bestoutwest
Cathlete
Well, actually, if I tried to spit, it would probably just dribble down my chin!!
Anyway, I just need to vent about something that happened today at work.....thanks for "listening"!!
I am a veterinarian in a small animal practice. About twice a month, we have a veterinary surgeon come to our practice to perform more difficult surgeries, usually orthopedics. He is coming on Wednesday of this week to perform 2 surgeries, called TPLO's, on two different dogs. The surgery is to stabilize the knee joint after a partial or complete cruciate ligament tear.
One of the patients is a guide dog for a blind woman. He had his left knee operated on in March and the organization "Guide Dogs for the Blind" paid the bill. The owner just now got around to trying to obtain authorization for payment of the second surgery. BTW, it is fairly common for both knees to be affected, especially in large breed dogs; this dog is a labrador. So a vet from the guide dog organization calls today wanting to know why we think the dog needs a second surgery. He thinks that we don't have enough evidence that the dog needs the surgery. (The veterinary surgeon, who did the surgery on his left knee, is the one who evaluated the dog's right knee and determined that he also needed surgery on that one.) Anyway, this guy was a total jerk!! Instead of just saying that he would like us to re-evaluate the dog, take more x-rays, etc., he said that we were CRAZY and UNETHICAL to proceed with this surgery. He actually said this to me and the other doctor that I work with! What professional person, representing a national organization like that would actually use the terms CRAZY and UNETHICAL when talking to a colleague???????? He was extremely rude, disrespectful and condescending. He interrupted me several times, not letting me even finish my sentences. I tried to explain to him, amid the interruptions, that we would re-radiograph the dog and re-evaluate before the surgery, and if it was not deemed to be necessary, we wouldn't proceed. He then barked back at me "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO DO ANY SURGERY ON THAT DOG!!!!!" Basically he was just a complete A**!!!!
I have never been talked to like that by another veterinarian. I was so mad that I almost hung up on him several times, but I thought that might look even worse! I calmed myself at the end of the conversation to take down his address, phone number and fax, so that we can send him copies of the x-rays, record, blah, blah, blah.... We will see the dog on Wednesday and get the veterinary surgeon's exam notes and take new x-rays to send to this creep. Let him see with his own eyes that the dog needs surgery.
Sorry to be so long, just needed to get this out!! I am going to call the head of the organization and write a letter of complaint about this veterinarian. I can't imagine they would like to be represented like that.
Anyway, I just need to vent about something that happened today at work.....thanks for "listening"!!
I am a veterinarian in a small animal practice. About twice a month, we have a veterinary surgeon come to our practice to perform more difficult surgeries, usually orthopedics. He is coming on Wednesday of this week to perform 2 surgeries, called TPLO's, on two different dogs. The surgery is to stabilize the knee joint after a partial or complete cruciate ligament tear.
One of the patients is a guide dog for a blind woman. He had his left knee operated on in March and the organization "Guide Dogs for the Blind" paid the bill. The owner just now got around to trying to obtain authorization for payment of the second surgery. BTW, it is fairly common for both knees to be affected, especially in large breed dogs; this dog is a labrador. So a vet from the guide dog organization calls today wanting to know why we think the dog needs a second surgery. He thinks that we don't have enough evidence that the dog needs the surgery. (The veterinary surgeon, who did the surgery on his left knee, is the one who evaluated the dog's right knee and determined that he also needed surgery on that one.) Anyway, this guy was a total jerk!! Instead of just saying that he would like us to re-evaluate the dog, take more x-rays, etc., he said that we were CRAZY and UNETHICAL to proceed with this surgery. He actually said this to me and the other doctor that I work with! What professional person, representing a national organization like that would actually use the terms CRAZY and UNETHICAL when talking to a colleague???????? He was extremely rude, disrespectful and condescending. He interrupted me several times, not letting me even finish my sentences. I tried to explain to him, amid the interruptions, that we would re-radiograph the dog and re-evaluate before the surgery, and if it was not deemed to be necessary, we wouldn't proceed. He then barked back at me "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TO DO ANY SURGERY ON THAT DOG!!!!!" Basically he was just a complete A**!!!!
I have never been talked to like that by another veterinarian. I was so mad that I almost hung up on him several times, but I thought that might look even worse! I calmed myself at the end of the conversation to take down his address, phone number and fax, so that we can send him copies of the x-rays, record, blah, blah, blah.... We will see the dog on Wednesday and get the veterinary surgeon's exam notes and take new x-rays to send to this creep. Let him see with his own eyes that the dog needs surgery.
Sorry to be so long, just needed to get this out!! I am going to call the head of the organization and write a letter of complaint about this veterinarian. I can't imagine they would like to be represented like that.
Bella
