was the right thing to do. If I lived closer, I would go to the University all the time (the staff and resources there are AMAZING) but it's a little too far...
So that's my veterinary tale! (or tail??)
Worf & Zena, Proud Akitaforum Members Since 2004 
