Is this a Bad Vet? Am i being Gouged for unnecessary services?

Im trying to get some input on a cat situation with a vet…ie wehter im being price gouged or even mistreated by this vet office. I have five cats and caring for them can be difficult. Recently, my 2 year old cat was acting weird, panting and acting as if she was having stomach issues. I was really worried one morning last week and rushed her to this vet on a Saturday. She had her vaccines there about 1-2 weeks earlier. Ironically…prior to that she had been doing just fine with no issues. Now suddenly she’s acting weird and somethings going on. The vet after examining her decided he wanted to do xrays, or just give her fluids and send her home and see if that helped, and do a blood test. He said he was ok with just sending her home or with the x-rays and bloodwork. I was concerned there could be a blockage or something going on so I agreed to the x-rays and the total for everything came out to be a hefty 450.00 which to be was absurd. Of course they found out she was constipated, sent me home with some fiber and said “If she gets worse or gets really bad heres the emergency clinic number” which didn’t make sense to me because I figured if she was just constipated then what? The vet techs there…two ive dealt with are rude especially one male ive dealt with who I do NOT want to deal with again. He is rude condescending and weird. They said it wasn’t major bu didn’t even think to look into her urine or assume she could have a UTI though I did say she sprays around the house. They gave her fluids too and some injectable medication to help with vomiting since she vomited twice that week her food out or more. So they wanted to see her back and she was put ona  pet program for unlimited visits for ayear for an extra 48.00. at this point I felt like im being gouged to hell worse, if I say I may want to decline something the vet tech female makes me sound as if im stupid for googling information and tries to make me feel guilty. I brought her back this week for a follow up to where another doctor stated she needed a urine test ONLY because I asked him about a uti?? Other than that..he didn’t mention a potential UTI…I find this to be incompetency on the part of the doctor. Had I not mentioned UTI he wouldn’t have either? I said I’d prefer to collect the sampel since I wasn’t ready to pay another 55.00…it seems everytime I go there now…there is another test to be done. I would think based on her behavior a URINE test was necessary from the beginning but no one recommended it, plus did we really need x-rays for constipation? Couldn’t the first doctor FEEL the constipation in her belly? They are trained to do this right? The x-rays seemed unnecessary

So now, I decide to take her home b/c I culdnt transfer money to my account and my phone was dead and figured I’d bring her back in a few days. Fast forward to today Friday, I wake up and my cat jumps on my bed and then after 30 minutes begins RUSHING frantically going crazy and looking VERY uncomfortable, breathing heavy and acting weird with her mouth. I freak out considering maybe she has a blockage and no one figured it out since she hasn’t sprayed anywhere and im not sure what’s going on with her urine and normally she sprays around the house.  She was acting VERY strange and I got very scared that something could be seriously wrong again. I called the vet and they said ic ould bring her in but not before giving me 5 stories on whether or not I could bring her in. the people at this office seem cold and weird and I don’t think I trust them at all but they are right near my house. I cant put her in the carrier normally and I have the techs come out and put her in a carrier. Normally it’s a female vet tech and ive specifically asked NOT to deal with the male vet tech as he’s rude and I don’t like dealing with him at all. When I called the vet when I got there, the girl said shes coming out however the rude MALE comes walking out. Hes rude in his demeanor condescending and mean and it makes me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be rude and say oh hey btw…I don’t want your help though I should have said the cat prefers females. I open the door to have him put the cat in the carrier and he is rude…he tells me rudely…HOLD it like this! So I can put her in..then he grabs her harshly and puts her in, being the jerk he is. Now I think this entire situation is what caused my cat to go nuts…he put her in the carrier and I zipped it. Then somehow, she RUSHED out from the bottom either broke the zipper open or managed to push it open and ran under the car. This was true horror…..the vet office is RIGHT near a major highway and there are roads all around it. I was freaking out…she ran towards the highway several times almost crossing and im screaming telling her no..no...!!…and then she runs and goes under a car and keeps running in various places. She runs in some bushes and we can’t find her. we are searching of course im freaking out flipping out….he is searching bu can’t find her. looking down holes etc….finally I find her in the bushes….and tell him to stand there and then we can’t catch her and she runs to the road again….and we try to block her from that and she runs near a restaurant…of course still horror…all of it. Then, he says hes going to grab the rabies restraint….and rushes to get it. I cant find her….still…and he comes back with a female and says..WHERE IS SHE??? I said I don’t know..he says very rudely and condescendingly YOU DIDN’T SEE WHERE SHE WENT????? I mean hes like yelling at me….while im freaking out and my cat is running around in a severe life threatening situation. This cat isn’t acting herself is freaking out running away going nuts….then she’s meowing in a corner and we see her. since she was in the corner….that was a green light that I could go grab her and I told the vet tech…hold on I can grab her---actually I EASILY could have grabbed her she was stuck in the bushes in a corner…normally when a cat like that is in a corner its because shes surrendering. I told him to wait but he proceeded with the rabies restraint and couldn’t get her….then she runs and runs and we’re all chasing her trying to get her….i told him hold on I can grab her…if you just calm down and wait…and let me grab her..at this point I know my cat really well and I knew she was starting to almost surrender and three people chasing her is going to make it worse..and to just wait…and let me grab her…he then YELLED at me rudely and said “YOU BETTER/NEED to LET US DO IS OUR WAY THIS IS HOW WE DO THIS”!!!! he didn’t say that but he said what he said VERY RUDELY like yelling at me….rahter than saying…LOOK…WE KNOW WHAT WERE DOING AND WE”LL DO IT OUR WAY he yelled at me talked down to me very harshly and rudely….i can get him being harsh under stress….and even reprimanding me but he was way out of line and so mean/rude.  He yelled at me very harshly talked down to me again. 

Honestly…what they were doing was ludicrous and was terrifying her more..and she was just running around going crazy and running away more…and putting her in more danger….now she’s approaching a neighborhood behind a restaurant, the side of the road, near a fence….in fact had I seen her on my own when she was in the corner I could have grabbed her but I didn’t see her. had they even backed off for a little bit I could have caught her because she was starting to calm down and just sit there and meow…and if it was just me she would have trusted me. instead this idiot couldn’t even get her WITH A restraint when she was RIGHT there in a corner cornered in? Honestly this jerk wouldn’t have been abel to get her at all. She was running running we were all running in bushes here there and the ONLY way he FINALLY got her was because she had jumped in a sewage hole or something and she was kind of stuck right there….and there were the large pipes but for some reason he saw her and then used the restraint on her. other than that…I don’t think they would have caught her…and something terrible would have happened to her.  I was upset with the entire situation first off….the jerk male coming out to be the one to get her..for some reason he just always WANTS to be involved with my cats when ive already requested to have nothing to do with this low life. When I came in for another appointment he asked me about my previous cat and I said…well she was acting weird…and he said rudely again “WHY DIDN’T U bring her in”??? rather than…oh maybe u should bring her in? he is VERY rude to me…I really don’t want anything to do with him. Now he comes out and my cat escapes somehow??? Don’t get me wrong…..its my fault I don’t have a good carrier though ive used this many times its cloth and this time the cat escaped but it was the fact that it was HIM and he came out and was already rude to me…caused me to be panicked as well and the cat too.

Now they said “you don’t want to see this” and he grabbed her with the restraint and picked her up…BY the restraint lifted her up. Then he GRABBED her by the neck holding her and she was screaming not even lifting her by her body…just carrying her by the neck…and he was being RUDE ANGRY about it…as if he was so ANGRY at her…and then finally grabbed her body…the girl said “well its better hes just carrying her by the neck because then she could escape if he holds her body too.” Then he took her in the office and literally TOSSED her in the room angrily..as if….she was a nuisance who caused all these problems. When I went in the office…the rude blonde b*tch vet tech who tried to make me feel guilty last time about medications, came in and RUDELY said to me..to SIT down and my stress was stressing the cat out more…huh???? Not…oh are you ok? Im so sorry this happened but next time you need to bring your cat restrained…shes like yelling at me saying…we CANNOT come out to put the cats in a carrier AGAIN or RESTRAIN the cats you NEED to come in with them in a carrier…after that NIGHTMARISH horror ordeal I went through…I got not even an OUNCE of sympathy…just abuse from these people. The rude vet tech told me not to stand and comfort my cat!!! I was petting and comforting her…she told me…LET her go on the GROUND so she can relax and distress and got mad at me for not sitting down…huh???? HORRIBLE??? Then came and lectured me rudely on how they cant go out to take my cats anymore….sure I understand that..but do I need to get yelled at and reprimanded when I went through an extremely traumatic ordeal..by all these horrible vet techs???

Then the doctor came in.. checked out the cat…the original reason I went in seemed to be ignored…he said she doesn’t havea  blockage and she has no urine in her bladder so we cant check for UTI…so apparently she has no blockage since she urinated or has an empty bladder however what  about the constipation? They gave her fluids in the back…determined she has messed up nails/claws..she was bleeding too. And even gave her an injection of something without asking me first which was not right. When the vet tech came back she had a bill totaling 228.00 for all of this. This medication, that medication, convenia, this that…this that….and when I asked the vet tech.well is this necessary? She made me feel GUILTY for not using one medication saying she’ll be in pain and it’ll bring the fever down…she was rude and just so rude. She again angrily told me I shouldn’t be googling information and if I had any questions I need to ask the doctor…..and that this practice isn’t run by gouging people and giving unnecessary treatment. It was all HORRIBLE. In the end I ended up getting almost everything total 215.00 for it all.  15—for nail clipping 37 for pain meds, 37 for pain meds, 60 for antibiotic shot, 30 for this and if I asked a question the RUDE vet tech would RUDELY say “if the doctor prescribed it its because he DEEMS IT NECESSARY” rather than kindly answering my questions. Along with the horribly rude treatment… and the ridiculous pricing..is this fair or am I being screwed over here??? Also when the rude male vet tech came out initially and the cat escaped..he rudely said YOU DON’T HAVE A CARRIER???? This was a carrier??? It was a cloth carrier but is a carrier… the females there other ones are not this rude but this guy…is really bad….should I not go to this place anymore based on the treatment and practices? Ive read reviews too of people stating these people just do unnecessary tests and try to prolong testing rather than finding out the real reason for what is happening

I'd strongly suggest checking out other vets in the area.

Doesn't sound like this is the vet for your cats. He seems to be rough and uncaring.

I would definitely go to another vet.  I don't know if there was unneeded testing or price gouging but simply because they are rude and don't know how to handle cats.  I have had to have a lot of testing done on a cat but I knew what the reasons were for the testing and I have never been treated rudely.  You mentioned something about a deal with buying vet care for a year, is this a Banfield clinic?  If if is they aren't generally very good.  Of course I am sure there are some good vets working for them but it's a chain type deal so the quality generally isn't very good.

hi...thank you for the replies...ironically..it isn't a banfield though banfield can be bad but honesly I think this place is worse than banfield. Banfield has become very paranoid from the few experiences I had a year ago when it comes to adding many tests (the one I went the females were saying...oh you don't need that..if price matters to you) and they were actually worried about pricing- it was so strange to see banfield techs

actually worried about pricing for the customers. maybe this isn't common but it happened to me. this vet is much worse and tries to make you feel guilty for not using the medications they are recommending, so you don't know what is necessary or not. I assume they are being manipulative in some form...im worried that im really being taken here badly and mistreated as well...thanks for the help 

Oh please do find another vet ASAP. Do you know anyone else with cats that you can ask to see which vets they use and if they're happy with them?  No way should you or your cat be handled like that.  That level of stress would cause a perfectly healthy cat to get ill, never mind the serious risks of injury that happened as a result of not only the escape but the incorrect handling by the tech'.  Good luck in your search.

The prices honestly seem about right to me, in terms of the medication and what not. An average vet visit for a sick cat will usually cost me anywhere from $80-$200ish, depending on the vet and what the problem is.

The urine test should've been done first if you were mentioning spraying. The x-ray probably wasn't out of line, because I'm pretty sure that's how they check for blockages. Their treatment of you is unacceptable.

So some hits and misses here, but in any case, look for another vet, but don't expect TOO much difference in pricing, I'm afraid. Better treatment is out there, though, for sure.

I would never go back even if I had to travel a bit. No matter how close this one is that is horrible treatment you and your cat got and I would never step foot in there again. I am so sorry you and furry friend were hurt, hugs!

I would leave a rating for this vet clinic on the internet so others can see how you were treated. You could also search vet clinics in your area to see what others have said about them.

I'm sorry you went through this, I've dealt with a bad vet before and it is so stressful.

Why would you even consider going back to a place that treats you and your cat like that?  I feel so grateful that I have a caring and compassionate vet, and can't even begin to fathom why anyone would get in that profession if they don't care about animals and these seem not to.

Ok, first of all, I agree that it makes things so much easier to have a vet which actually likes his/her patients and treats them kindly. But be aware that no vet can't possibly treat your cat the way she likes (she would probably prefer the vets to leave her alone), so I suggest you to find a vet you can trust, and then trust him/her even if your cat doesn't look comfortable with the treatment. Do insist your vet to explain what he's doing and why he's doing it, I belive that if someone is proficient at his job, he can easily explain himself to other mortals.

Having said that, please know that constipation can cause serious health issues. If your cat can't go out, the contents of her bowel may lead to toxication. Please observe her litter box to make sure that she goes out regularly and if her bowels are sensitive to different kinds of diet. If she gets constipated frequently, that may cause or be a sign of megacolon, a very dilated disfunctional colon, and that might need surgical removal of part of the colon. And it is a serious operation, both during and after the surgery. Don't panic though, probably it's not and won't be something serious, but just to be on the safe side, be careful and observe her droppings. UTI is not usually that alarming, but it has to be identified and treated by antibiotics. 

By the way, I'm not a vet, but I had to go through all this with my cat Peanut. She was 3 years old when she had the surgery. She's 15 now, and a very grumpy, but healthy cat. But we were very lucky, because she has an excellent vet; the chances of such an operation are slim around here. In fact, her operation was presented in a conference, and she is treated like a kind of a miracle cat among vets. And of course, she hates her vet, she hates him more than anything. 

One more thing though, if your cat causes trouble to be put in a carrier, I suggest you get a solid one, because it is easier to put a struggling cat into a solid carrier than a soft one (you can corner her with only way inside the carrier). Also, when the vet's done with her treatment at the clinic, a solid carrier can give her a feeling of safety with a familiar scent to hide into. I recommend something you can strip out the top part easily though, cause those ones are really handy if your cat refuses to go out of the carrier. 

Shhann77, how is your cat doing? Is she any better or have you found another vet in your area who can see her?

The cat, owners and vet need to get along - especially in emergency situations so find a new vet asap. I have recently discovered I don't get on with my vet so in the same boat. Ask around, i went to one my breeder recommended as I want them to have an understanding of ragdolls.

Misty8723 said:

Why would you even consider going back to a place that treats you and your cat like that?  I feel so grateful that I have a caring and compassionate vet, and can't even begin to fathom why anyone would get in that profession if they don't care about animals and these seem not to.

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I completely agree!!  First of all, I am so sorry you & your cat had to go through that. How horrible!!

Yes, if you have any friends with cats, ask where they go. If not maybe check something like Angie's list. I m utterly appalled by the behavior of these people!!!!!!!!

I really think one thing you should do is call the Better Business Borough & report them ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I would also post a review on line as suggested, so others can be informed. 

I would do anything, & everything I could about it.  ........I'm not the kind of person who would sue, but after all of that, I would be so beyond mad & upset, I would see if there were anything

you could do about the pain & suffering you & your cat went through, I mean, carrying her by the neck like that, & just the whole experience.

I don't know if there is a Vet's board or anything that you can report that vet tech (& anyone else) to, but I would find out & do so.

Stories like this just make me all the more appreciative for my Vet's office. I am truly blessed to have in my town, a cats only vet/hospital. Everyone there is great!!

I drive 12 miles (in town driving) to go there, but it is soooo worth it!!

Hi all and thanks so much for the help and advice! It’s a really confusing situation when you don’t know who you can trust esp the vet and how the pets are being handled/treated etc. This whole ordeal was so traumatizing for the cat and even for me on another level. Im worried about how the cat is doing overall…mostly with how she was handled/treated by the vet tech, how he carried her by the scruff (I assumed it was ok though it didn’t seem ok—he carried her three blocks in a rush fast, just holding her by the scruff and not supporting her body…it didn’t seem right or ok and he didn’t care), how he trapped her when I felt I had a better option and he yelled at me and they were chasing her for 20 minutes after, how I was treated when I got back to the office and scolded and reprimanded for trying to comfort her…and then manipulated into taking all these meds which I think are probably not that necessary…its been upsetting and weird and hard to know if what they did was ethical or ok. In general this place hasn’t been very friendly or nice and only on certain days/times if the vet tech is nice. The rest of the practice seems to be run worse than banfield when charging people for unnecessary items services, and they do seem to only care about money. I find it weird that the vet could diagnose ‘stool and urination’ issues in 5-10 seconds, yet the first vet couldn’t determine she was constipated and needed to run x-rays to make an extra  140.00. everything about this place is horrible and shady and it makes me sick to my stomach that she had to go through all this. For me, this cat is the runt/baby and delicate and sensitive and to see her having to go through this is ridiculous.

  Yesterday she wasn’t doing that well and just slept under the bed, looked stoned and was breathing badly and I was really worried/scared about the convenia given to her and the pain med torbugesic….im mad because I wanted to opt for the oral med but the vet tech tried to make me feel so guilty for doing anything other than what the doctor recommended….she doesn’t seem to be doing good if I give her any meds and off them she seems to be doing better now. Yesterday I sat and comforted her but it was hard because she was either in pain or suffering and its so hard when you can’t tell the prognosis as im sure many know….but she came out today and now that the torbugesic has worn off she seems to be doing better but whats scaring me is that shes rubbing her head “really” hard on things…something she didn’t do before. Shes just rubbing it hard….and its scaring me because I hope there wasn’t any kind of head or internal damage that occurred. Usually she’ll rub her head hard if she was handled harshly or someone handled her head harshly b/c shes so used to how I treat her which is really gently. I don’t know if that’s a sign shes in pain? She also did ‘meow’ really loud once….i cant tell if just because of her ‘claw’ issue which may be minor she needs like 3 different kinds of pain meds?  I gave her one dose of buprenex and onsior too at some point but everytime I give her a pain med she seems to be doing worse....right now she seems as if shes doing a lot better…but now the initial issue for which I took her there seems to be bothering her too---the constipation and I really hope she doesn’t have anything major such as the colon problem. But that’s my fear too—that she does have a major issue and the doctor is overlooking it? She had x-rays taken initially and the first vet claimed it wasn’t that bad and sent me home with fiber. The 2^nd vet felt her belly twice now and claims her constipation is ‘doing better” but really I don’t think hes giving an accurate diagnosis. Its frustrating because you don’t know who to trust and what is going on..my fear is that these vets are overlooking her real problem just trying to make more money off me. They have this “VIP” program where you get free vet visits for a year…for 100.00…this program is a scam because everytime you go in there..they try to make more money off you and its really terrible.  I really hope that she’s doing ok from the trauma visit and her claws and that of course someone can take care of the constipation problem. The first vet said if the fiber didn’t help they could do an in house enema, but the 2^nd vet felt her and claimed her constipation was better..last week..which is weird….then talked about uti only after I mentioned it. But shes still having the same constipation symptoms….  Thanks all so much for the advice and support and its so sad that there are practices that do this….and bad vets or offices… I wish there were more decent humane honest vets out there who run their offices like a hospital and not a sales pitch…. And yes for those who have good vets you are so lucky seriously…it’s a blessing to have a good vet who you can trust, and trying to find one can be hard….I never thought about reporting them to the BBB but I will do that for sure now .. Thanks again for the advice !

You are so welcome! I know it's not easy after spending all of that money, but if you can, I would take her to another vet for a second opinion. Especially in regards to the meds they gave her /put her on.

Ask around for a good referral.  ......Heck, I'd join Angie's list, just to find a good one! 

Good luck  vibes for your little girl.  I hope she gets better soon!! 

Pease keep us posted.

(Oh, & if they gave her fiber, I would try to get her to drink as much water as possible)

If you do find a good vet I think it's also a good idea to leave a good review on those online review lists.  I don't belong to Angie's list but I have found two free online review lists and have left a good review for my vet on both of them.

Many people only do reviews when they have a bad experience which is fine but they tend not to bother when they find really good service.

 oh ok awesome thanks so much! this forum is so great for any pet or cat owner/parent and it's so great people help each other and also give info about potential hazards issues. Argh so its been such a trying ordeal...as it seems with any pet issue. I know ive been like a wreck for days and monitoring her and im glad she has been doing a ltitle better. She seemed to be doing good except yesterday she vomited the food she ate--soft food. Overall, she seemed to be doing a lot better and was beginning to act herself. What upset me is that this vet prescribed way too many meds...first he gave this torbugesic "without" my consent, then prescribed onsior and buprenex or whatever that one is and dermachlor. Honestly...I barely used the dermachlor as the cat wouldn't let me. I gave a few doses of buprenex and one of onsior then stopped. she was doing much better "without' the meds. Now shes doing ok except for the vomiting. I finally took her back to the vet today which was a different doctor, who usually can be ok but he was such a weird jerk today. It was hard to catch her and this office has been so bad and you wonder why I took her back....because I just wanted them to check her out and get it over with, and from now on im going to take her to a new vet. The vet was cold and callous with her-- he was VERY aggressive and rough and usually he isn't this way. He's younger and was acting immature and weird. he continuously GRABBED at her in any way and REALLY hard. to where she was squirming in discomfort and pain. he was horrible and it was hard watching it. if I asked him..what is this he'd begin GRABBING and pulling at it. he was so incompetent he didn't even check her claws? which could have been infected and I had to ask him to. then he was rough with her claws. Then, I noticed a small lump and I thought it was bone..he began PULLING at it really hard and squeezing it and said it was a cyst and to watch it. I mean he was treating her like she was a stuffed animal or worse it was horrible??? I couldn't bare to watch....he was almost aggressive and angry ( he has handled her before and some of my other cats and he wasn't this way. the vet tech stated that's where she received the torbugesic and a cyst may have developed...huh???? so they gave her this med without my consent....and now she may have a cyst there??? what are these sick people doing...im really worried overall now for her health. Her problems seemed to begin after she got her vaccines there....I mean it shouoldnt be from that but im so upset at all of this and these horrible people. I don't know why the vet was so careless and rough with her...she was squirming the way she was as if she was being tortured...ive seen vets examine animals and even the last one who saw her wasn't that bad. this whole experience has been beyond horrifying....horrible vet techs, rude careless mean cruel aggressive and bad vets too. I asked the vet tech....is it ok that he grabbed and pulled at the cyst??? she said well he went to med school and he has to see what it is, if it's serious etc....and I said he didn't even notice the cyst??? I mean...I had to mention to him..what is this lump...what kind of examination did he do? he claimed too she wasn't constipated now....though the initial x-rays showed 'constipation' and I fear what if these incompetent schmucks are overlooking some serious condition? what if she has a blockage? why would she be dehydrated? this vet claims to collect urine the other vet said not to collect it and tot ake from her bladder...which is true but...this place is just so bad. Im not taking any of my cats there ever again. I hope she is ok even after this terrible examination by this jerk and low life. Im so upset after all of this....its just so scary trying to find a good vet and the kind of people that are out there and how they can handle pets and treat them. this office of course has had many complaints too...yes praises but complaints of price gouging, incompetency etc...and neglect when handling animals. Previously too this doctor stated that if she stayed constipated she would need an enema....I don't get it.....what happened to that? her constipation I guess really wasn't there...? I hope she doesn't have something like megacolon. The other vet said he wanted to check out and potentially do x-rays again last week....why would "HE" say that btu this person is saying shes not constipated anymore. its so confusing and horrible. next week I will take her to another vet....its all such a travesty....now they want to check for UTI. again I had to mention UTI no one did initially....I assume these are careless and incompetent vets...and a practice...its just so horrible....

I don't know why people are aggressive and demanding with cats.  A cat in a vet office is already stressed and rough handling only adds to the stress.  They are the ones that will make the biggest deal out of it if the cat lashes out rather than just shutting down even more.

Angels mommy said:

You are so welcome! I know it's not easy after spending all of that money, but if you can, I would take her to another vet for a second opinion. Especially in regards to the meds they gave her /put her on.

Ask around for a good referral.  ......Heck, I'd join Angie's list, just to find a good one! 

Good luck 

vibes for your little girl.  I hope she gets better soon!! 

Pease keep us posted.

(Oh, & if they gave her fiber, I would try to get her to drink as much water as possible)

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It is so hard when you are going to a vet and you've started treatments with them, and then they're talking about more but it really does sound like you both need to go to another practice, and SOON. This all sounds so distressing for you both, and your little cat can't choose where she goes to, she is depending on you to get her the best care you can.  I really hope she starts to get better soon and you can find a caring vet that you have confidence in.  Let us know how it goes. I worry about your situation.

One of my cats had a sebaceous cyst at the root of her tail for a long time and I still remember one visit to the vet when it had got infected.  It looked SO painful (and going by the vet's care and concern - it was) but the vet had to examine it and then clear it out.  My baby was as good as gold and just sat there with her head resting on my hand but I couldn't watch and nearly feinted at one point I found it so traumatic. The vet nurse had to come in and help. They were so kind and gentle with my cat even though they had to press and pull and do horrible looking things to her, and they pampered and stroked her so much for being an amazingly good girl when it was all done. They were amazed they had been able to treat her without sedation or anything - which they would have done if she had got distressed. No vet should treat an animal unkindly or without compassion.

oh my gosh it sounds like the whole practice is channeling Memphis Animal Services!              

  

I am not sure which kind of restraint device they used.   If it was a catch pole that actually presses on the trachea , that was even worse than if it was the cat grabber / cat tongs .  but I don't think any of them are meant to be used to carry a cat by its neck with its weight unsupported while running for 3 blocks!  

If it were just that they flipped out over that incident of the cat escaping and said some not so nice things in anger  about having to come out to get the cat in the carrier,   that would be kind of understandable because I'm sure it was stressful for everyone involved.   But it sounds like being rude  is this guy's usual practice.  

Hope you find a much better vet hospital.  

and  I hope you get a good hard plastic carrier so you can avoid such a scary experience happening again!.    What about getting one of those that have a door in the top as well as the side?  As long as it is sturdy and closes securely and you are not shipping the cat via air cargo it should be fine.