XPost: rec.pets.dogs.behavior, rec.pets.dogs.breeds, rec.pets.dogs.health   
   From: dk@no.email.thankstospam.net   
      
   Short version* (longer version with details is below):   
      
   Seriously sick dog was misdiagnosed and operated by a vet.   
   Not only everything they have done did not help, but the   
   accidental mistake aggravated things badly (peritonitis).   
           The dog was brought to vet school, diagnosed   
   correctly, operated and cured. Large part of the effort   
   was to fix the original problem.   
           In the end, the first vet wouldn't own up to the mistake   
   and offered no refund, no excuses, nothing whatsoever.   
           It's not so much about money (although we ended up   
   paying ~ $1,000 to the first veterinarian and much more than   
   that to fix the numerous mistakes) but more about the fact   
   that I hate the idea of that place benefiting materially from   
   nearly making our family member die. I loath even more their   
   indifferent reaction to the whole affair.   
      
   *Question*: What can, within limits of law, be done about it?   
   I paid with credit card and can, of course, dispute the charge -   
   but that doesn't seem reasonable. After all, they did   
   work to screw things up, we agreed to them doing it and   
   although every single medicine expensive that they prescribed   
   turned out to be utterly useless, we did buy them voluntary.   
   In that respect, it would seem that CC company has every right   
   to see the charges as completely legit.   
           So, besides paying up and walking away, is there any   
   other course of action? - Small claims suit? - Civil suit?   
   Something else?   
      
   Thanks, DK   
      
   S.         *Long version*   
   - About 10 days of decreased mobility in our minpin followed   
   by a weekend of intense vomiting, loss of appetite and extreme   
   weakness. Our vet ordered urine and extended blood test   
   (all normal) and did an X-ray with barium as a contrast.   
   The interpretation of it was pyloric stenosis. They proceeded   
   with an operation to find out what might be wrong and to relax   
   the pylorus. Stomach and intestine were opened and nothing   
   wrong was found; the pyloric sphincter was relaxed by forcing   
   pinky into it (literally!).   
      
   - The dog was kept on IV fluids and seemed to be OK, although   
   still refusing to eat, force fed and vomited once more. After a   
   night in emergency vet hospital to make sure she is stable,   
   she was discharged with a bunch of expensive prescriptions   
   (none of them antibiotics) and no follow up appointment ("bring   
   her back if there is no improvement"). All in all, ~ $1,000 was   
   spend on services and drugs.   
      
   - Same day, vomiting resumed in earnest, the dog got fever   
   and was referred, at our insistence, to the local vet school   
   emergency hospital. There, the first look at X-ray elicited   
   "this is certainly not a blockage". Another operation followed   
   that found 1) peritonitis from undone incision of intestine,   
   2) large pancreatic abscess (removed surgically; enough   
   pancreas left), 3) large clot in omental artery. "She could   
   have died within couple days", we were told.   
      
   - After almost three days in the hospital on antibiotics,   
   IV fluids and pain killers, the dog became well (none of the   
   drugs prescribed include anything prescribed before). She now   
   eats well and, although weak and incredibly slim, attempts   
   high level of activity. Needless to say, no vomiting. Roughly,   
   $3,500 was paid to the vet school, of which I figure about half   
   has to do with fighting peritonitis. The overall diagnosis of   
   the original problem is acute pancreatitis. Hopefully, this is   
   over and pancreatitis will not come back in any form.   
      
   - During all the ordeal, our vets *never* called us back to inquire   
   how the dog is doing - even though they were 100% aware of   
   it being admitted in serious condition to another hospital after   
   their surgical procedure. When I called them, they wouldn't   
   admit any of the mistakes made and could never entertain   
   neither an apology, not an offer to give us money back. Sadly,   
   money seem to be much more important for them (heh, the   
   main guy there gives seminars in the vet school on business   
   management).   
      
   - Naturally, we are going to change the vet, but the whole   
   thing pisses me off big time. OK, medicine is tough. Mistakes   
   happen. But at least three mistakes at the same time can't   
   be accidental! Had I at least heard an apology or even a sign   
   of sympathy for our and our dog's painful week, I could simply   
   forget about it. But no. So, in the end I feel that it would be   
   just too unfair to let their total screw up to turn out to be   
   perfectly good business!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)