Vets: Was this incompetence and am I entitled to a refund?

Question

I recently took my cat to the vet because she was vomiting a lot. The vet recommended doing an X-Ray. She said the X-rays indicated there was fluid build up in my cat's abdomen. She then recommended an ultrasound procedure. I made the mistake of feeding my cat about 8 hours before the ultrasound procedure, but I told the vet that several times before the ultrasound and expressed concern that the food would interfere with a good reading. I asked if we should wait for a couple days to let the food clear out of my cat's system. The vet wanted to go ahead with the ultrasound anyway. She said that the ultrasound showed there was no fluid in the abdomen but she was fairly certain there was a blockage in the lower stomach and upper intestine. I asked again if this blockage could be food and she said no. Then she recommended exploratory surgery to find out what the blockage was. I trusted her opinion that there was indeed a blockage and decided that if nothing was done, my cat would definitely die from the obstruction. So I went ahead with the surgery. Here is the kicker. The surgeon said there was no blockage there. In fact, it seems there was nothing wrong with my cat at all. No cancer, nothing. Am I right to assume that this was, at best, incompetence and, at worst, a scam?

Update:

Horseplay, when you say they have better things to do than waste their time and supplies performing a long surgery, keep in mind it isn't a waste to them if they think they are going to get paid for it.

Update 2:

Oh, by the way, kitty has recovered pretty well. She seems ok now.

amivon27 · Accepted Answer

The used car salesman/women vets exist....incompetence or malpractice or trying to reach over-head expences hard to define  sometimes. Go with your gut, & report her regardless. I moved from New York to the state of New Jersey & have been exposed to sticker shock & unnecessary tests for even a routine check-up...I opted no each time my animal was healthy. It's sickening & disgusting & YES it's happening. Vomiting in felines doesn't require an xray if it's the initial appointment. Real, & experienced vets don't diagnose this as an obstruction unless they feel it or hear from you that something was swallowed. They can normally tell by the cats breathing & physical exam if their in crisis. Maybe some vets freak out when dealing with an outdoor cat...prey bones stuck in the laranyx, very possible depending on the history of the cat. Fluid in the larynx is more abnormal than in the stomach. An ultra sound is recommeneded when certain cancers dont show up on a blood test. Still not your situation. I'm really sorry you & your pet had this relationship with what seems to be an unacceptable vet. Is she ill-informed or gouging...I don't know. I would call & find out the name of her acreditted school(and call) with her name & license number, simply call the vets office & ask. If they want a reason tell them they can give you this info. over the phone or you will be in the office to read these documents for yourself , on the vets plaque if need be. You have the right ! An e-mail or letter stating how you were takin advantage of, & you were I feel..... while being well meaning & most probably very worried. Would call attention to a vet in practise that is sending more red flags than the pet is sending. Personally I have run into three vets like this in one state. I found that geocities.com has a running list of addresses to send complaints..It' s malepractise on your part not to report her. No disrespect & no further stress ment upon you, just please do. Much Love & cuddles to your resiliant fur baby

Connie S · Answer

all medicine is an art, not an exact science.  while they know quite a bit, they do not know everything, and can only make educated guesses on what is going on by the symptoms they show, and the diagnostic tools at their disposal.

If your cat was blocked and you did wait, you could have lost your cat.

and there have been many examples of exploratory surgery "fixing" the problem the pets are going through with out actually physically fixing anything.

I don't think this was a scam.  Vets are in their line of work because they love animals.  Yes, there are some bad vets out there who loose site of why they do what they do.

Talk to your vet about your concerns, and see what she says.  Is she the owner of the clinic you went to?  maybe talk to the owner as well if she isn't.  if you don't like what you hear, you can move on to take additional steps - such as asking for a refund, or talking to a lawyer (but since for the most part pets are property not living beings in the eyes of the law there probably isn't much they can do for you)

I hope your kitty is feeling better.

Horseplay#9 · Answer

That is a tricky one.  The reason I do not think it was a scam is because they have better things to do than perform a 2 hour surgery and waste all of their time and supplies just to tell you they did not find anything.  They would have at least lied and showed you some sort of foreign body even if they faked one.  But they did not.
I have assisted in these surgeries where nothing was found.  Ok, not often - there was usually something there.  But it can happen.  I think it may help if you tell yourself that the surgery was done as a precaution - Better safe than sorry.  I would certainly not go with scam though.   How is the kitty now?  I hope better.
REPLY TO DETAILS:  You are Absolutely right - I apologize - I worded "waste of time" VERY poorly.  Thank you for pointing that out.
I am very happy your kitty is doing well.  :)

? · Answer

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1996 goods must be fit for the purposes for which they are intended (s14). A computer should work to a "reasonable standard". If the screen is faulty and the dvd drive then there is no question s14 has been breached. If Dell have made attempt at putting the matter right then they would under normal circumstances have discharged their contractual duties under the Sale of Goods Act 1996. However, when you consider that they have repaired it incorrectly and now want to send another engineer I believe you are entitled to a full refund of your money. Tell Dell you have given them a reasonable opportunity to put things right and they have failed. If Dell continue to cause you trouble the alternative is to sue them for your money back for breach of contract. NB: If you paid by credit card the credit card company can also be sued as the Consumer Credit Act 1974 provides a collateral contract between the supplier of goods and the credit card company. Hope this helps!

kimp · Answer

I would call a lawyer and explain what happened to see what they think. I think it is wrong of the vet to think that but your the one to agree with her you could of told her no I want to wait a few days I want to reschedule because they can't stop you from rescheduling.It was wrong of her though to go ahead knowing that you have feed her.I would of asked for another vets opinion first before I would ever let them do anything to my cat.

horsingaround · Answer

I would agree with you she was incompetent..you should ask another vet about this whole fiasco and what your recourse is..I had similar problem..horse had lumps on body and vet came out and TUBED him..I asked why she said might be a blockage , he had lumps on his body..then she wanted to lanced his lumps I said no..cost $230 phoned other vet he came right away I had given Horse too much molasses and they were just sweet lumps not a problem just had to feed plain food to him..I phoned other vet and she said it was her diagnosis blah blah blah and I proceeded to tell everyone around here what happened..she has since moved on..

Anonymous · Answer

I'd go with the 50/50 clause. There was no gun to your head to continue with the procedure.

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Vets: Was this incompetence and am I entitled to a refund?

7 Answers