A Crappy Day

[Python]

I had a crappy day yesterday, last night, and so far today. Yesterday I woke up to start getting ready for work and my wife was crying. So I said what's wrong and she said that one of our cats (we had for 3 years) was not looking good. So I looked at it(her) and she looked pretty bad. She looked like she lost at least 5 pounds from early Tuesday morning. So I told my wife to take her to the vet and see what is wrong and I went ahead and went to work. So later in the afternoon my wife calls me and says that she got worse and the vet can feel a large mass in her stomach. So they did X-Rays and confirmed it but still didn't know what is was and they said that one of her livers was missing, so they started doing more tests.
A little while later my wife calls again to say that they wanted to do either sonogram or a blood test and we had to pick which one (the vet preferred the sonogram), So I said how much for a sonogram, they said $700.00. So I asked was there anything that they could find out from the sonogram that they could see on the X-Ray, They said that it would allow them to see a little better but they still wouldn't be able to tell what the mass was for sure. So I said what about the blood test, what would that tell us? They said that it would tell if her kidney and liver were working. So I said do the test, that was and additional $50.00. Then I asked what if the test shows that they are working, they said that would not be good and she would have to be euthanized. So I said what if it shows that they aren't working? Is there some medication that would help her? They said if they're not working the outcome would be the same as if they are working.?!?!?!?!?!? So I was like WTF is the point of doing the F N blood test then, and they said to find out what went wrong. So I asked if it will make her better and they said no.
Keep in mind that I am at work, I work over an hours drive from where I live, and my wife is relaying all of this back and forth and almost hysterical and in tears. So my wife says can we please do the blood test and I couldn't tell her no, so I said yes and got off the phone. Well she calls back and says that they couldn't do the blood test yet because she is too dehydrated and they would have to re-hydrate her and that would be an additional $50.00. So I said go ahead. So at this point I am upset because it sounds like there is nothing they can do, and even though I talk a lot of crap about we have too many animals, I am quite fond of all of them. And the F N vultures at the Vet just keep talking shit and talking in circles trying to get us to spend more money on something that they say would not help her. So after about two hours, my wife calls me and says that they can't do the blood test because they can't get her re-hydrated because the fluids pass right through her because her kidneys are not working any longer.
So my wife gets a quote to see how much it will cost to get her cremated and get her ashes back in an urn. They said $120.00, so I told my wife to go ahead and do it. So my wife calls me and asks me to come home because we have to euthanize her and I said yes, but I can't be sure if I make it there in time. It is now 5:50pm and the vet's close at 7:00pm and I have to deal with rush hour traffic. So I am on my way home and my wife calls me and she is hysterical. So I said what is wrong, she said that they had told her that they accidentally misquoted her on the cost of cremation and that the actual cost was $350.00 not $120.00. So at this point I am super pissed at the Vet hospital and I couldn't tell my wife no because we had discussed before hand that we would get all of our pets cremated. Well times are pretty tight right now so my wife took it upon herself to go in and find out different options on what to do with her body. Here they are:
1) Don't get charged for getting rid of the body. Trash Dumpster
2) Pay $50.00 for a CARDBOARD coffin and bury her ourselves.
3) Pay $75.00 to have her cremated and don't get her ashes back.
4) Pay $350.00 to have her cremated and get her ashes back.

All I can say is WTF? WTF? WTF? I hate Real doctors, Animal Doctors, And Funeral Homes. All the do is prey on people in grief and try to rob them blind.
I guess one good thing that the vet did was she offered to my wife to do a free post mortem to find out what the lump was. So the vet called right when I got home, and my wife didn't want to talk to them so I took the call. They said it was a large tumor and that the cancer had "eaten" 90% of her internal organs. So I said she was acting fine up until a couple of days ago and they said that sometimes animals will hide the symptoms until it is too late. They said that it was not contagious to my other animals and then they asked if I wanted to pay to have tissue samples done to see what kind of cancer it was!?!?!?
At this point I am pissed off beyond anything because my cat went through hell in less than a week, they kept poking and prodding her making her feel worse when they knew that there was nothing that they could do and keeping her in pain longer than was necessary, and I didn't get to be there to say goodbye to her.
NOW THEY ASK IF I WANT TO PAY TO HAVE TISSUE SAMPLES TESTED?
So I got blew up at them and said "WTF is the point of that? Is it going to bring her back? The damage is done so what do I care what the F**K kind of cancer it was. And they said "We were just checking to see if you wanted to know what kind it was."
So all said and done, the total bill was $700.00. Oh, I got the "free" post mortem.

Sorry about the rant and long post, I just have not had a good couple of days and I had to get it off of my chest.

[CRider]

Really sorry bout your cat Bob...that sucks

[stanthetaxman]

Man! That is so tough. The heart v. brain thing. With the wife. And we all love our cats/dogs! Best to the family.

[dozenmonkeyz-cr]

Sounds tough buddy. Hang in there, and us brothers will pull for ya...

[JAX]

Bro, I feel your pain more then you know. My week hasn't been the greatest either.....

Just know that I can sympathize both with the lose of your family member (you have my deepest sympathy) and the frustration of dealing with an apparent shaddy vet.

[Acesfull]

man that sucks.. i remember when the our last pet died.. it was a char pei named Yoshi. She was the coolest dog and i held her when the vet euthanized her and ill never forget the details of the whole ordeal.... this was way back in 1997..... im sorry for your loss bro

[Whitefish]

That stinks. Sorry. I think bad luck is becoming contagious, as my week has been a nightmare as well.

[thehat101]

Sorry to hear about your cat man. My wife is actually a vet student who has worked in several diferent clinics over the last few years. I asked her about this and she was disgusted about the way you guys were treated. Not that you need this recommendation but....... She said you should never give that place your business again. I told her about their offer to do a tissue sample to tell you what kind of cancer it was and she couldnt believe it. Dont loose faith man....... their are still good people out their that actually care about the animals. The tough part is finding them. Again, sorry about your loss. I love all of my animals I know how hard it can be.

[Acesfull]

+1 Jimbo

Yeah there are good people who just want to help the animals. As psycho as my ex was I really liked her mom. She was a housecall vet and she never charged the people that couldnt afford it or she gave them a huge discount. She is definately one of those people who did it for the animals.

[Sparhawk]

Sorry to hear about your kitty. I understand completely. My wife is still grieving over our pup that we put down last year. I have the same outlook toward Vets and Docs as you do. Some if not most play on your emotions and you can get into a financial crunch when it's not necessary.

It's wrong they way you were treated. Good advice above, don't darken their doorstep again.

One note...my Vet won't take payments..which means when you go in (and you have no clue as to what;s wrong, $$ etc..) you have to pay the bill in full BEFORE you leave. That's what really got me.

Again, my wife and I feel for you guys and we are sorry for your loss. Seems we have had the same conversation that you and your wife had....

** Observation **

Python poured his heart into his email and felt he could come here and share what was going on in his family's life. There are not many places around that a guy (or girl) can do that and not be judged, ridiculed, or ignored.

This is why I come here. You guys make it worth it

[thehat101]

Not to side track the meaning of this thread... But again I must say that is wierd about the Payment thing Toby. The guy that owns my wifes clinic, has just about everything on payments. My wife always tells me about two ladies that have like 9 million cats and dogs and are both always in. One of them has never had a zero balance on her account and the other comes in and before she leaves always fills a sandwich bag full of treats that the vet leaves out for animals that come in. He never says anything and just lets them go on thier way.

[Python]

Thanks for all of the kind words of support guys. The wife and I really appreciate them.

Originally Posted by Sparhawk

One note...my Vet won't take payments..which means when you go in (and you have no clue as to what;s wrong, $$ etc..) you have to pay the bill in full BEFORE you leave. That's what really got me.

It is the same for the place that I went to as well. My wife had to pay the balance in full before she left. I guess it was a good thing that I couldn't make it there before they closed, I might have said/did something I would have regretted.
Once again Thanks everybody.

[flipperwhite]

I am so sorry, I am a HUGE animal lover and my pups mean the world to me. I know that kind of pain and frustration, your in my prayers Bro.