What is it with Florida vets?

**kdryan** · 07-09-2009, 08:17 PM

This search is getting frustrating and I think we're going to have to put it off until after our move to Jacksonville in a few months. Every single one I have seen in this county just doesn't seem right somehow. I know that may be just me being too picky, but they just don't seem to care as much about my individual dog as the one I see now, and we've decided not to continue with her!

One interesting thing, we were talking about cold tail a while back, and I've been kind of using that as a barometer. Every single vet here that I have seen (5 now) has either not heard of it, or dismissed it as an old wives tale. I looked this up and it seems like a real enough thing, and common enough, so why wouldn't our vets here know about it? These are not unintelligent people; in fact it's the opposite. They're intelligent and must be reasonably well informed or else they wouldn't still be in business. I could see one being incompetent, but five? Somethings not right here...

Kevin

**oakley** · 07-09-2009, 08:22 PM

My vet didn't know about cold tail either. I gave her websites to check.

I wasn't pleased with my first vet so I made a switch. I am very pleased with the switch that I made even though she didn't know what cold tail was

**Bob Pr.** · 07-09-2009, 11:51 PM

You might try U of Fla's CVM in Gainesville.

**Labradorable** · 07-10-2009, 06:06 AM

I'd never heard of cold tail before here and when I asked my sister about it (vet assistant) she'd never heard of it either. I don't think a vet not knowing about cold tail is a fair way to judge their entire practice.

**patm** · 07-10-2009, 06:32 AM

Get somebody that you seem to like well enough, and get a good feeling about, then educate yourself so you can stand up for your dog if you need to. It might be better to move first, then ask people who they go to and get some opinions. And even then, some people are going to love a vet and some are going to have some bad story about them, just like people doctors! The first vet that I went to down here didn't even seem to like animals very much, although he was a skilled vet and I think his treatments were spot on - but I decided on someone who actually liked my dogs. It is important to me that the vet like my dogs, or at least acts friendly towards them.

**Yelloweyz** · 07-10-2009, 06:53 AM

I go to an office where I dont care for the older male vet (he cant get down to dog level because of his knees and wants a 100 pound dog lifted onto the table, which in turn stresses out my dogs)....but, I do like the female vet...she's VERY good with the boys and I trust her opinion...She always tries the less invasive techniques first, instead going right towards cutting or something else...So, I only ask to see her.

Go with your gut...you know your dog better than anyone else...

**Dani** · 07-10-2009, 07:21 AM

I went to two other vets before I landed where I'm at. And now I would NEVER go see anyone else. All three vets in the clinic are great, and they do amazing stuff for my fosters/rescues. I even play softball with them on a league! They truly care about what they do, the animals they see and their clients. They have vet students come in for internships all of the time too, as they see teaching as an important aspect of continuing practice.

I dropped my first vet after their front desk receptionists/vet techs ragged on how unruly chocolate labs were, and the second vet because he didn't support my rescue efforts...actually said to me "why would you concern yourself with someone else's problem?" Wow. How compassionate of you.

But my "new" vets (been there for 3 years) kick butt, and the boys love them.

**Clanceycanuck** · 07-10-2009, 08:19 AM

Wow Dani, really ? From a vet ? just wow on that.

Agreed not every vet knows everything, just get comfortable and arm yourself with knowledge. I left my first vet when they said Harper had cancern without really even testing him. Went to a vet who worked in Golden rescue, ran some tests. Yada Yada it was a treatable condition.

**kdryan** · 07-10-2009, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Labradorable

I'd never heard of cold tail before here and when I asked my sister about it (vet assistant) she'd never heard of it either. I don't think a vet not knowing about cold tail is a fair way to judge their entire practice.

That wasn't the only criteria. It's just a little way of knowing who's best. There were a lot more things that decided me...

Kevin

**BigBrownDog** · 07-10-2009, 09:05 AM

I would not expect a vet to necessarily know about what is a pretty breed specific thing like cold tail. It is not something needing medical intervention after all.

At the vet practice I use there is one vet I LOVE! And one I don't like much and 2 others I am OK with seeing. The one I love was tremendously involved and supportive when Diesel was diagnosed with diabetes. I left him with her a couple of times all day when we were having trouble getting his dosage figured out.

The last time I saw her she actually teared up because of how happy she was at how well he was doing. Apparently most people choose to put down their diabetic dogs, and she is just thrilled we didn't.