This is just a personal observation.
10 years ago when my Tilei was diagnosed a care giver, and that's how I see FD per owners as care givers not so much owners, hometesting was unheard of in the Cleveland area. I was among the very, very few. I went through some of the trials you read about on these very boards. Bringing in my home testing meter to compare to the vets fancy testing equipment etc. I thank God everyday my old time vet was still teaching and lecturing down at OSU. Why? Because he had stayed up to date and with the new times. His drawback was his colleague who refused to acknowledge the value in what I was doing.
Since those days though...more of the younger vets are getting hip to the idea of the involved pet owner. Especially in a lot of the bigger facilities where they are staying on the cutting edge of animal care developments.
Sure they may cost a bit more, but as you have experienced the extreme hassle and now denial of treatment for Charlie...they just might be worth the $$$.
Finding a good vet these days is a lot like seeking out a good doctor for ourselves. As I said in my list of clinics for you to try. Call, ask questions, interview them too. You are an active care giver.
As Dr. Topham put it to me last summer when we met for the first time and Atlas was on 8u of N BID...My notes gave him more information about Atlas than even his vet techs! :shock: Why? Because I had become a Lay-FD specialist with ongoing education who knows what signs and symptoms are important to note.
Use your knowledge when meeting the vet, they don't get to become your new vet until you say so. If during the initial meeting there are things you don't like...you don't have to agree to any treatments, blood draws, etc.
PS. If they get into the meter issue...I usually just acknowledge their concern and simply state from a home monitoring stand point it is sufficient. I am watching the trend in numbers.
