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- Dec 24, 2022
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Hello,
My cat passed away the day after Christmas. To learn more about the details and days leading up to it, here’s my post:Link here.
I finally sent the hospital and angry email today. What should I do next?Or is there even anything I can do? Need your opinions. I’ll copy and paste my email to them down below. Thank you!
To whom it may concern:
Just wanted to send a complaint that led to the death of my cat, Carter.
On Wednesday, December 21st, 2022, my cat started vomiting every 2-3 hours, acting lethargic, and not eating.
On Thursday, December 22, I brought my pet to _______ and my cat was seen by Dr. _____. I told the staff my concerns about my beloved pet and dropped him off for checkups. Dr. called me a few hours later and told me that they need to do some bloodwork, X-ray, and other tests to determine the cause of my cat not feeling well. She told me the cost estimates and I approved. Hours later, she called me again and found no foreign object causing an obstruction. I sighed in relief. They told me that my cat probably has pancreatitis and told me he can go home with some medications. I paid $1,191.03 that day.
When I took him home that night, he was still the same: not eating, lethargic, and throwing up even though I gave him the medicines that were prescribed. I was so worried that night.
On Friday, December 23, I called the office again to let them know that my cat was not improving. They told me to bring him in again so they could give him some IV fluids to make Carter feel better. I brought him in at around 10 AM and picked him up at 5 PMsince they were closing early that day. When I picked him up, I asked the staff: "What can I do if I don't see any improvements?" They replied: "We are pretty sure it's pancreatitis so if nothing improves, you can bring him to an ER vet to be looked at over the weekend since we will be closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas." I paid $79 that day for fluids.
That night, Carter looked awful and still wouldn't eat + throwing up still. I didn't even sleep that night because I kept checking if he was still breathing and alive.
On Saturday, December 24, which is Christmas Eve, I took him to an ER vet early in the morning. I told them that Carter's regular vet diagnosed him with pancreatitis, and he was still not showing any improvement. and they told me: "And they let him home with pancreatitis?" I said yes. Since _____ told me that he has pancreatitis, that's what I told the ER vet and the treatment plan that they told me was: Carter must stay at the ER vet until Monday morningfor 24/7 supervision where they'll be giving him IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain medications. I agreed because I want my cat to feel better even though he will not be with his family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I paid $1,271 that day.
I called the ER vet multiple times a day over that weekend because I was so anxious for my cats. My family didn't even celebrate Christmas because we wanted to wait for Carter to be home again. However, he was not showing any signs of improvement.
On Monday, December 25 I picked him up at the ER vet at 7 in the morning because they were closing at 8 AM. When I got there, they were really concerned about Carter because he wasn’t showing any signs of improvement with all the medications and IV fluids that they gave. They double-checked with me if his regular vet did not see anything, and I told them that they didn’t find anything. When I finally got him back, he was in such an awful state. He had mucus on his mouth and nose, and he started to make sounds when he breathes. It was an awful sight to see of my companion.
The ER vet told me to go back to his regular vet because he still needs some care. I called _____ immediately and told me to come and bring him to be seen. When we got there and saw the state of my cat, they then told me to just bring him to a 24/7 ER so he could be supervised. They COULD HAVE told me that on the phone when I called them and now it seems like all my cat and I do is go back and forth to different hospitals. I was stressed out and my cat was stressed out for being in car rides and being seen by multiple strangers. I remained composed and went to a 24/7 hospital near me.
I found a 24/7 ER vet called ___\. When Carter was seen, the vet said that she’s afraid that Carter might not make it. She was afraid that he has now aspiration pneumonia from all the vomiting that has been happening over the past few days. They explained me a treatment plan where they would do an ultrasound, remove all the fluids from his lungs and stomach, and see what else they could do. I was desperate. So, I told them: “Try anything that you can.” I paid $3,001 that morning.
They told me to go home for the time being and that they would call me back once the tests and fluid removal are done.
Around lunchtime, I got a call that they DID find a foreign object in his intestines that was causing an obstruction. Because of that, Carter also has aspiration pneumonia now from all the acid from his stomach coming out of his mouth. I was in disbelief because Carter wouldn’t have had to go through all that over the weekend if Dr. ___ had just seen the problem. But now, in order for Carter to survive, he would have to get surgery to remove the foreign object, be in an incubator/ventilation for a few days for his lungs, and stay at the hospital for 3-4 days. With that treatment plan, it would’ve cost me $20,000 and an additional $20,000 again if they need to do something with his lungs. I had no choice but to put him down. I brought all my family members and my other cat to say goodbye. I was there holding his paws until his very last breath.
My cat wouldn’t have had to go through all that if:
What’s next:
I have attached the summary visit from ______ on Dec. 22, 2022 and the findings from ______ on Dec. 26, 2022.”
My cat passed away the day after Christmas. To learn more about the details and days leading up to it, here’s my post:Link here.
I finally sent the hospital and angry email today. What should I do next?Or is there even anything I can do? Need your opinions. I’ll copy and paste my email to them down below. Thank you!
To whom it may concern:
Just wanted to send a complaint that led to the death of my cat, Carter.
On Wednesday, December 21st, 2022, my cat started vomiting every 2-3 hours, acting lethargic, and not eating.
On Thursday, December 22, I brought my pet to _______ and my cat was seen by Dr. _____. I told the staff my concerns about my beloved pet and dropped him off for checkups. Dr. called me a few hours later and told me that they need to do some bloodwork, X-ray, and other tests to determine the cause of my cat not feeling well. She told me the cost estimates and I approved. Hours later, she called me again and found no foreign object causing an obstruction. I sighed in relief. They told me that my cat probably has pancreatitis and told me he can go home with some medications. I paid $1,191.03 that day.
When I took him home that night, he was still the same: not eating, lethargic, and throwing up even though I gave him the medicines that were prescribed. I was so worried that night.
On Friday, December 23, I called the office again to let them know that my cat was not improving. They told me to bring him in again so they could give him some IV fluids to make Carter feel better. I brought him in at around 10 AM and picked him up at 5 PMsince they were closing early that day. When I picked him up, I asked the staff: "What can I do if I don't see any improvements?" They replied: "We are pretty sure it's pancreatitis so if nothing improves, you can bring him to an ER vet to be looked at over the weekend since we will be closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas." I paid $79 that day for fluids.
That night, Carter looked awful and still wouldn't eat + throwing up still. I didn't even sleep that night because I kept checking if he was still breathing and alive.
On Saturday, December 24, which is Christmas Eve, I took him to an ER vet early in the morning. I told them that Carter's regular vet diagnosed him with pancreatitis, and he was still not showing any improvement. and they told me: "And they let him home with pancreatitis?" I said yes. Since _____ told me that he has pancreatitis, that's what I told the ER vet and the treatment plan that they told me was: Carter must stay at the ER vet until Monday morningfor 24/7 supervision where they'll be giving him IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain medications. I agreed because I want my cat to feel better even though he will not be with his family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I paid $1,271 that day.
I called the ER vet multiple times a day over that weekend because I was so anxious for my cats. My family didn't even celebrate Christmas because we wanted to wait for Carter to be home again. However, he was not showing any signs of improvement.
On Monday, December 25 I picked him up at the ER vet at 7 in the morning because they were closing at 8 AM. When I got there, they were really concerned about Carter because he wasn’t showing any signs of improvement with all the medications and IV fluids that they gave. They double-checked with me if his regular vet did not see anything, and I told them that they didn’t find anything. When I finally got him back, he was in such an awful state. He had mucus on his mouth and nose, and he started to make sounds when he breathes. It was an awful sight to see of my companion.
The ER vet told me to go back to his regular vet because he still needs some care. I called _____ immediately and told me to come and bring him to be seen. When we got there and saw the state of my cat, they then told me to just bring him to a 24/7 ER so he could be supervised. They COULD HAVE told me that on the phone when I called them and now it seems like all my cat and I do is go back and forth to different hospitals. I was stressed out and my cat was stressed out for being in car rides and being seen by multiple strangers. I remained composed and went to a 24/7 hospital near me.
I found a 24/7 ER vet called ___\. When Carter was seen, the vet said that she’s afraid that Carter might not make it. She was afraid that he has now aspiration pneumonia from all the vomiting that has been happening over the past few days. They explained me a treatment plan where they would do an ultrasound, remove all the fluids from his lungs and stomach, and see what else they could do. I was desperate. So, I told them: “Try anything that you can.” I paid $3,001 that morning.
They told me to go home for the time being and that they would call me back once the tests and fluid removal are done.
Around lunchtime, I got a call that they DID find a foreign object in his intestines that was causing an obstruction. Because of that, Carter also has aspiration pneumonia now from all the acid from his stomach coming out of his mouth. I was in disbelief because Carter wouldn’t have had to go through all that over the weekend if Dr. ___ had just seen the problem. But now, in order for Carter to survive, he would have to get surgery to remove the foreign object, be in an incubator/ventilation for a few days for his lungs, and stay at the hospital for 3-4 days. With that treatment plan, it would’ve cost me $20,000 and an additional $20,000 again if they need to do something with his lungs. I had no choice but to put him down. I brought all my family members and my other cat to say goodbye. I was there holding his paws until his very last breath.
My cat wouldn’t have had to go through all that if:
- _____ did her work properly and now this is a case of negligence and malpractice.
- _______ hospital didn’t disregard my worries and just said “oh we’re pretty sure it’s just pancreatitis”
What’s next:
- I am planning to take this to the board and write a complaint.
- I am also planning to take this public and share it with media companies as I do work in PR with many connections in media
I have attached the summary visit from ______ on Dec. 22, 2022 and the findings from ______ on Dec. 26, 2022.”
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Very sorry for your awful experience. Sadly this is very common today ... 
