A week and a half ago my dog needed emergency care and I took her to Vets office. The 1st dr said it was a degenerative disc and would try treatment if that didnt work she would need surgery which cost 5000. After the 1200 treatment didnt work they said if I came up with 3000 they would do the surgery and i could work out payment arrangement for the rest. a day later while i was trying to scrape up the 3000 they went ahead and did surgery w/o my consent and now wont return my dog unless i give them another 2000. I did pay them 3600 out of 2600 bill. they wont even let me visit her. do they have the right to keep her?
2007-11-23 07:13:00 · 20 answers · asked by aperfectpeach 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Something's not right there, they should not have done the surgery without your consent. That is against the law (called the "Practice Act." I would aslo worry that they are now going to be charging boarding/ hospitalization fees daily until you get the dog back. If it was me, I would call a lawyer. Also, ask them if they have "Care Credit" which is an independant credit card compamy that offeres financing for health care. Good luck...call a lawyer no matter what.
2007-11-23 07:22:45 · answer #1 · answered by California Vet Tech 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should first ask them when you actually gave consent for the surgery / payment / etc. If they don't give you an answer you feel is satisfactory then in my personal opinion you should take them to court. Or you could just pay the 2000. A lawyer could be expensive so maybe a small claims court? I believe they only take cases up to 5,000 dollars, but i could be wrong.
best of luck with your dog.
2007-11-23 15:24:28 · answer #2 · answered by Joseph K 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
talk to an attny for a free consultation to tell him the story. Did you sign a consent form?
I cant believe your vet did this to you. Did he consider the surgery an emergency? That may be the loop hole but even then I cant understand why he would not return him to you and let you,make payments. Vets are usually not in it for the money they love animals. Its their human connections they usually don't do well with.
2007-11-23 15:29:05 · answer #3 · answered by purplewaterhorse 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Shanna....vets have you sign a consent form before performing surgery....ask them to see your file and everything that you signed. If there isn't a consent form, they cannot keep the dog, nor can they legally perform the surgery.
2007-11-23 15:20:54 · answer #4 · answered by big dog owner 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
no id sue them they just want money and they probably didnt do the surgery good so take it to another vet after you sued them and see what happens
they might even be a scam
they have no right its your dog you pais for it you bought the food you probably paid 5000 dollars for it and you bought the supplies for it id also go in and demand the dog back if they say no well tell them your gonna sue them if you decide sue them and they should have to give you 20400 dollars back to you
2007-11-23 16:06:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
nope. you should tell someone of higher authority like the police, you didnt give them the okay to do so,if you over payed you should get your dog back and the money thats left over, but if you didnt than they should let you visit her whenever you can, or you could pay so much a month....id give the police a call soon......
2007-11-23 15:30:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they don't have the right to keep your dog! You can file a case against them, for doing surgery on your dog without your contentment and for blackmailing you!
2007-11-23 15:21:58 · answer #7 · answered by polska 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you didn't okay them to do the surgery, then no. They have to have your consent to operate on the dog. If anything, they would be liable if they went and operated without your permission.
I would ask to see everything you signed and go from there.
2007-11-23 15:17:59 · answer #8 · answered by Shanna 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
In most cases you have to sign a realease for surgery. I would get in touch witha lawyer
I don't think htey have the right for this.
2007-11-23 15:37:57 · answer #9 · answered by Kit_kat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As awful as it sounds, I think you need to find out what the laws are in the state you are in regarding property and services. Ask a local law enforcement.
2007-11-23 15:29:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋