Hi All:

I have written Deb personally & mentioned the following, & I'd like
to add my brief 2 cents to this issue publicly.

Any primary care veterinarian who neglects a patient at any time,
especially during a time of crisis, should be reported to their state
board of veterinary medicine, for review of their qualifications to
hold a license to practice veterinary medicine. Just as in humans,
this is *malpractice & neglect* towards a patient.

"Personal lives" or "personal issues" should not enter into it, period.
A person who plans on being a veterinarian - indeed, a person who goes
into *any* medical field where they have to see patients - should be
aware that there will be times when the patient comes first. When are
those times? ALL the time. If there truly is a situation where the
primary care doctor cannot handle a patient load or a particular
situation, due to being too busy, or because they do not have the
facilities in their practice to handle such an emergency, they should
refer their client/patient to a qualified doctor who *can* do the job
for them.

Example: my husband is a pharmacist, & has been so for about 29 yrs. He
has been called out of bed at 3am (or other ungodly times of the night)
to fill prescriptions for people who have, for instance, just taken
their child to the ER, & needed medicine *now*. Another example: my
veterinarian met my husband at the hospital at 10:30 at night to handle
an emergency for us w/ 2 of our ferrets - literally *minutes* after
his wife gave birth to their youngest child. Doctors are generally "on
call" during off hours to handle emergencies; on occasions when they
are not on call, due to staff rotations or whatever, they arrange to
have other doctors cover for them. They do NOT leave their patients
hanging.....they do NOT neglect their duties. This is part of the oath
that medical professionals take when they enter their practice, &
brushing that responsibility aside for "personal issues" or any *other*
reason is malpractice, pure & simple.

If your mother was suddenly taken ill, & you called the doctor, would
you accept an excuse for them not to see them, because they have
"personal issues"? Of course not. Veterinary medicine is no different.
A patient is a patient, a responsibility is a responsibility, & that's
all there is to it. Anyone who cannot, or *will* not, fulfill their
responsibility towards their patients, should, as my vet says, go into
landscape design, or some other field where they won't be able to
*hurt* anyone.

As I understand it, Deb had a ferret who had known health problems for
which it was being treated. A crisis occurred that needed immediate
attention. She was brushed off, & her ferret died. Whether that was
caused by the known health problem, or some other problem that happened
out of the blue, is irrelevant. Her ferret was denied treatment during
a critical time, & that denial of treatment caused it's death.

I sincerely hope Deb reports this "vet" (I used the term loosely in
this instance) to her state veterinary medical board, & that the "vet"
in question is reviewed by that board, & made to pay for his/her
mistake. Such professional behavior can result in a revoked license.
I hope the situation will be investigated, so that it will not happen
again. It won't bring Deb's precious Scooter back, but perhaps it will
prevent someone else from going through the same agony she, *&* her
pet, were forced to go through at his/her hands.

On a side note, on Tues, we lost our poor little girl, Madison, age 7,
during surgery to correct a twisted stomach which was causing her great
& sudden distress. She stopped breathing on the table, & our vet, who
we trust implicitly, did all he could to save her. It was not to be.
Madison was only w/ us for 7 mos, coming to us from the local humane
society. She originally was a product of the DMK farm, purchased by
someone who made her live in their garage, to kill mice. She was
rescued by Julie Fossa, & later adopted out to a college student, who
later found that he could not care for her or her cagemate, Mason. They
were turned over to the humane society, & I took them in. Madison had a
very large fibrosarcoma on the side of her neck, which our vet removed
completely. She later ended up w/ a severely bruised spleen, which was
removed just a couple mos ago. And then, out of nowhere, this. Our vet
dropped *everything* in the middle of the day, to xray our little girl
& then take her into emergency surgery to find out what was happening.

In my opinion, this is how ALL veterinarians should care for their
patients & their families. Anything less is a disgrace to the
profession.

</soapbox>

Lin, Max, Puck, & Ivan, & the Fugitives - Madison & Mason
~ Missing my angel Ariel - 20 April 2000 - 20 January 2007. Wait for
  me, my Baby Girl. I miss you so much. ~
~ Missing my Oberon - 4 July 2001 - 5 May 2008 - I love you, my Big
  Silly Boy. Wait for me. ~

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email me at: kay tee en eye el at double-u owe aich dot ar ar dot see
owe em
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[Posted in FML 6084]