Chaos at the vet's office...

[moosmom]

I took Maya Linn to the vet this morning because of violent sneezing and coughing. Turns out she has allergies, and was given a shot of Cortisone/Ammoxicillin and drops to be administered 1x a day till gone.

So there I am sitting with Maya Linn in her carrier, waiting to check out. There was a woman standing leaning against the wall with a Rottweiller on a leash. Everytime a dog rounded the corner, the Rottie LUNGED at them. The woman at the end of the leash kept pulling it back and reprimanding the dog. This poor Alaskan Malamute rounded the corner and the Rottie got a DEATH GRIP on this malamute's back leg and would NOT let go!! People were kicking the dog trying to get him to release his grip on him. The vet tech Deb picked up my carrier with my cat IN IT and hit the rottie with it. I'm home now, and she won't come out, she's so terrified.

The malamute required stitches and the woman with the rottie, who was from some animal resort (I'm SURE the owner of the resort will be picking up that poor dog's tab) was told to get the dog out of there and not bring him back till he had a muzzle on.

I was ready to have a drink at that point!!! (But I won't). When we got home, I gave everyone a handful of treats. I'm still shaking.

I'm leaving Maya Linn in the carrier for now with the door ajar in case she wants to come out. I tried to coax her out and she growled. Can't blame her. I'd be pissed too!!

Just talked to Deb at the vet's office and the malamute is going to be fine. He's out of surgery and doing well. She apologized for using the carrier, saying she didn't realize Maya Linn was in there. I told her she and Maya both saved the malamute's life. I told her since I was an eye witness to the entire event and will be happy to provide a statement. Afterall, if it weren't for Dr. Geer's statement, Jay Baldwin would've gotten away with animal abuse. I'd do anything for that man.

[Karen]

Poor Miss Maya, she must have been so scared! I am glad you and she are home safely. Likely the allergy meds will make her sleepy anyway, and hopefully she'll be fine after they kick in. The pollen is just brutal right about now, for us humans, too!

[Cataholic]

Goodness! I hope your kitty and the other dog will be fine. How scary for poor Maya Linn!

[moosmom]

Karen,

They've already kicked in. The pollen IS brutal. I told Dr. Geer about Mollie Rose's sneezing and told him I've been giving her a half a tab of Chlortrimeton which works great. He said to keep giving it to her to make her comfortable.

I need a nap!!!

[pomtzu]

Wow - poor Maya. I hope she isn't too traumatized and will be back to her old self soon.

I had a co-worker years ago that had a Rottie that had to be muzzled to go to the vet and groomer. This dog was psycho and even attacked her husband on several occasions. Then on the other end of the spectrum, my grandson's day care provider years ago, had a big Rottie that was a marshmallow.

I wonder how the woman that brought that dog in to the vet, didn't know about it's disposition? Seems pretty darned irresponsible to me. :mad:

[moosmom]

I know the guy who owns the doggie resort and he works with dog aggressive dogs, so I was very surprised she didn't have a muzzle on him.

Maya is out of the carrier, had a little nosh and is now grooming herself like there's no one else in the room. She'll get over it. Especially when I break out the Fancy Feast.

Rottie??? What rottie???

[momcat]

Poor Maya! That must have been very scary for everyone - human and pet -in the office. Good to know the other dog is okay though he must also be pretty shaken up over this.

We all know that when we take our pets to the vet, other animals are going to be there. Being responsible pet owners, we take steps to protect our pets and in the process protect the other pets waiting to be seen. Our cats are in a carrier like other small pets. Dogs are on a lead and I've seen many of them muzzled. At our vet's, I've seen the owners of aggressive dogs wait outside until they're called in.

What was this person thinking? The resort should be held liable for all vet costs for the injured dog.

[moosmom]

Momcat,

I'm a little annoyed that they used MY cat carrier (with cat in it) to finally get the dog to unlock his jaws. But Maya is no worse for wear and I HOPE this will not lead to her being terrified to go to the vet.

I looked up the 10 Most Dangerous Dogs in America. Here's the link.

Rottie's are #2, pitbulls being #1. Alaskan Malamute's are on the list too, which is the breed that was attacked.

Amen, Momcat!!!

How many of you here know when your cat is in the carrier. I cannot believe that the vet tech didn't know my cat was in her carrier. She weighs 13 lbs for God's sake!!!!

[Kirsten]

That's just awful!! Poor Maya Linn!

I guess the vet tech didn't have much time to think about further options when she grabbed for the carrier, but I understand that you're upset! How very traumatizing that must have been for Maya Linn, and I hope she will soon recover from this!

Hope the dog will be alright, too!

Kirsten

[momcat]

Momcat,

I'm a little annoyed that they used MY cat carrier (with cat in it) to finally get the dog to unlock his jaws. But Maya is no worse for wear and I HOPE this will not lead to her being terrified to go to the vet.

Amen, Momcat!!!

I couldn't agree with you more, Donna. One would think a vet's office would have some standard proceedure to resolve things like this rather than reach for the nearest thing occupied by someone's pet! I'd be a lot more than a little annoyed if it was Groucho. I do hope poor Maya won't experience post traumatic stress syndrome at her next vet visit. Would you give her lots of comforting lovies from me?

[katladyd]

I'm sorry, you do not grab someone else's personal property and swing it at ANYTHING regardless of circumstances.:eek: I would be looking for a new vet, pronto! I don't blame you for being angry.:mad: Cats are not weapons to be used to break up fights between two breeds of dogs known to be agressive. I guess that is why I have cats and not dogs.:rolleyes:

[moosmom]

Rotisserie Chicken for everyone!!!!!

"Rottie, what rottie???" says Maya Linn as she wolfs down fresh rotisserie chicken.

[katladyd]

Yep, rotisserie chicken makes any cat feel better. Tell Maya Linn I think she is a hero!:)

[moosmom]

Maya Linn saved that malamute's life!!! Well, her and her carrier.

I had been thinking about bring MooShoo in as well to show Dr. Geer how well he turned out after all these years. If I HAD brought him with me, he would've been in a kitty stroller, not a carrier. Just the THOUGHT of what might have happened had I done that, makes she shutter!!!:eek:

[Pinot's Mom]

Donna, have a drink; everyone calm down...

I know it's upsetting, I would be be very frightened for my kitty, too. Heck, I'd be livid. The Vet Tech probably grabbed the first thing she could reach; not right, but instinct. A dog's life was at stake and there was a panic situation. She should not have grabbed the carrier, and probably feels really bad about it now, but she can't turn back the clock.

The person with the Rottie is the real problem and should be handled that way. THAT one should get some big fat bills and be forced to take that dog elsewhere. The vet might consider a new policy on muzzles for all dogs, too. It really isn't right that cats and small dogs must be caged, but big dogs don't have to have any protection.

Maya Linn, sweetie, I hope you're OK - take your pills and be a good kitty. Mom will spoil you rotten!

[Randi]

Oh poor MayaLinn, she must have been so frightened, and the other dog too. :( I hope she won't be scared to go the vet again. Next time, put your feet on her carrier. ;)

All vets ought to be prepared for such incidents and have somehing standing near the reception to break it up - or better, the owner of such agressive dogs should give it a tranquilizer or put a muzzle on before the visit.

Kisses to Maya Linn.

[moosmom]

I'm very surprised that they didn't have SOME kind of action plan should this happen. Never say never. It took a split second for this dog to latch onto that poor malamute's leg. It could've happened to anybody!!

[MoonandBean]

Hopefully, Maya didn't see Mr. Rottie coming towards her as she was being swung at him. ;) I'm so glad everyone is ok. How scary!

[catmandu]

I remember one of my last Vet Clinic Visits when these jerks had two Big Agressive Dogs and they were lunging at Moose, Joseph and even me.:eek::eek:
They thought that was funny and even joked that I should free My Cats and give thier Dogs a snack.:eek::eek:
Jerks!
Thank You My Vet sized up things and took our carriers into the office , and threw those jerks out and pointed out the sign that all Dogs had to be muzzled.
:):)
Some jerks belong in cages!!
:mad::mad:

[Taz_Zoee]

I'm sorry Donna, but my mouth gaped open and I got tears in my eyes when I read that. I can't imagine what poor Maya Linn was thinking being swung and smacked against something like that. I know if I had been there I would have been in tears. For my cat and the dogs.

This is why I'm glad at my vet there are two separate entrances for dogs and cats. And when you go to the counter to check out they check first to make sure the coast is clear so dogs and cats won't meet. Besides that, I have a soft carrier I take my cat in. That wouldn't have worked so well.

I'm very glad to hear Maya Linn seems to not be affected by this. I guess the true test will be next time you take her to the vet.

[moosmom]

Katladyd,

I signed off and kept on thinking what you said about touching someone else's property and just had to come on back and respond.

I would never THINK of touching someone else's property in general, let alone to break up a dog fight. The thought just pissed me off and now I'm even more aggravated that it happened. Will I look for another vet? No. I absolutely adore my vets and they allow me to make payments when I bring my cats in. But you can best believe that I will be alot more careful about holding onto my cat and carrier when I check out.

[GILL]

I'm so sorry for you and Maya Linn. I am also glade that everyone going to be alright. Shacken but not stirred. Of the 3 vets I use only 1 has just 1 door. The other 2 will not even see you if you come in the wrong door. We all learn fast. 1 goes so far as to require any animal over 30 lb. to have a muzzel.
By the way you can tell your friend that Demitri is becoming a butter ball.

[happylabs]

Holy mackerel my jaw dropped when I read this! I do not know what one of my cats would have done or how they would have acted afterwards. I have never liked Rotweilers, I am sorry, I know there are some good ones out there but they just scare me to death as well as Pitt Bulls. I am glad your kitty is okay. I hope she is not traumatized for life. I have enough trouble getting my cats into carriers without something like that happening!

[orangemm]

Poor Maya! She must have been terrified when her little private world was rudely jolted and butted. It must have been the equivalent of an earthquake or a tsunami for us.:eek::eek:

Knowing the trouble we have getting (i.e. stuffing) our cats in the carrier, I know if this had happened to Binky, he never would end up in there! It takes two of us to get him in now.

I keep a firm hand on my carrier when I'm in the vet's; sometimes I will sit on the bench, put the carrier under my legs and prop them up on/over the top of it.

Give that brave girl some extra lovins and scritches from the boys and me.:love::love:

[pomtzu]

I was in a vet's office years ago, when something similar happened. The receptionist had her wits about her and grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and turned it on the attacking dog. Very effective solution.

[lvpets2002]

:eek: OMG poor baby Maya.. Gosh I would have been traumatized too.. Donna I am with you = get out the fancy feast & all is forgotten in the cat world.. Yes Donna you for sure need a nap..

[moosmom]

Taz Zoe,

As I have time to go over the events, I start to cry. This is the same carrier that the bottom dropped out of while I was taking Bad Ass Buddy to the vet as I was bringing him down the stairs of my apt. building. Fortunately, I was able to repair it with locking tagger locks we have at BB&B to secure stuff to poles, walls, etc.

Poor Maya had:

A thermometer shoved up her butt
A vet shoving her jaw open to check her throat
Pricked by a needle full of antibiotics
Being bounced around while being used as a guard to help ward off a vicious dog (the dog was DOG AGGRESSIVE so I don't want to hear any of you bashing my opinion):mad:


Everytime I think about it, I cry. I'm going to try and gain my composure and write a letter to Dr. Geer to let him know I am NOT happy with the events, but do NOT want to get his vet tech in trouble. I know she was only grabbing the closest thing, out of instinct. But for her to say she didn't know my 13 POUND cat was in the carrier is a little extreme.

I only wish they had thought of the fire extinguisher rather than using my cat and carrier.

Thanks everyone for your support.

[cassiesmom]

((((HUGS))))) for Moosmom, Maya Linn, and all Maya's kitty siblings too. What a scary event.

[Freedom]

Donna, goodness gracious, HUGS to you!

Maya Linn, sweet one, hope you forget all about that rotti. Glad the Fancy Feast / rotisserie chicken helped.

I think the vet tech just grabbed something to get those dogs to stop. The whole thing should never have happened. I am so sorry you and Maya Linn went through this.

My vet has separate waiting areas for cat and dog, but no wall divider. I leave my cat carriers on benches / chairs in the cat side while I take care of stuff at the counter.

BTW, in Australia, the rotti does not even make the list of aggressive dogs. I think the owners have a lot to do with this. And like someone else already posted, I have friends with a rottie, well trained and quite well behaved. Owners make a BIG difference. Not the only impact, but a huge impact.

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm going to try and gain my composure and write a letter to Dr. Geer to let him know I am NOT happy with the events, but do NOT want to get his vet tech in trouble. I know she was only grabbing the closest thing, out of instinct. But for her to say she didn't know my 13 POUND cat was in the carrier is a little extreme.

I only wish they had thought of the fire extinguisher rather than using my cat and carrier.

Thanks everyone for your support.

We all know it's upsetting, but I think either a letter or a call to the vet is a really good thing; not to get the tech in trouble, but to alert the vet there should be steps taken to prevent this in the future (ie:muzzles and an emergency training course to stop the attack). You seem to have a good relationship so this shouldn't be a huge hurdle.

I hope you and Maya Linn will hold no scars...of any kind.

Peace.

Maggie

[moosmom]

The rottie was a rescue, looking for a home. It's sad because now it's not likely that he will get placed, unless someone takes pity on him.

My cats are now all fat, happy, full and sleeping. I cut up a whole rotisserie chicken for them and me for dinner.

I hope that my vet will consider two separate entrances. Either that or put a plan in place should this happen again.

[RICHARD]

Now that everyting is o.k., can I make a joke?

We have two dogs that have attacked each other and have been separatged by the tech, who takes a pet carrier - loaded with an innocent bystander and on the lap of a even more innocent hooman- and uses it to break up the fight.

Here is the fiction part?

The cage opens and the cat gets out.

The parrot, sitting on the pirate's shoulder flies off and begins to circle the llama. The llama kicks the man holding the cage with the lizard in it.

THAT CAGE opens up and the lizard knocks over the magazines on the table that land on the sleeping pot bellied pig.

The pig jumps up and knocks the vet, who has come out to see the ruckus, on his keister.


Naw, way too much excitement?:eek:

[kitten645]

I definately think there should be an emergency drill that is practiced at the vets! :mad: I mean there are fire drills nearly everywhere. We've had earthquake drills at my store. We were trained in CPR in case someone has a problem. There are protocols when someone hurts themselves. And that's at a retail store! Nothing to do with unpredictable animals! You should insist they impliment protocols and inform you of what they have done to make sure this never happens again. :rolleyes: They definately shouldn't charge you for the visit since Maya "paid" what was owed physically! :eek:
However, looking on the funny side (if there is one!) I think Maya should have a special crime fighting cape and a superhero name! MAYA TO THE RESCUE! (whether she wanted to or not!)
Claludia

[blue]

Im glad Maya Linn is fine. However if it had been me and Erp in her carrier there, somebody would have likely been punched.

[Queen of Poop]

Im glad Maya Linn is fine. However if it had been me and Erp in her carrier there, somebody would have likely been punched.

Gotta love it!!!

Diego says Maya, you are my hero. Take any and every chance you get to get those dog things. They slobber and make just a disrupted mess of everything. I whack at Chance the pupper every opportunity I get. I don't bother with Sasha though, she's too old.

Cali, my white princess says, Thank goodness you came thru unscathed. And a chicken feast!!! You are so lucky.

Hugs and purrs from us all.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Donna, I'm so sorry to hear this.:( I'm glad that Maya Linn is fine but I'm shocked to here that the vet tech didn't even realize that she was in the carrier.:mad: I sure hope that this office will now come up with a plan to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again. I also agree that you should receive a credit to your account for whatever you paid today since Maya Linn had to endure such a scary event. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

I've only been to one vet's office that actually had a separate side for cats and dogs. My current vet has two separate doors so the dogs try to stay on the left and the cats on the right but the cats don't have much space. When it's busy I've had to sit by several dogs. Luckily my current vet's office is building a larger building so when they move hopefully the waiting area will be much larger and cats and dogs can be kept separate.

[moosmom]

RICHARD,

Thanks honey! I needed a good laugh this morning. Reminded me of the game "Mousetrap". Remember that game?? I'm showing my age here.

KAK,

All I can do is write Dr. Geer a letter to tell him of my concerns, in the HOPES that change will be made. There were at least 3 people waiting to check out that witnessed the entire episode, so I'm sure I'm not the only one who will be voicing their concerns. If it weren't for Dr. Walker stepping (not literally) in and doing whatever he did (I was too concerned about my cat to worry about what actions he took), it could've been a lot worse.

Blue,

Personally, if I wasn't so terrified of getting in between a dog fight, I would've aimed my foot for the dog's crotch. I'm a writer, I NEED my hands!! :p

As far as the vet bill...I wouldn't ask Dr. Geer to reduce my bill because of some incident. I've been with him a long time, as had my Dad. He's helped tremendously with animal cruelty cases, is higly respected in his field and I wouldn't trust my cats to anyone else. I've had a lot of veterinarians in the time I've had pets and been in animal rescue.

[gini]

Goodness sakes - what a story! Aside from the fact that the person in charge of the Rottie - wasn't in charge as she should have been.....the vet tech simply used extremely bad judgement in grabbing Maya Linn's carrier to use as a weapon.

Yes, a letter to the vet suggesting some type of procedure to follow when these things happen would be excellent. The vet tech needs more training in common sense as well.

My vet has a pet shop in addition to his office and one day a month they offer vaccinations at a reduced rate. I brought Rascal in his carrier and it was crowded with a line of people and pets. A Rottie walked right up to Rascal's carrier and stuck his nose into it. The owner could have cared less.

When it was my turn and I opened the carrier on the table - pee was everywhere - Rascal had soaked himself. The vet who was administering the shots was disgusted with me!! I grabbed paper towels and cleaned up as best as I could. I was upset though, so I said outloud "well, if the woman with the Rottie had control of her dog - then my cat would not have peed all over the place."

I hope that Maya isn't scarred and your next trip to the vets won't be a trauma for her.

I am sorry you had to go through this though - it had to have scarred you as well.

[moosmom]

Gini,

I've already started drafting a letter to my vet. While a separate entrance for dogs and cats MIGHT be a good idea, it will not solve the problem of what happened yesterday, as it was another dog the rottie attacked, not a cat.

Another concern I had was the remark the vet tech made to me over the phone asking me if I'd be willing to sign a statement to the fact that I saw this rottie lunge at many other dogs that walked by. I think she was more concerned with being reprimanded for her actions and not whether or not the vet hospital will be sued by the Malamute's owner. Just my opinion.

In my letter, I told my vet that while I was not at all happy with my cat and carrier being used as a tool to break the death grip, I understand that the vet tech did what she had to do in a "split second" to get the dog to loosen up. Another concern I had was, and I know it didn't happen, but if the door on the cat carrier had popped open as she was hitting the dog, my cat would've been mincemeat. The dogs would have shifted their attention to my furbaby. :mad::(

The bottom line in this whole story is that the dog should have been muzzled, PERIOD. The doggie resort's owner, who works with dogs that have behavioral problems, should've known that and taken the proper precautions.

Oh and btw, this rottie is a rescue dog that's up for adoption. Any takers here??

[K & L]

OMG I can't believe this! First off to let her stand there knowing how aggressive the dog was being, and then to take your carrier and whack the dog with the cat inside. I would've been LIVID! I'm glad all turned out well though.

[Asiel]

Sorry you had to go through this Moosmom but I'm glad your cat seems to be back to normal. I agree there should be a plan in action since this could repeat itself at any given time. I think the techs should have been coached about such incidents and should know how to break fights up without using a carrier with a cat inside.
The stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. I just can't believe someone would actually take a dog aggressive dog to the vet's without a muzzle. I'm also surprised at the techs. If this had happened at my vet's the owner of that rottie would have been asked to take the dog out and they would have handed the lady a muzzle. As for being a rescue I don't think that kind of dog belongs in a home where it could hurt someone. And that doesn't mean I'm against rotties, I rather like them but not this kind.

[allmycats]

One would think a vet's office would have some standard proceedure to resolve things like this rather than reach for the nearest thing occupied by someone's pet!

I was thinking the same thing, I would be VERY UPSET if MY cat had been in that carrier! :eek::mad:

and, if a known aggressive dog has an appt. the person on the phone should tell the owner to be sure to muzzle the dog before coming in, and the staff at the vet's office should be trained to know what to do in that case.

[moosmom]

I have a feeling that after this incident, they may change their policy on muzzling dangerous dogs, like this one. I say dangerous only after looking it up online. The #1 dangerous dog is the pitbull, #2 being the rottie. The Alaskan Malamute is #9 on the list. *sigh*:rolleyes: Hey, I didn't make this stuff up.

[GILL]

I hope that they DO change their policies. I know that you love and trust this vet. But I have changed vets for less. I have used the Hodes group for over 30 years, and I still love the vets he get in that specialize in cats, they have all been wonderful. We still go there for any thing major. BUT since his facility is set up that he could have a separate entrances for cats and dogs, but does not I have started using other vets. The building had an edition put on to make a larger waiting and office counter, the old one on the other side is still there, so it would be easy to separate. over the last 2 1/2 years I've have switched to 2 other vats that have separate entrances, now my babies are not as stressed when we have a visit.
By the way Bart is still just a big lover, Demitri is getting a little chubby and is my lover, Precious (Pretty girl) is mine all the way, Did you know that she is deaf. She likes to sleep on my chest in the evening and will growl, hiss, and dig her nails in when I try to move her, but she gives great kisses and hugs.

[Husky_mom]

for one the person holding the rottie was way irresponsible.. seeing the dog plunged at every dog coming around the corner..the dog should have been muzzled.. it was something you can see coming as an owner...

second.. Maya´s crate with or without her in.. shouldn´t have been used.. it´s YOUR property not theirs.. I do understand fast decisions but perhaps a note should be sent to prevent anything like this in the future...

fortunately the cage didn´t popped.. the door or the whole thing.. I can´t even think what would´ve happened...

and last.. what if the carrier had a smaller creature like a bird... with the shake and bump it could have killed it...

[moosmom]

I called the vet hospital and the Malamute went home yesterday and is fine. They're trying to say that the owner of the malamute was at fault for having their dog on a retractable leash, that the rottie was just sitting there minding his own business. BULL!! That's what I told them. That rottie was lunging at every dog that rounded the corner. That shut them right up. Tracy didn't know what to say.

How they can possibly blame that malamute after it was an unprovoked attack is beyond me. Now I hope that the malamute's owner takes action against the rescue organization AND the hospital.

I asked Tracy why they didn't have a plan in place should it happen again. Her response was that it rarely happens. RARELY HAPPENS? It shouldn't have happened at all!!! She kept making excuses and apologizing for what happened, when in fact, they could've taken precautions to prevent it!:mad: I told her that I couldn't believe that the vet tech didn't know my cat was in the carrier. Turns out I was blaming the wrong vet tech. The one who hit the dog with my carrier is a newbie.

The ignorance of the employees at my vet hospital shocks me. I just might look into a new vet.

GILL,

I didn't know PG was deaf!:eek: I'm so glad she's with you. She's in wonderful hands. Dimitri deserves to be a butterball!!

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm so sorry this all happened and I agree, the bottom line is the rottie needed a muzzle.

I've used the same vet for over 20 years, and, as far as I know, there is no policy in place for muzzles. I might ask, though, next time. There is a policy on cages for cats and small dogs. There is no way they could have separate entrances without reconstructing the front of the building. If they do take in aggressive dogs in the back it is not to my knowledge.

All this has made me think I should ask some questions!

[allmycats]

and last.. what if the carrier had a smaller creature like a bird... with the shake and bump it could have killed it...

very true! and, can you imagine what the poor cat thought as it was being thrown closer to that dog? kitty didn't know the cage was between her and the dog! she probably thought oh my God someone is pushing toward the dog:eek:

[Taz_Zoee]

Paizly went to the vet tonight for her shots and I did ask what they would do in this situation. The girl I was talking to said it has happened once while she was there and she freaked out and started yelling toward the back for help. Partly because she was in the reception area and the dogs were in the dog area. There is a counter between. But she is also a cat person so she had no clue.
But I told her this story and she said she was definitely going to tell the story and see about having a plan of action. I'll probably ask (if I remember) each time I go in there.

[moosmom]

Taz Zoe,

Thanks for the great tip. I'm still thinking about getting another vet. It seems that all my vet's office has done is make excuses. I don't like that.