I had Teepo, my Kitten, for 18 months. I had to put him to sleep because of complications from FeLV. I am upset with the Dr. Because, he never returned any of my phone calls about my cats symptoms and I believe that Teepo could have been diagnosed earlier, had the Doctor bothered to care.
I assumed that when I took my cat for preventative immunization, that he got everything, especially vaccines for highly contagious life threatening illnesses.
In September I realized that Teepo might have Feline Herpes, an upper respiratory infection. I took him to the Animal Care Clinic and asked the Doctor to confirm. He did a test for Herpes, and a CBC, and a test for FIV/FeLV. It took about two weeks and phone calls just to find out the results, which were positive for Herpes.
When I found out that Feline Herpes had a preventative Vaccine, I called to find out if he had been given a vaccine with his boosters. This was the beginning of my Phone Tag experience. The Receptionists said the doctor would have to tell me. I called back many times just to find out if he got the vaccine. At the clinic, I saw the doctor and asked him in person. They don't have that Vaccine. I found out (after my cat died of Leukemia) that they don't give the Leukemia vaccination, either, unless the client asks for it specifically.
Even after suggesting I have him tested for FeLV, which turned out negative, he never suggested that Teepo needed a Vaccination for it. My cat was never protected, and he knew it all along.
With Feline Herpes, the cat has a lot of symptoms. They told me there was nothing to do but make the cat feel better. Whenever he would have an recurrance, I would call the clinic to find out if there was any medicine or something something I could do to make him feel better or if it was normal. Every time I called the conversation was pretty much as follows
Me: Hi, I've got a sick cat, he has Herpes and I need to speak to the doctor.
Receptionist: The doctor is (out to lunch/gone for the day/with a patient/busy right now) can I take a message and He will call you back. Give me your name, your pets name, the number where you are, and your question.
Another call
Me: Is the Doctor available. I've got a question about a sick cat. He's got Feline herpes and is having trouble breathing. Is there a medicine, like an expectorant, that he can prescribe to help that
Receptionist: The doctor is (out to lunch/gone for the day/with a patient/busy right now). I can take a message and He will call you back. Give me your name, your pets name, the number where you can be reached.
Me: He hasn't call back last times I left messages. Can you answer my questions?
Receptionist: I don't know that information, the doctor will have to tell you. I'll make sure he gets the message.
This was pretty much the same every time I called between September and March. I would call, then call the next day, then a week later, pretty much every time Teepo had a recurrence.
On March 3rd, when I was at the clinic, I told the Receptionist that I had called several times and never got a return call. She suggested I write down my questions on a note card, with my name, my pets name and my phone number at home and she would give it to him (because he was with a client at the time) and he would call me that after noon and talk with me. I waited till evening. He never called.
The last time I called about a week before Teepo died, I complained to the Receptionist that I didn't want to leave a message because the Doctor never returned his calls and that I had questions about Teepo's Herpes symptoms. She told me he was out and she didn't know when he would return but She would call me herself when he returned. No one called.
On March 10, I noticed that Teepo looked fine, but he still seemed to have trouble breathing. I called my Old vet and I asked to speak to the Doctor. He was busy but the receptionist asked me what the problem was. I told her that Teepo had herpes and seemed to have trouble breathing and seems really lethargic. She paused a moment, spoke to someone in the background and asked me How soon can you get him up here?!
He was immediately diagnosed with Feline Leukemia which had silently filled his lungs and body and was irreversable. The Emergency doctor said that had he been diagnosed earlier he could have been saved. I had to put him to sleep that day.
After mourning, I called Animal Care Clinic on March 12. I told the receptionist exactly this:
My cat just died and I need to speak to the Doctor right away!
She said, The doctor is busy with a client, can I take a message so he can call you back?
Valeria
Marietta, Georgia
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