My Vet Has Hired "Thugs"; Shakes down pet owners...

reply to post by DaleGribble


With the cat? An intestinal virus. Easily detected in a stool sample test. (fecal matter test)

Also the second cheapest test. (temp. being the cheapest)

reply to post by jasonjnelson


thanks for the info i was just curious.

akc insurance is really cheap and id be willing to bet you could find a 24hour vet that would take it. hopefully you will never need it again.

it sounds to me like they were just trying to get over on you.

best of luck...

reply to post by DaleGribble


Again, if I did not mention it, they have a 50 mile long monopoly on the issue.

I wish that I had an option, and yes, I will be getting pet insurance....

I can't offer any legal advice but just wanted to say I can understand how you feel.

Many years ago I went to a new vet that had opened up nearer to my home than my regular vet, so to cut a long story short, he turned out to be an unqualified drunk and in the process of spaying my kitten almost killed her. It was 3 days before she shook off the anaesthetic and the operation site looked like it had been done with a pair of blunt scissors.
I seriously thought about killing him at the time, and litigation was almost unheard of then. He was closed down shortly after.

I have currently got my little dog and both my rats having veterinary treatment, I've spent 2 months income on them but luckily I have a great vet that has been kind to me with the fees as the animals come before money with him

I'm glad your regular vet is a good one.

I can't believe they could be so low as to use your cat as hostage, I would have been terrified for it's life!

I really feel for you, that was disgusting treatment and they should be closed down, sue the arse off them!

reply to post by jasonjnelson


you may have mentioned that but i may have missed it.

sounds like that vet needs to be made an example of.

i rarely get mad but your story has pi$$ed me off quite well.

a little compassion once in a while never hurt anyone...

reply to post by A curious cat


i knew a vet in beaufort Sc that was busted for taking doggie drugs..

i swear its a true story

just goes to show you the lack of faith you can put into some people...

Jason,

Best of luck for your cat, I hope he comes through. I thought I was the only one with a cat that fetched. Weird animals. Anyway....

This sickens me. If it had been me, I most likely would have lost my cool and gotten in trouble. They put you and your cat through all that crap just to make a few bucks. What greed causes people to do sometimes amazes me. Good luck in suing that vet for all he's worth.

one thing i do for my dog that i dont see or hear of many people doing is feeding your pets fruit.

i bring it up cause my lab and i are eating a pineapple right now. it just as good for them as it is us. its the only "people" food he gets.

he will also eat a whole apple. which is quite amussing to watch i might add..

reply to post by TheLoony


Thanks. I just got off the phone with my vet. I crap you not, they thin there is a foreign body lodged in his throat. They actually think it is of medical origin. Like it came from the other vet.

I am so sad and angry right now.

I am so glad the vet is sort of on my side, as much as she can be anyways...

reply to post by DaleGribble


Dale, earlier tonight, I had my lab/golden x pup out for some retrieval fun and off-leash training. I wanted to check out the strawberry patch to see if they were ready yet. I found a nice big juicy strawberry, and instead of me eating it first, I gave it to her. She loved it. She always liked strawberries but only had them frozen, never fresh, until today. After she savored that strawberry, she went nosing into the plants for more. hehehe

Pineapple is great too. But never, ever grapes or raisins. My pup loves apples too, and raw eggs. She roo roos at me if I'm cracking eggs and not giving her one. She thinks she's entitled to an egg every time she sees one.

jasonjnelson - OMG I hope your cat will be OK.

Did the vet give you any medical terms? How can an object enter the throat from the other end? I'm confused.

reply to post by Ceara


The diarrhea is because of the virus. The object is from the other vet, inserted in his esophagus.

They were setting him up to return. Again and again.


Actually, this is assumption. It's just that this object wasn't in their original x-rays. Now it's there? something isn't right here... They are going to use a scope tomorrow to see...



[edit on 9-7-2008 by jasonjnelson]

OMG what a horrible situation. My empathy is kicking into high gear tonight.

I hope they have your cat on some fluids if he's not eating/drinking due to the esophageal object. The runs will kill an animal faster than most other things, which is why Parvo is so dangerous for dogs for example.

Take in a worn article of clothing like a t-shirt or something that has your scent. It will comfort kitty during this difficult time. See if they can clean his bum. That will also help.

reply to post by jasonjnelson


Oh my word! I feel so bad for you and kitty! These are evil people!

I'm sending the most positive vibes I can, good good good luck.

That is a rip-off, for sure. I used to live in Lompoc. which isnt the same as Santa Barbara, but it is not that far from SB. My dog was in a vet's care for several days with IV and all, and it did not cost me half that much. When you talk to a lawyer, get the scoop on slander. I think that if what you say about the visit is a true accounting, they cant sue you for slander when you tell everyone you know about this clinic's shady practices. I got the impression you were concerned about that.
I hope your cat gets better.

Thanks for the support everyone. I know this may sound weird to most, but when you have a connection to a pet, and you don't have much else...

Anyway, now I have to wait till tomorrow. My vet said she is going to look up this thread tonight, so it's good that it made the front page. maybe she will make an anonymous post? ( )

reply to post by raven bombshell


Yeah, and my current vet said we can work something out as well.

Has this happened to anyone else? has anyone ever heard of euthanizing being an option for treatment of a very treatable animal?

Originally posted by jasonjnelson
Thanks for the support everyone. I know this may sound weird to most, but when you have a connection to a pet, and you don't have much else...

i know the felling just me and Jeb stuart here.

a friend was watching him for me a while back when i had to go out of town for work. he went missing for 6 days. i felt like my world had came to an end.

A possible medical instrument lodged in her throat? Sheesh have them x-ray it. Now THAT would make for a malpractice case (the other stuff wouldn't) and yes they do have insurance just becareful what you sign.

Usually a trip to the emergency vet is a minimum of $400 even if they don't find anything. But your case was very very extreme. I have heard others say that not releasing your animal maybe illegal even if you can't pay the bill. Not sure about though.

Whenever there is a weird problem it is always best to start off SIMPLE. Basic blood work first, then a fecal, etc.. (90% of the time its going to be one of the basic things, though many vets like to start off with fancy tests).

If your cat needs fluids I hope you can get the vet to teach you how to give them yourself. Fluids make a HUGE difference when cats are very ill especially with an intestinal thing. Its actually pretty easy to give them at home, a lot cheaper and a lot less stressful on the cat.

has anyone ever heard of euthanizing being an option for treatment of a very treatable animal?

Not with a cat no. With a dog, yes. Or in my case, puppies.

I adopted a dog that was removed from her old home in November of last year. She was tied to a tree outside on a 4 ft chain and barely fed. On top of all that she was pregnant. I took her to the vet before she gave birth and then right after because there were complications. We had her 8 days before she gave birth to 10 pups.

The mom was sooo malnourished that she weighed only 46 pounds after giving birth, when 65 would have been a normal healthy weight for a dog her type and size. She was breathing extremely heavy, almost heaving. A few times she seemed to stop breathing which freaked me out.

We went to the vet and I assisted him when he drew blood for a test. She was extremely anemic.

The vet wanted to put half the litter to sleep for no good reason. He was concerned for the bitch but I was concerned for them all. The pups were healthy. I looked at the 10 pups while he was out of the room and there was no way I could decide who should live and who should die. Who was I to judge that? I didn't feel myself or anyone else qualified for that job.

I told the vet no, not going to put half the litter to sleep, and that I would feed them. And feed them I did. Bottle fed, hand fed mushy food when they were weaning and the whole bit. They still nursed on mom but she had no where near the load to deal with and her body did recover quickly. She shed her entire coat and grew in a totally new one and is a very beautiful Golden.

All puppies (except for the one we kept) were found homes via a registered charity specialty dog rescue. All were healthy. Most went to families with kids. I sacrificed 9 weeks of my life, living with those pups 24/7 and always slept near their whelping pen.

There was no reason to kill healthy pups. I put my foot down and everything worked out just fine. Minus the damaged wood in the house after 10 pups decided to go chew crazy.

Later on when I took both my dogs in for their shots and checkups, I had fun telling him the story, basically "I told you so."

reply to post by Sonya610


The cat is staying at my own vets right now, so he is on I.V.

And they never actually did the fecal test. They tested his blood many times, but not in 15 hours did they check the fecal matter that was constantly leaving him.

Like I said. They even brought out a thug to menace me into paying. Offered me death as an optional treatment. Seriously?