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

1. MAN am I glad your cat is OK.... (He is isn't he?)

I am a cat lover and on first reading this I was sick to my stomach how it might end....

2. SUE SUE SUE

Take them for every penny you can get away with and make sure you let EVERYONE know exactly what happened...

See if you can get the "goon" to come here; I would LOVE!!!! to have a talk with him.....

Semper

reply to post by Ceara


Wow...a vet recommended killing those puppies instead of hand feeding? That is messed up.

And I know how much work that can be! Years ago I took in five 2 day old doberman puppies (their mom died during delivery, the owner did not want to deal with the pups and gave them to rescue) and I went through that. Getting up every 4 hours around the clock to heat up formula..bottle and tube feed them, "potty" them etc... One of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

reply to post by semperfortis


I think the kid was a little shocked when I bounced back the USMC badge.

And no, the cat is not okay yet. He is extremely depressed they said, (but was happy during and a little after my visit today) and they only know that they will be able to cure the bug by friday. They won't know more about the throat until the scope tomorrow.

And now he's not eating. Probably cause his throat hurts.

I got him at a pet store, because he had a hernia, and the owner said that thee litters had come and gone since he got there. Just two years old, and EXTREMELY smart. And to think I'm a dog guy.

But barring an object in his throat, can I actually sue here? I can't protest, as I have a high profile job, and might embarrass my company. It's in my contract.

reply to post by Sonya610


I raised my Pebbles like that... She was also abandoned...


The experience was second only to raising my daughters....

(And Pebbles still has not told me to "Shut Up".. )

Semper

reply to post by jasonjnelson


The fecal matter that was constantly leaving him? Oh I thought he just relieved himself once. Yeah it is pretty obvious if there is hard core diarrhea that it might be something of an intestinal nature.

Do they know of something is lodged in his throat? Surely they have figured that out by now.

Edit -- Regarding sueing. There are a lot of bad vets out there, I really doubt if you could sue unless they did something that actually caused major injury or death (i.e. drug overdose, injury, etc...) If there is a device in his throat have yoru vet take an x-ray picture and make a statement about it. That is probably something you could sue for, that is gross negligence.

Also if your cat is depressed he may not eat. A lot of them really hate being at a vet clinic, it stresses them out badly. Often the only reason to have them there is for fluids, and as stated before you can give those yourself at home (its an iv bag but instead of a constant drip you just give them some fluid under the skin once or twice a day, takes all of 5 minutes to do). If you want instructions on it let me know.

You can also assist feed at home (giant syringe with liquified cat food, often just squirting it in their mouth will get nutrition into them).


[edit on 10-7-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Sonya610


They know somethings there, but can't see what it is yet. They are feeding him through tubes though... it's really sad and cute at the same time to see a cat like that...

When they brought the thug and threatened to kill your cat, at that point I would have excused myself, and gone outside to call the police.

I agree with a couple other posters about fluids - having a vet teach you how to do subcutaneous fluid injections is a valuable skill as a pet owner, as well as the basic dehydration test.. I had a stray I rescued a few years ago that had leukaemia, ended up dying, which was very sad..

I've had a bad experience with emergency vets, too.. One of the cats I still have got injured a couple years ago.. either something "fell" on her eye, or my ex hit/kicked her.. (pretty sure it was the latter, but I can't prove it).. Because when I found her bleeding from the eye it was about 9pm, I had to take her to the emergency vet too.. They wanted to remove the eye (not really necessary, though she is blind in that eye now, it doesn't bother her at all).. I was quite freaked out and basically said that I wouldn't approve that, and that I'd take her to her regular vet the next day.. All they ended up giving me was I think some drops, and a collar.. I don't think they really did any tests, maybe an xray at most.. $250 for almost no treatment at all.. would have been thousands if I'd approved the eye (Along with the hospital stay necessary)..

I would recommend to every pet owner that you know how to take care of your pet's basic medical issues, and what things to monitor - especially things like minor wounds, how to check for broken bones, dehydration, how to force feed an animal or give it pills if necessary. My cats are both happy and healthy, and having that knowledge can save you a lot of heartache and cash. I nursed her back to health after her injury, and I have to say that I think that this was far better for her emotionally and psychologically.. The last thing an injured or sick pet wants is to be away from their owner...

Oh My God! As a pet owner I find this horrifying. If I were you I would contact all local news stations- get them to do an undercover. Or have someone else bring in a healthy animal and get the whole thing on undercover video- post it on youtube- use names!

Vets are pretty much trained like medical doctors... to push expensive meds and treatments and make as much money as possible.

My cat was diagnosed two years ago with the beginning stages of kidney failure (due to years of eating supermarket cat food). They basically told me that there was nothing I could do but put her on a low-protein food and the disease would eventually kill her.

Well I did my own research and decided to treat her with homeopathic medication. She's now on organic catfood and I put a few drops of dandelion root in her food each morning. It has halted the progression of the disease and she's a very healthy cat. When I tell vets how I stopped her kidney disease, they look at me like I just landed from Mars.

I hope your kitty is ok and you need to sue those bastards. And make sure you post your story all over the internet so other people know about them. Just make sure what you say is legal and they can't sue you for it.

reply to post by jasonjnelson


You can absolutely sue...

Regardless of the profession; there is an expectation of service from each and every industry... When that expectation is not met, and I am referring to GROSSLY not met, you have excellent grounds for litigation.

Remember, you don't have to go after a million dollars, just recoup your money. The result will most likely be more and more people stepping up that have been treated similarly by the same organization. They deserve justice as well and may not have the where-with-all that you do to recognize a scam...

Keep us posted...

Semper

reply to post by annestacey


Thats the crossroads that I'm at right now. What am I allowed to sue for? Does this action on their part constitute legal action?

Am I even allowed to say their name? I don't want to get ATS in trouble...

Did you guys ever get to see that video that was made in Canada by the CBC??

www.cbc.ca...

You may or may not be surprised at the vet conference video where the guy talks about getting more "action" out of customers' wallets.

Everyone with pets should watch this video.

reply to post by semperfortis


So am I better off going to small claims, or trying to get a real lawyer. Then I have to sue for those fees as well, right?

reply to post by jasonjnelson


im no lawyer but i would keep quiet on name until its over.

you have grounds to sue. emotinal distress and money loss..

contact the fbi immediately

do not pass go do not collect 200

contact the feds immediately

jasonj: I am so sorry to hear about your poor kitty and your horrible experience. I hope you get it sorted and that vet gets what's coming to him. Sadly, vets seem much more like racketeers today than healers. A family member back in SC was telling me how vets in the area give patients a choice: approve hundreds of dollars of preliminary bloodwork and an overnight stay before they even see your pet or decline the bloodwork and stay which absolves the vet of any guilt if your pet dies as a result of their care.

Where I am they try to push the same thing on you at most offices, besides just being overpriced. Most of the offices I called wanted $300 and up to neuter a rabbit. But the farther away from the city you go the better the prices get.

@DaleGribble: I used to have a lab as well and he loved fruit! His favorites were cantaloupe and oranges. He also was known to eat a carrot or two.

reply to post by damagemouse


Why would one go about contacting the FBI for this?

Just curious?

Even I don't believe this to be terrorist motivated.

reply to post by jasonjnelson


Do some research online regarding how to sue. Honestly if you cause them grief they will probably give you your money back just so you will go away.

Search for veterinary malpractice law etc... Getting a laywer to do this would probably be very very difficult. But maybe you can find info on how to intimidate this vet office into refunding your money.

Here is his first photo, thanks for the support.

I am now waiting until I hear more before I begin my legal moves. This, to me, is simply extortion and malpractice.

reply to post by jasonjnelson


I think one of your biggest issues here is that pets are property. You won't get much if you win and an attorney might be hard to come by.

You may do better by first and foremost, contact the Board that Licenses the Vet and file a detailed complaint along with a statement by the other Vet. That would do real damage.


[edit on 7/10/2008 by Blaine91555]