Ladybug
Well-known member
When I first joined this forum, Lady had just been desexed and was having a bit of a rough time. At the time I didn't think anything she had gone through with regards to her desexing was unusual, but since talking to several of my colleagues about their recent experiences spaying their puppies (which went far smoother than Lady's), I realised that I should have done more research before choosing a vet.
There are two clinics in my town (which I just moved to at the start of this year for work) and I went to the one that was closer. It is also a more modern facility than the other, with good branding etc., so it looked nice and professional. I had taken Lady to this vet a couple of times before she got desexed and was happy with the service I received. However... after she got desexed she seemed uncomfortable, but as the clinic told me not to take her bandage off for at least 24 hours I couldn't check her wound. After a few hours I got concerned, rang the vet and asked if I could take the bandage off to see if everything was okay. They said that would be fine. So I took it off and 5 of her staples had come out, leaving half of her wound open. I took her in after ringing the after hours emergency line, met one of the vets at the clinic and she stapled her while I held her still (which is always difficult with Lady).
When I went 2 days later for her post-op check up, the vet who did the surgery (a fresh graduate) said sorry and admitted she hadn't used staples before, had not done them tight enough, and the supervising vet said it all looked fine after she had done it.
10 days later I took Lady back to get the staples out, which was long and challenging as she had so many staples to correct her wound and Lady never likes to stay still. As most of her staples were done while I held the squirmy thing, her scar does not look as straight and clean as it should, although I am sure it will fade with time.
On top of this, they tattooed her ears (one with an 'M' to show she is microchipped, and one with a circle with a line through it to show she is spayed) which they did not ask of even inform me they would do prior to the surgery. As far as I'm aware it is not a legal requirement in South Australia to do this and although I see the benefit, it was a shock and I wish I had been told. They looked like large green unattractive splodges and you could not even make out what they were supposed to be. However, I have just now realised that the tattoos did not even work as they tattooed over her hair, rather than directly on her skin. This evening I was cleaning her ears and all the tattoo ink came off without a trace.
I haven't complained, although if I still lived in the city I would be campaigning to get my money back. It's difficult when living in a small town as everyone knows everyone and it might make things more stressful for me.
After that experience, I take Lady and Lola to the other vet. Although they do not have the fanciest practice, the vets are highly experienced, and they charge about 15-20% less than the other clinic. After talking to many people at work, this is the preferred clinic of everyone I talked to. Next time I'll go with word of mouth, rather than appearances.
There are two clinics in my town (which I just moved to at the start of this year for work) and I went to the one that was closer. It is also a more modern facility than the other, with good branding etc., so it looked nice and professional. I had taken Lady to this vet a couple of times before she got desexed and was happy with the service I received. However... after she got desexed she seemed uncomfortable, but as the clinic told me not to take her bandage off for at least 24 hours I couldn't check her wound. After a few hours I got concerned, rang the vet and asked if I could take the bandage off to see if everything was okay. They said that would be fine. So I took it off and 5 of her staples had come out, leaving half of her wound open. I took her in after ringing the after hours emergency line, met one of the vets at the clinic and she stapled her while I held her still (which is always difficult with Lady).
When I went 2 days later for her post-op check up, the vet who did the surgery (a fresh graduate) said sorry and admitted she hadn't used staples before, had not done them tight enough, and the supervising vet said it all looked fine after she had done it.
10 days later I took Lady back to get the staples out, which was long and challenging as she had so many staples to correct her wound and Lady never likes to stay still. As most of her staples were done while I held the squirmy thing, her scar does not look as straight and clean as it should, although I am sure it will fade with time.
On top of this, they tattooed her ears (one with an 'M' to show she is microchipped, and one with a circle with a line through it to show she is spayed) which they did not ask of even inform me they would do prior to the surgery. As far as I'm aware it is not a legal requirement in South Australia to do this and although I see the benefit, it was a shock and I wish I had been told. They looked like large green unattractive splodges and you could not even make out what they were supposed to be. However, I have just now realised that the tattoos did not even work as they tattooed over her hair, rather than directly on her skin. This evening I was cleaning her ears and all the tattoo ink came off without a trace.
I haven't complained, although if I still lived in the city I would be campaigning to get my money back. It's difficult when living in a small town as everyone knows everyone and it might make things more stressful for me.
After that experience, I take Lady and Lola to the other vet. Although they do not have the fanciest practice, the vets are highly experienced, and they charge about 15-20% less than the other clinic. After talking to many people at work, this is the preferred clinic of everyone I talked to. Next time I'll go with word of mouth, rather than appearances.