Is this a rip off?

A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

On 5/7/2013 5:24 AM, Lesley wrote:
A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

The wrong leg?! He absolutely needs to take Dastan to his regular vet
for a second opinion!

Jill

Lesley wrote:
A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs


Wow, 600 pounds for an x-ray and look-see! I'd grab that x-ray and take
it to another vet! If he bandaged the wrong leg, he just might do
surgery on the wrong leg too. He should run from that vet as fast as he can.

Bobble

On 5/7/2013 8:48 AM, Bobble wrote:
Lesley wrote:
A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs


Wow, 600 pounds for an x-ray and look-see! I'd grab that x-ray and take
it to another vet! If he bandaged the wrong leg, he just might do
surgery on the wrong leg too. He should run from that vet as fast as he
can.

Bobble

No kidding! I paid that much (in USD of course) for Persia's
radioactive isotope therapy and that *included* being boarded at their
facility for 2 weeks!

It definitely sounds like a rip off. I wouldn't trust that vet as far
as I could throw him/her.

Jill

"Lesley" wrote in message
...

A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

~~~~~~~~~~~
Wrong leg? I would take some good pictures, take Dastan to my own vet for a
checkup, and report this case to the veterinary board. The cost is
outrageous for the treatment you described, but it is even more important
that the vet bandaged the wrong leg and let the injured leg go untouched.
And, of course, I would take steps to have this fee eliminated--or, at
least, reduced to the normal cost for an office visit and X-ray (assuming
the correct leg was X-rayed!).

If this had not been the wrong leg, I would be at a loss to make any kind of
knowledgeable comment about cost. There seems to be an amazing variety of
charges, even in the same area and for the same treatment. Holly has a very
good and caring vet. She was in the hospital for a week, on constant IV,
blood tests, and had 3 teeth extracted. The cost was $900.

MaryL

"Lesley" wrote in message
...
A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

---------
I don't think you need to ask us, really, do you?

It's why I have a vet who provides a 24/7, 365 days a year service with the
latest equipment. Yes, it costs me more every time I go to help pay for
their state-of-the-art stuff and out-of-hours and I have to travel a bit
further but hey..it's worth it.

The very idea that a vet could merely bandage (the wrong) leg and then say
he needs 2 grands worth of surgery is astonishing, although when I broke my
own leg it was so swollen by the time I got into hospital that it was 5 days
before it could be operated on. So I would not judge too harshly yet,
although 600 sounds a lot for what's been done up to now.
2nd opinion would be advisable, IMO.

Tweed

Dastan is seeing his own vet today apparently although he's limping
he's putting the affected leg down if somewhat gingerly and moaning
his little feline head off because anticipating he might need another
anaesthetic they weren't feeding him this morning. Hopefully I'll get
a progress report in the morning.

I have to explain that yesterday over here was a bank holiday so it
was in effect an emergency clinic and we all know how expensive they
can be- they're more concerned that the vet or one of the staff then
bandaged the wrong leg. And also that there was no explanation about
the need for the op the vet hasn't even confirmed whether the leg is
even broken and I am pretty sure something like an anterior cruciate
tear doesn't show up on X-ray (I worked in Human orthopaedics for 3
and a half years and seem to remember in Humans it can only be
diagnosed by MRI or arthroscopy)

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:
A friend of mine's son and his partner have a cat called Dastan who is
about a year old. Sunday when Alex went into their garden Dastan was
on the garage room and jumped down, Alex thinks he must have landed
awkward because after he'd landed he was limping heavy and seemed
unwilling to move one of his back legs. Their usual vet was closed so
they had to go to another one where the vet kept Dastan in for an X-
ray, when Alex collected Dastan yesterday- the vet had simply bandaged
the leg and gave Alex a £600 bill and informed him Dastan would need
surgery costing at least £2000.

Alex is wondering if this a tad expensive. Also if Dastan has broken
a leg surely the vet wouldn't just bandage it.

And for a finale the vet bandaged the wrong leg

Second opinion do you think? Dastan doesn't appear to be in any pain

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

"Second opinion" DEFINITELY! Also a complaint to the UK equivalent of
our AAHA (American Animal Hospital Assoc.) which sort of polices member
veterinarians.

jmcquown wrote:


The wrong leg?! He absolutely needs to take Dastan to his regular vet
for a second opinion!

Jill

Well, in the U.S. I read of a medical malpractice case in which a
surgeon had AMPUTATED the wrong leg!

On 5/7/2013 3:43 PM, Lesley Madigan wrote:
Dastan is seeing his own vet today apparently although he's limping
he's putting the affected leg down if somewhat gingerly and moaning
his little feline head off because anticipating he might need another
anaesthetic they weren't feeding him this morning. Hopefully I'll get
a progress report in the morning.

I do hope it's good news! Just a sprain or something, no break.

I have to explain that yesterday over here was a bank holiday so it
was in effect an emergency clinic and we all know how expensive they
can be-

Yes, and I understood from the original post they couldn't get him to
his regular vet so I assumed a holiday of some sort.

they're more concerned that the vet or one of the staff then
bandaged the wrong leg. And also that there was no explanation about
the need for the op the vet hasn't even confirmed whether the leg is
even broken

Naturally, bandaging the wrong leg is a huge concern! I'm curious, did
he notice it was the wrong leg before he took Dastan home? Do you know?
The part about surgery sounds very suspicious.

and I am pretty sure something like an anterior cruciate
tear doesn't show up on X-ray (I worked in Human orthopaedics for 3
and a half years and seem to remember in Humans it can only be
diagnosed by MRI or arthroscopy)

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

I have no idea what all that means but I'll take your word for it.

Jill