I fear I may be losing my Puddy.

[Craftlady]

I would ask Dr. Davey (not Dr. Lee since he wasnt there over the weekend to observe etc) on Monday for an explaination why she felt it was necessary to do another inhouse blood test. Maybe Puddy was showing signs of anemia and they did another test since the first one came back negative. I would think they are "not padding" your bill. You sign a consent form for them to perform treatment etc. They have to account for everything they do and charge. Heck, she may not charge you for the this test. It could just be a follow-up to clarify conflicting results. It would of been nice if she explained that to you on the phone today. Your use to Dr. Lee being so open and forth right with information, this Dr. Davey has a very different style of delivery information.

As far as the vet tech, thats an issue for them to address. You've voiced your opinion and they duely noted.

Glad Puddy is feeling better

[Medusa]

Well, it's Dr. Lee's clinic; he's the head honcho. And they always ask me ahead of time if it's ok to perform certain tests. I certainly want the best for my Puddy, that's for sure. But I do intend to ask Dr. Davey and Dr. Lee both why it was necessary to do the other in-house blood test. I asked her if Puddy's gums were white and she said that no, they were pink, just as they were yesterday. She was eating just as well, drinking and was feisty. I think Dr. Davey is new. I've never dealt w/her before and I've never seen her name on the roster. And, I agree, they do need to address the issue w/the vet tech. And I intend to find out exactly how they did deal w/it. I have a good rapport w/Dr. Lee, Dr. Feeman and Dr. Kaufmann and I trust them. But there's no excuse for disregard for someone's feelings, esp. when that person is hundreds of miles away, worried sick and is paying thousands of dollars for health care for her cat. I've given them nearly $10,000.00 in the last year. I think I deserve better treatment than that. But the important thing is that Puddy is doing better.

Blessings,
M

[TopCat3]

Well, it's Dr. Lee's clinic; he's the head honcho. And they always ask me ahead of time if it's ok to perform certain tests. I certainly want the best for my Puddy, that's for sure. But I do intend to ask Dr. Davey and Dr. Lee both why it was necessary to do the other in-house blood test. I asked her if Puddy's gums were white and she said that no, they were pink, just as they were yesterday. She was eating just as well, drinking and was feisty. I think Dr. Davey is new. I've never dealt w/her before and I've never seen her name on the roster. And, I agree, they do need to address the issue w/the vet tech. And I intend to find out exactly how they did deal w/it. I have a good rapport w/Dr. Lee, Dr. Feeman and Dr. Kaufmann and I trust them. But there's no excuse for disregard for someone's feelings, esp. when that person is hundreds of miles away, worried sick and is paying thousands of dollars for health care for her cat. I've given them nearly $10,000.00 in the last year. I think I deserve better treatment than that. But the important thing is that Puddy is doing better.

Blessings,
M

NO, I don't think you were overreacting.
Looking from outside the situation, where I can be less emotionally caught up in it than you can, at the end of the day you are a customer, you're a good and valuable customer, from a commercial point of view you have several cats one of which is chronically sick and you are committed to them. That makes you one of the "A" list, from a commercial point of view. YOu should have been treated as such.

Please don't get me wrong, anyone, all cats are equal (only "ours" are more equal than others, of course ) and vets are generally compassionate as well as commercially minded. But if you cut out the compassion/emotion element, Medusa is a top customer and should be treated like gold.

When you add in the fact that a top customer "mother" of a sick cat is beside herself she should be treated with kid gloves. Medusa, you were treated shabbily and my first reaction was - this vet nurse or whatever she was, was being smart-ass and enjoying rubbing a little salt in the wound, cruel in fact. At the very least, unfeeling.

I'd be putting in a formal complaint, no question.

But then, that's me, and I don't put up with sh*t from anyone.

[TopCat3]

I didn't want to mix up Puddy in my last thread - gosh, I was getting angry for you!

I am so glad to hear Puddy is better, and hopefully can come home with you soon. Give her lots of cuddles from the TopCats (if she will permit) and maybe with your Thanksgiving not too far away you can take an extra day or two and give yourself and her some loving healing time together? You sound like you need it. My best wishes to you all.-TC

[Barbara]

I don't feel you are overreacting. Of course whatever treatment they propose or tests or whatever they have to agree that with you. (In a legal sense you are the "owner" of Puddy- ok we all know it's the other way round.)

On the other hadn you should sort it out with them quietly Monday when you pick Puddy up- maybe there was a reason. And the question whether Puddy is anemic or not should be discussed.

And the best thing: Puddy is better

[Medusa]

After a night's rest, I've decided that I'm not overreacting. Then when I read the previous posts, I realized that I'm right. Puddy is the number one concern, of course. But I'm only human, I was hundreds of miles away and couldn't go in to see her, I had to maintain my professinalism and I'm not made of money. Four of my seven cats are special needs cats; they all have had major surgery or are coping w/disabilities such as deafness, brain damage, ear polyps, etc. I'm not complaining about that. I took it on w/my eyes and heart wide open. But when I am at the vet's as often as I am, I think I deserve better treatment and some consideration for my finances. An example was telling me that I could take Puddy home, only to get the call saying that she needs to come back in right away to be hospitalized. If I hadn't been off work that day, what would I have done, not to mention the time and money involved for gas, etc. I don't mean to make this sound like it's purely economical because that isn't the case. But I, like Barbara, don't take disrespect from anyone. I've been divorced for 10 years, taking care of myself and my cats alone. And if I don't speak up, they might think it's all ok when it clearly isn't. I still believe that Puddy is in the right place getting the best care. But there's room for improvement and I intend to say so.

Thanx again, friends, for your feedback. It helps A LOT.

Blessings,
Mary

[furrykidsmother]

I am glad that it sounds as Puddy is improving, that is wonderful news!!

No, you were not overreacting, that is no way to treat someone. I do hope that you will say something to Dr. Lee.

Best wishes for continued improvement for Puddy!

[Medusa]

I just walked in the door w/my girlie girl! She cried the entire drive home and I mean the entire drive! She wanted out of the carrier pronto! I tried to give her a mini noggin noogie through the holes in the carrier but it was rather difficult. She tried her best to receive it, though. When I opened the carrier door when we got home, she flew out of there like she was shot out of a cannon! She'd had enough of that place. She has to be on Clindamycin again, twice a day, and SQ fluids every other day. But her appetite is good, she looks good, she's moving fast, her creatinine level is down to 4.2, her white blood cell count is down to 19,000 from 37,000; things are looking brighter. This was a close call, I can tell ya. Dr. Lee told me to call him immediately if she loses her appetite again or if she vomits or if she becomes lethargic. Of course! I'd do that anyhow. But my girlie girl is home; Mom is happy; and Dr. Lee said Puddy is one tough cat. I can tell he likes her. He just chuckles when he talks about her and he said "You gave Puddy a chance and it was a good chance and she's doing great!"

Whew! Now I need to prepare for tonight's meeting. Thanx and blessings to you all for seeing me through another crisis.

Blessings,
Mary
P.S. And....my bill was much lower than anticipated, by several hundred dollars. And I wasn't charged at all for the vet tech.

[Cataholic]

Sending a big kiss down to Puddy! YiPPEE!!

[Killearn Kitties]

I'm so pleased to hear that you have Puddy home! Please give her a big cuddle from me and tell her what a clever girl she is!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad that she's doing well and is finally home where she belongs. Now hopefully she'll continue to be a happy and healthy little girl for a long time to come.

[Craftlady]

I'm glad to read Puddy is doing better. It's always a pleasant surprise when our bills are much lower than we orginially thought they should of been at the start. Did you find out why the second blood test? Did Dr. Lee say anything about the vet tech?

[Medusa]

Yes, it's certainly good news. Dr. Lee couldn't give me a prognosis for Puddy. But he said that she's the toughest cat he's ever seen, 5 lb. of pure terror! When I saw that the vet tech's charges had been removed, I decided not to say something to Dr. Lee. I'm positive that he knows what transpired because he's the one who decides what discount is applied because it's his clinic. And I spoke quite a bit w/Dr. Davey about it, so I think that the vet tech got reprimanded and that's why he removed the charges.

This is turning out to be a great day!

Blessings,
Mary

[Medusa]

I asked Dr. Lee about feeding Puddy and/or all my cats the human grade raw meat diet and he said that it's really popular now but that he advises his clients against it. He said that if they ignore his warning, they always end up bringing their cats in w/toxoplasmosis and other ailments from tapeworm to all kinds of nasty stuff. He said "There are always people who think they know more than we do and their cats suffer because of it." Can never accuse the man of not saying what he means. I know that there are those who post on PT that swear by it and I'm not trying to talk them into or out of anything. Just thought I'd pass on what Dr. Lee had to say on the subject.

Blessings,
Mary

[Poo]

Hooray, glad to hear Puddy is home. You must be soooo happy. I hope she continues to do well.

Nicki x