Lilly has been sprung from jail & is liberated

Wow, what a day it has been...All the action kicked off @ 9.30am when
the vet turned up for work. Both Paul & I were waiting for her because
we were determined to sort out what was going to happen to poor old
Lilly over the weekend as we were already aware that there would be no
one there to care for her from 12pm today, until 8 am on Monday
morning.
We had already called the Cat Protection League, to ask if we were
allowed to ask for our cat back & they told us that it was our right
to , & if we encountered any problems, that we should call the
police...So baring that in mind.....

We had already spent hours trying to figure out what the best thing to
do might be, & came to the conclusion that shouting our heads off was
going to get us no where...So we tried diplomacy, much as It wrankled
me to do so....

I started by greeting her & asking if we might see Lilly for a little
while, which she agreed to. After a few minutes that it took for Paul
to read her care plan and care sheet's, we were both in agreement
that* We Had To Get Her OUT NOW*!!

Having already called the Cromwell Clinic in Huntingdon, our nearest
town to ask if they might take over her care because we were concerned
about the fact that the clinic she was currently in, didn't offer 24
hour care Which we felt was vitally important as she was only 24 hours
out of a very serious operation.
The clinic welcomed gladly & knowing this, we set to work on the vet.
We started by asking what care Lilly would receive over the weekend, &
she told us that she would try & pop in tomorrow to make sure that
Lilly had clean water, food and & blankets too (Note: No litter???)

At this point we expressed our concerns regarding this matter, & asked
her if she would mind terribly if we were to move her to a surgery
where they had 24 hour care because we felt that she needed it. Couple
that with the fact that it might make her weekend easier as Lilly was
her only cell mate, she agreed that she wouldn't mind.

I could whooped for joy because I had been dreading that moment all
last night & this morning!!

It took us roughly 5 minutes to load her up, I.v ,and all her care
notes & got to the desk to collect all of her other notes her notes
and to be handed the bill for her care thus far...
I am dying to tell you what the bill was because I nearly fell through
the concrete floor, SERIOUSLY!!
(you must bare in mind that she spent 2 nights there, had an xray & I
was told that she charged £45 to spay a cat, plus her antibiotics!
injection, & 4pills to take with us)
The Grand Total came to £367.34!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I nearly had a a heart attack!
If you convert that into $, I suppose it would be around $680
I couldn't believe my ears......

I settled £150 because that was what I had on me @ the time, & walked
out the door to freedom, by which time Lilly was nearly squeezing
through the wicker basket to get to us because she was SO HAPPY)

We took her straight down to the Cromwell Surgery & they looked at her
the moment we walked through the door;in fact there was a vet waiting
for us there!!
After a 20minute thorough inspection of her, & her notes too, the vet
looked at me & said "you know a fair amount about cat's, don't you"?

I admitted I knew a little, so he took both Paul & I into another
consulting room & told us that he was going to show us how to set her
drip up & that as long as we were happy & confident, that he thought
the best place for her, would be at home...

It was getting better by the moment.
We went in & within 5 Min's I had managed to insert the line and had
her onto antibiotics and re hydration drip too; we were told to only
use the hydration drip if she didn't drink orally (which I note the
previous vet had charged me £24.26!!)
He injected Lilly with marbocyl1% & also gave us the antibiotics that
she needed, but orally, because in all of the time that we spent @ the
Cromwell..Lilly nearly drank 1/2 a pint of water..!!
( he gave us more Marbocyl @20 mg)
So roughly an hour later, we paid the bill for the injection, the
antibiotics to give her orally & the consultation fee.
Broken down that was:
consultation £15
Marbocyl inj £4
Tablets(same as above)££7.20
Bloods £31.90
& drip in case of need
Cristapen 600mg £4
A grand total of £ 62.10.

Slightly different from the other bill I would say...
Mind you she did the op which cost us £159
xray£37
and the rest was for consultation ,antibiotics,
CARE @ NIGHT???? & other drugs and fees too...

We thanked the vet @ the Cromwell, then settled the bill in full &
jumped straight in the car & brought her home....
We have to take her back to the Cromwell in 3 days & they will take
her stitches out, but after that she should be fine.
Thankfully there appears to be no post op infection, but if we even
feel slightly concerned or worried, we can take her down to them, or
they will come out to see her, whichever we would prefer.
I can't believe the difference in the relationship between the patient
and vet, or the facilities either.

I can honestly say that is the best thing that we have ever done to
help our cats. & the saying you don't know what your missing if you
have never had it ,comes to mind. It was like entering a different
world, truely it was.

Since bringing Lilly home she has been so happy..all of the other cats
wanted to be near her of course, but we have set up a little separate
area for her, so that she has the peace an quite that she needs,. Her
own litter which she gladly hoped straight on to, too!!
She wolfed down a bowl full of whiskers , then got straight on to a
nice bowl of dry Iams as well- Boy she was hungry!!

I can't help but wonder why the previous vet would have kept her caged
and penned for the weekend if it was not to charge me for it.
Perhaps my opinion is a bit distorted given recent events, but she had
no intention of allowing her home to us, & if there was going to be no
one there, I couldn't see the point of keeping her for anything else?
I am just pleased that it is all over now & that she will make a full
recovery. she seems delighted to be home and I can assure you that we
are delighted to have her too
I DO have to admit, that all the way to huntingdon Paul was muttering
away under his breath thing's like, Bloody Cats...costs more than the
damned cat did...She can swing for it...& several other unmentionable
things, but I can see by Lilly drapped all over him right now that it
couldn't have been that terrible or he would never have helped me
spring her out of jail, lol
She is still dribbling everywhere but the Cromwell think that she does
in fact have a touch of Flu as we suspected
HAIL LIILY THE BRAVE...A HAPPY ENDING TO TO A TERRIBLE STORY
& Thanks to all of you for your support too..
You have all been brilliant in the small hours of the morning
Soothing Purrs to you all compliments of Lilly- Pads the brave
S;o)
Ps: I have added a few photos for you to look at if you would like to.
Some of them are of our normal Lilly, the others are of her this
afternoon after we brought her home too

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheela...SprungFromJail

Fabulous! Cats do sooo much better at home! That vet shouldn't be allowed
to practice if that's the kind of care she gives. She should be reported to
which ever agency licenses vets in the UK. What she did is malpractise pure
and simple. I don't know why she wouldn't give her antibiotics.

I'm really really happy for Lilly and you after such a nightmare!

Hugs and purrs from me and my troop of cats!

bonnie

On 10 Feb, 17:53, "22brix" wrote:
Fabulous! Cats do sooo much better at home! That vet shouldn't be allowed
to practice if that's the kind of care she gives. She should be reported to
which ever agency licenses vets in the UK. What she did is malpractise pure
and simple. I don't know why she wouldn't give her antibiotics.

I'm really really happy for Lilly and you after such a nightmare!

Hugs and purrs from me and my troop of cats!

bonnie

Oh, believe me , I have every intention as soon as Lilly is better!!
In fact the Cromwell surgery recommended that we did & are willing to
support our case too!!
I am just pleased that she is alive quite frankly
& having her home is like a dream.
Unfortunately she has gained a nick name...it is Slobber chops,lol!!
S;o)

Sheelagh, I'm so glad you have brought her home and that there is no sign
of infection! I'm a firm believer that hospitals are the worst place to
really heal and that they aren't to be used unless they can't be avoided.
I'm sure you will be able to nurse Lilly back to full health better than
anyone else possibly could.

As to the vet who gave her less than sub-standard care, I would challenge
that bill. Especially the charges for overnight care. You've seen the
care notes and you know she didn't provide that care. Not only that, she
abandoned her for a full day. Go through the bill and calculate the
valid charges, pay the balance of them and include an itemized statement
of what you will not pay and why. Include your recollection of the care
notes. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but if not, have the Animal
Care League step in on your behalf if they will. Never patronize that
vet again (if you can possibly avoid it), but try not to let the anger
eat away at you. It won't do you any good at all.

As to Lilly's drooling, I am thinking that it could be a reaction to a
medication. Rudy foams at the mouth and drools anytime I give him liquid
antibiotics (which is thankfully not often at all). Once she is off all
of her meds, if the drooling stops, I wouldn't worry about what might
have caused it. If it continues, then of course you will need to look
into it further. If she had a stroke, she would have other symptoms that
would be fairly obvious.

Enjoy your darling Lilly, and also those precious kittens!


--
Lynne

On 10 Feb, 18:05, Lynne wrote:
Sheelagh, I'm so glad you have brought her home and that there is no sign
of infection! I'm a firm believer that hospitals are the worst place to
really heal and that they aren't to be used unless they can't be avoided.
I'm sure you will be able to nurse Lilly back to full health better than
anyone else possibly could.

As to the vet who gave her less than sub-standard care, I would challenge
that bill. Especially the charges for overnight care. You've seen the
care notes and you know she didn't provide that care. Not only that, she
abandoned her for a full day. Go through the bill and calculate the
valid charges, pay the balance of them and include an itemized statement
of what you will not pay and why. Include your recollection of the care
notes. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but if not, have the Animal
Care League step in on your behalf if they will. Never patronize that
vet again (if you can possibly avoid it), but try not to let the anger
eat away at you. It won't do you any good at all.

As to Lilly's drooling, I am thinking that it could be a reaction to a
medication. Rudy foams at the mouth and drools anytime I give him liquid
antibiotics (which is thankfully not often at all). Once she is off all
of her meds, if the drooling stops, I wouldn't worry about what might
have caused it. If it continues, then of course you will need to look
into it further. If she had a stroke, she would have other symptoms that
would be fairly obvious.

Enjoy your darling Lilly, and also those precious kittens!

--
Lynne

Thank you soooooo much!!
I forgot to tell you all that I played a sneaky and took the camera to
the 1st vets and took a photo of each care note page too,ROFLOL
all in Lilly's favour.
I anticipated that one)
S;o)

Glad that she is home.
"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...
Wow, what a day it has been...All the action kicked off @ 9.30am when
the vet turned up for work. Both Paul & I were waiting for her because
we were determined to sort out what was going to happen to poor old
Lilly over the weekend as we were already aware that there would be no
one there to care for her from 12pm today, until 8 am on Monday
morning.
We had already called the Cat Protection League, to ask if we were
allowed to ask for our cat back & they told us that it was our right
to , & if we encountered any problems, that we should call the
police...So baring that in mind.....

We had already spent hours trying to figure out what the best thing to
do might be, & came to the conclusion that shouting our heads off was
going to get us no where...So we tried diplomacy, much as It wrankled
me to do so....

I started by greeting her & asking if we might see Lilly for a little
while, which she agreed to. After a few minutes that it took for Paul
to read her care plan and care sheet's, we were both in agreement
that* We Had To Get Her OUT NOW*!!

Having already called the Cromwell Clinic in Huntingdon, our nearest
town to ask if they might take over her care because we were concerned
about the fact that the clinic she was currently in, didn't offer 24
hour care Which we felt was vitally important as she was only 24 hours
out of a very serious operation.
The clinic welcomed gladly & knowing this, we set to work on the vet.
We started by asking what care Lilly would receive over the weekend, &
she told us that she would try & pop in tomorrow to make sure that
Lilly had clean water, food and & blankets too (Note: No litter???)

At this point we expressed our concerns regarding this matter, & asked
her if she would mind terribly if we were to move her to a surgery
where they had 24 hour care because we felt that she needed it. Couple
that with the fact that it might make her weekend easier as Lilly was
her only cell mate, she agreed that she wouldn't mind.

I could whooped for joy because I had been dreading that moment all
last night & this morning!!

It took us roughly 5 minutes to load her up, I.v ,and all her care
notes & got to the desk to collect all of her other notes her notes
and to be handed the bill for her care thus far...
I am dying to tell you what the bill was because I nearly fell through
the concrete floor, SERIOUSLY!!
(you must bare in mind that she spent 2 nights there, had an xray & I
was told that she charged £45 to spay a cat, plus her antibiotics!
injection, & 4pills to take with us)
The Grand Total came to £367.34!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I nearly had a a heart attack!
If you convert that into $, I suppose it would be around $680
I couldn't believe my ears......

I settled £150 because that was what I had on me @ the time, & walked
out the door to freedom, by which time Lilly was nearly squeezing
through the wicker basket to get to us because she was SO HAPPY)

We took her straight down to the Cromwell Surgery & they looked at her
the moment we walked through the door;in fact there was a vet waiting
for us there!!
After a 20minute thorough inspection of her, & her notes too, the vet
looked at me & said "you know a fair amount about cat's, don't you"?

I admitted I knew a little, so he took both Paul & I into another
consulting room & told us that he was going to show us how to set her
drip up & that as long as we were happy & confident, that he thought
the best place for her, would be at home...

It was getting better by the moment.
We went in & within 5 Min's I had managed to insert the line and had
her onto antibiotics and re hydration drip too; we were told to only
use the hydration drip if she didn't drink orally (which I note the
previous vet had charged me £24.26!!)
He injected Lilly with marbocyl1% & also gave us the antibiotics that
she needed, but orally, because in all of the time that we spent @ the
Cromwell..Lilly nearly drank 1/2 a pint of water..!!
( he gave us more Marbocyl @20 mg)
So roughly an hour later, we paid the bill for the injection, the
antibiotics to give her orally & the consultation fee.
Broken down that was:
consultation £15
Marbocyl inj £4
Tablets(same as above)££7.20
Bloods £31.90
& drip in case of need
Cristapen 600mg £4
A grand total of £ 62.10.

Slightly different from the other bill I would say...
Mind you she did the op which cost us £159
xray£37
and the rest was for consultation ,antibiotics,
CARE @ NIGHT???? & other drugs and fees too...

We thanked the vet @ the Cromwell, then settled the bill in full &
jumped straight in the car & brought her home....
We have to take her back to the Cromwell in 3 days & they will take
her stitches out, but after that she should be fine.
Thankfully there appears to be no post op infection, but if we even
feel slightly concerned or worried, we can take her down to them, or
they will come out to see her, whichever we would prefer.
I can't believe the difference in the relationship between the patient
and vet, or the facilities either.

I can honestly say that is the best thing that we have ever done to
help our cats. & the saying you don't know what your missing if you
have never had it ,comes to mind. It was like entering a different
world, truely it was.

Since bringing Lilly home she has been so happy..all of the other cats
wanted to be near her of course, but we have set up a little separate
area for her, so that she has the peace an quite that she needs,. Her
own litter which she gladly hoped straight on to, too!!
She wolfed down a bowl full of whiskers , then got straight on to a
nice bowl of dry Iams as well- Boy she was hungry!!

I can't help but wonder why the previous vet would have kept her caged
and penned for the weekend if it was not to charge me for it.
Perhaps my opinion is a bit distorted given recent events, but she had
no intention of allowing her home to us, & if there was going to be no
one there, I couldn't see the point of keeping her for anything else?
I am just pleased that it is all over now & that she will make a full
recovery. she seems delighted to be home and I can assure you that we
are delighted to have her too
I DO have to admit, that all the way to huntingdon Paul was muttering
away under his breath thing's like, Bloody Cats...costs more than the
damned cat did...She can swing for it...& several other unmentionable
things, but I can see by Lilly drapped all over him right now that it
couldn't have been that terrible or he would never have helped me
spring her out of jail, lol
She is still dribbling everywhere but the Cromwell think that she does
in fact have a touch of Flu as we suspected
HAIL LIILY THE BRAVE...A HAPPY ENDING TO TO A TERRIBLE STORY
& Thanks to all of you for your support too..
You have all been brilliant in the small hours of the morning
Soothing Purrs to you all compliments of Lilly- Pads the brave
S;o)
Ps: I have added a few photos for you to look at if you would like to.
Some of them are of our normal Lilly, the others are of her this
afternoon after we brought her home too

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheela...SprungFromJail

"Lynne" wrote in message
...
Sheelagh, I'm so glad you have brought her home and that there is no sign
of infection! I'm a firm believer that hospitals are the worst place to
really heal and that they aren't to be used unless they can't be avoided.
I'm sure you will be able to nurse Lilly back to full health better than
anyone else possibly could.

As to the vet who gave her less than sub-standard care, I would challenge
that bill. Especially the charges for overnight care. You've seen the
care notes and you know she didn't provide that care. Not only that, she
abandoned her for a full day. Go through the bill and calculate the
valid charges, pay the balance of them and include an itemized statement
of what you will not pay and why. Include your recollection of the care
notes. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but if not, have the Animal
Care League step in on your behalf if they will. Never patronize that
vet again (if you can possibly avoid it), but try not to let the anger
eat away at you. It won't do you any good at all.

As to Lilly's drooling, I am thinking that it could be a reaction to a
medication. Rudy foams at the mouth and drools anytime I give him liquid
antibiotics (which is thankfully not often at all). Once she is off all
of her meds, if the drooling stops, I wouldn't worry about what might
have caused it. If it continues, then of course you will need to look
into it further. If she had a stroke, she would have other symptoms that
would be fairly obvious.

Enjoy your darling Lilly, and also those precious kittens!


--
Lynne

I absolutely agree with this message. The first vet seems to have charged
for care that was not provided. You even have notes to show that you and
Paul personally sat outside and waited, but no one arrived for overnight
care.

Great news to hear that Lilly is doing better!

MaryL

On 10 Feb, 18:15, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Lynne" wrote in message

...





Sheelagh, I'm so glad you have brought her home and that there is no sign
of infection! I'm a firm believer that hospitals are the worst place to
really heal and that they aren't to be used unless they can't be avoided.
I'm sure you will be able to nurse Lilly back to full health better than
anyone else possibly could.

As to the vet who gave her less than sub-standard care, I would challenge
that bill. Especially the charges for overnight care. You've seen the
care notes and you know she didn't provide that care. Not only that, she
abandoned her for a full day. Go through the bill and calculate the
valid charges, pay the balance of them and include an itemized statement
of what you will not pay and why. Include your recollection of the care
notes. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but if not, have the Animal
Care League step in on your behalf if they will. Never patronize that
vet again (if you can possibly avoid it), but try not to let the anger
eat away at you. It won't do you any good at all.

As to Lilly's drooling, I am thinking that it could be a reaction to a
medication. Rudy foams at the mouth and drools anytime I give him liquid
antibiotics (which is thankfully not often at all). Once she is off all
of her meds, if the drooling stops, I wouldn't worry about what might
have caused it. If it continues, then of course you will need to look
into it further. If she had a stroke, she would have other symptoms that
would be fairly obvious.

Enjoy your darling Lilly, and also those precious kittens!

--
Lynne

I absolutely agree with this message. The first vet seems to have charged
for care that was not provided. You even have notes to show that you and
Paul personally sat outside and waited, but no one arrived for overnight
care.

Great news to hear that Lilly is doing better!

MaryL- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thank you loads and loads mat & Mary too.
Your right, after a few weeks(night if I am really lucky lol..)..
I do intend to take this bill to task.
We have the paperwork here to show, we have Paul sat outside the vets
for the night, and the paper shop guy who owns the shop who saw Paul
there first thing in the morning( for the paper delivery's), & we
have Ross who visited Lilly yesterday & pointed out her notes to me
too.
She can't really dispute it.
As to the charge that she should have had Lilly transferred to a
24hour facility knowing that she had a pyometra case sitting there
brewing away for 36 hours in her back room...well...words fail me!
I am very angry about that, so the best thing to do would be to calm
down for a few days, then look at it objectively instead.
Everyone has problems, but if Paul was able to drive to her house
personally, I see no reason for not turning up for work...
& if there were other issue's, all she had to do was tell us, & we
could have taken Lilly elsewhere.
I think it is that bit that hurts me most.
She is home and drooling all over us, that is all that matters for now
Purrs from us to you all too S;o)

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheela...SprungFromJail

We got her Rhonda)
She was so pleased to see us too.
If nothing else I have learnt so much from this experience

Unfortunately, the trust link has completely broken down with this
vet, which is actually really sad. I never knew then what I know now
though, because I had never gone out the back of her surgery before we
visited Lilly. In the past, we have always just dropped our cat's off
to be either spayed or neutered, so there was never a need to.
Even the odd cat I have taken up there that has been ill or needed
help with has never given me cause to look out there either.(ie: Lucy
(fur!!), was simply taken out back and handed back to us when the work
was done;we have never had a long term stay before....

I can't tell you how pleased I was to get her out & even Lilly seemed
more than delighted too..she was pushing her head so far up against
the Barr's of her carrier, that I thought she would have bar marks all
over her face, lol
I don't think we will have any trouble disputing the over night care
there, but I can categorically say that she did tell me that she only
injected her twice with antibiotics, yet we have a string of bills for
drugs I have never heard of & don't appear to be on her chart either.
I hate having to dispute it, but why should we pay for something Lilly
didnt get?
I will have to sleep on that one I think.
Thanks for all the advice and support from everyone
S;o)

Sheelagh, way to go! You did it!!! You got her out of there, got a
second opinion and have her home with you to get better. You came to her
rescue when she needed you!

I'm so relieved she's not sitting in a cage alone, with no care, all
weekend. I'm sure she will get better so much more quickly now.

Pet that girl some more, then take the weekend off and get some sleep!
You saved another cat today...

Rhonda

sheelagh wrote:

I can honestly say that is the best thing that we have ever done to
help our cats. & the saying you don't know what your missing if you
have never had it ,comes to mind. It was like entering a different
world, truely it was.

Since bringing Lilly home she has been so happy..all of the other cats
wanted to be near her of course, but we have set up a little separate
area for her, so that she has the peace an quite that she needs,. Her
own litter which she gladly hoped straight on to, too!!
She wolfed down a bowl full of whiskers , then got straight on to a
nice bowl of dry Iams as well- Boy she was hungry!!