My Cat Kitten was blinded because of a bad veternarian overdosing her with Baytril

[kittens mom]

I need to get off letters. But I just got back from her cremation. I think the rest of the week belongs to my husband who could simply not bring himself to go. our other cat and myself.

 

[shauvon]

Hello kittens mom, even though I'm new here I'm so sorry for your loss, yes it definitely is the same loss as a child or any human for that matter. Give yourself as much time as you need to grieve and never let anyone tell you that it's been long enough everyone grieves in a different way in a different time matter my heart goes out to you and your family. Lots of love

 

[kittens mom]

I am really having trouble finding specific laws or statues regarding a vet injuring a pet through malpractice. Which is what we will now call it since she declared it was perfect fine to overdose a cat on this antibiotic.

 

[kittens mom]

Once again putting all the facts together I find it hard to believe that what happened to Kitten in the end was not in some way connected to the original OD of baytril. Coming under the classification of cats are weird and that the drug itself is usually used with great care I doubt there is enough evidence to prove that this vet murdered my pet. Its like playing connect the dots.

Its more likely than not.

Keeping in mind that we will never likely get a clear answer on how much was injected during the office visit. If the vets /vet techs can't determine from the invoice then neither can I.

 

[kittens mom]

Maybe the universe will throw me a bone.  I just got off the phone giving a taped deposition of what led to Kitten being blinded. And I spared nothing. I am so glad the State Veterinary Board called while this is so raw. I told them I can't prove she killed my cat but I can prove she blinded her. She seemed happy and adjusted but maybe she was more stressed than I realized. I don't know. A reasonable person would ask if there was a connection between two events so close together.

I also asked for a copy of her response to my accusation. Hmmmm n hawing. I pointed out if she had the right to see what I wrote I have the right to see her response. I did make it clear we were going to pursue this relentlessly.  In every avenue and by every means legally available to me.

 

[margd]

I don't understand why the vet is fighting this so hard when she clearly made a mistake. You've got the documentation confirming she gave Kitten an overdose of Baytril - it seems pretty clear cut. For what she's going to spend on legal fees, she could pay the damages you're asking, which are really very reasonable. Good luck with this. It's a shame you have to go through this fight on top of everything else.

 

[kittens mom]

I don't understand why the vet is fighting this so hard when she clearly made a mistake. You've got the documentation confirming she gave Kitten an overdose of Baytril - it seems pretty clear cut. For what she's going to spend on legal fees, she could pay the damages you're asking, which are really very reasonable. Good luck with this. It's a shame you have to go through this fight on top of everything else.

we shaved it down to the bare bones for reimbursement in an attempt to avoid stress on our part. This is two pronged. The SVB has no legal standing. What we filed is a complaint that would be within their scope to suspend, revoke or fine her .  Legally we will have to take her to small claims. Next week I need to send a demand letter that she send all copies of Kittens medical records to me, the owner. And again ask for reimbursement. She's in a pickle. If she pays me she is in like admitting guilt. Her best plan is probably to hope the SVB does little or nothing to sanction her. It's not a good system.  Her lawyer requested I send all correspondence to him but I have heard nothing back. There's no restraining order so she can expect to get another package to her office demanding payment.  She went straight to the lawyer. Likely a friend to try and intimidate me. In my favor are the detailed vet reports making the overdose the most likely cause of blindness. Now that my little cat is in a box it ups the ante a bit. She's not going to be sure what we're going to decide to do. I'm speaking legally of course. It's a bit of chess game. Money will not fix this of course. Somehow it would at least be an acknowledgement of her wrongdoing. That fact she is not the least bit repentant is sad.

 

[kittens mom]

Tomorrow I will send a registered letter to the veterinarian and her lawyer. Since there had been no response from the last letter I see no reason to honor a request to not contact her personally.  If we have to go to court we already have someone to serve the summons at her office.

We are going to demand all unaltered medical records not just for Kitten but for Mook also. It somehow feels prudent to make sure everything is in hand. Furthermore there will be a demand she/her office cooperate with the pet insurance company we are working with to cover our cats to surrender all unaltered information to them in a timely manner. We are also going to amend our complaint to the SVB to include the death of Kitten in the case of cause and effect. It may or may not hold water.

One of the specifics is the name of the drug injected, It's amount and the serial number/lot number of the batch. The exact manufacturer of the ' Baytri ' in the RX bottle. And it's date  expiration date  lot number. She has to have invoices if she's purchasing these drugs from a reliable source.

At this time we also feel that not only was Kitten overdosed she was given a drug inconsistent with her medical needs. I've had enough conversations with vets over the last 3 months to have pumped information this is not a drug considered for a simple URI. That even though she noted the conjunctivitis she failed to prescribe an antibiotic ointment to aid healing of her corneas.

My personal feeling is she is runny a shoddy clinic with a poorly stocked pharmacy. No vet has the right to charge for treatment when they do not have the ability to let the owner obtain the medications needed. We need to establish a pattern of neglect , negligence and hopefully malpractice. If she seen Kitten needed something and couldn't provide she should have said so and let us leave at no charge. That enters into the land of fraud/deception and probably some legal terms I'm not yet acquainted with.

We probably should have request a necropsy. However that was another huge expense and quite honestly I don't think myself or my husband would have been able to deal with the idea of her being cup up. We have her on the overdoes. Chances are the findings would be inconclusive.

 

[stephenq]

 
Tomorrow I will send a registered letter to the veterinarian and her lawyer. Since there had been no response from the last letter I see no reason to honor a request to not contact her personally.  If we have to go to court we already have someone to serve the summons at her office.

We are going to demand all unaltered medical records not just for Kitten but for Mook also. It somehow feels prudent to make sure everything is in hand. Furthermore there will be a demand she/her office cooperate with the pet insurance company we are working with to cover our cats to surrender all unaltered information to them in a timely manner. We are also going to amend our complaint to the SVB to include the death of Kitten in the case of cause and effect. It may or may not hold water.

One of the specifics is the name of the drug injected, It's amount and the serial number/lot number of the batch. The exact manufacturer of the ' Baytri ' in the RX bottle. And it's date  expiration date  lot number. She has to have invoices if she's purchasing these drugs from a reliable source.

At this time we also feel that not only was Kitten overdosed she was given a drug inconsistent with her medical needs. I've had enough conversations with vets over the last 3 months to have pumped information this is not a drug considered for a simple URI. That even though she noted the conjunctivitis she failed to prescribe an antibiotic ointment to aid healing of her corneas.

My personal feeling is she is runny a shoddy clinic with a poorly stocked pharmacy. No vet has the right to charge for treatment when they do not have the ability to let the owner obtain the medications needed. We need to establish a pattern of neglect , negligence and hopefully malpractice. If she seen Kitten needed something and couldn't provide she should have said so and let us leave at no charge. That enters into the land of fraud/deception and probably some legal terms I'm not yet acquainted with.

We probably should have request a necropsy. However that was another huge expense and quite honestly I don't think myself or my husband would have been able to deal with the idea of her being cup up. We have her on the overdoes. Chances are the findings would be inconclusive.

Agreed, standard vet medical practice for poor eyes with a URI is appropriate eye meds, cream or drops and NOT to use baytril.  Clavamox, Amoxicillin and Doxycycline are the antibiotics used in colds every time.

 

[kittens mom]

 
Agreed, standard vet medical practice for poor eyes with a URI is appropriate eye meds, cream or drops and NOT to use baytril.  Clavamox, Amoxicillin and Doxycycline are the antibiotics used in colds every time.

I hope anyone reading this thread is taking some mental notes. She also failed to warn verbally or in writing to observe her closely for changes in her eyes. Or any of the other possible side effects. I have so many little sticky notes on everything in her records and box where I keep this stuff . All of it I was willing to just let go because we were so thankful she was alive.

 

[kittens mom]

So it appears my husband who was with me the day Kitten was treated observed some things that were not really noticed by myself. So along with amending or filing a new complaint he really needs to and wants to give his own deposition of the events in the office. He also reminded me we need the names of her office assistant that day and the two interns that were working under her. My brain hurts a bit. My husband has sort of let me run this show and he broke down tonight and finally let some of his emotions out. And then all this stuff he has questions about. His perspective of what she did is a bit different than mine and there are some valid points I failed to pick up on. I have of course asked him time and time again if there was something he wanted to add.

 

[kittens mom]

So today's plan to send off demand letters and amend our original complaint has been scrapped and replaced with the joint decision between my us to file a new complaint with the extended consequences of the OD. I will include my original written complaint with one from my husband and the ultimate conclusion of having to have our cat PTS. The amended complaint will include the non standard care for an URI. The failure to prescribe for her conjunctivitis. The drug listed as a brand name but is actually a generic and the fact that while she gave me 7 pills and told me to dose her for a week and call back if she wasn't better there are on real instructions on the bottle aside from Baytril 68mg give one per day. Usually there is some mention of a time duration for medicating. It's hard to find information since this is NOT even close to the first choice for an URI. Kitten was given amoxicillin with a two week prescription after her E tube was placed. Again so much of this we were willing to just not deal with as the indication that the OD itself resulted in her losing sight. Nor were we out to slay the vet but rather make sure it didn't happen again and to recoup the reasonable expenses incurred due to her mistake.

We of course now have a very different perspective of the events and the timeline associated with her being ODed and her death. After all this wonderful vet palpated our sick cats for the benefit of her interns to detect cancers and when I voiced concern she assured us she was just fine. So in an offhand way she sort of shot herself in the foot. And I'll use any ammunition laying around I can find. I also want to point out we did not show up as walk ins. It was a scheduled appointment and I now wonder if her hesitation to do an x-ray was because she was in a hurry to make a farm call. Thinking at the time this would be our regular vet I asked the receptionist if I could add Kittens microchip number to her records. All the girl at the desk had to do was scan the paperwork I had. Vet acted like I was impeding her day.

there is also the question of my going back to get a few extra pills since we were having such a hard time pilling Kitten. Yeah it's fun to know you were stuffing poison down your pets throat. The receptionist said that seemed like an awful high dose. I need to include her in the complaint or make a separate one. She knew. I thought it was because Kitten seemed so congested. Dragging her living into the mix might make her spill some goodies.

Anyone who is thinking I should have seen the warning signs. Stop and think when you're upset about your pets obvious illness and discomfort are you going to pick up on things that should have been red flags unless they are obvious and glaring ? Or are you going to be more thankful the only thing your pet has is an URI and needs time supportive care and antibiotics to head off secondary infections. You're so thankful you take what they hand you and go home and then three days later things go sideways and you find through a simple google that you pet wasn't even given a drug of first choice for their condition was overdosed and is now left with impaired vision. I think it should be obvious that if we thought Kitten was sick in any way at any time in her life we  would have ran to the vet. When during a routine exam the vet noticed she had a few teeth that needed to be extracted we had her put on antibiotics to clear any infection and had her in within a few days to have it taken care of. Heck I made them give her a shot for pain after her spay because of the long trip home and the bumpy roads.

One more thing. This vet kept harping about the evils of dry cat food. Only feed your cat wet. The reality is there are some wet foods that are pure garbage and some dry foods that make an excellent choice for lots of people and their cats. she seemed totally unconcerned with brands or more important content. It has no bearing here I just found it rather annoying at the time.

 

[kittens mom]

Well I finally got the letters composed and printed out with a request to amend or file a new complaint to include everyone that was complicit in allowing Kitten to be overdosed.

I hope it ruins their holiday . I know they have ruined ours. Though we celebrate modestly it was a time that we enjoyed because the cats had so much fun with things they shouldn't.

Now all I have to do is compose myself enough to get out the door and into town I suppose these are letters than need to be sent with a signature delivery. I have patiently waited for a response from her said lawyer with nothing forthcoming I don't feel obliged to honor a request to not contact her.

I'm sending one to her, her lawyer and to the SVB that of course has more information in it. Both of us had decided originally to simply pursue the vet as she was in charge. If a vet tech, or young vet she was mentoring was able to do the calculations he should have caught it. The two young people were never introduced. They could have been anyone. Never assume. No one that I remember was wearing a name tag. Something I look for since when stressed I have trouble remembering my own name. . The office worker who sold me extra pills and commented that was an awful high dose. The side effects are so well known she could have ducked in the back and called the vet , Or got her out of hiding in the closet to bring it to her attention. We felt really fortunate that the damage seemed to be mitigated by ceasing the medication and of course adding proper treatment for her conjunctivitis. Another standard practice for a cat with obvious discharge and discomfort from their eyes. At this point and doing a timeline of the events I feel like we were handed what she happened to have laying around and sent on our way. Call me back in a week if she's not better. Verbally was the extent of our take home instructions.

Merry #%$& Christmas.

 

[margd]

A lot of lawyers will give a free consultation in hopes you will hire them to take on your case. It might not be a bad idea to get some free legal advice. And it might be worth paying a lawyer just to write a follow up letter so the vet will realize you mean business, if she doesn't already. If there is a law school nearby, they often offer low cost clinics - another option. Just throwing that out there as a possibility.

 

[kittens mom]

A lot of lawyers will give a free consultation in hopes you will hire them to take on your case. It might not be a bad idea to get some free legal advice. And it might be worth paying a lawyer just to write a follow up letter so the vet will realize you mean business, if she doesn't already. If there is a law school nearby, they often offer low cost clinics - another option. Just throwing that out there as a possibility.

That is our next step. We want to show we have tried to resolve this without litigation before going that route. Dotting I's crossing T's And there are animal rights lawyers.

 

[kittens mom]

So the letters are in the mail. I left a 30 day max to respond so we'll see what happens. Since both the lawyer and the vet use the same post office they should get them today or tomorrow at the latest.

I wrote the letter I wanted to write first. deleted it and then put together something business like with no emotion.

One to the Vet

One to the lawyer

And one to the SVB with a request to amend or start a complaint that would include everyone that had a hand in letting us out of the office with an OD for our cat. I feel a little bit crappy about doing this. However I'm not the hall monitor when I take my pet to the veterinarian.

Will I pay more for taking them to the VCA. Probably. Are all the VCA hospitals as good as this one , I don't know. I do know the standard of care , cleanliness and professional behavior is excellent.  I used the quaint little vet shop in town because it was close, I couldn't find any complaints. And it had been there a long time. Travel time less than 15 minutes from our door to hers over the hour + each way . We thought it would be so nice to have a vet this close. Now Kitten is dead in almost exactly three months after being seen and ODed.

 

[stephenq]

 
So the letters are in the mail. I left a 30 day max to respond so we'll see what happens. Since both the lawyer and the vet use the same post office they should get them today or tomorrow at the latest.

I wrote the letter I wanted to write first. deleted it and then put together something business like with no emotion.

One to the Vet

One to the lawyer

And one to the SVB with a request to amend or start a complaint that would include everyone that had a hand in letting us out of the office with an OD for our cat. I feel a little bit crappy about doing this. However I'm not the hall monitor when I take my pet to the veterinarian.

Will I pay more for taking them to the VCA. Probably. Are all the VCA hospitals as good as this one , I don't know. I do know the standard of care , cleanliness and professional behavior is excellent.  I used the quaint little vet shop in town because it was close, I couldn't find any complaints. And it had been there a long time. Travel time less than 15 minutes from our door to hers over the hour + each way . We thought it would be so nice to have a vet this close. Now Kitten is dead in almost exactly three months after being seen and ODed.

Having talked to people whove gone to SVB's before i expect you'll get more satisfaction from small claims court although the SVB might slap the vet on the wrist....

 

[kittens mom]

 
Having talked to people whove gone to SVB's before i expect you'll get more satisfaction from small claims court although the SVB might slap the vet on the wrist....

I don't expect much of anything from them. This is a process to get to small claims. I get one shot to do this right.  The SVB is a group of veterinarians watching each other's backs. Of course the old adage the squeaky wheel gets the grease can apply. I owe it to my Kitten to follow this through to the end. No matter what the results are.

 

[stephenq]

 
I don't expect much of anything from them. This is a process to get to small claims. I get one shot to do this right.  The SVB is a group of veterinarians watching each other's backs. Of course the old adage the squeaky wheel gets the grease can apply. I owe it to my Kitten to follow this through to the end. No matter what the results are.

Understood.

 

[denice]

I know each state is different but in Ohio disciplinary actions against vets by the board are published on their website for 1 year after the action is taken.  It is true that the actions are usually a slap on the wrist, I have only seen one vet lose their license and one vet required to practice under direct supervision for 1 year.  The penalty is usually a thousand dollar fine and a continuing education requirement.  The education requirement is spelled out in detail and I assume are related to the refraction.  I have seen things like a course on managing diabetes in a dog and giving anesthetic.  I don't know how widely it is known that those infractions are available to the public for a year but that is actually more of a punishment than the small fines.