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'Zactly.
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Anyone Feel They Got Taken By A Vet?
- Thread starter PetParent1
- Start Date
Our Vet charges an initial $50.00 office fee for the first pet and $35.00 for each additional pet. We have four.
We've started going to Tractor Supply PetVet Clinic. It's available every Sunday at 1 pm. No appt , no office fee , Licensed Veterinarian on duty. Vax, heartworm test,bloodwork,exam etc...
Of course our regular vet would still be needed for surgery such as dentals & spay/neuter.
We've started going to Tractor Supply PetVet Clinic. It's available every Sunday at 1 pm. No appt , no office fee , Licensed Veterinarian on duty. Vax, heartworm test,bloodwork,exam etc...
Of course our regular vet would still be needed for surgery such as dentals & spay/neuter.
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I think it's hard for vets. They have a wide spectrum of clients with various incomes, but even then, most people want to save money if possible. Maybe the vets just get used to that idea as the common denominator.
I know when I wanted to specifically test for FHV-1 in my kitten so that I'd know for sure what I was dealing with, one vet felt it was a wasted test, as most (shelter/rescue) cats have been exposed to FHV-1 anyway. It's almost a given. I really wanted to know for certain, though, so I went to a different vet to get the test. It was definitive for FHV-1 but thankfully negative for all the other upper respiratory diseases. And yet here I am using that same vet clinic (that 2nd one), and now I find out that one of their main vets feels that dental cleanings aren't needed each year, like a lot of other vets "enforce". I think my cat's teeth are 'going in the wrong direction', since she won't allow me to brush them... so I need to think about if I want to wait a year for a dental cleaning or seek another opinion.
You just have to make your own decisions, know your cat's habits and health signs, and be a good advocate for your cat.
I used to take cats to a husband/wife vet practice where both vets knew they had bad teeth, but did not even bring up dental work. My current vet told me one cat, who had CRF at the time, should have had all of her molars removed years earlier and he would be willing to do it if necessary.
I always get the blood work done, once a year because the cat can't talk to tell us if they are sick and we have no other way of knowing when things are just starting up. But blood work doesn't tell everything either. The rest is on the part of the cat parent to keep a diligent watch out for changes. It's sometimes a tough call as to what's going on.
For Timmer's ultrasound -- there are only two clinics in the Cleveland Ohio area that do those so I had to take him to the VSA (I think that's what it is called) clinic. I'm just sad that after all my boy went through he passed. Still so very sad. But that's another thread for another day.
For Timmer's ultrasound -- there are only two clinics in the Cleveland Ohio area that do those so I had to take him to the VSA (I think that's what it is called) clinic. I'm just sad that after all my boy went through he passed. Still so very sad. But that's another thread for another day.
What? Only two ultrasound vets in one of Ohio's largest counties? How far did you drive to find one? I can name several cities in/around Cuyahoga county, but don't know the distances between them.
Yes, it is very sad, and I recommend starting a thread about Timmer's passing.
Yes, it is very sad, and I recommend starting a thread about Timmer's passing.
I'm really lucky with my current vet. She does a good job of clarifying what each charge on the bill is for, and every diagnosis she has made has been fully supported by evidence. I'm confident that she has always billed me accurately and all medical care she has done was warranted.
I did have one incident with a previous vet that I do think was pretty shady. It was when I first got Maisie, and the vet wanted to space out his shots two weeks apart, so he got an exam and FVRCP and then was supposed to come back for a rabies shot. I specifically asked what the cost of the second visit would be, and was told it would be $15 because the only thing he needed was the rabies shot.
When they actually billed me for the second visit, they charged me $90 instead of the $15 they had quoted. I assumed it was a mistake because they had charged me for a second annual exam. I pointed out that he had already had his annual exam two weeks prior and nothing had changed, and that a vet hadn't actually done an exam at any point during the second visit anyway, so the bill was for a service that not only hadn't been authorized by me but hadn't even been provided. Instead of correcting the error, the receptionist and then the vet too insisted that the vet tech verbally asking me "Is he still in good general health?" and "Did he have any reaction to the previous vaccine?" constituted an examination and would be billed at full price.
I absolutely refused to pay the bill for a service not rendered, they threatened to call the cops, I said I thought that was actually a great idea and started dialing the number for police non-emergency. When they realized that I was calling their bluff, they suddenly realized they "made an error" and "recalculated" the bill back to $15, which I had no issue with paying because Maisie did get the shot. I never went back to that practice, obviously.
There are going to be people out to make a buck in any profession. I think most vets are honest, but there are always going to be bad apples unfortunately.
I did have one incident with a previous vet that I do think was pretty shady. It was when I first got Maisie, and the vet wanted to space out his shots two weeks apart, so he got an exam and FVRCP and then was supposed to come back for a rabies shot. I specifically asked what the cost of the second visit would be, and was told it would be $15 because the only thing he needed was the rabies shot.
When they actually billed me for the second visit, they charged me $90 instead of the $15 they had quoted. I assumed it was a mistake because they had charged me for a second annual exam. I pointed out that he had already had his annual exam two weeks prior and nothing had changed, and that a vet hadn't actually done an exam at any point during the second visit anyway, so the bill was for a service that not only hadn't been authorized by me but hadn't even been provided. Instead of correcting the error, the receptionist and then the vet too insisted that the vet tech verbally asking me "Is he still in good general health?" and "Did he have any reaction to the previous vaccine?" constituted an examination and would be billed at full price.
I absolutely refused to pay the bill for a service not rendered, they threatened to call the cops, I said I thought that was actually a great idea and started dialing the number for police non-emergency. When they realized that I was calling their bluff, they suddenly realized they "made an error" and "recalculated" the bill back to $15, which I had no issue with paying because Maisie did get the shot. I never went back to that practice, obviously.
There are going to be people out to make a buck in any profession. I think most vets are honest, but there are always going to be bad apples unfortunately.
Yes, I think I got taken by two vets. One was an emergency vet who kept my cat overnight for vomiting and looking lethargic and dehydrated. I had planned to leave her there because I thought she was seriously ill and didn't want her to die on me. The ER vet wasn't going to give me a choice, telling me, "Well, I'm keeping her anyway." I picked my cat up the next day and they had left her in her carrier overnight after she had diarrhea. My poor baby must have been miserable sitting in her poop all evening and all night. After bloodwork and X-ray, they said it was pancreatitis, which made sense because I'd been letting my cat lick a little bit of my curry plates. After reading about other people's stories on this website, I'm sure the vet could have done the tests, let me take my cat home after giving her fluids and medication instead of keeping her overnight, which stressed my cat out a lot.
After a disagreement, I took my cat home the next day and ended up taking her to a specialist later on who wanted to run bloodwork and X-ray again and an ultrasound. I said fine. She kept my cat overnight and put in a neck feeding tube. I say she ripped me off because she took out the neck feeding tube the next day! I was too worried about my cat to yell about it, but obviously she should have kept that tube in so I could feed my cat. I think she planned for my cat to not eat so she could charge me for more testing. I told her the ER vet said pancreatitis and told her about what my cat had been eating, but she was talking about IBD or cancer. Luckily, I accidentally gave my cat a dosage of Mirtazapine much too early and that along with Hill's Prescription A/D kick-started her appetite and she recovered. The specialist called me the next day and was going on and on about cancer and some of her patients who had come in and their cats have cancer. She told me she wanted to run cancer tests. I told her no and got off the phone with her. I keep meaning to post a Yelp review. She was also very expensive, but the pushing for cancer testing was ridiculous in my cat's case. Sorry this is long!
After a disagreement, I took my cat home the next day and ended up taking her to a specialist later on who wanted to run bloodwork and X-ray again and an ultrasound. I said fine. She kept my cat overnight and put in a neck feeding tube. I say she ripped me off because she took out the neck feeding tube the next day! I was too worried about my cat to yell about it, but obviously she should have kept that tube in so I could feed my cat. I think she planned for my cat to not eat so she could charge me for more testing. I told her the ER vet said pancreatitis and told her about what my cat had been eating, but she was talking about IBD or cancer. Luckily, I accidentally gave my cat a dosage of Mirtazapine much too early and that along with Hill's Prescription A/D kick-started her appetite and she recovered. The specialist called me the next day and was going on and on about cancer and some of her patients who had come in and their cats have cancer. She told me she wanted to run cancer tests. I told her no and got off the phone with her. I keep meaning to post a Yelp review. She was also very expensive, but the pushing for cancer testing was ridiculous in my cat's case. Sorry this is long!
The first vet was medically negligent- and I would have complained to the board that licenses them. Definitely review and post reviews where ever they had created accounts.
About the second vet- I am not sure. Did she ever state her reason for why she wanted to assess for cancer? And what type of cancer?
I agree with
M
MRG2018
I would have reported the first vet also. That sounds horrible.
The second one... I mean feeding tubes are stressful and already being so stressed out at the vet, AND knowing you were taking the cat back home (even if that wasn't decided just yet), I don't see why she would have left the feeding tube in. I think it would be awfully irresponsible to leave it in and send the cat home. That could be dangerous having the owner take care of keeping it clean and everything.
Fluids are much more important at that point and to stop the vomiting, then food is reintroduced slowly. Some vets may do things differently and I don't think the second one did anything questionable.
Also how long ago was this? Are you sure it was Pancreatitis and nothing else? Or that it won't develop into something else?
"The specific causes of pancreatitis remain unknown. “Something, perhaps a defect in an animal’s natural defense mechanisms, triggers the disease and results in digestion of the pancreatic tissue,” says Dr. Goldstein. "Some people believe it can be caused by too much fat in the diet or by ingestion of insecticides or other toxins.” In some cases, physical trauma—being struck by a car, for example—has been associated with cases of the disease. And various infectious disorders, such as toxoplasmosis and feline infectious peritonitis, have been cited as possible causes of pancreatitis, as have such factors as adverse drug reactions, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease and parasitic infection."
BTW curry contains garlic and onion which are both highly toxic to cats.
The second one... I mean feeding tubes are stressful and already being so stressed out at the vet, AND knowing you were taking the cat back home (even if that wasn't decided just yet), I don't see why she would have left the feeding tube in. I think it would be awfully irresponsible to leave it in and send the cat home. That could be dangerous having the owner take care of keeping it clean and everything.
Fluids are much more important at that point and to stop the vomiting, then food is reintroduced slowly. Some vets may do things differently and I don't think the second one did anything questionable.
Also how long ago was this? Are you sure it was Pancreatitis and nothing else? Or that it won't develop into something else?
"The specific causes of pancreatitis remain unknown. “Something, perhaps a defect in an animal’s natural defense mechanisms, triggers the disease and results in digestion of the pancreatic tissue,” says Dr. Goldstein. "Some people believe it can be caused by too much fat in the diet or by ingestion of insecticides or other toxins.” In some cases, physical trauma—being struck by a car, for example—has been associated with cases of the disease. And various infectious disorders, such as toxoplasmosis and feline infectious peritonitis, have been cited as possible causes of pancreatitis, as have such factors as adverse drug reactions, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease and parasitic infection."
BTW curry contains garlic and onion which are both highly toxic to cats.
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Why a neck food tube if fluids can be administered intravenously? Introducing the tube is too much pain.
I initially thought the tube was placed for pancreatitis. But it seems the second vet does not think he has pancreatitis.
Yep curry, if we are talking about traditional Indian or Thai food, has a very large amount of onion and garlic.
Not only that- its also very high with saturated fats. Keep them away from human food for now. Curry is the last thing I would want a cat to have.
This is partly a response to the OP and also to MRG2018
I don't know, I have never heard of a cat needing a feeding tube period in the various clinics I have worked at, no matter what for. If the second vet suspected something else to the point where she put a feeding tube in the cats neck, it sounds extremely serious and I wonder why didn't you try to explore other possibilities?
I don't know, I have never heard of a cat needing a feeding tube period in the various clinics I have worked at, no matter what for. If the second vet suspected something else to the point where she put a feeding tube in the cats neck, it sounds extremely serious and I wonder why didn't you try to explore other possibilities?
She didn't say what kind. Nothing in the test results indicated cancer. She told me testing would cost another $2,000. It sounded like she was trying to scare me into the testing instead of waiting to see if my cat recovered with the new medication she prescribed. Pills are a lot easier on both me and my cat instead of liquid medications that make her foam at the mouth. She told me about 2 clients who had come in to see her (I don't know what symptoms) and, after cancer testing, their cats were being treated for cancer.
I felt like she literally saw dollar signs when I declined to apply for CareCredit and agreed to let her do bloodwork, X-ray, ultrasound, keep my cat overnight and put in a neck feeding tube. I mean, literally, her smile widened. I was working back then.
I really don't want to think I was "taken" by a vet who works with my current vet, but that was what happened at one cat's final appointment there.
In October 2016, my cat had a biannual wellness exam, which included a routine blood test. At the time Hill's k/d was working; her creatinine was 2.6 and her BUN was 26 IIRC. The vet liked seeing these numbers relative to her age (19) and CRF diagnosis. He liked her weight too (7+) because it was not down from the last time. All good news. So we stayed the course.
Something changed between then and December 28. She weighed 5.2 pounds, barely ate that day, and was dehydrated and constipated. Her normally loud meow was soft and she could not yell anymore. Because it was a holiday week, smack between Christmas and New Year's Day, I had to see a different vet there the next day. My experience with him did not go well.
This vet only knew what he read in her medical records, but he saw the part about a blood test on October 13. He thought because she had one so recently it would be a waste to do it again. But he wanted to send out a urine sample to a lab and give me a bottle of 60 pills. I wish I had insisted on doing a blood test anyway and rejected the pills because when he called me 2 days later, he said there was nothing wrong and recommended euthanasia. On January 2, 2017 she was sent to the Rainbow Bridge and I had 59 pills for a problem she did not have.
In October 2016, my cat had a biannual wellness exam, which included a routine blood test. At the time Hill's k/d was working; her creatinine was 2.6 and her BUN was 26 IIRC. The vet liked seeing these numbers relative to her age (19) and CRF diagnosis. He liked her weight too (7+) because it was not down from the last time. All good news. So we stayed the course.
Something changed between then and December 28. She weighed 5.2 pounds, barely ate that day, and was dehydrated and constipated. Her normally loud meow was soft and she could not yell anymore. Because it was a holiday week, smack between Christmas and New Year's Day, I had to see a different vet there the next day. My experience with him did not go well.
This vet only knew what he read in her medical records, but he saw the part about a blood test on October 13. He thought because she had one so recently it would be a waste to do it again. But he wanted to send out a urine sample to a lab and give me a bottle of 60 pills. I wish I had insisted on doing a blood test anyway and rejected the pills because when he called me 2 days later, he said there was nothing wrong and recommended euthanasia. On January 2, 2017 she was sent to the Rainbow Bridge and I had 59 pills for a problem she did not have.
I wonder if she checked for cancer diagnosis on the blood work. It has to be ordered separately. If she is not willing to tell what she suspects is cancer, without listing symptoms and type of cancer, I would be distrustful of her.
Biopsy etc will take a large amount of money.
But i am surprised she wanted to check for cancer right away. Yeah i would think she would let the antibiotics run their course and then if it didnt work, additional testing.
Has your cat lost a lot of weight in the past 2-3 months?
I apologize in advance if this offends anyone, but only an idiot would think October 16 is recent blood test when the examination is done in the end of December.
What were the pills for?
This was 3+ years ago. I told both vets exactly what I had been feeding my cat and how I had started letting her lick my curry plates and given her a half-cooked egg in olive oil. Yes, very dumb of me. My cat sees the vet for bloodwork and tests every 6 months, so she's been fine after recovering from that episode.
The ER vet had wanted to put in a neck feeding tube because my cat wasn't eating and he mentioned fatty liver. The specialist put in the neck feeding tube supposedly so I could feed my cat because she hadn't eaten in about 5 days, I think, and I was worried about fatty liver. She lost a lot of weight for her small size. She was going to show me how to feed my cat. That's why I was so mad when I arrived at the clinic to find out she removed the tube the very next afternoon (or morning).
If I hadn't accidentally given my cat extra Mirtazapine, she would still have been not eating.
October 13 is less than three months before December 29 in the same year.
Some kind of urinary issue. I don't know exactly.
It was Thai curries. 
I get mad at myself when I think about it and, more importantly, I put my baby through Hell. Kitty is not allowed to eat any human food now and she knows it. Well, except for a couple tiny pieces of ham which she was ready to fight me over. I don't eat that in front of her anymore. 
Yes and 3 months is a long duration and the bloodwork cannot be called recent.
Recent is more like within 2-3 weeks, or even closer.
