What might one want of a veterinarian? That he takes care of your animal? That he's professional, accessible and responsive to your personal needs? That he engages with you, his client? That he provid... Read More
What might one want of a veterinarian? That he takes care of your animal? That he's professional, accessible and responsive to your personal needs? That he engages with you, his client? That he provides value for money? Were I to score Martin Francis on this basis, even a bit harshly, it would go tick tick tick cross. He's always been spot on with diagnosis and treatment, even sending me home without charge when in a panic I'd dragged our wee terror there with a limp caused by him crashing through a fence, but as it turned out with an immediate visual inspection he'd only got a dead leg so CALM DOWN. He likes the fact that our dog is all bluff and bravado befitting a Jack Russell cross but in fact he's delicate like a little flower - aw poor puppy dog - 'cos he's got allergies and sneezes a lot and over grooms - it's not his fault, he's unhappy because he's uncomfortable so we give him hugs. Ahem. You might guess he humours our misguided anthropomorphic projections whilst remaining pragmatic and reasonably (and proportionately) didactic. However, there's something galling about forking over £50 for a check up for him to simply write a prescription for more steroids (another £6) which all takes a matter of 120 seconds and costs him no more than a green-lipped mussell flavoured doggy treat (most dogs won't touch 'em, so I'm told) and a bit of cleaning up (puppy loses lots of fur due to his malfunctioning endocrine system as a result of steroid use to combat allergies to grass, pollen, dust and dust mites and dust mite feces and his own hair and dirt and floor polish and carpets and biscuit mites - it's endless). Hence cross at the end of my scoring analogy. Bored? Sorry, I'll put this thing to bed. OK, services great, vet great, parking difficult sometimes but no problem, cost extortionate! But then, maybe we've the only 'roid guzzling allergen magnet in Cardiff and it's our own fault for not taking the shitzu when we had the chance. Cruel fate or not, Martin Francis is still a top quality vet. Read Less