NationStates Jolt Archive

I recently got a puppy, my first pet since moving to the United States. I went to the vet with him for the first time a couple weeks ago and was, quite frankly, rather apalled.

A veterinarian never came near my dog. The vet tech weighed him, asked me some questions, pet him, then took him away so the vet could administer the latest of a series of shots and perform a fecal. I've had dogs before, overseas, and I've never had any of them examined by anyone other than an actual veterinarian. I also really didn't like the fact that the shots weren't administered in my presence. The facility itself did nothing to alleviate my concerns. Quite messy, not nearly as clean as I would hope (or expect), didn't really seem as though it were designed for animals. I asked my boyfriend about this, and he seemed to think this was all quite normal.

Am I being paranoid, or should I find a different vet?

Find a different vet.
That vet obviously doesn't do their job.

That's not how they all are in the US, and this thread title suggests that they all are like that.
I certainly hope that this doesn't turn into a, "USA sucks!" flamewar!

Puppies are so cute!

Get a different vet. That one's crap.

My vet always does his own inspections/checks of the animal, all the shots are done in my presence, and the office is spotless. (It's actually cleaner than many Drs offices I've been to).

He's also got a good bedside manner.

It's not you, it's your vet.

I certainly hope that this doesn't turn into a, "USA sucks!" flamewar!

Puppies are so cute!

I agree (on both counts!), and changed the thread title - it was not my intention to make broad generalizations about veterinary care in the US. I was just concerned for my puppy. :)

I've had a lot of experiance with vets both large and small animal specialists. If his rates were reasonable then that might explain his less than stellar digs and the fact he lets a tech handle the injections. The vets time costs more and so does a pristine clinic. Perfectly capable vets try to keep themselves affordable.