My vet was unsatisfactory today?

Question

I went to the vet bcuz my roomies (who's out of town) dog had a laceration on his leg that needed to be fixed. They tried to charge my roomate 400 dollars to clean the wound, stitch him up, and for antibiotics. Knowing this was a lot of money, I called my roomate and he flipped. Said he wouldn't pay more than 150. (In his defense, they were wanting to do all kinds of expensive blood work and stuff that even I really figured was unnessasary.)
So I ask them what the bare minimum was that would fix the problem. They come back and say that they can cut out the blood work and do it for 110. My roomate (via phone) agrees, and looong story short the place was slammed. The vet gave the wrong instructions for the medicine (the dog could have oded if I hadn't asked her if it were right), and they didn't even stitch him up like they said! My bf was late for school, so when we left I didn't bother to check the dogs bandage.
I got home, and the bandage doesn't even cover the wound.

So I call and they are closed. He's now spotting blood from the wound on everything, and I don't have $$ to spend to get gauze or anything. I'm really upset, as the vet was inside a pet store, and I trusted their work.
What's the best way to make this right? Should I go back tommorrow and demand proper help? Or should I say screw it and try to talk my roomate into letting me take him somewhere else?

Answer 1

What you describe is called incompetence and I wouldn't trust them to do any further work. I would write a letter to the pet store and to the CEO of the chain and demand a full refund. I would keep all relevant paperwork and present it to the vet if the store balked and finally, file charges in small claims court. If the vet has any signs saying he is a member of some organization like the American Veterinary Hospital association, I would also write them. A veterinarian that cannot manage an office needs to be working for someone who can. A vet that intentionally practices hap-hazard medicine needs to be forced to find new work.

Answer 2

Take him somewhere else! Who knows if he lost a lot of blood through bleeding while you weren't there! Right now, focus on the dog's needs. He has to get proper stitches, antiseptic and a good length of gauze. That's the basics. If the wound is infected [another] the vet should give him antibiotics. When the dog is well, go over and give those people a piece of your mind! All animals deserve to have access to adequate medical care.

Please take your dog to a good vet or clinic! I think that you can buy the gauze. It isn't that expensive, but anyway, concentrate on taking the dog to the vet!

Answer 3

That's expensive blood work to go from $400 to $110 just by cutting out the blood work. If I were you I would try to cover the wound to keep it from bleeding, and take the dog back to the same vet tomorrow morning, and ask them what happened. Have them explain exactly what you paid for. If they didn't do what they said they would for what you paid for, I would demand they fix it for no additional charge. But because I wasn't there I can't really answer your question, only your veterinarian will be able to.

Answer 4

Try to cover the wound and keep your dog as comfortable as possible overnight. I would call the vet clinic first thing in the morning, or better yet, bet there first thing in the morning and explain what happened the day before and ask them to rectify the situation. Things sometimes happen in a vet clinic, emergencies interfere and that sort of thing. I'm not trying to make excuses, but do give them a chance to make it right. If they don't, then I would suggest further action such as writing up everything that occurred and maybe going to the newspaper and see if anyone is willing to listen to your story.

I really hope they help you out and make it better. Most vet clinics and hospitals try to do their best.

Answer 5

When owners try to cut corners and save money, it leaves vets with little room to work. The dog may have been old- they need bloodwork around a certain age. Of course they didn't stitch a wound if you didn't pay for it, what do you expect? When you neglect a wound and leave without inspecting it, you honestly cannot expect it to be untouched when you come back. People who don't care about their pets needs come in all the time and yell about how expensive it is. If you can't afford to take care of a dog (they are like children) then I suggest that your roomate sen the dog off to someone who knows what they are doing. This makes me sick.