Money Grabbing Veterinary Surgeons.

[NoshowJones]

There used to be a forum for pets on Thaivisa, but I can't find it now, so here I am. I have just had one of our cats die from cat flu, for the past five days my wifes daughter has been taking the cat back and forward to the vets, with the vet stuffing his pockets with money each time. It was obvious the cat was not going to recover and the vet was just prolonging the cats life.

Is it religion that stops vets from putting animals to sleep, or is that just an excuse for milking money from people? I know what I think.

[CharlieH]

Moved to Pets n Vets forum.

[robblok]

Whatever you think is irrelevant right now, because most Thai vets are like this. So its more likely to be religion related then anything else. I have had the same thing with our dogs. If you look into topics of vets putting animals down there are very few that are willing to do so.

 

So its clearly a religion thing, i feel they should put animals down but that is my western view. My dog might have to be put down and we found a vet willing to do so through friends. But its hard. I really think its not a money thing at all. 

[tonray]

Yes...I took in a feral kitten (not even mine) because he was clearly having trouble swallowing and I couldn't just watch him die in my driveway. 4 days intensive care and 8500 baht later he was dead...pretty much a goner from day 1 but Vets here don't really think about euthanasia as an option in many cases. And to top it off...after the kitten died...he calls me and demands that I come pick up the dead kitten's body as it's beginning to decompose and he can't have that laying around ! I engaged the GF to calll him and yes of course he knows of a disposal/cremation service....just pay 500 baht and done. What a crock....even the GF said he probably was scamming me by keeping the  kitten alive even though he knew from day one there was little chance of recovery. 

 

But having said all that...I'm happy that I tried to help a helpless kitten and am a better person for it.

[recom273]

Yup, vets seem to be yet another scam in the LoS - Going through what your daughter went through is painful enough without worrying if the vet is scamming you.

 

I am never sure of any of their qualifications or what kind of code they are supposed to adhere to, just put on a blue tunic and you are away. We had an professional vet in our last city, but further down the road was a guy who I saw as a bit of a vulture, he had a tiny cupboard in the back of a petstore that was open unto 12.00 pm, he would just sit in the front of the store and wait for the next victim to charge his premium out of hours rate to.

 

Even the professional outfits are a bit too clever for their own good, we have one cat, a mixed Persian - some guys from a local chicken farm asked us to take her as she was hanging around the place - In the first we took it for jabs, and they vets said she needed blood tests, they came back with the idea she had an abnormal liver and she would need special low sodium food at 1500B a month, which we could coincidently buy from them - I said the cat will take her chances on the regular imported food and she's still here 12 years later, fit as a fiddle.

 

Sorry to hear your tale.

[NoshowJones]

23 minutes ago, robblok said:

Whatever you think is irrelevant right now, because most Thai vets are like this. So its more likely to be religion related then anything else. I have had the same thing with our dogs. If you look into topics of vets putting animals down there are very few that are willing to do so.

 

So its clearly a religion thing, i feel they should put animals down but that is my western view. My dog might have to be put down and we found a vet willing to do so through friends. But its hard. I really think its not a money thing at all. 

Good post Rob, but I still think money is part of it.

[Doctor Tom]

We have found one clinic in Ban Chang where the owner, western trained, seems very good, but the rest of the 'vets' ( not sure if they know what a cat looks like, they probably think its a small dog) there are near to hopeless. They killed one of our cats with an overdose of pain killer. I can't prove that, but I'm almost 100% sure that is what happened.   I put vets in the same category with a good many doctors/dentists here, those outside the big hospitals and operating in rural locations.  They seem to be half trained and just there to suggest more tests, scans and injections, for no good scientific reason. Being a scientist myself, I have some inkling as to the issues and it always seems to come down to a lack of basic knowledge and educational grounding.   Start to question them and they often start to ramble.  

[tingtongfarang]

our dog had a ear infection which was sending him crazy shaking his head constantly, tried 2 vets who gave expensive ear drops and milking me for money, friends gave us the address of a very good vet but said dont let them see whitey or the price will double,

cured now it was a yeast infection

 

[Neeranam]

58 minutes ago, robblok said:

So its clearly a religion thing

More an ethical thing, IMHO. 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

If you look into topics of vets putting animals down there are very few that are willing to do so.

I bet they all like pork, chicken, live prawns on the barbie etc.

[OneMoreFarang]

Lets say I would go with my grandmother to the doctor. We all know that she is terminally ill. Would the doctor give her an injection so that she dies? Or would he try his best to help her to live a few days longer?

Same, same, not so different.

If people really want to put their pet down they can do it themselves. The question is: Do you want to do that? Are you willing to kill her because you know she likely will die anyhow?

[IvorBiggun2]

It's a Buddhist thing that doesn't allow them to euthanize animals. May be a way forward would be if the vets were to administer a line into a vein and the owner gives the 'coup de gra'.   

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

but that is my western view.

And  humane as opposed to inhumane, this  again is a  place  religion interferes with peoples  lives, but no it  cannot  be criticised here .

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lets say I would go with my grandmother to the doctor. We all know that she is terminally ill. Would the doctor give her an injection so that she dies? Or would he try his best to help her to live a few days longer?

Same, same, not so different.

If people really want to put their pet down they can do it themselves. The question is: Do you want to do that? Are you willing to kill her because you know she likely will die anyhow?

Yes smashed the hamsters  head in once, vet wouldnt  put it  down, useless, well at least the first whack sorted it, not  pleasant but necessary. This was after the vet had 1 removed an ear as it  had a  tumour,2 wanted to remove an eye for another tumour but we left it. 

I  think its  pretty disgusting in most of the world that  you are  not  allowed to  use  assisted  dying except a  few  places  like Dignitas, should be a human right.

[Rampant Rabbit]

11 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I bet they all like pork, chicken, live prawns on the barbie etc.

Exactly and will  happily drive a  car down a  road  killing millions of insects on the vehicle, theyre  still  killing them same result.

[tonray]

5 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

It's a Buddhist thing that doesn't allow them to euthanize animals. May be a way forward would be if the vets were to administer a line into a vein and the owner gives the 'coup de gra'.   

After I saw the bill I was hoping he'd put me out of misery.

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

After I saw the bill I was hoping he'd put me out of misery.

Operation to remove hamsters  ear 5000  baht, shovel 150  baht, new  hamster 100 baht, she had a  good  life.

[KannikaP]

4 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

I  think its  pretty disgusting in most of the world that  you are  not  allowed to  use  assisted  dying except a  few  places  like Dignitas, should be a human right.

Do Holland and Belgium not allow it now? There is a lot of discussion about it in UK, but that's no good if Granny is writhing in cancerous agony.

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Operation to remove hamsters  ear 5000  baht, shovel 150  baht, new  hamster 100 baht, she had a  good  life.

Hear hear! Or is it Here Here?

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

Hear hear! Or is it Here Here?

apparently hamsters with age  get a  lot  of  tumours, meet  jackie the new  hamster, will  lick you to death if  you get near her........vicious  beast

[robblok]

14 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lets say I would go with my grandmother to the doctor. We all know that she is terminally ill. Would the doctor give her an injection so that she dies? Or would he try his best to help her to live a few days longer?

Same, same, not so different.

If people really want to put their pet down they can do it themselves. The question is: Do you want to do that? Are you willing to kill her because you know she likely will die anyhow?

If i could do it with a humane injection sure. If i had to bash its head in, no I could not do that. My dog cant walk anymore is 17 almost 18 years. Cant get up to drink have to help him drink. Lies on a matrass and on a pee pad as he cant get up to pee or defalcate. 

 

So far im ok with it as he does not seem to be in a pain but at times he seems stressed and sad. So its a hard choice.

 

And in the Netherlands the doctor would give my grandmother an injection to die if she had made that clear when she was still sound of mind. (its a process but possible)

[robblok]

31 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

More an ethical thing, IMHO. 

What is unethical of putting down an suffering animal ? For them its religion. I might not agree with it but that is how they see it. 

[CharlieH]

My expeirence, twice I have taken a dog to the Vet that was obviously ill and getting on in years.

BOTH  saw the same Vet, both instances resulted in a bunch of tests/ pills,a bill for 1700 baht, and BOTH were DEAD  within 24 hrs of that visit and the medicine administered.

Draw your own conclusion, for me, they were both killed.

[alien365]

My local vet had one of my cats for a week, then asked for 20k and told me to bring him home because he was going to die within a couple of hours (he was jaundiced). Brought him home and he immediately got better.

Next time i took another of my cats to a university vets. They decided he needed blood so we brought my other two cats. Then suddenly she genuinely believed those two perfectly healthy cats were in danger due to salt intake and their kidneys were going to fail if we didn't pump them with saline. After several days taking our cats back and forth (40 min drive each way), I put my foot down as there was simply nothing wrong with them, but only I seemed to see that. My family was not impressed because they always believe what a doctor says, but this was ridiculous. 6 years on and they are still completely fine.

So yeah, the vets I have experienced so far don't deserve their titles. All they have done is milk money from us and cause further distress to our cats.

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

What is unethical of putting down an suffering animal ? For them its religion. I might not agree with it but that is how they see it. 

When I said 'ethical' I meant 'not religious but spiritual', my bad. 

This is the reason I refrain from killing 5 soi dogs that are causing misery in my life, not because religion tells me not to, but the fear or Karmic repercussions. 

My point, the Vet doesn't want to end a life if he can save it. It also is a loss of face for the vet in having to do so. It's like saying, 'I can't fix it', which of course is not a Thai cultural thing. 

 

[Neeranam]

14 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Hear hear! Or is it Here Here?

The former

[Neeranam]

25 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

It's a Buddhist thing that doesn't allow them to euthanize animals. May be a way forward would be if the vets were to administer a line into a vein and the owner gives the 'coup de gra'.   

No, it's not a Buddhist thing, you'll find that if the Vet is Christian, he'll still feel the same, it's a cultural thing.

[Rampant Rabbit]

3 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

When I said 'ethical' I meant 'not religious but spiritual', my bad. 

This is the reason I refrain from killing 5 soi dogs that are causing misery in my life, not because religion tells me not to, but the fear or Karmic repercussions. 

My point, the Vet doesn't want to end a life if he can save it. It also is a loss of face for the vet in having to do so. It's like saying, 'I can't fix it', which of course is not a Thai cultural thing. 

 

Unable to comment as Tv doesnt  allow  it

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

When I said 'ethical' I meant 'not religious but spiritual', my bad. 

This is the reason I refrain from killing 5 soi dogs that are causing misery in my life, not because religion tells me not to, but the fear or Karmic repercussions. 

My point, the Vet doesn't want to end a life if he can save it. It also is a loss of face for the vet in having to do so. It's like saying, 'I can't fix it', which of course is not a Thai cultural thing. 

 

strange way of thinking of not being able to fix an animal as a failure. I mean its not as if everything can be fixed. Sometimes the most humane thing to do is to put a suffering animal down. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

8 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

My expeirence, twice I have taken a dog to the Vet that was obviously ill and getting on in years.

BOTH  saw the same Vet, both instances resulted in a bunch of tests/ pills,a bill for 1700 baht, and BOTH were DEAD  within 24 hrs of that visit and the medicine administered.

Draw your own conclusion, for me, they were both killed.

Poor  dog and vet both dead????