Bad Experience

brie'anna · 05-12-2008, 12:54 PM

So on Sat, the 10th, I went with my next door neighbor to take her dog to go get spayed. So we got there and everything went well.Then when my neighbor called be to let me now whats going on, she told me that they found puss in the dog's uterus and that it looks like the dog was absorbing the pregnancy, then the Medical Center called my neighbor back to tell her that the dog needs to get blood work done, but my neighbor said she doesn't have the money, and they said that they already did, with out asking for permission. My gosh, that was a bad situation. So the bill would have costed $230.00, but she told them that they didn't ask permission and that she was not going to pay them and they said fine, so she only had to pay $120. They took advantage of my neighbor and it's illegal for not asking permission for anything.

P.S. the infection is not pyometra, its Puppy Vaginitis. It's common in puppies and its not serious!!!!!

BoxMeIn21 · 05-12-2008, 01:05 PM

If they didn't charge her for the bloodwork, then what is there to report?

brie'anna · 05-12-2008, 01:15 PM

For trying to take advantage of my neighbor and for not asking permission for the bloodwork, because its illegal for not asking permission...

BoxMeIn21 · 05-12-2008, 01:20 PM

True, but she didn't get charged for them not asking for permission.

It's not like they did surgery without permission - it was just bloodwork.

brie'anna · 05-12-2008, 01:30 PM

Yeah, but she was going to be charged 214.00 but they apparently didn't want to argue with her and the said fine they won't charge her, because they no they didn't ask her for permission. I think they just wanted to make more money because they thought could get away with it but they didn't!!!

BoxMeIn21 · 05-12-2008, 01:32 PM

Well that's pretty crappy if that's the case. Good on her for putting her foot down. I might be changing vets if that happened to me.

brie'anna · 05-12-2008, 01:38 PM

I know... just never go to ***clinic name removed, libelous***!!!! lol

applesmom · 05-12-2008, 01:38 PM

I seriously doubt that the vet was trying to take advantage of the client.

Does your neighbor understand that her dog had a potentially life threatening situation and the surgery the vet performed most likely saved her life? It isn't "illegal" for a vet to draw blood without asking permission in a potentially life threatening situation. In fact I can't imagine that it would be illegal for a vet to draw blood any time they consider it necessary to the health and recovery of the dog.

In the majority of circumstances a vet will provide an estimate of costs and treatment with the owner before hand. In this case it obviously wasn't possible. He didn't charge her for it, so why would she choose to report it?

She can report it to the state veterinary medical association if she wants to. Their response will be very polite and they'll take the time and effort to look into the situation thoroughly. But the odds are probably one in a million that they'll find any wrongdoing on the part of the vet.

brie'anna · 05-12-2008, 01:47 PM

It wasn't anything serious... we already know that she had an infection.. it's not dangerous.. in fact it's more common in puppies... this dog is about 8 months old... I am just mad that they didn't ask for permission, before... because she doesn't have the money to do that... just like with my cat.. we spent 800.00 on it and nothing was wrong.. but that's another story... but anyways... we're not going to report... because it's over with... and never again are they going to see us... ;D

applesmom · 05-12-2008, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brie'anna

I know... just never go to Animal Medical Center.. in Hesperia!!!! lol

It's good to know that she's dropped the idea of reporting the vet. Here's some information on what the vet was dealing with. It wasn't as simple as she might have assumed and proper follow up care is vital.

I suggest that you remove the name of the vet clinic from your post since posting these accusations in a public forum could come back to bite you.

Quote:

Here's a real nasty problem . . . pyometra. The term means pus in the uterus. Any time a veterinarian is presented with a dog or cat suffering from pyometra the condition is considered serious and immediate surgery is nearly always indicated. This pus formation in the uterus results from infection, hormone imbalance or mucous buildup inside the uterus. Most dogs and cats suffering from pyometra are presented because of loss of energy, increased thirst and poor appetite. Plus a good tip-off would be a foul smelling, purulent (means pus) vaginal discharge. Most of the cases of pyometra I've seen in dogs occurred about six weeks after the bitch's last heat cycle. They may not look it on the outside, but on the inside these dogs are really sick! If that swollen, enlarged uterus happens to rupture internally, the dog will rapidly go into endotoxic shock and whatever the veterinarian does may not be enough to save the dog.

http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/pyo.html

lucy10 · 05-12-2008, 02:57 PM

I don't think the Vet was trying to take advantage either. And it might not have turned out to be serious but you never know that in the beginning. Blood work was probably a good thing to do. It's just like you going to the Dr. if there is something wrong that could potentially be something more dangerous, you would pay for the blood work. And most Vets are understanding that if you can't pay in full they will work with you so you can pay in payments.

I agree you should take down the Vet's name!

Love's_Sophie · 05-12-2008, 03:12 PM

MOST spays, whether routine or not, involve the vet drawing blood; When ever I have a cat\dog spayed\neutered, I always have the blood work done, because you never know what you might actually catch early because of it...

I find it interesting that the surgery itself only costed 70$, especially for a pyo surgery...sounds like the owner just didn't want to pay for much of anything...because most vets will allow a person to pay in payments if necessary...so 'not being able to pay' really shouldn't have been a huge issue.

poodleholic · 05-12-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brie'anna

Yeah, but she was going to be charged 214.00 but they apparently didn't want to argue with her and the said fine they won't charge her, because they no they didn't ask her for permission. I think they just wanted to make more money because they thought could get away with it but they didn't!!!

The fact of the matter is, that this vet clinic did right by this dog, because it needed to be done given the dog's medical condition. I'm sure they asked BEFORE they started surgery, and she said no. Once they got in and discovered the pus, they went ahead and ran bloodwork, because it was medically advisable, and may well have been needed to save the dog's life.

I would never have one of my dogs undergo a surgical procedure without bloodwork being done first, and an IV in place - just in case. I realize some people are too cheap to authorize bloodwork or an IV prior to a spay or neuter. It doesn't cost that much more, and lessens the risks associated with surgical procedures.

DogsforMe · 05-13-2008, 08:59 AM

My vet gave me an estimate to have Tilba spayed at the end of the year. Including blood work, pain meds, a night in hospital, the op & pain meds to take home - $AU370.00 Things are a lot cheaper in America it seems.

reverend_maynard · 05-13-2008, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogsforMe

My vet gave me an estimate to have Tilba spayed at the end of the year. Including blood work, pain meds, a night in hospital, the op & pain meds to take home - $AU370.00 Things are a lot cheaper in America it seems.

They are cheaper if you care more about the cost than the dogs health and comfort. $70 US doesn't cover pre-op blood work, a night in the hospital, or take home meds probably, just the absolute minimum of anesthesia and the operation.

brie'anna · 05-13-2008, 09:54 PM

I just got more info from my neighbor. She called a week before and they quoted her $87 for the spay. When we got there they said it was $100. While my neighbor was filling out the paperwork I weighed the dog. She was 57 lbs. Then the tech tried telling her it would be a higher price because the dog weighed 67 lbs. We said we just weighed her and she was only 57lbs!!!

Then she asked about shots.... she had got a price the day before of $24 for the shots. When she asked again at the office they told her $38!

Also we don't know how much antibiotics cost... but my neighbor's friend is a vet tech and when she told her they were going to charge her $64 for antibiotics she was shocked and said she never heard of them costing that much...

So it just seemed they were trying to rip her off everytime she talked to them. Prices that should have been fixed were raised the next time she asked...

This is Jazzy!!

animalcraker · 05-13-2008, 10:27 PM

Ya know you get what you pay for. $70 is insanely cheap for a spay, especially for a dog that's over 50 pounds. At my work it would cost you about $210 for a dog under 25 pounds, and that only includes the surgery and pain meds, fliuds and blood work will cost you extra. If your neighbor doesn't like the way they do things then she is by no means obligated to use thier services.

Willowy · 05-13-2008, 10:53 PM

Sometimes things do come up and the vet clinic is entitled to charge for them. A pyo spay is a lot more work for the vet than a regular spay, and if he does it wrong the dog will die. So it's very good that the vet DID do the bloodwork and take the extra care to get all the infection out. $70 is a very good price for a large dog spay; I think my vet charges about $120, but it's been a long time since I had a dog spayed, so it might be more now.

If anything is out of the ordinary, it will cost more.....I took my cousin's kitty in to be neutered, but his testicles hadn't dropped so the vet had to go in after them. We were quoted $125 for a "normal" cryptorchid neuter, but the vet had to cut him in 3 places to find and remove both of the testicles, so it ended up costing $175 instead ($25 each for extra incisions). No problem, the vet did have to take the time to do the operation correctly, and I'm glad he did.....it's impossible to live with a tomcat

.

It's nice that the vet lowered the price in order to keep the customer. I don't think the vet did anything wrong, he only did what was necessary for the dog's health. I'm glad she's spayed now; if she was pregnant at 8 months that's a very bad situation. At least now she'll be safe and a lot healthier.

agility collie mom · 05-14-2008, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brie'anna

I just got more info from my neighbor. She called a week before and they quoted her $87 for the spay. When we got there they said it was $100. While my neighbor was filling out the paperwork I weighed the dog. She was 57 lbs. Then the tech tried telling her it would be a higher price because the dog weighed 67 lbs. We said we just weighed her and she was only 57lbs!!!

Who wrote down the weight of the dog on the paperwork? Could the 5 been mistaken for a 6 thus the confusion about the weight?

Then she asked about shots.... she had got a price the day before of $24 for the shots. When she asked again at the office they told her $38!

Why was she getting shots at eight months? If she had received all her puppy vaccines she would have been done by eight months.

Also we don't know how much antibiotics cost... but my neighbor's friend is a vet tech and when she told her they were going to charge her $64 for antibiotics she was shocked and said she never heard of them costing that much...

Some antibiotics are expensive. Baytril is very expensive.

So it just seemed they were trying to rip her off everytime she talked to them. Prices that should have been fixed were raised the next time she asked...

As far as her condition not being life threatening I beg to differ. If it is a closed pyo (not draining) the dog would definitely die. The vet did what he/she had to do to safely preform the spay and save the dog's life. As far as cost I wish that is all I had to pay. A spay for a dog of that size would cost $300.00 at my vet and that's without it being a pyo!

This is Jazzy!!

That being said... Glad all is well. Jazzy is a beauty!!

Bextastic · 05-14-2008, 08:06 AM

I think if the vet was willing to do more than asked to assure the dogs health, thats great. It isn't their fault they have to charge for bloodwork - often the results come from a lab that they don't own and they have to pay the lab for results. Even if it is their lab, thats time the tech spent analyzing samples.

I wish my vet had been that attentive when my cat was spayed. I took her back the next day because the area under the incision was swollen - they said it was nothing, just fluid build up. Ok. Day later, its bigger. I call them, they say not to worry. Every day it gets bigger, I call, I visit, they brush me off by glancing at it and saying its fine. Finally its bigger than an egg and dark red/purple. I march in and demand they do something. They say, again, that its just fluid, but they'll drain it so it looks better and I stop complaining. When they went to drain it, guess what? They discovered that her internal stitches had opened up and she now had a hernia. They had to do a whole new operation to put everything back inside her and give her steel stiches, sew up another layer they hadn't sewed before, re-do the external stitches, and watch her overnight. They felt horrible for not checking it closer when I complained before and didn't charge for any of it.