Pringles visited the vet
today! Got him vaccinated for Heartworm and ... Distemper? And Dr. Dennis said
his size was "acceptable" even though there was "SPARE".
When he said "SPARE", he gripped both sides of Pringles (like a kid’s
sippy cup), and gave a good shake. And Pringles didn't even move. Yes there is
that much loose skin around Mr. Paws. Time
to lose weight, Pringles...
Had
always been iffy about visiting Mount Pleasant, primarily because they've a reputation
for being expensive and unreliable. If internet opinion is to be believed, the
staff are unfeeling, possibly to the point of being rude, and the place is
bogged down by processes.
HOWEVER,
a series of unfortunate events culminated in us returning for a complimentary
consultation with Dr. Dennis Choi.. who just happens to come with good reviews.
Luckily, we weren’t disappointed:
Our appointment was made
for noon on a Saturday “because Dr. Dennis doesn’t work Saturday afternoons”..
fair enough. Unfortunately, there was a crazy jam that resulted in us being 20
minutes late. Luckily, the receptionist still booked us in, and we managed to
see the vet at around one (yes. 20 minutes of waiting).
Dr. Dennis was
knowledgeable, but neither pompous nor brusque. In fact, he gave us a very
detailed explanation of why Pringles has a persistent tear mark that drugs may
not necessarily eliminate. We felt comfortable around him – he was
mild-mannered, but confident in his diagnosis of the dog. The administration of
the vaccination was also professional and quick. I’ve heard horror stories of
dogs being painfully prodded by inexperienced vets.
Dare I say we’ve found a “go-to”
vet for Pringles? I hope so! If you’re looking for a fair-weather vet, I would
say Dr. Dennis ticks all the boxes. Don’t let the Mount Pleasant name put you
off, as he really is quite experienced. I think, when looking for a vet, look
for a particular vet, as lousy vets at good vet surgeries aren’t going to be
much help. They may just look forward to helping you incur exorbitant vet fees instead.
Finally, referencing the above point about Mount Pleasant having uncaring admin staff - I must say that I found the good folk at All Pets to be friendlier...and at least they bothered to get Pringles' birthday right (17 Feb'12). The good folk of Mount Pleasant took my scribbled "2 years and 6 months" of age literally, and registered his birthday as 23 February 2012. Of course I don't think this tiny administrative error is going to result in misdiagnosis of my pet, but... my pet is very important to me, and by extension, his birthday is very important to me. Couldn't they at least put that field down on the registration form? Otherwise, I guess they were okay!
Unfortunately, I’m still on the look-out for a vet which will treat him well if he ever needs to be hospitalized. I understand (via internet reviews, of course) that people with dogs in critical condition may not be allowed to spend the night with their pets? While I understand the need for order to be maintained, I’m not sure having a dying animal spend the night together with other dying animals baying away may help. I do foresee myself wanting to be with my dying animal when the time comes. But I digress, and I have no answer to this at the moment. However, I will be keeping an eye out for a vet that answers the question more ideally than Mount Pleasant presently does.
