Ava Update - She's home!!!

[Stacy]

She looks great. She is now sporting 26 staples and her incision is from stem to stern.  But she looks bright, happy, and comfortable. She’s on enough medication that I had to write it all out to time it – she came home with tramadol, Keflex, Prilosec, Carafate, and I’m still doing proviable. I have instructions for ice packs and pretty much total activity restriction for the next 2 weeks. This will end up being 3 ½ weeks in the cone. I might try putting her in a t-shirt while we are sitting on the couch. She doesn’t seem to mind the cone, but it’s so much easier to kiss her without it.

 

The total came to 3600, which isn’t actually as bad as I feared, so I’m happy with that. I love the surgeon. He was so kind. If I had to have a bad outcome from the spay, I am so pleased with the way this has all turned out. I feel like I can breathe again.

I asked him if he was able to speak with my vet. And he had. He sort of hemmed and hawed, and I get it. I know he wanted to say more, but he didn’t feel like he really could. He can’t just throw them under the bus. There are things I would like to say about some doctors that I can’t say publicly either. He said that the vet very matter of factly said, “ok thanks for letting me know.” He said that he had hoped they would call me. But, they didn’t. Part of me wants to call up there and yell at them. But I don’t think at this point there is anything they could say to make me feel better. And I’m not sure that yelling would make me feel better either. Kicking him in the shins might make me feel better, but that’s not socially acceptable. I will obviously be looking for a new vet. In the meantime I think I need a little time and distance from the situation to figure out what to do about the old vet. I’m still so emotional and angry about it that I can’t think clearly. I mean, I really want to do bodily harm to them and that’s not like me.

 

But now Ava’s home and we’re going to snuggle! Thank you all for your kind words. It really helped. Yesterday was a very long day. 

Stacy

[Wendy and Myla]

Honestly, after all she's been through, I think she's the happiest dog in the world!    I've been thinking of her so much and I can just imagine her thoughts going something like this:  "After all I've been through, getting adopted by Stacy was heaven for me and even after all that's happened since the surgery, knowing I was going home to Stacy was what got me through this!  Now, I am truly in heaven!!!!"  So glad she is home with you and can be the happy doodle that every dog deserves to be!  You can spoil her all you want, she will truly be the best dog ever!!!!!

[Stacy]

Aww, thanks! I hope I can always be the kind of person that Ava thinks I am. She has such a sweet and gentle spirit. Unless you're a squirrel. Then she'll chase you all over the yard.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Great news about Ava. If your old vet was smart he would at least say he was sorry.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

So glad to hear that Ava is home and healing. I don't blame you for wanting to give them a good kick - but I think you're wise to calm down a bit and snuggle with Ava. Just speaking for myself, I think I would pay the owner of the clinic a visit to let them know that, while things happen, they misdiagnosed her twice on follow-ups, could have cost her her life, and caused you both a lot of pain.  It's not just about a refund (although that would be appropriate), it's about putting them on notice so that this doesn't happen to someone else.  If I was still too mad to talk coherently, which I completely understand, I would write them a letter.  If they don't respond with some kindness and concern, you could write an online review, file a complaint with your state's AG, or take legal action. Mistakes happen but It's horrible that no one has called you to follow-up out of concern for Ava. Maybe they still will. Glad you're looking for a new doc. Hugs to you both.  

[Janet & Jaxson]

So happy she's back home with you! If it were me, I would at least talk to the vet and tell them how disappointed I was with them. Maybe they will do the right thing and apologize and offer to help with the bill. It might be good to wait until you're not so emotional. Doodle hugs and kisses to you both! She is adorable in her shirt!

[Nancy & Echo]

As others have said, I think you're very wise to wait a bit and figure out what you want to do.  As F. said, if your old vet was smart, he'd at least say he is sorry.  When I had some mistakes made in my health care (luckily I didn't have to pay), I wanted them to at least say they were sorry this happened to me, even if they didn't take any responsibility.

I'm so glad at least you found a good emergency surgeon!  As others have said, snuggle now, figure out what you are going to do with the old vet after you get some perspective on the issue, and look for a new vet on Monday.  Best wishes.

[Stacy]

That's the thing that I keep coming back to (over and over and over) one bad outcome - be it from simple human error, or negligence, or just "one of those things that happens" doesn't negate 11 years of good care. I don't want to let this one bad thing overshadow all the good that they have done for my pets. Even if I can't bring myself to go back, at least I wouldn't leave angry.It's the idea that they don't care that is making me crazy. That's the line in my head. "They almost killed my dog and they don't even care." I don't think an apology is an admission of guilt. They can even mostly skip the apology. Call to check on us and make sure we're doing okay. I don't think they know how far that would go toward creating goodwill. 

But you're right. I need some distance from it before I do anything. I need to step back and figure out exactly what it is I want to say because my thoughts are still all jumbled up in my head. Right now my sweet girl is sleeping right here, and I couldn't be more thrilled about that!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I'm so glad Ava is on the mend after that horrible ordeal.  If you hadn't woken up it doesn't bare thinking about the consequences/  You really are very patient with the Vet who so clearly let Ava down and left you with an not insignificant bill to pay. I did read that review about the kennels. I do think when you are calmer that you should have a very firm conversation with the vets who at the very least ought to be concerned about Ava's condition and recovery. Does the clinic have a FB page? If so you  are quite within your rights to give them a review .

[Stacy]

It's really hard for me, because I think I see the situation pretty clearly from both sides. I look like the panicky mom who says "something's not right, something's not right." But clinically when he looked at her he saw a dog who was bright, eating and drinking well, normal vital signs, good capillary refill. She wasn't actively bleeding when he looked at her. She had some very slight bright red drainage that he felt was also serous in nature. So from a medical standpoint I'm sure he didn't feel that those symptoms warranted exploratory surgery at that moment. He could have said "leave her here and we'll watch her," but they don't have anyone there overnight, and I would have resisted that. And knowing the outcome, she was 100% better off being home with me where I could watch her. I don't have any experience as a vet tech, but I am vigilant about the care of my animals. 

I think it's so easy to look back in hindsight and say that they should have done something different. But I look back and wish I had done things differently too. I had a bad feeling about this surgery in the first place. Maybe if I had postponed it for a few weeks it would have been different. Or maybe I could have asked them to call Dr. Wingert at home yesterday and spoken directly with him. But none of those things does us any good. It's about moving forward. I would like them to call and say, "Hey, I heard what happened and I'm really sorry you experienced that. It sucks." And then maybe see if there is anything to take away from the situation. Looking back, is there something you would have done differently? Is there something you would change in the future? I would be thrilled if they would offer to reimburse me for what I originally paid to spay her. It would be a drop in the bucket as far as the total cost, but it would be an appreciated gesture of goodwill. I don't expect them to offer to pay the emergency vet bill. I don't even feel like they are responsible for that. 

I really struggle with the idea of leaving them a scathing facebook review. They do a lot of good for a lot of pets in the area. They've done a lot of wonderful things for me. And I don't think that this one event - as awful as it was, is representative of the care I've received for more than a decade. And I'm not even sure I buy the whole thing about the boarding problem. I boarded my dogs there for a long time too. And I always felt like my dogs were safe and well cared for while they were there. I would agree that they sometimes came home a little thinner than when they left, but it wasn't something I was overly concerned about. That environment is different from being at home. 

There are so many variables in medicine. Things aren't always black and white. I still don't think they are bad vets. I think they made a mistake. And then I think they were a little too dismissive of my concerns on Thursday. I don't think I would have enough confidence in them to go back, but at the same time I'm not willing to throw that blanket statement out there that they are awful and no one should ever trust or use them.

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I am so glad she is doing better. And that is the most important thing.

I still think the original vet is responsible, and "sorry" doesn't pay the vet bill. Good that you are tending to Ava's needs and taking the time to look at the situation with a clear head.

But I would be taking action to have the original vet pay your extra expenses. You have a good case, and it's a lot of money. At least for me it would be.

[Stacy]

Oh, it's a lot of money for me! And it's going to hurt for a very long time. 

I have medical background, but no law background at all. But the way I think of it is this: bleeding is one of the known risks of surgery. It is always a possible complication, and you consent to the procedure knowing that it's something that could happen. I don't know if you can hold them liable for a complication that you always knew was a possibility. I have no idea how that works legally.

But I'm not a fan of the idea that bad things happen and someone should always be held accountable. I think sometimes bad things just happen. And sometimes they are expensive, but that's just the way it is.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Wonderful news! It always amazes me how fast dogs recover from really nasty situations. I'm so glad she is home and resting with her guardian angel! LOL  Happy snuggling!