Need opinions on filing a complaint
 

A few days ago I had to rush Brandi to the emergency vet because of an adverse reaction to the new meds. When I got there, the vet on duty took her vital signs, watched her walk and checked her eyes. He even stated that her vital signs were good. After this "examination" he turns to me and says, I think you should considered euthanizing her.

Of course I became very emotional but I had enough sense to say "no I want a second opinion". He gave her a sedative to help her rest and sent us home with referrals for a specialist. The next day Brandi was much better and by Thursday you couldn't even tell there was something wrong. She is back on Clamovox for her uti.

I was thinking of filing a complaint with the vet hospital. What if I had decided to euthanize her right then and there? I guess I need to know if what he did is the norm for deciding if a pet needs to be euthanize. He had full knowledge of her history and he even knew that Brandi just had her annual a week ago and except for her eyes and her urinary tract infection, she is relatively healthy.

Every time I think about this, I get upset. I was so upset, the next day i left work early to be with her. I couldn't even concentrate at work and everybody knew that I had been crying. I guess if his behavior was unethical, I want the hospital to be aware of it. Before I do, I want to make sure that what did was normal for detemining whether or not a pet should be euthanized. What do you think?

I'm happy to hear Brandi is doing better. How old is she?

Hearing a doctor suggest considering euthanasia is very upsetting and I think he should have offered an explanation for his suggestion. There should have been a discussion. However, I do not think he behaved unethically. I would contact the doctor and discuss it with him. Tell him how upsetting it was and ask what his reasoning was.

I would have a face to face conversation with that vet (and I would not let on what you are thinking you want to do with filing a complaint) and I would specifically tell him, "I am wondering if you can refer back to your notes the night I brought my little dog in here and you examined her and recommended euthanasia....I am very concerned about exactly what you saw that made you suggest that....... He already knows he screwed up and misdiagnosed her, so you cant make him feel threatened or he wont even talk to you! You have to make it seem like you are concerned he saw something that may return...something YOU need to be looking out for.....I cant believe in my heart a vet would just throw euthansia out, willy-nilly....he MUST have seen something that made him say that...even if what he thought he saw, was not a correct diagnosis.

I am mixed on this... These little guys are our family our kids at least I know mine is and I can't help but think what if the dr walked out my grandmothers hospital room 8 years ago and just simply said "I think you should plug the plug" instead of what he actually did by taking us into a private room explaining what the situation was along with the maybe's and could be's and the % chances and then offering us a quiet moment to think about what we as a family needed and wanted. I am not going to say he is wrong by thinking that might be best BUT it all goes back to how you word something... I do foreclosures and I know it is NEVER easy to be told your home is gone you have no where to live but yet daily I get thank you letters and calls for being so kind and thoughtful in difficult situations.

How horrible:( I'm so sorry you were subjected to that. I would definitely want to know WHY he said that and I would use that information to decide on a complaint.

Hugs to you and your baby girl:love:

Okay I can give him the misdiagnosis but I guess what threw me off was that he did no other testing. I guess because he saw her stumbling he thought she was probably closed to the end. I'm not a vet so maybe what he did was what any vet would of done.

I do not agree with that last sentence....I think you have a right to be upset and confused...he based his diagnosis and his recommendation on SOMETHING he was seeing....or something he THOUGHT he was seeing....THAT is what you want to know! "Doc, with no other testing, no xrays or labs done, exactly what did you see that had you convenced she was terminal and needed to be put down? I feel like I need to also see what you saw, so if it happensa again, I will know how to proceed." (This way, he does not think you are complaining or challenging him....you are "on his side" and want to know what he was seeing so you will see it too if it ever happens again.....he will be more apt to share with you....

I have had to do something similar to what you are going through. When I went back to talk with the vet I was advised To take someone with me. Sometimes different folks hear things differently.

Not defending the vet - he seemed to be very insensitive - but I would want to know exactly what brought him to that conclusion, and have someone else hear his explanation, too.

I think you have every right to be upset. I would definitely go back to the vet's office with a friend and ask what he saw that would suggest that she should be put to sleep. Putting a dog down is a big decision and I would hope that he wouldn't recommend it without having a good reason...

I would definitely complain he has no bedside manner and he should have been nicer and explained things before he said that. I have never been told what you have but the one time I had to take Callie to the ER vet because she was limping badly and would not put her front leg down the vet was pretty much a jerk and acting like I interrupted his whole day when no one else was at the vet. He looked at her walk (she had stopped limping at the vet) and barley felt her leg and thought she was fine but we pressed for xrays and they saw nothing so that was it. Well the next day we went to our normal vet who looked at the xrays and then said that most dogs adrenaline kicks in and they don't always show there pain when they are at like the vet and she felt around her leg and found a spot that made her cry therefore showing there was a problem and she had to go to the orthopedic surgeon who found that she over extended her leg when she jumped down and we needed to limit jumping down. I have yet to be impressed with any er vet by stories like this and what I experienced. I wonder if maybe vets office put the vets that have no bed side manner on the Emergency staff or something. It really bothers me that a vet who should know how people love there animals would be so cold to say what he did. I am sorry and glad your baby is doing better.

:thumbup:

I was checking on your thread about sweet Brandi and was completely shocked that he recommended euthanizing her. We went to our Vet for months about our Boxer Coco not once did they mention euthanizing her and she was almost 13. I think in part because I explained to them and said it just like this....."don't count our money" meaning give us the diagnosis and let us decide. So many Vets like to be conservative and while I can appreciate that I don't want them to recommend the easy or less expensive way out. That is for my husband and I to decide once we are informed of the condition. I understand this is an ER vet but they should be even more cautious to suggest that not having seen the dog ever before. I would definitely address the situation with the Vet and his office. If then you are not satisfied with the answers, file a complaint.

Yavenay, I admit that I fear taking my boys to an ER and to new doctors whom I have not established a relationship with. I had to take Max recently and I was so thankful that they allowed me to stay in the room and we ended up with a very nice doctor.

If the doctor you saw simply took Brandi's vitals, checked her eyes, watched her walk and then blithely recommended euthanasia without any explanation or discussion -- I would be disgusted and upset and go to my regular vet as soon as the office opened. You mentioned a misdiagnosis. What was his diagnosis? The ER sends the paperwork to the your regular vet and I would follow up with your regular doctor and discuss it with him or her too.

It wasn't really a diagnosis. I think he was basing everything on her age. She is 12 yrs old. Brandi has been to her regular vet as well as the specialist. she is relativiley healthy However they are doing additional such as bile acid test to make sure she is okay. I got a call today and even that is good. He doesn't suspect liver shunts and that her liver is probably functioning as it should. We are trying to figure out the cause of her recurring uti's which she gets every few months. It's causing her such discomfort and that is what I've been trying to get to the bottom of for awhile now.

I'm not sure what the emergency's vet line of thinking was. Maybe he thought I didn't have the money to do further testing. I don't know. Now that I am calmed down, I probably won't file a formal complaint. Fortunately everything turned out okay, Brandi is alive and well. However what if this guy does this to someone else and they actually put their pet's to sleep?

None of the vets I took Brandi has ever suggested that to me either and Brandi has been to the vet plenty of times over the years with different issues. That's why I was like how could he say something like that without any further testing?

I am very happy Brandi is doing well. 12 is not that old! I do see your point about being concerned for other families. I would write a letter to the doctor at the ER and express your concerns.