Guest donatella Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 That was truly sad to read I dread the day I ever have to leave mine overnight at vets as I know she won't cope. Perhaps looking back the best thing was to bring percy home and to let him pass away in your arms however it's not healthy to be dwelling on the what ifs in life, certainly not 12 months down the track. The fact that you are still emotionally torn shows that perhaps you need professional help/counseling/someone to help you see get over the horrific events. Your current mindset is very unhealthy. Please look after yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 My only complaint of some vets in the OP's situation is they are not on the ball enough for my liking and you have to prompt them as the dog's owner, the dog is ill, in what regard, then I would ask the vet what illness produces these symptoms, can we test and confirm/rule out certain things etc, I would never just have an ill dog on a drip for 3 days without some serious answers in relation to the cause of his illness, and if the vet couldn't provide that, I would take him elsewhere and wouldn't pay the bill either if the service was substandard. On the business end they can rip you off especially through incompetence and misdiagnosis, do you keep paying to have your car worked on and the problem not fixed?, same with animals at the vet I think? I can see what you're saying there but if the OP refused a transfer, what else did they refuse on the basis of not wanting to pay for it? We can't run diagnostics without the consent of the owner. This is not the whole story. This is a skewed version and if the OP still feels traumatised they need to seek some professional help IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redangel Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I once lost a much valued puppy through medical mismanagement....I followed it through with documentation and a post mortem. With these in hand and confronting the vet I did not pay the bill. All dealings were reasonable. Would I have another animal treated by the same vet...no. Would I condemn the veterinary profession because of his/her actions...no. All such cases are individual in nature and cannot be generalized. People are often free to judge that a vet didnt do a complete provision of service...but like in the case of the OP the vet did offer a more capable service (in way of a referral) path/workup & manpower in the form of a 24hr clinic ,which in the OP word was refused. On the other hand I have heard & seen people ask for "all to be done" to save their pet... sometimes in the face of a situation where the pet has died and the pathology/treatment bill has been drawn that they believe the vet has 'ripped them off". Apparently such costs are only considered payable when a pet survives its illness. Maybe communication in all the situations is the key...perhaps sometime in stressful situations decisions are not made with enough clarity and followup is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 when Hamlet was young, he had surgery for a bowel obstruction ..and was hospitalised several days . I phoned the clinic so often...as I knew he wasn't very well socialised, and unused to being confined, etc ... he was a perfect angel, and quickly collected a fan club. Just goes to show . When working at the vets, it was very rare to have a dog who objected strongly to being in hospital . of course they would bark, mostly from being cooped up , but .cats were worse , and sometimes would not eat percynality, this is possibly not the anniversary commemoration you had hoped for ..reliving all the pain you felt then.. I also agree that, if you haven't , try & find a grief counsellor who deals with life after losing a pet ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 That was truly sad to read I dread the day I ever have to leave mine overnight at vets as I know she won't cope. If you think your dog won't cope then you need to work on that now so when the need arises the dog will cope. It will make the experience a lot easier/ less stressful on the dog and a lot easier on the vet and vet staff who need to look after the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-sass Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 My only complaint of some vets in the OP's situation is they are not on the ball enough for my liking and you have to prompt them as the dog's owner, the dog is ill, in what regard, then I would ask the vet what illness produces these symptoms, can we test and confirm/rule out certain things etc, I would never just have an ill dog on a drip for 3 days without some serious answers in relation to the cause of his illness, and if the vet couldn't provide that, I would take him elsewhere and wouldn't pay the bill either if the service was substandard. On the business end they can rip you off especially through incompetence and misdiagnosis, do you keep paying to have your car worked on and the problem not fixed?, same with animals at the vet I think? I can see what you're saying there but if the OP refused a transfer, what else did they refuse on the basis of not wanting to pay for it? We can't run diagnostics without the consent of the owner. This is not the whole story. This is a skewed version and if the OP still feels traumatised they need to seek some professional help IMO. I think there is a bit more to the story as well that we haven't been told about perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynst Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Hi, I know where you are coming from so check out a few different vets in your area and make sure that the one you pick is the right vet for you. We are extremely lucky with our vet as nothing is a problem. They let our 14 year old rotti go to the rainbow bridge yesterday and it really ripped our hearts out. It took all of there effort not to cry with us as they are friends to all of us, especially our furkids. So please look around until you find a vet who you feel comfortable with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-sass Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I have heard & seen people ask for "all to be done" to save their pet... sometimes in the face of a situation where the pet has died and the pathology/treatment bill has been drawn that they believe the vet has 'ripped them off". Apparently such costs are only considered payable when a pet survives its illness. A vet is a business like anything else and there are plenty of businesses who can't legally charge when the job is unsuccessful and have to absorb their losses, why is a vet exempt from the same rules of business is what people are referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I have heard & seen people ask for "all to be done" to save their pet... sometimes in the face of a situation where the pet has died and the pathology/treatment bill has been drawn that they believe the vet has 'ripped them off". Apparently such costs are only considered payable when a pet survives its illness. A vet is a business like anything else and there are plenty of businesses who can't legally charge when the job is unsuccessful and have to absorb their losses, why is a vet exempt from the same rules of business is what people are referring to? Not all animals are going to be saveable- do you really want vets telling you to euthanise or refusing to work on your dog just incase they can't save your animal after doing 2k of work?? You would be able to recoup costs if the vet was negligent. In all other cases you agree to the costs knowing the risk up front- the same as doctors and lawyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Percynality - why don't you ask here for recommendations of a good vet in your area? I'm sure if you post what suburb you live in, some of the members here can give you plenty of good vet options. Sometimes - just like with human doctors - the cause of the illness is not immediately obvious, and will need time to diagnose fully. What I don't understand is why you didn't take Percy to the other vet hospital when it was suggested. Instead, you opted to have him euthanaised... Over the years I've held quite a few animals whilst they were given their final sleep - most go easy and peacefully, but depending on what the medical issue is, sometimes it's not a pleasant experience at all for anyone witnessing it. If Percy had an issue with his heart, for example, it would take a lot longer for him to succumb to the drug, and there would be vocalisation and struggling involved - maybe even evacuation of bowels or bladder also. Please don't refuse your next dog vet care if it needs it, OK? Just find a different vet that you are comfortable with... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 That was truly sad to read I dread the day I ever have to leave mine overnight at vets as I know she won't cope. If you think your dog won't cope then you need to work on that now so when the need arises the dog will cope. It will make the experience a lot easier/ less stressful on the dog and a lot easier on the vet and vet staff who need to look after the dog. When I say she won't cope I mean she will be depressed sitting in a cage. She won't be rowdy or loud, she'd be the opposite, very timid and quiet. Very opposite to her personality now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Percynality, I am sorry you had a bad experience and you are obviously very deeply traumatised,I also think you should seek some help for your grief. With regards to your new dog,please find a vet you trust while the dog is well -so you can have confidence if they need treatment. The problem with not seeking any treatment is that something minor and treatable may get out of hand if left and you may end up facing the same terrible circumstances without reason. When we picked up our girl she had to have some fairly unpleasant treatment for a number of things that would not have been an issue if they had been nipped in the bud early on. I wasn't happy with the first vet we saw as he made a disparaging remark about her breed. He may have been a very good vet but once the essentials were taken care of (I only stayed for the visit because she needed urgent care) I found another vet who was not only a very good vet, but one that gave me confidence as well. Issy initially hated going but the practice staff encouraged us to just pop in every time we passed so they could give her a treat and a pat even though she did not need anything done. If they were free the vets would pop out and pat her too. These are not the actions of people who don't care and are just after money - we were never charged for her "social " visits and the staff went above and beyond; as with everything there are vast differences in vets/practices. Please, please don't let your bad experience and possibly your guilt at not taking up the offer of a referral to a major vet hospital (whatever your reasons were) impact on your new dog. I also find when I am highly emotional because one of the dogs is injured or sick what sometimes comes across as a lack of care from professionals is actually just their total concentration or focus on the problem they are trying to fix, it is not always easy to see that when you are distraught. I hope you can find a way to come to terms with what happened so you can enjoy your new dog,make sure he gets any treatment he needs for a happy,healthy life - without the anxiety of what might happen down the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 It is nearly a year to the day we asked our vet to euthanize our beloved Percy who was only over a year old and we don’t know what was wrong. The handling of our child’s illness and the final injection has left us scarred and concerned for our new child, also a 1 year old Maltese. Firstly dogs aren't children. Yes, people get attached to their dogs and have very strong feelings but at the end of the day, dogs are dogs. Why on earth would you euth a dog without knowing what was wrong with it ? Percy was suddenly ill at the start of Good Friday 2011, and we took him to the nearest available vet a few suburbs away considering the long weekend is the time that everything is closed. Over 3 days the vet basically did nothing but put him on a drip. I now think the vet simply was covering for the long weekend and didn’t care much at all. What I would like to discuss is how uncaring vets are. That would be normal for a vet to put a dog on a drip, it's the first thing that's done with an ill animal, as dehydration will certainly kill a dog. It would be unusual for a vet not to ask to take blood samples and send them off. They would certainly have done whatever inhouse testing was av available to them at the time, providing you consented to testing/treatment. Firstly, we should never have left Percy overnight. The back of a clinic has no comfort, nothing is familiar in fact it’s downright creepy and a highly bonded pet like a Maltese is going to be in such distress that overnight stays cannot possibly be good. Yes, you should have left Percy over night, as you have no way of monitoring him, assessing if his condition has deteriorated, changing fluid bags, have medication on hand or the skills to administer it. Highly bonded or not, there are times when it's necessary to be seperated and dogs cope a lot better than owners think. Mostly it's the owner who are "highly bonded" and have trouble letting go. Secondly, we asked for euthanasia because Percy was not even drinking, did not really recognise us and we did not know what to do. But we attended the injection and were horrified – we held him while the vet flushed the drip and then our child screamed in terror with the green injection. I can never remove from my mind the honest truth that our Percy’s last moment was terror. The vet didn’t even seem to notice. In my view, Percy knew what the injection was for and I feel I did not give him the most compassionate treatment even though I had intended a calm gentle passing away. You asked the vet to euth and euth the vet did. The dog is at peace and any stress would have been mimimal and not prolonged. I can’t overstate that I am sickened about the veterinary profession. Our new adopted child will never go to a vet. Far better to pass away in my arms than days of distress with strangers. Your choice but there will be times or accident and illness and even routine health care that will require a vet. Witholding treatment is an offence and you can be prosecuted for it I suggest that you treat your dog more like a dog and think of it less like a child in the interests of your own sanity and the health of your dog. And next time, at least try and establish what's wrong with the dog, before you get trigger happy with the green dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I have heard & seen people ask for "all to be done" to save their pet... sometimes in the face of a situation where the pet has died and the pathology/treatment bill has been drawn that they believe the vet has 'ripped them off". Apparently such costs are only considered payable when a pet survives its illness. A vet is a business like anything else and there are plenty of businesses who can't legally charge when the job is unsuccessful and have to absorb their losses, why is a vet exempt from the same rules of business is what people are referring to? But what is 'successful'? To me, successful is doing what the owner requests. If you take an animal that has been hit by a car to the vet and ask them to do everything they can, which they do but the animal doesn't make it, surely they have done what was asked of them, by giving whatever treatment they possibly could at the time? One has to be realistic in that nothing lives forever. So to say that you shouldn't have to pay if the Vet was unsuccessful in keeping an animal alive is crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I'd love to see the vet notes on this one and also hear their side of this story, it would be enlightening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogie Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Totally agree Stormie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Exactly Pav!!! You didn't take the vets advice to send your DOG ( not child), to a specailist, you chose to pts without knowing what was wrong, could easily have been fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I'd love to see the vet notes on this one and also hear their side of this story, it would be enlightening I was thinking exactly the same thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 You sound like you're suffering a great deal, and I think this is making it hard for you to view the situation more rationally. I'd just like to encourage you to focus on Percy's life; all the things you did together, the things you loved about him, all the funny things he did. These things are so much more important, and amount to so much more than his passing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I'm very sorry for your loss I would suggest like the others that you find a vet that you feel comfortable with and also get familiar with any emergency vets in the area, in case you have an emergency you can take them straight there. Most vets are very happy to talk to you about your concerns and finding one you are happy with is very important, especially if you end up with a dog with ongoing problems. I've had to take my dogs to the specialist centre/emergency centre a couple of times and have worked there too (after those events) and they are quite different and much better equipped than general practice vets (where I have also worked) - I don't work in the industry at the moment. The scariest time being when one of my dogs was attacked by a roaming dog and I didn't know if she would make it, she was hospitalised for a week and needed a lot of treatment - I'm sure I came across as one of those crazy clients - could not fault the care of my dogs or the caring of the vets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts