A to Z: V

My Vet Story

A good vet is hard to find, and a well priced one at that. I found out in Arizona that Phoenix vets charge easily 2 to 3 times more than the country vets. I'm sure it's similar elsewhere. Demand drives the price, or some such silliness.

I had a vet I loved in Arizona. She let me check out findings in the microscope and be part of the more simple treatments. She was also a block or so from my house, so I could drop my dogs off and pick them up whenever it was needed without much thought. I would have walked, except it was Arizona heat right in the middle of cotton fields. My dizziness or my allergies would not have thanked me.

When I moved back to Michigan, I took a 3 month detour to England to visit my then fiance, Kristoffer. My sister kept my dogs for me. When I got home I had two pregnant mama dogs. Surprise!!

The pups were born a day apart. December 29th, 10 puppies were born. December 30th, 6 puppies. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen, and I was only a slightly bit panicked, being pregnant myself. (It has since become customary for Rukia and I to be pregnant at the same time.)

I called the local vet, the one I had grown up taking my dogs to. The pups need to be seen somewhere around 3 day old to be checked out and to get their dews and tails taken care of. I was told that they could take me, but since it was a holiday week, they suggested I try somewhere else first.

Okay, then. I called the recommended vet, got in easily and have stayed with him since. The prices are good. The service staff amazing and the vet obviously loves dogs - boxers being his second favorite and boston terriers his first helps, I'm sure. An ACL surgery, laser therapy, getting some pups fixed, more litters, a intestinal surgery (swallowed velcro, silly girl) later, and they got all the money my local vet passed up.

This past litter, with the little sick puppy I supplemented for a day, Kris ran to the local vet to get puppy milk for him. They almost wouldn't sell it to him because our dogs don't go there. They are lucky it was my husband who went and not me. I would have had a few words.

I got lucky with this one. I was preferential to a local vet, but now I am more than thrilled to drive 25 minutes to my vet because I know the service and the care we will get will be amazing. :-)