This is a story about a dog, not a cat. It wasn't even our dog. But what happened to her upset me so much I had to vent somewhere, so here I am.
We rescue and care for special needs kitties. We've dealt with blind cats, FIV, FELV, stress cases, and amputees. There are only two of us, we are private and we do this out of our own pockets, so we don't usually take on any pets other than cats.
But a month ago we were contacted as a last resort by a vet tech who was trying to help a disabled man who'd been turned away by the practice she worked at and every other vet within twenty miles. This man's dog was extremely ill. Lethargic, whimpering, vomiting, and not eating or drinking.
He brought her in to see the vet who had cared for her for the past five years. After spending $500 on bloodwork, x-rays, and the exam, he was told that his dog needed to be hospitalized for observation and more tests - they gave him an estimate of $1200, or the option of euthanizing her for $350...
He was told that either way, he needed to pay in full up front.
This man is severely disabled - he has one leg and diabetic ulcers on the other - and lives on less than $700 a month. Oh, he also gets $15 a month in food vouchers. He had a longstanding relationship with this vet and ZERO outstanding bills with them, but they refused to offer him a payment plan. Their excuse was that they had changed their policy and no longer offered credit.
Every other vet he tried told him they wanted payment up front as well, although a few stated that if he had been their customer for five years they would have tried to arrange a payment plan. Finally, he tried the vet that we use - who also turned him away because he was "not an established account" - but the vet tech remembered that we were always helping unwanted cats, and called to ask if we would try to help this dog.
Of course, we did. Oh, and even though we HAD (as in "we're out of here") a long standing relationship with this vet's office, they still refused to see her on OUR account until we put down $500 cash up front. So much for being a loyal - and lucrative, customer.
Sadly, the dog was in terrible shape and vomiting up blood that looked like coffee grounds by the time she was seen. Turns out she had been poisoned and had internal bleeding. She died that day. The vet actually commented that it was "too bad" that she had not gotten in sooner because she might have lived.
We've done A LOT of business with vets over the years. Even though we're a small rescue we probably average 50 pet visits a year. We've never seen this sort of attitude before, but I have noticed a lot of the vets we used to see have moved on, and most of the practices seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Our old vets drove pick ups, the new ones at this place all have BMWs and Mercedes...
Sorry to rant, but we're still disgusted and in shock. When did it become all about the money?
We rescue and care for special needs kitties. We've dealt with blind cats, FIV, FELV, stress cases, and amputees. There are only two of us, we are private and we do this out of our own pockets, so we don't usually take on any pets other than cats.
But a month ago we were contacted as a last resort by a vet tech who was trying to help a disabled man who'd been turned away by the practice she worked at and every other vet within twenty miles. This man's dog was extremely ill. Lethargic, whimpering, vomiting, and not eating or drinking.
He brought her in to see the vet who had cared for her for the past five years. After spending $500 on bloodwork, x-rays, and the exam, he was told that his dog needed to be hospitalized for observation and more tests - they gave him an estimate of $1200, or the option of euthanizing her for $350...
He was told that either way, he needed to pay in full up front.
This man is severely disabled - he has one leg and diabetic ulcers on the other - and lives on less than $700 a month. Oh, he also gets $15 a month in food vouchers. He had a longstanding relationship with this vet and ZERO outstanding bills with them, but they refused to offer him a payment plan. Their excuse was that they had changed their policy and no longer offered credit.
Every other vet he tried told him they wanted payment up front as well, although a few stated that if he had been their customer for five years they would have tried to arrange a payment plan. Finally, he tried the vet that we use - who also turned him away because he was "not an established account" - but the vet tech remembered that we were always helping unwanted cats, and called to ask if we would try to help this dog.
Of course, we did. Oh, and even though we HAD (as in "we're out of here") a long standing relationship with this vet's office, they still refused to see her on OUR account until we put down $500 cash up front. So much for being a loyal - and lucrative, customer.
Sadly, the dog was in terrible shape and vomiting up blood that looked like coffee grounds by the time she was seen. Turns out she had been poisoned and had internal bleeding. She died that day. The vet actually commented that it was "too bad" that she had not gotten in sooner because she might have lived.
We've done A LOT of business with vets over the years. Even though we're a small rescue we probably average 50 pet visits a year. We've never seen this sort of attitude before, but I have noticed a lot of the vets we used to see have moved on, and most of the practices seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Our old vets drove pick ups, the new ones at this place all have BMWs and Mercedes...
Sorry to rant, but we're still disgusted and in shock. When did it become all about the money?
She loved it, but it was time for a new car. She got a subaru. But yes the average vet does struggle financially. My dad is a semi-retired vet and he has a 1995 Dodge Truck that he drives. He also has a Jeep Cherokee, but no new cars for him for a really long time.
