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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420
| I've noticed in my area that a lot of new DVM's are opting to open their own independent practice instead of joining a group in a partnership. If you have had experience with both, just wondering from the horse owner perspective, what are the pros and cons of each? | |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
 
| My vet used to be in a multi vet practice. The pros are if you need routine work like teeth, or other basic services there are several vets there to do it and you don't have to wait a long time for appointments. The cons are that you might have a vet you trust and knows your horse very well. Lets just say your needing hocks injected again and your regular vet is full on appointments. Ask them if they would feel comfortable letting the other vet in the practice do it. etc. Its pretty easy to manage.
Something else to consider. Equipment. Digital xrays, ultrasound, and airway scopes are extremely expensive! Most vets that are independent don't have the funds to have them on their trucks. But lots of time a " Clinic" will share that equipment. Like mine does. Works awesome. Instant results. My multi vet clinic also has their own lab as well. They can pull blood and have answers in minutes
Edited by FLITASTIC 2015-01-22 10:23 AM
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
 
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Pro is they should always have a vet available in case of an emergency. It's not fun trying to get into another vet on an emergency if your vet is not available for what ever reason.
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | My vet used to work at a clinic with mutiple large & small animal vets. After he was there for several years he went out on his own & has been that way for about 4 years. I've LOVED having him not at the clinic as he does a lot of cattle work for people in my area so typically if I need him he's close by & just swings into my yard. Last fall he hired another vet & is currently building a clinic. I don't think he realized orginally how busy he'd be on his own! | |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| We use a local private practice vet for vaccines, dental work, and to write scripts. We spend a lot with him annually. He is a board certified colic surgeon and will answer the phone at 3 in the morning for us and thats why we use him for little things to have the piece of mind he'll help us in an emergency.
Lameness issues we go to Rood and Riddle. Its a large private practice. We have hauled to Dr. White and Josh Harvey at Outlaw Equine but prefer Dr. Hopper at Rood & Riddle now that we have used him for multiple horses. R&R is a large practice with a reputation and name....you know when you leave there that you've gotten some of the best opinions in the industry. I am not saying that Dr. Hopper won't miss one because he has and he has admitted it, but your working on your horses' issues with one of the best in the business. Also, if Hopper sees a problem in another area that is not his specialty (which is lameness) the other vet at R&R will take over your visit. Yes it is pricey but we like knowing for sure what we are dealing with as far as lameness goes.
We do NOT use universities anymore! We've experienced ego issues with professors, long wait times, I HATE having the students work on one or do injections (most are scared and its their first time), and we've had over 7 misses on lameness exams. Plus the last few visits they wanted to use a lameness locator or have an MRI down on everything because they could not pin point the problem.
We literally wasted thousands of dollars using university vets, went for months without a diagnosis or with a wrong diagnosis, and spent extra money getting second opinions...oh and not to mention the fuel bill on hauling to other vets for those second opinions!! | |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | astreakinchic - 2015-01-22 1:56 PM We use a local private practice vet for vaccines, dental work, and to write scripts. We spend a lot with him annually. He is a board certified colic surgeon and will answer the phone at 3 in the morning for us and thats why we use him for little things to have the piece of mind he'll help us in an emergency. Lameness issues we go to Rood and Riddle. Its a large private practice. We have hauled to Dr. White and Josh Harvey at Outlaw Equine but prefer Dr. Hopper at Rood & Riddle now that we have used him for multiple horses. R&R is a large practice with a reputation and name....you know when you leave there that you've gotten some of the best opinions in the industry. I am not saying that Dr. Hopper won't miss one because he has and he has admitted it, but your working on your horses' issues with one of the best in the business. Also, if Hopper sees a problem in another area that is not his specialty (which is lameness) the other vet at R&R will take over your visit. Yes it is pricey but we like knowing for sure what we are dealing with as far as lameness goes. We do NOT use universities anymore! We've experienced ego issues with professors, long wait times, I HATE having the students work on one or do injections (most are scared and its their first time), and we've had over 7 misses on lameness exams. Plus the last few visits they wanted to use a lameness locator or have an MRI down on everything because they could not pin point the problem. We literally wasted thousands of dollars using university vets, went for months without a diagnosis or with a wrong diagnosis, and spent extra money getting second opinions...oh and not to mention the fuel bill on hauling to other vets for those second opinions!!
I have had the exact opposite experience in a University setting- they found my horses lamness, and at another visit, colic issues right away, but the Professor/ DVM was also working right along with the students every step of the way. They didn't waste my money.
I think each university will have a different experience. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| barrelracr131 - 2015-01-22 3:08 PM
astreakinchic - 2015-01-22 1:56 PM We use a local private practice vet for vaccines, dental work, and to write scripts. We spend a lot with him annually. He is a board certified colic surgeon and will answer the phone at 3 in the morning for us and thats why we use him for little things to have the piece of mind he'll help us in an emergency. Lameness issues we go to Rood and Riddle. Its a large private practice. We have hauled to Dr. White and Josh Harvey at Outlaw Equine but prefer Dr. Hopper at Rood & Riddle now that we have used him for multiple horses. R&R is a large practice with a reputation and name....you know when you leave there that you've gotten some of the best opinions in the industry. I am not saying that Dr. Hopper won't miss one because he has and he has admitted it, but your working on your horses' issues with one of the best in the business. Also, if Hopper sees a problem in another area that is not his specialty (which is lameness) the other vet at R&R will take over your visit. Yes it is pricey but we like knowing for sure what we are dealing with as far as lameness goes. We do NOT use universities anymore! We've experienced ego issues with professors, long wait times, I HATE having the students work on one or do injections (most are scared and its their first time), and we've had over 7 misses on lameness exams. Plus the last few visits they wanted to use a lameness locator or have an MRI down on everything because they could not pin point the problem. We literally wasted thousands of dollars using university vets, went for months without a diagnosis or with a wrong diagnosis, and spent extra money getting second opinions...oh and not to mention the fuel bill on hauling to other vets for those second opinions!!
I have had the exact opposite experience in a University setting- they found my horses lamness, and at another visit, colic issues right away, but the Professor/ DVM was also working right along with the students every step of the way. They didn't waste my money.
I think each university will have a different experience.
We had good experiences too on several horses with obvious problems and had used them for years. But after several misses in a row combined with the fact they wanted to try every "new toy/diagnostic tool" they got in on our horses we gave up on them. We have occasionally recently used them for routine injections if we know we can get the vet to inject and not any students (we now always ask when scheduling) but never again will we start spending money when the diagnoses might be iffy.
Edited by astreakinchic 2015-01-22 2:16 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420
| An independent vet is two miles from my house and she comes recommended by a friend. I was tossing around the idea of giving her a try. Every issue my horse has is immediately questioned to be something that requires expensive tests and several visits. Or, everything I ask to have them do, there is always a reason why they will need to come back out.
Examples:
It was a COLD, windy day and he was WAY on the muscle and she asked me to longe him to see how he moved. He was really tight (normal for him & the conditions/excitement) and she only looked at him 5 minutes....not enough time for him to come down. She is well read so she had learned about PSSM...a tying up genetic disorder. She wants to have him genetically tested to rule it out.
I wanted her to give him a chiropractic evaluation/adjustment if needed. She said that she'd have to come back because she didn't have her ladder on the truck. AND she will not do his teeth and chiro on the same visit.
THEN, she said he could benefit from massage but not to do it myself....that I needed to have it professionally done.
HUH? Seriously?  | |
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