Can you complain about a Vet at the Better Business Bureau?

[wolflady]

Hi everyone. Thank you all so much for the support and kindness about our loss of Socks. I have been talking to my mom about it, and I am now angry at how things were handled by the vet. Let me explain:

My mom found Socks on the floor in some sort of coma on Thursday, and of course didn't know what to do but rush him to our regular vet. They were able to revive him and they had put him on an IV drip. Our vet told my mom that since they close at 6pm, it would be a good idea to take Socks to an overnight clinic "for observation". This was to be observation only, and a hook up with an IV. My mom inquired if they should call ahead to let them know she was coming. Our vet said no, they handle these sorts of situations all the time.
So, my poor mom had to go and get Socks from our vet's office before they closed at 6 and take him to the United Emergency Animal Clinic, which opened at 6pm. Of course my mom is upset about this whole thing, so it isn't easy to do all of this.
So, she gets to this place, and they didn't even look at the cat or say anything of comfort (I'm sorry, but if you're a vet or technician in the animal field, you should really have a love of animals). Anyway, right off the bat, they tell mom that it would cost 1500 for a bunch of unnecessary tests. My gosh, the cat had already been through enough, my mom had already been through enough and all these people wanted was money.
Mom could hardly speak and didn't know what to do. Of course our vet is nowhere to be found, because he had gone home for the night, and we couldn't track him down. All that needed to be done was Socks needed 24hr monitoring and a connection with an IV. That's it. Not knowing what to do, (since they were basically holding Socks hostage, IMO) mom said to go ahead, and she told me that this vet's (or technician's...not sure which) eyes lit up. Mom said there was absolutely nothing going on in the clinic, so this person probably just wanted something to do. Nice, huh? Mom had already explained what had happened and that Socks was diabetic.

Anyway it just really makes me that someone would treat a pet owner in distress over their possibly dying pet like that. What is that??!!
Personally, I think our vet should have stayed 5 extra minutes to call this place to tell them exactly what was going on, instead of my mom having to go through all of this garbage. Now, my mom is feeling horrible because she keeps telling herself she should have just put Socks down after she had found him on the floor on Thursday rather than putting him through all of this, only to be put down on Friday.
All of this other stuff was just unnecessary and put extra stress on our dying pet. This is just horrible! The people at this United Emergency Animal Clinic need a lesson on empathy and animal/owner treatment, IMO. Plus, our vet should have called ahead. It would have made things a little easier on all of us.

Am I just overreacting, or can we complain about this to the Better Business Bureau? If not the BBB, then who? Needless to say, I'm not happy with either vet, at this point. Ours should have called ahead, written a letter...called later...something! This so called Emergency clinic could have been more compassionate and listened to what my mom said our vet told us to do, instead of putting Socks through totally unnecessary tests.
What should we do? We're so upset that we probably put Socks under so much stress during his last moments. The only thing of comfort was that my dad was able to be with my mom when they decided to put him down on Friday, and my mom got to hold him the whole time.
Tearfully,
Karen

[LoudLou]

Karen I am SO extremely sorry. My mother had a VERY bad experience with a local Vet here ( We only have 3 to choose from ) and filed a complaint with the state board of vets...While my mother's sitituation is different (She had a very old Daschund with cancer. Opted for Euthanization rather than "Experimental Surgery"....Vet decided to do surgery then "foster" the dog out... Sent my mother a BILL for Euthanasia AND Cremation!!! Even a Sympathy card!..... Twiggy only lasted one more year and when she did cross it was very traumatic...My mother unfortunately did not sue but had a case...) You (Your Mom)can try to file a complaint with your state board. I think you are in Cali, right?

California Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine
1420 Howe Avenue, Suite 6
Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 263-2610

Don't know if this Addy is current.... also might check out this link http://www.vmb.ca.gov/

I wish you luck and I am so sorry you and your Mom had to go through this.... I've been there, unfortunately I was told things like this happen far more often than most people know.

Take Care,
Katie, LOUD Louie & The Beans

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I'm so sorry to hear that this whole thing was so traumatic for poor Socks and your mother.

I would absolutely complain to the Better Business Bureau. Click Here to go to the BBB web site. Your complaint might have more of an impact with the state board of Vets, like Katie suggests, but I would still make a complaint with the BBB. The one time I made a complaint with them, they contacted the other party and played intermdiary between us. At the very least they might be able to get your Mom's money back, and they will, at the very least, know that there was a complaint made against them, which might just prompt them to be a little more compassionate in the future.

Good luck with everything, but most importantly, tell your mother to not feel guilty about anything she did or didn't do. The guilt part is a normal part of the grieving process and she needs to know that whatever she did, she did for Socks, and she did it because she loved him.

Hugs to both of you at such a stressful time.

[neko1]

I'm so sorry to hear about this awful experience! You are right, the vet should have called ahead to let the emergency clinic know you were on your way. It's the least he could have done. I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience at the emergency clinic too. Just to let you know that not all vets and techs act that way. No one at our office does. We feel for the people that come in, after all we also have pets and know what it's like. I don't know maybe those people were having a bad day dealing with nasty clients, but it's still no excuse to treat you the way they did. They should have had some compassion for you!! I've never been the our emergency clinic, but if they ever treated me like that I would definately complain.
Sorry for the rambling, I just don't want everyone out there to think that all techs are not compassionate.

[catlady1945]

I would certainly complain to the veterinary board and the BBB (if they take that sort of thing) and I would also tell your vet how I felt about the way I and my pet were treated and why I am changing to another vet. Can you get a reference by a friend to another vet? I had been taking my cats to a certain vet for years and I dropped them like a hot potato when my Ella died because I really didn't feel that their treatment was up to par. Fortunately there are two other ones who are a bit further away but I know are good so I have a choice.

[Pam]

Karen I agree with everyone here. I would contact the veterinary board for sure. It may not accomplish anything (after all Socks is gone now ) but it will help you feel that you maybe shed a little light on some poor practices which may be remedied in the future.

I went to a vet, who had an an outstanding reputation, for many years. I took my Ashley (silver mini) in for a routine spaying. That evening I noticed that she was missing a front tooth and two of her front teeth were sheared off almost to the gumline! I was on the phone immediately with the vet and asked him what happened. He said "Oh I saw that she had some blood around her mouth but I assumed she had bitten her tongue. She was rather wild coming out of the anesthesia. She probably broke the teeth off herself on the bars of the cage." I said "didn't you even investigate to see where the blood was coming from?" and he said "no." I was livid! He offered to remove the damaged teeth free of charge! Imagine that! Needless to say I felt he was very incompetent!!!! Of course I changed vets and asked my new vet right away what he thought of this guy's attitude. He did agree that often dogs coming out of anesthesia are a bit "crazy" but felt it was unbelievable that he didn't check for the source of the blood!

Yes, unfortunately I think there are vets out there that have somehow lost their compassion for those they care for (just like human doctors unfortunately sometimes ). I'm sorry your mom had to go through this. If it does nothing more than help your mom to feel she put up a bit of a fight in Socks' behalf it will probably be well worth it. Good luck.

[smokey the elder]

A vet office is a business, so calling the BBB is appropriate. Also the State licensing board. I think it's terrible what your mom went through with Socks. As someone said above, it won't help Socks but maybe will help future feline patients.

{hugz}

[moosmom]

Karen,

What a horrible thing that must've been for your Mom. But she shouldn't beat herself up over it. And yes, I would file a formal complaint not only with the BBB but also with the AVA.

I had an experience where I had my kitten (10 weeks) tested for Feline Leuk and Aids. The vet told me she tested positive. Her exact words were "So, when do you want to euthanize her!!!!!!" I was horrified and devastated. This was a kitten I bottle fed from 2 weeks of age. I took her outta there as fast as I could (knowing that at 10 weeks, it's possible to get a false positive reading). It's a good thing I did. I had another test done where they draw blood and send it out. It came back negative. I changed vets.

I would definitely file a complaint.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Karen,

I am not sure if your Mom lives in the San Fran area, but I do know that the city council recently passed a law that changed a pets status from "property" to having a "guardian". In this case she might be able to sue the vet for the loss of companionship. The law just went into effect so I am not sure if there have been any legal decisions based on it, but you might want to consider it.

Cheryl

[lizbud]

Karen,

I am so sorry your Mom & Socks had to go through such a
horrible experience. The fact that the first vet failed to follow
up with a call to the Emergency vet is reprehensible. He sent
her there with Socks & he should have followed up with a call
to let them know Sock's medical condition. I would personally
file complaints with the AMV , BBB, or anyone else who would
listen. There's no excuse for what he failed to do. Period...

LoudLou,

I am equally shocked at such(treatment?)by your Mom's vet.
I know most people are at an emotional disadvantage when
it comes to our sick pets & that's why we need to trust our
vets completely to help with healing & also at least offer some
measure of comfort to the humans who are also hurting. I am
so sorry you both had this terrible experience.

[smokey the elder]

I saw a story on cnn.com yesterday about how in Colorado they want to pass a law that pets are companions, not property. This will give them additional rights. Fourteen states allow one to leave money/property on behalf of caring for one's pet. I think you should be able to claim pets as dependents on your tax return!

[HayleyRosie]

I agree!

[wolflady]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and support. I guess things like this happen more often than I thought!

Katie, I couldn't believe it when I read what happened with your mom and her dog! That is absolutely outrageous! I can't even begin to imagine how horrified and angry I would have been if something like that had happened. **hugs** Did your mom at least file a complaint on that situation?? That vet should have been fired for doing something so underhanded as that...

Pam, it's realy awful how that vet treated your Ashley! There's just no reason for behavior like that from professionals!!
**hugs**

I sent all of your responses and suggestions to my mom, and here is what she wrote back to me:

Thanks for sending the feedback. At the least if I ever have this situation again I will be able to head off any problems ahead of time. But maybe this will alert other pet owners who have yet to deal with an overnight clinic to have their vet call ahead and not go until they get a response. We have been so lucky our pets were very healthy most of their lives and this is the only bad emergency experience we've had. We have a lot of pet owners in this area so someone reading this might be helped and have a much smoother transaction than I did.

Love,

Mom

I just wanted to also let you peole know how much it means to have you all here to turn to.
**hugs**
Karen

[NoahsMommy]

Oh my goodness! I am apalled at what I am reading here!! I can't really add to the great advice that was offered here, but just know that by you telling this story, it can really help us if we are ever put in this situation.

I would expect more from people who "value" animals. That is horrible.