[NAGDU] Veterinarian Advocacy

[Brent Franklin]

Hello Rachel,

Good to hear that you decided to take your dog to convention, I had been
wondering what you would do. Good decision.

I'm thinking you have done the right thing as far as this vet is concerned.
I would go further and explain that it takes no extra staff member to be
present for you to walk with your dog to the doctors room, and as it is a
Guide Dog you require to be present with your dog at every stage. Explain
being blind actually makes it easier on everyone if you are present, because
at times you might need to show the doctor something or the doctor might
need to show you something. Communication is key, and you could explain
being present with your dog is the very best way to communicate with the
doctor.

I'm sure that should work, and if it doesn't suggest a trial of your way so
that everyone working there can be put at ease. Now if that doesn't work it
is time to find another vet.

You have the right to be present with your dog, and just be as diplomatic at
getting this point across.

I can admit I've never struck this problem, and I'd be very pissed off if I
did.

Rachel, let us know how this works out, and the very best of luck.

Cheers.

Brent.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rachel Grider via
NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, 11 July 2023 3:31 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Rachel Grider
Subject: [NAGDU] Veterinarian Advocacy

Hello, everyone:

First of all, thank you to those of you who responded to my previous
question about taking my guide dog to convention soon after surgery. I did
take her, and she did well.

The results from her biopsy came back about two weeks ago, and one of the
masses removed was a mast cell tumor. It was low-grade cancer, but the
doctor is confident that all of it was removed. She did say, however, that I
need to be extra vigilant to check for lumps on Demi and to get them
examined and tested as early as possible.

On Saturday morning, I found another lump under one of Demi’s legs, and I
called the vet to make an appointment. I was told that I would not be able
to go into the examining room with Demi, but the doctor would come out to
talk with me about what she finds. I asked why this policy was in place,
especially since they allowed me to go in for her last exam, and I was told
that they didn’t have enough staff (whatever that means). I explained that
Demi is my guide dog, and I don’t feel comfortable having the doctor examine
her without me, and I was told that there was a possibility that I could go
in.

I have only been going to this vet for about a month, and while I really
like the doctor, I am very upset and frustrated by this ridiculous policy.
What adds to this frustration is that the doctor left the message about the
biopsy results the day before Demi’s stitches came out, but when I brought
Demi in, they wouldn’t let me talk to the doctor because she was supposedly
too busy. Who wouldn’t have questions after hearing that their dog had
cancer? I was able to email the doctor, but it wasn’t the same.

This pattern is very concerning to me. Demi has a lot of anxiety about the
vet, and she was very resistant when they took her back for the surgery and
for the stitches without me. I don’t want this anxiety to cause problems
with her work later on, and it just isn’t efficient for the doctor to have
to examine her and then come out to talk about her results, especially since
the lump I found is hard to find and would probably need to be shown to the
doctor.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to go about dealing with this
situation? I thought about emailing the doctor directly, but she isn’t the
one who created this policy, so I don’t know if that is the best strategy. I
am already considering another vet, but I really do like this doctor and don’t
want to change because of this.

Thank you, and all best,

Rachel
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