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The best vet is a good diagnostician
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An adult Boxer being examined.
The very best veterinarian you can have is one who is a good diagnostician. It’s what you want in a doctor for yourself, too. The best way to find a good vet is by asking other dog owners who they recommend. They’ll know which doctor is caring and willing to listen, and which treats canine patients and their owners as if they are simply routes to a paycheck.
Anna Magda took her new Boxer puppy to the veterinarian’s office closest to her house. She had not had a dog for a few years, and had moved to Hamilton. The vet examined the puppy and told her she had a serious ear infection. He proposed a course of treatment and told her the cost would be $300.
She called me in tears. “Does the puppy seem sick?” I asked her.
“She seems completely healthy! She wants to play with her toys.”
First, I told her to call the breeder and ask if she’d noticed any ear problems in the puppies. She had not. Next, “We have to get a second opinion,” I told her. She met me with the wriggling puppy in her arms at my vet’s office, Dr. Peter Batts in Trenton. He smiled when he saw the little bundle of energy. His vet tech had to hold her down so he could check everything.
Using his otoscope in her ears, he said, “There’s no redness, no swelling, no sign of infection. No mites or dirt, either.” He put her on the floor. She ran and played, never stopping to shake her head or scratch her ears, which would be a puppy’s signal that something is wrong.
The diagnosis was that the first vet was trying to beef up his bill by taking advantage of Anna’s unfamiliarity with canine health. The cure was a switch to another vet.
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