Hi to any doggy folk out there.

I'm 10 minutes from Zug, 30 or so from Zurich and need a vet....or a beer, but vet first! One of my dogs pulled a tendon in his front leg about 2 months ago when I was still in France. It was treated by our vet there, and was coming along nicely, so thought joining my wife here was pretty safe......wrong! Rolo finished his med's yesterday, and last night on his walk was fine, today he can't put any weight on it again......arrrgh!

His Swiss/German is as good as mine so an English speaking vet would be great, but good is best. Mobility isn't an issue as I have our car here, so any recommendations would help a lot. I'm sure I've asked generically about vets/insurance for dogs before but can't find the thread, so appologies if I'm doubling up

Thanks

Graham

you're looking at an emergency vet today if you need attention.

Have a look at posts by melloncollie as she will have certainly linked to good vets and vet sites.

I think this is the best directory: http://www.vet-look.ch

There is a veterinary clinic just up the road from you in Affoltern am Albis (S9 train one stop direction Zurich) called Tierklinik Dennler. It's within 50 meters of the train station (map link). I'm sure somebody there must be able to help you in English.

Tierklinik Dennler AG
Poststrasse 2
8910 Affoltern am Albis
Telefon 044 761 30 89
24-Std. Notfalldienst (emergency service)

Lob for the help I've pm'd meloncollie, vwild1 I'm off to Affoltern in 5 Mins,

Thanks a bunch

Hi M&P Goose,

I've replied to your PM, but just in case you are looking here first:

When calling any practice after hours you may have to go through an answering service, or some other gate keeper. As today is a public holiday, you may encounter more resistance than usual from said gatekeeper. If you think this is a real emergency, don't be afraid to push hard to speak to a veterinarian. "Drigende Notfall' is the phrase in German.

My experience has always been that once through to the vet, they take my concerns seriously and respond promptly, holiday or not.

If you need emergency care, there is the Tierspital in Zürich - officially they are closed today, but there will be someone on call for emergencies.

Klinik für Kleintiermedizin
Winterthurerstrasse 260 CH-8057 Zürich
Tel: +41 (044) 635 81 11
Fax: +41 (044) 635 89 30
They ask that you call first - but in an extreme emergency (and I do mean only life or death situations), go straight to the clinic, ring the emergency number on the phone at the door.

I've (unfortunately) spent time at the Tierspital on 1 August in years past...

(Obviously, if this isn't an emergency, wait until normal practice hours.)


In ZG, pulled from google, so no personal experience:

http://www.kleintierklinikrigiplatz....ngszeiten.html

Kleintierklinik Rigiplatz
Hünenbergerstrasse 4/6
CH - 6330 Cham
Available for emergencies 365 days/year

Tel: 41 780 80 80 - listen to the entire message on the recording.
I *think* I remember my sitter talking about this practice, but can't be sure. Worth a call.

And:
http://www.dossenbach.ch/cms/pages/team.php

The Vet-Look link posted by Lob is a very good resource - just start calling down the list. Again - if this is a serious emergency, be persistent and insist that you be seen today.


Also, do be aware that you might be required to pay at time of service, as you are not known at the practice. (Normally, most vets bill their regular customers.) So bring cash or a debit card, just in case.


Hope your dog is going to be OK. Please keep us updated.


ETA: Here is another list of veterinary practices providing emergency cover, from the Tierschutz website:

http://www.tierschutz.ch/cms/de/adre...ladressen.html

Also, you could contact the Tierambulanz service in ZH - while I don't think they cover ZG, they might be able to suggest an emergency clinic closer to you.

• Tier-Rettungs-Dienst, Winkel, Tel. 01/211 22 22 und
01/864 44 00 (rund um die Uhr)

This is a brilliant post. Looking at this and the other Infos, I can only hope that 'you posters' have as much information at your fingertips for an emergency situation involving human beings!
Would it be possible for someone to add a couple of other tags so that it can be found at maximum speed if another such case arises.
To save someone having to ring twice, aren't these numbers now with Vorwahl 044?
Great Work EF!

That would be another thread..

Yesterday I tried the vets by phone and all have long messages in Swiss, so I waited for the beep and left a message. Nothing had happened by 4pm, so drove to the vet in Mettmenstetten, and 2 in Affoltern a.A, closed as expected but no emergency numbers visable I missed call on the mobile from a number i didn't recognise, and not one listed for a vet. We drove to the vet in Met', open, empty, and no-one in the practice spoke English, went to one in Affoltern still shut, but the one on Poststrasse was open, and packed. Alison said the place was spotless, odourless, and the peope very friendly but couldn't see Rolo until Monday morning.

Rolo is a little better today, but still on 3 legs most of the time, so we'll just keep him quiet and wait until Monday.

Thanks for the EF help & advice, and thanks for the pm's. This is surely the strength of the forum, good help & assistance for newbies from the old hands.

I'm sorry to hear that things didn't go so well on Friday - hope your Rolo is coping in the meantime. I know how frustrating it is to work through the system here when one is new, and German is an obstacle.

(Sorry I haven't been able to reply earlier. Still trying to coax one of my mutts out of his hiding place in the cellar... #%&^#! fireworks!)

I should stress that the walk-in type of emergency clinic found in the US and UK is rare here - while most practices provide emergency cover, you'll likely have to call first - and getting past the rejectionist is the hardest part.

(My Swiss dog-owning friends joke that they carefully plan their emergencies, duly scheduling three weeks in advance. )

A typical scenario is that the practice is closed evenings/weekends/holidays, but one vet in a group of practices takes emergency on-call cover on a rota basis. Someone in the cover group takes a day each week, etc - you may not be able to see your own vet in a particular instance, but rather someone from the group. Larger practices may have their own members doing the on-call rota.

Generally, when you call a practice after hours you will get a message telling you how to reach the emergency cover - often you need to call a different number. Sometimes your call will be forwarded to an answering service who will contact the on-call vet. The on-call vet then usually calls back, discusses the problem, and determines if it warrants immediate treatment or not, or gives advise as to what to do until regular practice hours. When immediate treatment is needed, the vet then usually arranges to meet you at the practice. So if you arrive at the practice without prior arrangement, there would not normally be anyone there.

(You could PM me the number of the practice you tried to call - I'd be happy to call and see what the recording says..)

For after hours emergencies I go to the Tierspital (University of Zürich veterinary teaching hospital) because it is staffed for critical care. But again, because the clinic is not open evenings/weekends/holidays you have to call first. Going from memory, when you call you get a recorded message telling you to first contact your usual vet, but if the situation is critical press (something) to be connected to the on-call vet. It takes several rings - remember, the on-call vet is probably busy with the intensive care patients - so stay on the line. But as mentioned above, in a time-critical emergency, you could go to the Tierspital, ring the code on the phone at the door. But don't do that unless it truly is a matter of life or death - in all other cases, call first for advise.

Most vets speak some English, many are perfectly fluent. Not so many receptionists do, however. Do you speak French? Chances are that might work, too. OR, if French is a better option for you, and you think Rolo needs to be seen before Monday, how about calling a vet in Nyon? (See the Notfall list from the Tierschutz.) At least, you'd get advise - it's a long drive, but in an emergency...

As a last resort, you could call your vet in France for advise...

Once the dust has settled, and Rolo has been seen, you'll want to find a regular vet ASAP, and discuss how his/her practice handles after hours emergencies.

All the best to you and your dog.

He is soldiering on, but you can see he's not happy. I'll post tomorrow with how he gets on, and my thought on the vets. I've tagged this thread for dogs, vet etc, so any other newbies with dogs should benefit from the good stuff people have put on here.

Maybe it's possible for the mods' to set up some form of EF listing where people could place recommendations for Dr's, dentist, vets etc....just a thought....or maybe they have and I was to daft to see it

Just back from an hour and a half at the vets.....hells teeth, they were thorough.....didn't stick anything up his bum, for which Rolo was grateful and I was surprised, as that was the 1st thing the French vet always did...or maybe they just had a fetish

Rolo has 2 problems with his shoulder, 1 is he has chipped the bone, the other, more difficult is tendon damage inside the joint, which they found by manipulation of the joint. This doesn't show on x-ray as it's soft tissue, so they recommended a 'somethingorotheroscapy' this will allow for the removal of the bone chips, and to check the internal joint cavity and tendons....and bugger all to do with the wrist joint as diagnosed by the French vet 2 months ago

They don't do the op' as the kit is expensive, and they don't do enough to warrant the purchase, or, keep there skills up...how's that for honesty. The vet conversed with a colleague and recommended a surgeon near Basel, as probably the best in CH for larger dog orthopedic's, she talked throught the procedure, and then made the appointment for me.... after appologising that Zurich wasn't good for this operation!!!!

The vets' (Tierklinik Dennler, Poststrasse 2 8910 Affoltern am Albis) couldn't have been more professional, polite or helpfull, English was no problem for them, and in true Swiss fashion the place was spotless and cleaner than my 'gaff!!! The place is a doddle to find with parking handily in front, so from my experience so far I would highly recommend them.

Great news that Rolo has been diagnosed and that you had a good feeling after your visit to the vet. Knowing what is wrong is already half the battle!!

Do keep us updated on Rolo's progress. There are many dog owners on the forum, as you have no doubt figured out, and we would all be interested to hear how things go. Needless to say we will all be keeping our fingers crossed too.

Good to hear you had a good experience at the vet's. A top-notch testimony of the thoroughness and professionalism of doctors in CH (had a similar experience with a human doctor - found something no other doctor had bothered to look for). Hope it's the norm here.

Can't begin to imagine the future surgery bill though. Do you have doggie health insurance or something? Or should we pass the canine-help hat around?

If your passing a hat forget a bowler and get it from an American as it'll need to be a 10 gallon job, the op' in Basel will be about chf 1,500 according to the vet in A.a.A I haven't got the bill for today, as we are now registered with them they just send our a bill <gulp>, I was so gobsmacked by the amount for the op, I didn't ask what today was going to be.

Five thousand weekends of cookie bake sales might help a bit.

Commiserations...

That sounds like a plan, not sure how much money we'd raise, but thinking of the cookies is sending me back to the cupboard for the second time On the dog insurance front has anyone got any recommendations?

For next users of this post, I can vouch for the Kleintier Klinik in Cham, very professional and English speaking

Cheers,
C

Including or excluding the receptionist..?

Thank you so much for this link! Our dogs arrived in Switzerland on saturday and our Boerboel just suddenly developed a bladder infection this evening. We didn't have a vet yet, so I immediately logged in to Englishforum, knowing that there would be god advice here. Thanks so much for all the valuable posts like these, it really makes me feel less helpless in this strange country.