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01-09-2008, 06:09 PM | #1 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Georgia
Posts: 6,234
| Veterinarian...Does This Happen Often?? Please tell me what you think of this. Around Thanksgiving, I went to the Vet to have Juju's stitches removed (spayed). I walked in and a woman was there with her young adult son. She was holding a very small Chihuahua. She commented that Juju was cute and I said the same about her pup. About that time, the receptionist came back and told her that the 'request for assistance was denied' by some organization or other...I'm not sure. I then realized that the little Chihuahua she was holding had a broken leg! It was kind of sticking out sideways. It was a long story, but the pup belonged to a neighbor that she didn't know well who was stuck out of town and the person minding the pup also had to go out of town suddenly. SO, it was alone in the neighbor's yard! This woman took it in and fed it, but apparently her young child closed the door on it paw and broke all of the bones. NOW, THIS IS THE PART I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH...The vet was NOT going to do anything for the dog since she could not pay for it right away!! They were just going to let the woman leave with the poor dog's leg broken!! Is that 'standard procedure' because too many people try to take advantage??? I was mortified...and still am, actually. I paid for it myself. I was almost crying. I still cannot get this out of my mind when I think of the Vet. What do y'all think???
__________________ Jeanne: Mom to Betty & Juju Bean |
Welcome Guest! | |
01-09-2008, 06:14 PM | #2 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: pa
Posts: 261
| My Vet Wont Even Take Checks!!!! I Have Had All Of Our`animals There So Im Sure If I Explained The Situation He Would Be Ok But For A New Person He Probably Would Not!!!!!!!! Thats Why Im Not A Vet I Would Be Broke Cause I Would Help Every Animal! |
01-09-2008, 06:15 PM | #3 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Northern California
Posts: 571
| wow... the vet wouldn't do anything? Couldn't they have called the owners and got the credit card # over the phone? That seems a little cruel not to help out. How much did it cost you?
__________________ Shannon & Lola High Fashion Advisor of the Spoiled Rotten Club |
01-09-2008, 06:16 PM | #4 |
Lovin' every minute Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,132
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01-09-2008, 06:17 PM | #5 | |
Lovin' every minute Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,132
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01-09-2008, 06:20 PM | #6 |
Donating YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Georgia
Posts: 6,234
| $135...that was just for office visit, xrays and to wrap the leg to stabilize it. He said he couldn't do more than that without consent of the owner.
__________________ Jeanne: Mom to Betty & Juju Bean |
01-09-2008, 06:22 PM | #7 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Va
Posts: 1,322
| That is awful the poor dog. It is a good thing you were there at the same time. Otherwise the dog probably wouldn't have gotten any treatment. My vet is really good about working with people. They let you make payments.
__________________ Tina, Momma to Fritzel, Darla, Kasey, Max, Blackie, : http://www.dogster.com/dogs/463494 Member of The Crazy ClubMember of The Little Gentlemen's Club |
01-09-2008, 06:26 PM | #8 | |
BANNED! | Quote:
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01-09-2008, 06:40 PM | #9 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 11,003
| The vet that I worked for all throughout highschool would let people "pay later". You wouldn't believe how many people never paid their bills. Every month the receptionist would print out all the bills to send out...seriously, there were probably close to a hundred or more every month (and this is a town with a population under 5000!). The receptionist would always pull certain ones out every month because they never got paid. As I worked there, the stack of unpaid bills got higher and higher. I couldn't believe so many people NEVER paid their bills. And this vet has VERY reasonable prices. Vets have to make money too. When people have to go to the hospital, most of the time their insurance pays or if the person can't pay then the government will...and of course there are those that end up having large hospital bills because they don't have insurance but they didn't qualify for gov. assistance either. If those hospital bills aren't paid, then bill collectors call. A lot of vets use bill collectors too but they don't always get paid. Unfortunately there isn't really government assistance for veterinary care and most people don't have pet insurance. That's why it's important to make sure you have money saved up in case anything happens to your pet. If vets constantly did things for free or let people "pay later" they wouldn't make any money, and we all know you have to make money to live on. And vets deserve every penny they make. It is harder to get into vet school than medical school as there are much less vet schools in this country. Vet school is just as hard, or harder than medical school, since vet students have to learn about multiple species - not just humans. Vet school is just as expensive at medical school. Vets spend many years of their lives in school, including 4 years of college, 4 years of vet school, and sometimes 1-4 years of internships and residencies. It's expensive and time consuming. And all the money a vet charges doesn't just become profit for the vet. They have employees to pay, bills to pay, equipment to pay for, wholesale costs of products they use, etc. So while vet bills may seem expensive sometimes, that vet isn't just putting that money into their pocket. In reality, they only get to keep a small fraction of that for profit. So if vets start doing stuff for free, they also can't pay their employees, and may eventually not be able to pay their bills and keep their facility up to date. It is sad that people take animals into their home and cannot afford to care for them. That always angers me so much. Really, it's not the vet's fault the dog would not have been treated - it was the owner's for not being in town and not being able to pay for it. I do know that some vets will occassionally do things for free but once you do it a couple times, people will keep expecting it. And some vets will have a family sign over their pet, then give it the care it needs, and then adopt it out to a new family. That's really one of the hardest parts of being a vet I guess. You have people come into your office that can't pay. All you can do is offer them different options.
__________________ ~Magnifique Yorkies~ Purchasing from backyard breeders, pet shops, and puppymills perpetuates the suffering of other dogs. Educate yourself and buy from reputable breeders or rescue. |
01-09-2008, 06:56 PM | #10 |
Love The Verminator! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: ny
Posts: 4,282
| Another YT Angel . I hate to think what would have happened to that poor little babe if you hadn't been there. Bless you for opening your heart and wallet for him. And BOO to that vet for not trying to do something for him. I can understand his thinking, but to flat out refuse to do anything? So sad.
__________________ Roxy loves Alphy Remi loves Millie [COLOR="Purple"]Mom to RoxyJo & Remington , Fozzy Bear & Chloe |
01-09-2008, 07:03 PM | #11 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Rockland county, NY
Posts: 1,306
| How can a Vet refuse treatment to the same animals they took an oath to help. It's beyond my comprehension.
__________________ ********************* Nedda & My Girls Desi & Millie & my boy Ricky |
01-09-2008, 07:15 PM | #12 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,317
| It's sad how many times vets get stiffed for a bill. I think that's why they have had to draw the line. My sister managed a vet's office for years and she said a common scenario was an emergency that ran up a huge bill. The owners would tell the vet to do everything possible, then the people wouldn't pay if the dog died. She lives in an area with a lot of retirees and another one that happened a lot was the owner dying and the relatives bringing the pets to them for boarding. The bill would go up and up and no one paid the bill or claimed the poor pets. Vets have overhead just as doctors do. Many volunteer at local shelters to donate their services that way, but they really can't afford to run a free clinic, sad as that may be. |
01-09-2008, 07:20 PM | #13 | |
Love My Li'l Lucy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Southern California
Posts: 6,700
| Quote:
I also think there is a reminder in your post to anyone leaving their pet in the care of another while away to make sure the caregiver has a signed letter allowing them to get treatment in the case of an emergency and a credit card on file with their veternarian. Regarding the vet - they are all as individual as their personalitites and likely their financial situation. My veternarian has been my vet for 15 years and is one of the highest respected veternarians in Southern California with his own television show on the pet channels. He is the kindest man I have ever met and is known for a compassion for animals that is awe inspiring. I know from my years of knowing him that he does an enormous amount of pro bono care. He would not have turned a dog in pain away because of $135.
__________________ Kathy and Lil' Lucy and Jammies Rest in Peace my Sweet Buster Last edited by KathyinCali; 01-09-2008 at 07:23 PM. | |
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