Why do vets seem to tell people with bitches that they have an excellent specimen of their breed and it would be ok to mate her? Without even
going into the fact they should be eye tested and hip scored.
I know two such people that have been in contact with me for use of my stud dog. The one bitch is the worst specimen of the breed you could honestly wish for. So why do vets do this!!!!!!!!!!! Also when I suggested that the bitch should be hip scored I was told. 'The vet told me that the chance in my breed is so slim that their is no need to bother'. Pardon me! Is what I think I said.
How many other people have come across this issue? Also why do vets say this when they seem to have little knowledge of what the breed standards are etc..
Nutkin

Nutkin, know where you are coming from. A vet, unless they are owners of a breed know nothing about the breed in detail, the best they can do is say the bitch is, from a visual inspection in good health, they have no idea if it is a good breed specimen or if it would pass the health tests laid out by the Kennel Club & BVA.
Jackie

I know exactly where you are coming from. A vet once told me that it was quite acceptable to breed a dog in her first season, as long as her first season was late enough - i.e 9 months. I nearly died. Luckily I know better - what about those who don't?!!

Several of them should be put down themselves.

Tee hee! That's what I like to hear!

I've had encounters with vets who should be put down too! One told me (within ten minutes after my horse had died) that if I contacted the local hunt and paid them £50, they would take my horse away and feed her to their hungry hounds. Well lucky me! He was seen off the premises & advised not to bill me! I paid £20, hired a JCB and dug her grave myself!

The second vet refused to spay my cat in time for her season, stating there was no need even though I was concerned she might get mated. The cat managed to get mated within the first hour of coming into season, then the vet tried to bill me extra for having to remove the babies! He too, was blacklisted!

However my doggy vet is very good and if she's reading this then I love you loads and please don't leave me!!!!

God, thats awful about what the vet said about your horse! When I lost my TBX gelding at 21 years (after owning him for 18 of them) - he had been suffering on and off and becoming more ill due to liver failure - the vet was fine, but after I had made the decision to put the horse down, the vet arrives (with me obviously very distressed) and says, "well, we could give him another injection to keep him going again for a few days" - I don't think so. Bad enough coming to terms with what I had to do, without prolonging it any longer. I too, buried him on my father's land.

Am I right that the European courts have passed a law that horses can no longer be buried on land and must be "removed"?????

shirley

Hi Nut,
Yep, I agree with you. Unfortunately too many people believe the "expertise" of a vet lies not just in medical education, but dog and cat conformation and breeding traits. Not counting those who are involved in both worlds of dog breeding and health. My hat's off to them. It's even worse is when the vet grows to believe his/her own omniscence and convinces owners of their allknowing :( :( :(

My vets have given up on me I think!!!!

The "green" ones try the old "spay your bitch routine" with me (Even suggested when I took Curtis in for his puppy vaccinations that he could be microchipped (another nice little earner!!!) when I was booking him in for castrating!!!!!!).

I just throw them a look of disgust and pull out Asti who is almost 12, unspayed and never had a problem in her life because of it!!!!!!

They know not to try it again!!!!!!! ;)

id call theyrebluff and ask for the vets number with the veiw of asking them about the suggestion !! i know pet owners use this as an excuse to breed when infact the poor vets cant defend themselves, ive never ever had a vet say to e they think i should breed from any of my bitches±!-not because theyre poor specimens, but because its not theyre place to suggest such a thing!! id have my doubts
has anyone on the board had a vet say it to them ????

I agree no vet has ever told me my dog was good for breeding but then I've never asked, I tell them I wish to use the dog for breeding. Mind you that does not stop them suggesting I castrate or spay the said dog. The latest was when I took a dog with a minor scrape on the scrotum, only to have it suggested that a good cure would be castration may be next time a dog has an eye infection they will offer to poke it out. Jackie

Oh Jackie,

I know this is meant to be a sensible topic but your few last words made me laugh!!!

TTFN

yep jackie, -that was a funny, if thy eye offend you !!! :D

Nothing is ever that serious that you can take time to laugh, glad I amused you both. Jackie

I do think there is some sense in vets suggesting castration/speying. If only a few of the owners, who might otherwise breed on a whim, take up the suggestion, then it would prevent a lot of these ill-advised pregnancies that people are complaining about. You can't have it both ways and if you prefer not to have it done and you are a sensible owner then don't have it done !! :)

Daisy

I am glad its not just me then that has heard of these vets saying
what good specimens of the breed that people have. I sometimes
wonder if I am going around the bend or just too potty about my
breed.
I get very irritated with vets sometimes.
We had a bitch that went into whelp. She did not contract and I knew
she was in showing all the signs, panting, restless, then deep sleep, then
bed shredding. This went on but no pups. So I called the vet and told them
my bitch should of had a pup and was not producing them. I went in saw a
vet. She told me that my bitch was not in pup. I said excuse me look at the size of her. She told me that sometimes bitches get growths. I said feel her
tummy. You can feel pups moving. She told me she could not feel anything at all. She told me that she would not treat any further unless she did an ultra sound. So I said fine go ahead. My husband felt the bitch and could feel pups moving, but still vet said no. Then she did ultra sound. She said that she could see only three pups, that is why she was so small. I said I thought my bitch needed a c.section. She said she would not give her a c.section unless she did an x-ray. I told her no way was she going to give my bitch an x-ray. She said go home then and if she does not produce a pup, come back in 6-8 hours. I said I wanted to see the head vet. She said fine if I would not except her diagnosis and slammed the door and walked out. I stood in a state in the reception, thinking why was I causing such a fuss, then I looked down at my bitch and could see that if something was not done she could die. So I saw the head vet. Explained everything again. She said to me. Your bitch is in pup and is not going to produce pups. If we dont operate on this bitch now she will loose her pups. It was like AGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH finally!!!! So she did the
c.section straight away. Delivered 6 very healthy puppies. Huge pups. When she was cut open the uteris was going bad. Inertia as we had thought. So she said do I want to breed her again. I said no spay the poor love.
So I suppose if you know something is wrong dont go on the first vets opionon. The head vet said afterwards. If you had of come back 6-8 hours later. Your bitch could be dead and so could the pups. Or she would of been very ill.
Nutkin

I hope he made the first vet appologise, and gave her a good talking to. I hate going to the vet who thinks they are all knowing about mattwers I have more experience of than they do, i.e. how my animal behaves when something is not right.

Yes. I went and saw the owner of the practise a week later and he
knew before I walked through the door what I was about to say.
He told me that the first vet I saw did not have experience in whelping
of a litter. He told me that I was more experienced than her. At the time
I did not know if that was a compliment as it worried the life out of me.
Whats a girl like this doing then doing surgery on dogs and giving out
diagnosis and she does not know what she is doing. Yes I have general
knowledge on whelping a litter but I am not a qualified vet for goodness
sake. I need to know that when I walk through the vets doors I am going
to be in good hands.
The vet said he would not charge for the ultra sound and I got a refund
of £35-00. However I was more concerned with the fact if I had of gone away, my bitch would of been in trouble. He was not interested in that part. Tried to dismiss me really. He told me in the future he only wants to see me himself.
Is this because he thinks he can handle me?...he he... I doubt it.. That says a lot for the rest of them at the practice.
Nutkin

Daisy,

I agree with you. I would expect any vet to suggest neutering to pet owners. Not to tell them to neuter, but to ask them what their plans are for their dog and why they would want to breed if they say they do. Also to find out how responsible they are as owners - do they have a fenced garden, etc., if they do not want to neuter their pet for any reason.

Stacey

I became the owner of a rescue cat a couple of years ago took her to the vet to be checked over and arrange appointment to be neutered. The cat was perfectly healthy and appointment arranged. Three weeks later she gave birth to four very healthy kittens , this mean't she was six weeks pregnant when we visited vets how come they didn't recognise this.

Alison