I feel that I was taken advantage of by my vet

Undervalued

riceliam said:

Thanks for all the comments.

so... I don't no where to start.

iv been very unsatisfied from the moment I picked whinny up. I walked in talking £1000-1500 then getting a £4000 bill and taking her home the next day.

i was told to come back mid week for a check up. And all I got was a vet came to reception a checked her heartbeat and temperature. I was told they was both fine.  

I explained to the vet she wasn't eating or drinking by herself and we was told to try different feeds to tempt her. 

Its been nearly 2weeks now and she isn't eating enough or drinking enough and loosing so much weight. so we decided to get another opinion from another vets. 

We take whinny in to a different vet this Saturday and the way it was put to us was OMG! It's like they patched her up and sent her home to die.

Apparently she should have had a feed tube from the start and I was told that no way would they treat a dog in this condition and not keep it in for at least a week.

we asked the original vets to send my notes and all details over and they was never sent.

the new vets asked the original vet to sent notes and details and didn't get sent.  

I was was advised to put her down yesterday  after doing blood test as her kidney was shot to bits.

 We don't no if the impact of the car hitting her or the fact she has been on so much medication with no drip feed and fluids has knackered them.  We don't think she ever had a blood test as it's not on my original invoice.

The vets I went to for a second opinion said I really should send a complaint in. Even though I won't get my money back.

she was my best little mate and I feel I put her through hell by taking her to the wrong vet. 

Not directly as the RCVS's function (like all professional regulatory bodies) is to protect the public generally and not to award compensation in individual cases. However, if the vet was found to be deficient you would then be in a strong position to sue. 

The RCVS have considerable statutory powers, including to ability to legally force witnesses to attend and give evidence, just like the high court. So, if you start the ball rolling be aware that it could be a long process which you might not be able to drop.

Equally you may well have a case against the vet just under normal contract law in the small claims court. Does your house insurance provide access to free legal advice?

Comms69

riceliam said:

Thanks for all the comments.

so... I don't no where to start.

iv been very unsatisfied from the moment I picked whinny up. I walked in talking £1000-1500 then getting a £4000 bill and taking her home the next day.

i was told to come back mid week for a check up. And all I got was a vet came to reception a checked her heartbeat and temperature. I was told they was both fine.  

I explained to the vet she wasn't eating or drinking by herself and we was told to try different feeds to tempt her. 

Its been nearly 2weeks now and she isn't eating enough or drinking enough and loosing so much weight. so we decided to get another opinion from another vets. 

We take whinny in to a different vet this Saturday and the way it was put to us was OMG! It's like they patched her up and sent her home to die.

Apparently she should have had a feed tube from the start and I was told that no way would they treat a dog in this condition and not keep it in for at least a week.

we asked the original vets to send my notes and all details over and they was never sent.

the new vets asked the original vet to sent notes and details and didn't get sent.  

I was was advised to put her down yesterday  after doing blood test as her kidney was shot to bits.

 We don't no if the impact of the car hitting her or the fact she has been on so much medication with no drip feed and fluids has knackered them.  We don't think she ever had a blood test as it's not on my original invoice.

The vets I went to for a second opinion said I really should send a complaint in. Even though I won't get my money back.

she was my best little mate and I feel I put her through hell by taking her to the wrong vet. 

I sympathise with you at this very difficult time. 

But just to point out, your initial complaint was about the cost, now you switch to it being about them not providing and charging for more.

Undervalued

Comms69 said:

riceliam said:

Thanks for all the comments.

so... I don't no where to start.

iv been very unsatisfied from the moment I picked whinny up. I walked in talking £1000-1500 then getting a £4000 bill and taking her home the next day.

i was told to come back mid week for a check up. And all I got was a vet came to reception a checked her heartbeat and temperature. I was told they was both fine.  

I explained to the vet she wasn't eating or drinking by herself and we was told to try different feeds to tempt her. 

Its been nearly 2weeks now and she isn't eating enough or drinking enough and loosing so much weight. so we decided to get another opinion from another vets. 

We take whinny in to a different vet this Saturday and the way it was put to us was OMG! It's like they patched her up and sent her home to die.

Apparently she should have had a feed tube from the start and I was told that no way would they treat a dog in this condition and not keep it in for at least a week.

we asked the original vets to send my notes and all details over and they was never sent.

the new vets asked the original vet to sent notes and details and didn't get sent.  

I was was advised to put her down yesterday  after doing blood test as her kidney was shot to bits.

 We don't no if the impact of the car hitting her or the fact she has been on so much medication with no drip feed and fluids has knackered them.  We don't think she ever had a blood test as it's not on my original invoice.

The vets I went to for a second opinion said I really should send a complaint in. Even though I won't get my money back.

she was my best little mate and I feel I put her through hell by taking her to the wrong vet. 

I sympathise with you at this very difficult time. 

But just to point out, your initial complaint was about the cost, now you switch to it being about them not providing and charging for more.

Yes, but there have been developments since the OP.

Initially their complaint was that the emergency vet had drastically (3x) exceeded the original estimate without even attempting to obtain authorisation.

Since then the OP has obtained an opinion from their normal vet who apparently considered that the treatment was deficient. As a result they were unable to save the animal's life.

So there are two separate issues. Even if the original treatment was of good quality they should (arguably) have obtained permission before wildly exceeding the estimated cost. That is a purely civil matter and unlikely to interest the RCVS.

The new development possibly calls into question the emergency vet's competence and fitness to practice. That may well interest the RCVS and could potentially lead to a severe sanction or even being struck off and legally prevented from practicing in the UK. 

sheramber

There are 2 routes to complain. 
Details of each are given in the link I gave above.
You need to sit down and think through what you want and what route to take.
I would say it is very rare for one vet  to  speak out about another vet which would indicate how serious the lack of medical care was.

Buzzard1985

So comes to a X amount- kill.   A companion animal- think anybody would find this bizarre.  there is can't afford- dash for help from family etc etc.   To sorry too big- kill the dog.

ace33

Buzzard1985 said:

So comes to a X amount- kill.   A companion animal- think anybody would find this bizarre.  there is can't afford- dash for help from family etc etc.   To sorry too big- kill the dog.

Quite often it comes down to quality of life after the procedure. I cringe when I see snippets of these "wonderful" procedures that still mean the dog lives a life of pain after being kept in a box for many weeks.