I am not flaming - I will be respectful with this, but I would have to
disagree.  I have had doctors and vets who would automatically say "come
in for an appointment" no matter what & without even listening to me.
I have also had doctors and vets who would listen to me on the phone,
discuss possibilities with me (when appropriate), and then either
recommend an appointment or in the case of something obviously
unnecessary, recommend that I do this or watch for that, & if this
continues come in, etc.  I don't think that the former ones were "just
being greedy", but I do think that they were either unconcerned about
taking the kind of time that makes a great doctor or vet, or that they
were operating their practice primarily on the basis of fear of being
sued, in which case I feel many important things can get overlooked, and
many unnecessary thing get done - at the expense of the patient, both
financially, and in the form of lost reassurance that the doctor or vet
actually cares primarily about the patient.  I will not go to a doctor or
vet that is sloppy & will not be as thorough as they need to be, but I
also will not go to one like I have just discussed.  I also do not think
that the person with the beagle was trying to "bash" their vet; it sounded
more to me like they just had no confidence that the vet in question would
take the time to listen & care, especially if the *receptionist* simply
heads off all vet questions with 'just bring her in'.
 
Shannon
Sterling, Pandora, & Jasmin
[Posted in FML issue 3679]