It’s no secret that people and home pets have a special affinity. When you take on the responsibility of acquiring yourself a furry, vet care becomes one of the most important components of their existence. Similarly to how normal medical checks help individuals prevent health problems, regular veterinary consultations aid animals and ensure their overall well-being. It should go without saying that all healthcare practitioners should be open and honest with their patients. After finding that the clinic performed a surprise tooth extraction during his puppy’s neutering, the dog owner wonders if it was wrong to lash out at the vet nurse. Read the story and share your thoughts on this.
Source: Reddit
Today I dropped my dog off to get neutered. He’s a six-month Goldendoodle. This was part of a “puppy package” of care, which covered all necessary shots and wellness checks, and culminates with neutering and microchipping. I came back a few hours later to pick him up. While receiving the aftercare instructions, I was informed that they pulled a few of my dog’s teeth by the vet tech (VT). Our conversation went something like this:
VT: The only thing not covered by the puppy package is $20 for the two teeth we removed while he was under anesthesia, so if we can settle this up…
Me: Excuse me, you removed teeth? He was here for neutering.
VT: His two canines were starting to come in but the baby teeth were not loose so we removed them. It’s very standard and what the vet regularly recommends.
Me: Well, you did more than recommend it – you went ahead and did it.
*silence*
VT: I’ll be right back.
…now it’s important to note that I don’t care about the $20 charge. Had I been contacted and told that they recommended this, I would have OF COURSE went with the vet’s recommendation! But come on, at least act like I’m involved in the process rather than making me feel like I’m being suckered into a forced up-sell situation. A few minutes later, she came back…
VT: I spoke with the doctor and we are going to discount the $20 since we did not consult you first.
Me: It’s not about $20. I’m more concerned about the fact that I came here for one procedure, and without any conversation or discussion, you expanded the scope of the visit to include tooth extraction.
VT: It was necessary. If we were to have done it at a separate visit, it would have been $250.
Me: I’m not concerned about the money if it’s necessary. I’m concerned about not knowing about it or approving it beforehand.
VT: It’s a very routine procedure. We regularly extract teeth while puppies are already under anesthesia.
Me: If it’s so routine and done so regularly, why was it not discussed at one of the many prior visits or even this morning?
VT: You know if we didn’t extract the teeth, it could have led to issues with alignment, bacteria, and other complications.
Me: I’m not debating whether the extraction was necessary. I’m upset that I was not consulted first.
VT: I’ll be right back.
…this time she brought my puppy back with her. I thanked her and left. To be clear, I was not trying to be rude, difficult, or cheap in any way. But I got into the car with my poor sedated pup feeling like I was being rude, difficult, and cheap. I spoke with a few coworkers after I got back to my office, but I could use some other opinions as well. So, Am I A Jerk for being peeved about surprise tooth extractions during neutering?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
