[Parts 1 and 2 appeared yesterday. Parts 3, 4 and 5 combined below. BIG]
Conversely, unlike Alicia, I have had many negative experiences.
Once when Baby was ill, I took her to a vet I found through a list of
knowledgeable vets written up by a major ferret organization. The vet
gave me a syringe of meds to give to Baby orally. Later that night she
called and told me that I needed to bring Baby in for surgery immediately.
No blood tests were done. So nothing made sense.
I went to another vet the next day as Baby was ill, but I was afraid to
give her this syringe stuff. I had been given dog insulin, I believe it
was. Baby had blood tests and was put on an antibiotic, and she got
better.
God knows what would have happened to her if I'd orally given her dog
insulin in a syringe, or let her go in for surgery of who knows what kind.
Cat is a feral I captured. I went straight from capture to the vets-one
who sees animals in a first come first serve style. Cat had an ear
infection so bad I could here liquid in his head when he shook his head.
He had lice and ear mites badly.
The doctor knew this from talking to me ,yet never checked for these
things. I had to be the one to tell them this at the front desk. After
blood test and shots, the doc left the room, and that was that. I had to
wait to see him again to have him do the exam correctly. He would have
had me leave his office with a cat loaded with fleas and ear mites.
Cat was wild and agitated. I went to another vet-obviously- who gave him
some medication to calm him. No washing hands here either. So I went to
another vet for the second distemper shot for Cat. Turns out the meds were
making his gums pale and destroying his liver, and should never have been
given. They were a steroid of some kind. More blood tests had to be done.
Wolf had a barking raspy, I can't stop coughing long enough to breathe kind
of cough. I went easily to over a dozen Drs. for that. I would go to one
until I could tell the vet did not know what else to do but prescribe more
antibiotics, even though there was no fever. It did not help the harsh
cough.
There was no one asking me questions-playing detective. Did I use candles,
use harsh cleaning products, spray room spray all over, change the litter,
keep Wolf in Pine or Cedar? Nada.
I spent so many hundreds of dollars, and so many half days off, and was so
concerned over this poor little guy. I learned finally what to do from
this List.
I don't condone not seeing a vet when your animal is ill, or using this
list instead of a vet. And I did not do that. Yet it took a lay person
on thsi list to stop Wolf from suffering.
I had a vet take one of my ferrets in for testing to see if he needed
surgery for adrenal problems as he was loosing fur on his tail. The vet
said the full blood test and x rays were necessary to determine this.
The vet called that evening saying that the blood tests were never taken-
just the x-rays. But that was O.K. because she already knew that my
ferret did not need surgery! @!
She kept me there for hours so 4 hours could go by before blood was drawn
after my ferret had eaten-knowing it was not even necessary. The fur loss
on the tail at this time of year is common, it turns out. Nothing actually
needed to be done. Surgery was never going to be performed.
Baby went to still another vets office where I could see that the room was
not sprayed as I was waiting by the operatory with its door open . The vet
went from room to room with no sinks, and never went into the back area
down the hall where the sink was located during all the time I waited..
I was told during the exam that x rays were needed.
No one put her to sleep apparently, so the x ray came back too blurry to
read. Yes, I can read a radiograph. I actually had a vet look me in the
eyes and tell me that the poorly taken completely blurry radiograph of a
moving ferret depicted bone cancer. She wanted to operate for bone cancer,
she said. I told her I found this hard to believe and would get a second
opnion. (What do you say politely when a Dr. shocks the crud out of you
showing you a worthless xray and making such a proclamaition?)_
I went to another vet, and asked for a copy of the records where Baby had
the blurry xray.. The vet who said Baby had bone cancer and needed surgery
never wrote this in her notes.
Do you know that I could continue for some time on situations like these
that I have experienced just in the last 6 years?
Do I advise anyone to not see a vet? NO. I advise seeing a vet, and
reading as much as you can about ferrets, and observing the office
protocol, and realizing that no one is a God. Not even a physician, or a
Bishop,or a vet. Did these things happen to me-with more that I will not
disturb you with? YES.
The vet and office that I like are 50 minutes of expressway driving
away. I am afraid of express driving. My heart hurts at times from the
situations encountered. Also, the doctor is not in on my day off anymore.
And then too, they have been booked a number of times I needed a vet. They
are a very busy office. So yes-I have needed to go other places.
Thus ends my rebuttal to Alicia. I only shared a few of the situations of
mine, and none that were sent to me these past weeks. This stuff is out
there. These things happen.
I personally have taken the outlook that my ferrets may become ill or die
because of a veterinarian inflicted experience. I sadly recognize and
accept that in the reality of my life that this is a possibility.
But I found it shocking, indeed, to discover that others too were
experiencing problems that we know really have no place in a professional
office.I thought that I was just having the worst luck that anyone ever
heard of. I am delighted and tickled silly that so many of you have a
situation far different from those I have tried to describe. I hope that
you are all appreciative of what you have.
You can now if you will insult me and write about what a big liar I am. I
am done with this subject. I have written the truth. And I don't feel
pressed to read any more unkind and false words. I am done with that also.
Lisette
[Posted in FML issue 3240]
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