changing Vets

max12 · 21-09-2010 1:48pm #1

I haven't been too happy wiht my vet of late. a couple of times I rang his office to ask him somthing - he wasn't there but i left a message and he never called me back.

i was on holidays in england a couple of months ago and the mother rang me to tell me that a bullock had cut his leg something. I got my other brother to ring the vet to come out and fix it up till i got home - Vet just said to wash it and keep it clean cos it wasn't worth calling him out.

so all in all, i'm not overly happy iwth him at the min.

there is another vet closeby that alot of my neighbours use and i've actually started to get all my medicines off him as he is a bit closer.

I'm thinking of changing vets but actually hate doing so as my father had him all his life and so forth.

another thing is that my vet is not too exact on the TB testing - a quick look and he's out the gate so i'd be wary of changing for this reason alone.

has anyone ever used two vets. one for medicine and call out and the other for the TB testing.

sorry for the long winded post

whelan1 · 21-09-2010 2:23pm

afaik you can use what ever vet you like , but you have to tell the department if you are changing the vet that does your test

Tipp Man · 21-09-2010 2:27pm

If you keep your current vet just for testing then he will be delighted with you, the testing is where the real money is

LostCovey · 21-09-2010 8:08pm

max12 wrote: »

has anyone ever used two vets. one for medicine and call out and the other for the TB testing.

I suppose this is a smart strategy, but it doesn't seem like a very fair one. In other words the guy who gives you the good service and looks after you with drugs etc will get the unsocial hours and the dirtier harder less lucrative work, but the lad who doesn't return calls and does sloppy testing gets the handy jam.

Then again, I guess life isn't fair!

LostCovey

max12 · 21-09-2010 8:29pm

LostCovey wrote: »

I suppose this is a smart strategy, but it doesn't seem like a very fair one. In other words the guy who gives you the good service and looks after you with drugs etc will get the unsocial hours and the dirtier harder less lucrative work, but the lad who doesn't return calls and does sloppy testing gets the handy jam.

Then again, I guess life isn't fair!

LostCovey

absolutely fair point LC. to be honest it's really only for the father dealt with him all his life that stops me from changing.

I've been majorly pissed off with him for a while. he also charges double for a saturday call out. i work all week so I try to do as much on a sat as poss as all PT guys do. jobs such as reading cattle, blooding heifers, not emergencies etc are all saturday jobs for me but he doesn't want to know about them if he can at all.

my theory was that he would obviously notice that he only sees' me once a year on the herd test of which I woudl suttlely mention that I go elsewhere for all other stuff and therefore I could easily do without him.

Dozer1 · 22-09-2010 8:16am

Most farmers in my area use at least 2 different vets, always have makes life way easier when it comes to calling out guys for a calving case etc. If one vet is too far away you can just ring the other fella and if he's nearer cancel the first one.
if any of them charged double for a Saturday they'd be showed the gate pretty quick. Most herd testing we do is on Saturday and never any issues with extra charges.

whelan1 · 22-09-2010 9:00am

about 10 or so years ago when i was starting up i had smallish numbers we did our tb test in february and i had around 60 cattle, i paid for the test , then i leased all my dads cows , we did a test in october -a check test-and i had 220 animals, the f*&king vet charged me again for the test as he said sure you have more animals now :mad::mad::mad: that was the last time he stood in our yard

5live · 22-09-2010 9:23am

I use 2 vets but one is fantastic for sick calves for me anyway. He does testing and a lot of calls but for calvings i go for a local vet mostly as my main vet is based 12 miles away. I wouldnt stay with a guy just because my father did. After all its your money and animals at risk. And maybe i am alone in this but any vet that refuses a call is not one i would be useing even if it is not going to be worth it for me to get him in the yard. I couldnt leave an animal suffer just for cost. No wonder im broke

Dunedin · 22-09-2010 9:29am

I am in a similar position myself with my Vet. he hasn't been in my good books for a while now (although thankfully I've not had to call him in a while).

he's on last chance saloon with me and if he doesn't change his attitude a bit, then I'm going to change.

it's not something that I like doing but if it has to be done, then will have to do it.

Feargal as Luimneach · 22-09-2010 8:09pm

Dozer1 wrote: »

Most farmers in my area use at least 2 different vets, always have makes life way easier when it comes to calling out guys for a calving case etc. If one vet is too far away you can just ring the other fella and if he's nearer cancel the first one.
if any of them charged double for a Saturday they'd be showed the gate pretty quick. Most herd testing we do is on Saturday and never any issues with extra charges.

I say that's annoying for the vet. You ring him for a calving and then ring he back to cancel because the other vet is nearer

. What if the vet is after canceling something like a factory shift in order to go out to the calving.

morning delight · 22-09-2010 10:14pm

max12 wrote: »

I haven't been too happy wiht my vet of late. a couple of times I rang his office to ask him somthing - he wasn't there but i left a message and he never called me back.

i was on holidays in england a couple of months ago and the mother rang me to tell me that a bullock had cut his leg something. I got my other brother to ring the vet to come out and fix it up till i got home - Vet just said to wash it and keep it clean cos it wasn't worth calling him out.

so all in all, i'm not overly happy iwth him at the min.

there is another vet closeby that alot of my neighbours use and i've actually started to get all my medicines off him as he is a bit closer.

I'm thinking of changing vets but actually hate doing so as my father had him all his life and so forth.

another thing is that my vet is not too exact on the TB testing - a quick look and he's out the gate so i'd be wary of changing for this reason alone.

has anyone ever used two vets. one for medicine and call out and the other for the TB testing.

sorry for the long winded post

It's a free market, and it is a business transaction at the end of the day. You can have 10 different vets coming onto your farm if you want.

Alot of lads have a different vet for the testing and calls.

I prefer just to deal with one for everything. I do need to be happy with who that one is though.

pajero12 · 22-09-2010 10:29pm

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

I say that's annoying for the vet. You ring him for a calving and then ring he back to cancel because the other vet is nearer. What if the vet is after canceling something like a factory shift in order to go out to the calving.

How many vets do you know working a factory shift??
We use our own vet for testing and medicine! We use another practice for calvings and sick animals!! They're better,cheaper and faster!

Jed_Bartlet · 22-09-2010 11:01pm

pajero12 wrote: »

How many vets do you know working a factory shift??QUOTE]

There are actually a good few who do. Off the top of my head, I can think of about 20 in my area.

Feargal as Luimneach · 23-09-2010 1:02pm

pajero12 wrote: »

How many vets do you know working a factory shift??
We use our own vet for testing and medicine! We use another practice for calvings and sick animals!! They're better,cheaper and faster!

I didn't have a problem with a farmer having two vets. I said it wasn't very sound ringing the vet for a calving and then ringing him back to say they got somebody else because their closer. You wouldn't do that to a doctor.

Most of the cattle vets I know do shifts in the factory.

vanderbadger · 23-09-2010 7:19pm

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

I didn't have a problem with a farmer having two vets. I said it wasn't very sound ringing the vet for a calving and then ringing him back to say they got somebody else because their closer. You wouldn't do that to a doctor.

Most of the cattle vets I know do shifts in the factory.

how much does a vet make working in factory if you dont mind me asking? I have heard a figure of 200 euro/hr which i found hard to believe

Feargal as Luimneach · 23-09-2010 10:07pm

vanderbadger wrote: »

how much does a vet make working in factory if you dont mind me asking? I have heard a figure of 200 euro/hr which i found hard to believe

67 euros an hour. Usual shift length is 3 hours and you can only do one shift per day.

vanderbadger · 24-09-2010 7:37am

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

67 euros an hour. Usual shift length is 3 hours and you can only do one shift per day.

do you do a few shifts? Id say they are tough enough places to work in

Feargal as Luimneach · 24-09-2010 3:38pm

vanderbadger wrote: »

do you do a few shifts? Id say they are tough enough places to work in

I'm lucky i do around 4/5 shifts per week. Handy work I'd spend the whole day in the factory if I could. No waiting to get paid, no one giving out!

pajero12 · 24-09-2010 4:52pm

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

I'm lucky i do around 4/5 shifts per week. Handy work I'd spend the whole day in the factory if I could. No waiting to get paid, no one giving out!

Sorry bout my earlier comment,didn't think you meant the "factory",as in slaughterhouse!
What do the vets do in a factory? Is it just like inspecting injured animals?? Where are you working??

Feargal as Luimneach · 24-09-2010 5:40pm

pajero12 wrote: »

Sorry bout my earlier comment,didn't think you meant the "factory",as in slaughterhouse!
What do the vets do in a factory? Is it just like inspecting injured animals?? Where are you working??

Before there dead, make sure animals are fit for slaughter ie no screw cattle, no cattle that can't walk up the ramp to kill box, excessively dirty cattle, etc

After dead make sure meat is fit for human consumption, check glands for tb, BSE/Scrapie testing etc

pajero12 · 24-09-2010 6:42pm

oh right,thanks for the info
Interesting about not being able to walk up the shoot!! In the factory near us,if the animal isn't fit to walk theyre shot in the pen and brought in on a forklift!

whelan1 · 24-09-2010 7:08pm

pajero12 wrote: »

oh right,thanks for the info
Interesting about not being able to walk up the shoot!! In the factory near us,if the animal isn't fit to walk theyre shot in the pen and brought in on a forklift!

in our local factory they are shot and put in skip:eek:

Feargal as Luimneach · 24-09-2010 7:08pm

pajero12 wrote: »

oh right,thanks for the info
Interesting about not being able to walk up the shoot!! In the factory near us,if the animal isn't fit to walk theyre shot in the pen and brought in on a forklift!

New legislation. Animals with broken legs aren't supposed to be transported to factory. Some factories are more strict that others;).

Feargal as Luimneach · 24-09-2010 7:09pm

pajero12 wrote: »

oh right,thanks for the info
Interesting about not being able to walk up the shoot!! In the factory near us,if the animal isn't fit to walk theyre shot in the pen and brought in on a forklift!

New legislation. Animals with broken legs aren't supposed to be transported to factory etc. Some factories are more strict that others;).

changing Vets

Comments