Vets are a complete waste of time and money.

[Shelly]

In reading the forums here for the last couple years, I would anecdotally say that about %90 of time that a visit to the vet is mentioned it is a complete waste of time and money.
For every post where somebody says that "The Vet cured my tort! Yay!!" there are about 10 others where the visit was completely and totally unneeded, or the vet had no clue what the problem was or how to treat it.
If your friend sneezes while in the same room as your tort, you don't need to rush him to the Vet "just to be safe". If he goes a couple hours without eating, he probably isn't dying. If one of his toenails is too long, no need to call 911.
If you cannot tell the difference between a genuine important health issue and an imaginary one, you probably shouldn't have pets.
(the examples have been edited out by moderator out of courtesy to the OP's in the examples)

 

[Candy]

I went to the vet yesterday to ask about a fecal test for the torts and they said that they wanted $48.00 for the test. I was very surprised because I had always heard on here that vets only charged like $10.00 to $20.00 for a test. What's should the going price be?

 

[bettinge]

I went to the vet yesterday to ask about a fecal test for the torts and they said that they wanted $48.00 for the test. I was very surprised because I had always heard on here that vets only charged like $10.00 to $20.00 for a test. What's should the going price be?

$20 at my vet! But if its a tort they have not seen, a $55 exam is also necessary!

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In reading the forums here for the last couple years, I would anecdotally say that about %90 of time that a visit to the vet is mentioned it is a complete waste of time and money.
For every post where somebody says that "The Vet cured my tort! Yay!!" there are about 10 others where the visit was completely and totally unneeded, or the vet had no clue what the problem was or how to treat it.
If your friend sneezes while in the same room as your tort, you don't need to rush him to the Vet "just to be safe". If he goes a couple hours without eating, he probably isn't dying. If one of his toenails is too long, no need to call 911.
If you cannot tell the difference between a genuine important health issue and an imaginary one, you probably shouldn't have pets.

Shelly,

I think you are right, but its 10% of the time that the torts life may have been saved. Perhaps thats the number we should focus on.

Sometimes piece of mind is worth a little money.

 

[Shelly]

I went to the vet yesterday to ask about a fecal test for the torts and they said that they wanted $48.00 for the test.

I worked for a vet for 4 years when I was young. To do a fecal, a small amount of poop is dissolved in saline solution and a drop is placed on a slide and looked at under the microscope. It literally takes less than 2-3 minutes of labor with $0 cost for materials.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I always say - better safe than sorry. I would rather pay extra to see a vet than not go and have one die.

 

[ChiKat]

I can understand where you're coming from. I have been known to rush my dogs to the vet when a saner person would have waited it out...(i.e. rushing my chihuahua to the ER vet at 2 AM when she had a small bump on her head *cough cough*)

I do think it was a bit rude to say certain people shouldn't have pets, and then call them out by posting links to their threads...

If you cannot tell the difference between a genuine important health issue and an imaginary one, you probably shouldn't have pets.

I would rather people be overly concerned than negligent, but that's just me

It irritates me MUCH more when people think there is something wrong with their tortoise but DON'T take it to the vet...

I also think some of it comes with experience. At any sign of illness I'm rushing my 10-month old hatchling to the vet. A more experienced keeper might have more knowledge about illnesses and various symptoms. Like kimber said, better safe than sorry.

eta: And saying vets are a "complete waste of time and money" is just a little harsh IMO

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I agree - it doesn't seem right to post links like that. We always say no question is a dumb question and then here we are making fun of them.

 

[jackrat]

And it's not rocket science to learn to do your own fecals.Our family does them on all of our animals.

 

[Yvonne G]

In my opinion, your average, ordinary animal vet doesn't know that much about turtle/tortoise veterinary care. Not talking about first aid, any vet can take care of first aid...but tortoise stuff, like respiratory infections, shell cracks, impaction...you know, the big kickers. And its not easy to prescribe the correct dosage for an animal you aren't familiar with, or even to know what type of medication to treat than animal with. So, the biggest vet problem a tortoise keeper runs into is finding a qualified tortoise vet.

I always provided my children with my own first aid. I did all that on my own without taking them to the doctor for every little thing. And I've followed through with that mind set on my tortoise care. If its first aid, I do it myself. Common sense. Even shell repair.

Having said that, if someone has the $$$ and they want to take their tortoise to the vet, then more power to them. Its an individual choice. And maybe it will help that vet to gain a little bit more tortoise knowledge.

 

[GBtortoises]

I wouldn't know, I've only taken a tortoise to a vet once, so long ago I don't remember when it was, I'm thinking around 1985. He almost killed the tortoise overdosing it and I still had to pay him. I never taken a tortoise or turtle to a vet since.
I believe most of what I've heard other people taking tortoises to a vet for is unnecessary. In my opinion, if someone's tortoise has that many problems that often they need to take a serious look at their tortoise keeping methods.

 

[Shelly]

(the examples have been edited out by moderator out of courtesy to the OP's in the examples)

Since these threads are "public domain" as it were, I see no reason that you needed to do that. I don't feel there is a reason why I can't express my opinion regarding them, since they are there for everyone to see and form their own opinions.

 

[terryo]

I'm very fortunate to have a Vet that has treated reptiles in our zoo for many years. I've never had a sick turtle except once. I was renovating my yard one year, and I had to take in my 30 year old Ornate who had hibernated all her life. She dug under in her viv. and no matter what temp. I put in there she wouldn't come out. After a few weeks she got a RI, and I had to take her to the Vet. She was dehydrated, and needed antibiotics. He immediately hydrated her, and gave her a shot. For seven days I had to give shots. It was awful, but she recovered completely. If you have an experienced Vet, and you can't help the animal yourself, then, IMHO, the Vet is the way to go.

"If you cannot tell the difference between a genuine important health issue and an imaginary one, you probably shouldn't have pets."

I can't agree with this, because there are plenty of new pet owners who don't have the experience to diagnose an illness, and then medicate it themselves. But this doesn't mean that they shouldn't have a pet.

 

[matt41gb]

You said "vets are a complete waste of time" I'm assuming you only mean vets that see reptiles?? Most vets only deal with mammals, so saying that they are a complete waste of time is false. I've worked for a vet for the last 4 years and he has saved many dogs/cats lives. You just can't say that they are a waste of time. You have to be responsible and choose a vet that can deal with your specific species. That's what most people fail to do.

-Matt

 

[ChiKat]

You said "vets are a complete waste of time" I'm assuming you only mean vets that see reptiles?? Most vets only deal with mammals, so saying that they are a complete waste of time is false. I've worked for a vet for the last 4 years and he has saved many dogs/cats lives. You just can't say that they are a waste of time. You have to be responsible and choose a vet that can deal with your specific species. That's what most people fail to do.

-Matt

Good point Matt, I took the OP to mean all vets, including those that work with mammals. I'm sorry if I misunderstood.

 

[Shelly]

Make no mistake. A knowledgable, ethical Vet that charges a fair fee is worth his weight in gold. I only wish I knew one.
I know there must be many, but in my experience they are somewhat rare.
Add to that people that will race their animal (of any kind) to the vet for no real reason other than paranoia, and you have a situation where MANY MANY people are going to get ripped off bigtime.
Visiting these forums has reinforced this belief to a very great extent.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

I am taking Taco to a vet next Wednesday for a physical and a fecal. Will he be able to get the sample if I'm not able to "catch a turd" between now and then?

I am doing it because lately Taco is eating even less than before, and the last time I weighed her she had dropped a little weight. I feel like I should have had her checked for parasites a long time ago, and I want to establish a relationship with a herp vet for a baseline evaluation should any serious illness or injury ever arise.

 

[Candy]

I went to the vet yesterday to ask about a fecal test for the torts and they said that they wanted $48.00 for the test.

I worked for a vet for 4 years when I was young. To do a fecal, a small amount of poop is dissolved in saline solution and a drop is placed on a slide and looked at under the microscope. It literally takes less than 2-3 minutes of labor with $0 cost for materials.

They saw Dale about 1 or so ago and did an exam. They told me that they send it out and they would get the results the next day which I found kind of strange since when I took him before the told me the same day and they didn't have to send it out.

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I am taking Taco to a vet next Wednesday for a physical and a fecal. Will he be able to get the sample if I'm not able to "catch a turd" between now and then?

I am doing it because lately Taco is eating even less than before, and the last time I weighed her she had dropped a little weight. I feel like I should have had her checked for parasites a long time ago, and I want to establish a relationship with a herp vet for a baseline evaluation should any serious illness or injury ever arise.

I myself would get a sample before I went. I wouldn't want them fooling around back there. Poor Taco. Hopefully he gets a treat when he's done.

 

[chairman]

IMO, when it comes to reptiles, most vets are pretty much only good for securing and administering meds that can't be purchased legally on the open market. Oh, and fecals for those of us that don't have adequate microscopes. My first ever vet visit with one of my torts was with a WC hingeback that wouldn't eat anything from the moment I got him. After 4 or 5 weeks I called around all the local vets and found one who "specialized" in reptiles. We went into the exam room and the vet took a quick look at my tort and then went back to his office to grab his reptile textbook from vet school. He then dropped my tort into a very deep bucket of water to see if he'd float lopsided (hingebacks sink like a rock, btw), and then we got sent home after paying $35 for playing dunk the tortoise. PRIOR to going to the vet I was soaking the little guy in a solution of electrolytes and liquid vitamins, and after 4 months of continuing to do the same, he finally got with the program. It has been about 7 years since then and he's still doing fine... though I'm not sure how much the vet had to do with it. Also btw, this vet is on the TFO list, though I can't guarantee whether the listed vets were the ones to 'help' me or not. It has been a couple years.

I think the biggest problem is that there isn't enough money in herps to make knowing too much about them worthwhile for most vets. People spend thousands of dollars on treatments for dogs but will toss a sic RES into the nearest stream and buy another one at the local 5 and dime. Maybe one day I'll hit the lottery, go to vet school, and make it a personal goal to hemorrhage cash trying to forward the science of treating tortoises. Until then, I'll stick with common sense, google, and the advice of veteran keepers, unless there's a serious medical emergency, and then I'll roll the dice with another vet.

 

[matt41gb]

I went to the vet yesterday to ask about a fecal test for the torts and they said that they wanted $48.00 for the test.

I worked for a vet for 4 years when I was young. To do a fecal, a small amount of poop is dissolved in saline solution and a drop is placed on a slide and looked at under the microscope. It literally takes less than 2-3 minutes of labor with $0 cost for materials.

They saw Dale about 1 or so ago and did an exam. They told me that they send it out and they would get the results the next day which I found kind of strange since when I took him before the told me the same day and they didn't have to send it out.

---

I am taking Taco to a vet next Wednesday for a physical and a fecal. Will he be able to get the sample if I'm not able to "catch a turd" between now and then?

I am doing it because lately Taco is eating even less than before, and the last time I weighed her she had dropped a little weight. I feel like I should have had her checked for parasites a long time ago, and I want to establish a relationship with a herp vet for a baseline evaluation should any serious illness or injury ever arise.

I myself would get a sample before I went. I wouldn't want them fooling around back there. Poor Taco. Hopefully he gets a treat when he's done.

---

Sometimes at the animal hospital I work for, we will send out fecals to test for specific parasites like giardia, which are hard to find.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow I'm sorry so many people have had bad vet experiences. I have a great tort vet for Trevor with which we have a great relationship. As much as I've learned here on the forum, the vet has pointed out a few very important things that I didn't learn here. She has treated him for two different parasites and generally gave me a lot of advice about his growth and care. I think the cost is very reasonable, but I'm the type that would spend any amount I could afford on my baby. Visits are $55 (we go once a year), and fecal exams are about $15 (and there is actually quite a bit of labor and expertise involved, plus you have to have a good microscope, so I think $15 is a very good deal!). She has spent almost an hour with us each time I came in. We chat a lot too. I have no idea how this vet makes any money between the low cost and time spent with patients (maybe higher cost procedures?). I would not go to just any vet, and if this vet hadn't impressed me on the first visit, I wouldn't have returned. I never thought I would be a once a year vet goer plus two fecal tests a year tort owner, but now I am a believer in preventative care.

Trevor is nice enough to provide a fresh fecal sample each time he goes in. But yes, bring your own. It can be stored in the fridge (I double bag), and best to provide it within 24 hours. I start saving poops a couple days before, and throw out one if I get a fresher one.

I think at a bare minimum, a check up when you get the tort, and regular fecal tests, and establishing the vet for emergencies is very important. I plan to go a step further and take Trevor in yearly as he's still growing. Maybe after that we can cease the check ups, but I like the peace of mind. The vet always notices stuff I don't (like the top of his tail falling off! It's ok though), and she is very informative.

Best wishes.