Dr. Kemmerer, I just wanted to comment here to you and the rest of the FML. I completely understand your comments. The vet is just trying to protect himself/herself. It's a situation where you have to be very careful, indeed. However, my problem is not my vet. It's my vet's office. It is the desk staff that are terrribly unhelpful. Like I said, I sat on hold for 13 minutes. A desk attendant answered the phone. I say, "Can I speak with a vet or a technician?" and explain my problem. The desk attendant, who apparently only has one brain cell in her head then says "Well, I can't get anyone to talk to you right now. Just bring the dog in and we'll have a look. Oh, we don't have any appointments available, so you'll have to bring her in as an emergency." Which, of course, triples the cost of the office visit. And also makes me panic - is my dog gonna die in the next three hours if I don't rush her in? If I had spoken to a vet or a tech that said "Well, could be a UTI or some other sort of infection. You should probably bring her in," I wouldn't have been so mad. This is the same vet's office that, when my ferret Toby was having a severe reaction to his distemper shot back in October, vomitting and shaking in the waiting room, the desk attendant proceeded to ask me a dozen questions like "Has he been treated here before?" "When did he get his shots?" "Who is the treating vet?" when she should have called for a tech right away to take Toby back and start treatment. In short, I don't want some part-time desk clerk that has no interest in her job or the patients to control the treatment of my pets. When I finally got ahold of the vet's office that spayed the dog, the person that answered the phone asked detailed questions then put me on hold to speak with a vet. She came back with a few more questions then went back to the vet again. The final verdict was UTI and she suggested I take Camille to the vet in the next day or two. I felt like I was taken care of much better in that instance. I felt like they cared and were really trying to help. Gosh, I'm sorry if I offended any vets or anything. I really respect your profession. I wanted to be a vet until just before college graduation. I went on an interview to be a vet tech. They had me sit in on a spaying, and I passed out. :-) Finally, the good news - Camille went to a new vet, who was absolutely wonderful with her, she has a urinary tract infection and is now on Clavamox. Thanks for everyone's help. ===== Aileen & the Herd Welcome to our newest addition: Camille, the beagle! The Ferrets: Kyle, Noel, & Toby The Dogs: Rootie the beagle & Tank the GSD/basset Still missing Sandy, Gizmo, & Slinky. We love you. Check out the Herd's website at: http://www.geocities.com/anippy [Posted in FML issue 3679]