Meeting Mr Penman

[DG]

Yesterday I had to go into the Penman's vet clinic to reluctantly pay and further discuss a bill that I am in dispute with (long boring story).

However, when my sister and I were at the reception desk a very distressed woman arrived carrying her poor wee terrier. Both woman and terrier were covered in a fair amount of blood and were clearly shocked, shaken and upset. Turns out that the woman and her husband had been out for a jog and a big blck dog had run out of a garden and attacked the trerrier. The distressed woman was struggling to carry her bag, dogs lead, etc while carrying her dog so my sister helped her by holding onto her things. When Mr Penman came out to get the woman my sister asked if he could help by taking the womans things and was met with his horrified look and a backward step . We explained that the extremely distressed woman in front of him was unable to carry the things and her bleeding dog but he said absolutely nothing and continued to look angry and horrified he'd even been asked to carry anything. Even the poor woman was trying to say 'I'll just balance them here..'

What was that about?! He made no attenpts to comfort or reassure the woman, let alone even talk to he other than gruffly nodding for her to come through to the back surgery room.

I have heard many negative stories over several years about the lack of bedside manner this man has but, as I have never before met the man, I have ignored what I've heard. However, it all started making sense after we left the clinic. The man is positively interpersonally inept

So...the point of this thread was to have a moan, express my odd experience, and ask...can anyone recommend a good local vet?!

DG

PS It looked like the wee dog would be okay - a very b loody ear and slight cutting to head area ... but still able to wag his wee tail when we clapped him - hope he's okay.

[DG]

I have to add that the reception staff and vetinary nurses are always lovely and very helpful. I do not intend to be critical of the whole service. The nurses were great when my cat Jenny was run over by a car, when Chester died in their waiting area and when Sara and Kitty have needed attention now that they are older.

Perhaps, hence my shock and surprise at Mr P's lack of manners.

DG

[bellybabe]

I can't say I'm a big fan of his. Not very helpful when I'm trying to manage reluctant dogs and recalcitrant children and pushchairs and bags.

However, I am a fan of the youger chap, whose name I can never remember, and who has always offered us kind, caring, friendly service since we moved here (and our dog jumped out of the upstairs window on our first full day in the house), and so I stay with them. He was exceptionally good to us (and me in particular) when said suicidal dog became extremely ill with a brain tumour and had to be put to sleep .

BB

[Lizzie]

boring story).



I have
So...the point of this thread was to have a moan, express my odd experience, and ask...can anyone recommend a good local vet?!

DG

PS It looked like the wee dog would be okay - a very b loody ear and slight cutting to head area ... but still able to wag his wee tail when we clapped him - hope he's okay.

DG - I'm glad to hear the wee dog seemed to be OK
We use Roger Gordon Vet down at Fisherrow, for our two cats - - they are very good, never had any problems over the years and we find the cost of treatment/injections etc to be very reasonable compared to Penmans, oh! and there is a car park too

[Dadaist]

The younger guy, I think, is called Mr Bates. He is a nice man in my humble opinion. Is that who you meant, BB? He was very professional all through Chester's illness.

[bellybabe]

The younger guy, I think, is called Mr Bates. He is a nice man in my humble opinion. Is that who you meant, BB? He was very professional all through Chester's illness.

Ah yes, Mr bates - that is indeed who I meant. He's always been very good - he knows how to treat animals and their owners!

[xxxx]

I have found penman's to be only interested in vaccinations (@30/minute) and flogging high priced dog food. I never once went in there without it being suggested as the the right thing to do for my mutt.
Take the musseslburgh option in my opinion

[bearcub]

DG, certainly not the kind of comforting attitude you want to see from your vet, but have to say I'm probably in the minority here in that I like Mr Penman.

He's always been extremely good with Bess and always makes the point of saying what a lovely dog she is as he tries to pet her.....I give him extra Brownie points for this as he does it while Bess growls and tries to bite his fingers off don't think the vet is Bess's favourite place somehow. He also said to me to 'just drop the money in next time you're around' when I'd forgotten to take my wallet with me to the vet.

[DG]

Glad to hear it's not all negative experiences with Mr Penman. Perhaps he has another side. May try the Musselburgh vets next time and thanks for the recommendations .

I used to go to a vet at the Loretto end of Musselburgh many years ago. Don't know if he's still there (John was his name) but he was great. Used to let me take 2 cats in one box and charge me for one consultation. This was handy when I had 4 cats and very little money . Never one for enouraging you to do anything unnecessary or expensive. I had my name on his list for fostering cats however, as I had to keep the last one, Kitty (dumped in a shoe box outside his clinic) I decided this perhaps was not such a good idea .

DG

[teddygirl]

I have used Penmans for many years and have never had a bad experience (Freddie would disagree with that statement) and have had dealings with several vets including Mr Penman himself who I have always found to be fairly pleasant. Victor Bates is certainly one of the nicer ones, loves my dogs tail for some reason

They can sometimes be considerate with not charging too in special circumstances.............one such incidence............many years ago we had a budgie(our first baby) and I was a bit concerned about the colour of his woopsies so sent hubbie along with him as I was working. It turned out that they(woopsies) were perfectly normal, and didn't charge one red faced husband a penny for their consultation. Needless to say it was his first and last visit to the vet.

[Gemini]

I take my dog to the Links Vet Group in Musselburgh.
20 odd years ago my friend took her old dog to Penman's - the dog had caught its tail on a piece of barbed wire - to cut a long story short, by all accounts the dog had been trying to knaw at its tail as it was obviously bothering him, my friend told me that the vet had smacked the dog across the face - the dog was 17 years old.

[Gemini]

Quote DG>
I used to go to a vet at the Loretto end of Musselburgh many years ago. Don't know if he's still there (John was his name) but he was great.<<

Now the Links Vetinary Group, John has sadly left, however Glen and Sue are excellent.

[Epykat]

I can only defend Mr Penman very strongly. He was absolutely brilliant with our cat when she was having fits and eventually had to be put down and I couldn't fault him one tiny little bit with our dog either. He always got down on the floor beside her because she was frightened of being put on the table and was so kind and gentle with her. Mr Bates is also fantastic. In comparison I found the vet in Musselburgh to be very offhand with our old cat and wasn't even that nice when it came to putting her to sleep which is why we didn't go back there with the rest. I suppose we all have off days.

[maureen mclaughlin]

That’s a shocking thing to have happened, I have never meet the man but like you have not heard good things about him although good things about the other vets. Any way I had to take my cat Brodie to the vet in an emergency and was recommended Roger Gordon 111 Market Street Mussel burgh, 665 2124. All the staff were lovely and looked after Brodie very well, they called regularly to up date me and more important were very reasonable priced. Brodie is doing well now.
Maureen

[teddygirl]

A few people have mentioned the fact that Penman is more expensive than the Musselburgh vets, this is probably due to the fact that the overheads in an Edinburgh practice are higher than those in other areas. This fact was brought home to me while visiting my old vet in Huntly as an emergency one holiday and when I commented on the reasonable price of the treatment, that was what I was told.

Personally, I would rather pay an extra few pounds and have my vet almost on my doorstep in an emergency situation as I do not have use of our car during the day and trying to transport a sick dog in either a taxi or on a bus wouldn't be much fun.

[Gemini]

My friend and neighbour frequents Penmans, and has no problems with him regarding the treatment of her dog and 2 cats.

My wee dog has a blood disorder which neccesitates frequent blood tests,
I am thinking about taking out a 2nd mortgage to cover the fee's

I had pet insurance in place for 10 years, stupidly cancelled (on principle)
when she reached 10 and the costs went up by 50%

[Maria]

I'm assuming that Mr Penman and Mr Bates are known as the "Abercorn Vet Service"
I took Marco along there for his first lot of vaccinations 2 weeks ago and found the service excellent. It was a younger man (Mr Bates?) who looked Marco over. He was really good with him, plus he told me various tales about his family and his own cat. There was no rush and although I just booked for a vaccination he gave Marco a thorough check-up. I'm due back there next week for Marco's booster jags and when I offered to pay after the initial consultation he said that was unnecessary and to just pay after the final treatment. There was no mention of buying food from them and I only knew that they sold it when a customer asked to buy some. Marco already eats the product they sell anyway as according to my BIL it is one of the best around.
My BIL is a vet and claims that all the money is in small animal practice - his is a rural one dealing with horses and farm animals, so he would say that - but I do know that the cost of vaccinations, antibiotics etc. is a considerable part of the fee. He also claims that cats in particular HATE Vets and are stressful to treat. He wouldn't go any where near our last cat who did nothing but scratch and hiss at him

Gemini, I'm trying to persuade Homer that pet insurance may be a good idea to little effect so far

[Poppy]

Marya - or perhaps this should be addressed to Homer! - pet insurance is well worth it. The cost of treatment for accidents or longterm illness is horrific if it's unlucky enough to happen to your moggy (or doggy). Insurance means that you don't usually have to think about the cost!

I had a bad time with PetPlan so transferred to Scottish Pet Insurance based at Lasswade, but there's lots to choose from these days.

My mog was looked after by Braid Vets who were VG with Mouse and VG at getting money from insurance!

[Sandra]

Its usually bearcub who takes Bess to the vet but I took her last visit and I found Mr Penman to be very pleasant and was kind and nice to Bess, and as it was a minor thing didn't charge.

[Pal of Porty]

I had pet insurance in place for 10 years, stupidly cancelled (on principle)when she reached 10 and the costs went up by 50%

Now you know why the premiums go up!

[Dadaist]

Marya - I agree with BIL. I think cats hate vets like some people hate the dentists, but with added violence.

Forgive me given the local politico-retail context but my moggy insurance is with Tesco.

[Maria]

Forgive me given the local politico-retail context but my moggy insurance is with Tesco.

Thanks. Will check-out their policy Dada

[bellybabe]

The problem with pet insurance is that if you never need it it's money down the drain. Like appliance extended warranties, it's not economic sense. If you're considering it, then while your pet is still a young and hopefully healthy wee thing, put the same amount as an insurance premium into a savings account for it. That way there's money there should you need it, and if your pet never needs it, you've not thrown the money away, as it were.

Just a thought.

[Maria]

Put it aside and save it??? You're kidding, right?

[Dadaist]

Have to disagree with you there, BB. You're failing to mention the gamble you are taking on your pet *not* becoming ill, or of the accumulated premium (which is much less for a younger cat) covering the overall treatment cost in the eventuality of ill health - which may be ongoing, and "treatment" could mean special diet as well as regular medicines, combined with consultation fees.

Whilst there are some instances where I would agree with you (like insuring new wiring in a house) it is all about probabilities.

I am no fan of big business in general or insurance companies in particular - but I would always go for pet insurance. Do you hold a similar view in terms of life assurance to cover mortgage payments, and motor vehicle insurance? (ie my real inquiry is whether you boycott insurance entirely as robbery, or just view pet insurance as unnecessary?)

[bellybabe]

Do you hold a similar view in terms of life assurance to cover mortgage payments, and motor vehicle insurance? (ie my real inquiry is whether you boycott insurance entirely as robbery, or just view pet insurance as unnecessary?)

Um, no. As someone the law considers not to deserve equality, as well as an unpaid worker, I find life insurance an essential monthly outgoing. Should anything happen to my partner my family would be homeless without life assurance (funny term, that - implies they guarantee you'll live), as opposed ot other types of family. Although having said that, life assurance without critical illness cover seems less than sensible too, if CIC is available to you.

As for car insurance, couldn't really give a...fig, since I have little to do with cars. House insurance - I didn't used to bother, but now that I'm joining the more affluent tier of society, seems like a good plan. Especially as eldest has almost set the house on fire four times now.

But pet insurance...it just doesn't convince me. Mr Bates told me if we'd had it for Rascal we could have sent him to Glasgow for a CT (cat!) scan, and that they have some very good brain surgeons there. I was rather perplexed; my dog was old, in shock, and in pain - I wouldn't have put him through so much trauma. Other half used to have four or five cats, and paid a fortune for insurance. When I questioned whether we should get it, the response was that from experience it simply wasn't worth it.

But I respect your right to give money to that bastion of capitalist society, Tesco.


Bellybabe and her uninsured cat, dog, fish and children.

[Porty]

Although having said that, life assurance without critical illness cover seems less than sensible too, if CIC is available to you.

CIC has got to be the sickest and least value form of assurance available. As Dada says, its all about the gamble. Last year L& G collected more than £775 million pounds in premiums and paid out only £27 million. So that's a 3.48% chance of payout. Insurance companies make it very, very, very difficult to claim successfully. Its expensive and I recommend it to very few people. If CIC is available to you then beware. Why is it available?

[bellybabe]

That definitely depends on who you get it from. I've heard of people paying ridiculous premiums for it, but my life cover was only £2 cheaper without it. And since I have spent a fair bit of time being tested for cancer, I'm happy to know if they eventually say yes, love, you have got it, we're sorted. 1 in 3 people supposedly get it, after all.

[Porty]

That definitely depends on who you get it from. I've heard of people paying ridiculous premiums for it, but my life cover was only £2 cheaper without it.

Are you sure that's not Terminal illnes Cover?

[bellybabe]

Yes, I'm sure. It's critical illness.

[Porty]

That seems incredibly cheap.Ive heard of CIC policies where life cover is attached for minimal cost but not the other way around. I must go check our sourcing system.

[CatzVP]

We have pet insurance just now and always did for our last cat, and it was very reasonable, unfortunately the policy has changed for the two cats we have now, and nothing seens to be covered anymore, eye, ear, and mouth problems have all been dropped ( one of our cats suffers from acne and so has mouth problems ) it looks as if it will only be useful if the cats digests poison ( they are indoor cats !! ) or if they have a tumour or form of cancer. plus for insured illnesses there is a $100 deductable for every seperate treatment, so you end up paying for everything anyway. Yet my dearest Wife still thinks its good idea.. I'm with you on this one BB, its better to put money aside, open a small bank account for your pet and put money in every week/month.

[Gemini]

I had pet insurance in place for 10 years, stupidly cancelled (on principle)when she reached 10 and the costs went up by 50%

Now you know why the premiums go up!

Actually - my dog had only one ailment in 10 years.
The reasons for the hike in costs was down to the pet health insurance company being taken over by a Multi National.

[Pal of Porty]

Actually - my dog had only one ailment in 10 years.
The reasons for the hike in costs was down to the pet health insurance company being taken over by a Multi National.

Whatever the reason - they seem to have got their sums right in this instance.

[Gemini]

Don't they always!