[Dailydrool] Vets Who Really Listen

[Pat Dill]

Just had to share.

Our Lucy was diagnosed with glaucoma in early July, but only after a week of 
treatment for a scratched cornea at our our regular vet practice and then a 
referral to a very pricey, far-distant veterinary ophthalmologist. By that 
time of course the vision in the affected eye was gone.  Our regular vet 
does not have a tonometer, the instrument typically used to check eye 
pressure.  I wrote a letter to our veterinary practice, asking them to 
consider purchase of a tonometer.  Our basis was that they already have such 
a well-equipped office that to be unable to check for glaucoma, and thereby 
risk blindness in their patients, was an obvious oversight. Geez, this place 
has their own ultrasound equipment, their own lab to do virtually all the 
blood tests, etc.  And no tonometer!  While I know full well that the vision 
in her eye was probably already gone by the time she saw our regular vet, 
one never knows, and certainly Lucy was in pain until the real source of the 
problem was known and treated.

Anyway, I wrote the letter out of conscience, not knowing what to expect by 
way of response but trying to be as  polite and respectful as possible. 
That was about three weeks ago.

I got a phone call at work yesterday from the vet at the practice with whom 
we most often deal.  He called to tell me that they now have the tonometer, 
are "practicing" with it, noted that it doesn't take a great deal of 
training to use, and that it would be available for us in the future, most 
especially to keep close watch on Lucy's good eye.

He said it had been considered previously but that the letter was the 
impetus to move forward right away.

Isn't that amazing!!??!!  Ask, and ye shall receive.

It was great to be reminded just how fortunate we our with the quality of 
our veterinary care, especially in the rural Western PA location where we 
live.

Pat Dill