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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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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....
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.
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.
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....
Understood.
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.