My family and I live in an area where it is nothing more than red dirt. We do not have a nice grassy yard for our pets to enjoy. That said, we try to take them with us on outings so that our two puppies can get a sufficient amount of exercise as well as be with the family. The puppies we have are four months old, chihuahua and pomeranion mix. They are pretty small as one can imagine. We have a male and a female.
Today we went to the lake to fish and took the pups with us as we always do. As soon as we arrived the puppies were on retractable leashes and started snooting around looking to see what was around that they could get into well. Well my little girl, Molly, found something for sure. Apparently there was a small fishing hook on the ground with a bit of line still attached to it. Molly thought it smelled good enough to eat. We tried to see if we could see the hook but it was not possible. We knew that there was an emergency vet on our way home so we rushed back to the car with the pups and our belongings and off we rushed to the vet.
By the time we had arrived at the vet Molly had chewed the fishing line off to the point I could no longer see it. We took her up to the door and it was locked but there was a nice family in the lobby that came and let us in. We waited at the front desk for about ten minutes before someone actually came out and helped us. At no point did she say anything to me about payment so I did not even concern myself with that until later. I gave her the primary information for my puppy and she told me to sit down and they would be right with us. There were two exam rooms with the doors both open and they were empty.
Finally after about fifteen minutes she reappeared and took us into an exam room. She completed getting the vitals and then told me the doctor would be right with us. Well it was about thirty minutes later when the vet finally came in to talk to us and give my puppy and "exam". She looked at me and my boyfriend and said "Are you both frequent fisherman?". We told her yes that we go quite often. She replied with, "What happens when you catch a fish and you tug on your line?". We told her it sets the hook.
Her reply was, "Well that is what you did to your dog. You set the hook in her. We are going to need to get some x-rays to see where the hook is. Is that okay?" We said yes please do. The reply we got was "That will cost you an additional $180 dollars on top of the $89 dollars you are going to pay for the exam. We looked at each other and was not even sure what to say. We were still waiting for the exam to begin and in her eyes it was already completed.
It took a whole thirty to forty-five seconds and one huge insult to us because we did not even pull on the fishing line which Molly had swallowed. When we attempted to tell her that we had not pulled on the line she merely said "Oh, ok." and said she would send someone in to get Molly from us in a minute.
Well during this time we are starting to panic. We went to the lobby and found the receptionist and ask her if they do payment plans. She said no, everything has to be paid in full before you leave the building. We were concerned at this point because we were not going to be getting paid for another 48 hours. When we tried to talk things through with the lady she tried to explain that she had a health plan credit card we could apply for to make the payment for us and we make monthly payments on.
We tried that but the machine was at the card company was not working properly so that was a dead end for us. We tried to call a friend but they too were strapped for money until their payday. I went and told the receptionist and she sent a Vets Tech in to explain to us that there was nothing they could do to help us if we did not have the money to pay for the services up front such as the exam and xray fees. Also, we have to prove a means to pay for any additional services rendered to get the hook out.
By this time I am in tears. I dont get paid for two days, they are being very rude about not helping us without cash in hand, and I am fearing that the only option I have is to take my puppy home and put her down. I was paniced. Well during all of this hectic hassle a woman in the lobby offered to help me pay for Molly's care. I tearfully thanked her for her kindness and told her I would return every dime to her.
I went back to my exam room and was trying to figure out what was going to have to happen In the mean time, the lady who offered to pay went to the front desk to pay her fees and told the receptionist that she was going to pay for Molly to be cared for. They told her they would be okay with that. The lady told them in front of me to let me know that they knew she was helping me.
She turned to me and ask me if they were accommodating me. I said I thought they would be and that I was grateful. She said she just wanted to be sure the puppy was ok and that her and I would settle things later. Shortly after her and I spoke the people at the clinic told the lady that I did not need her help and that things were sorted so she went ahead and went home because they were done with her pet. I did not hear them do this but a person in the lobby informed me that they did hear it.
Eventually, they came and told us to give Molly some canned pumpkin through the night and take her to my vet in the morning. They showed us to the lobby and said the receptionist would check us out. This whole time I figured things were taken care of and was trying to figure out where the lady went that had paid for me. She was no where to be found.
About an hour after they took us back to the lobby the receptionist came to me and said that she just needed the $89 exam fee and we would be free to go. I was trying to figure this out because I thought it was handled and then a person in the lobby told me what they saw and heard. I went to the desk and told the lady that I did not have the cash on me at the moment.
She began telling me all the ways I could pay. I said I do not have it. She said well I will need to confiscate your Visa card and hold it in the office until payment is made. I was really angry but I did not know what to do. I took the card out and gave it to her and said that I was totally appaled at all of this and that I did not even feel that Molly got an exam and was shocked they even wanted my money. I told her what happened with the vet and she merely said well, that is how we do it here and you got your exam no matter what it consisted of.
During the time I was telling the receptionist why I felt I had been wronged and that I did not feel this was good or ethical treatment to me or my puppy, who by this time is in so much pain she is crying and gagging and in a ton of pain. Another worker comes through the front area and heads to the back and starts telling the vet about me and what I am saying in front of other customers and I heard the vet yelling at her to make me leave and get out of there and not to come back.
So of course here she comes and starts telling me to get out and not come back and that I got good care and that I need to realize that they are not a Vet Clinic, they are a Vet Emergency Clinic. I said exactly, that is why I came here. I have an emergency. My dog needs medical care and I get paid in 48 hours. Why is she not getting taken care of and we are basically being kicked out because we dont have money in our hand. They told me I was welcome to call Management in the morning if I felt I had a justified claim. I walked out the door with the statement that only rich people's pets are allowed to have emergencies.
Now to tell you what I saw with other people while I was there for three hours and got no care at all.
There was a mother and her two daughters in there. They had been there for five hours. Their dog had fever and stomach pain and would not eat for two days. The people there at the Vet Hospital put her dog in back for an IV and some test. They were pretty doing the same payment thing with this family and it ended up that they had to take the dog and pay $499 dollars for minimal care and they left for home. They were told if the dog would have stayed longer it would be $800 and they could not pay that so the dog had to leave.
Another familily had to leave their cat there for two days because it got injured and had to have stitches. Their bill was above $1000. The cat spent two nights there and got nine stitches.
A family came in closer to when we were leaving and their dog had gotten bit by a rattlesnake. They were in the waiting room for almost forty minutes and were still sitting their when we left with no estimate of when they would be seen. For Pete's sake! The little dog was all swollen in the face from a rattlesnake bite. I hope they had money in their pocket.
When I left that office tonight I told them that I was calling management in the morning, I was reporting them to the better business bureau and that I was calling the local news to see if they wanted to talk about all of this. I also told them that I was going to be sure that this type of non-care, money making is going to have to be looked at by others because it is not humane. I think anyone who knows of this place should definitely file a report as well as contact other places about it to see if we can get this to stop.
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