Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my cat to the urgent care due to her limping severly on her back leg. I noticed she also had a fever due to her ears being very hot. I explained to the vet and the staff that she had a fever. They failed to take her temperature. I also explained that her back left paw was hurting her, and it had a yellow residue on it, like a bite or a sting wound. They didn't bother examining her paw, and they immediately said the plan was to get a $400 dollar X-Ray done. I felt I had no other choice but to proceed with that plan of treatment. They sent me home with pain meds for her, but they never actually looked at her back paw or took her temperature. They failed to do a thorough examination on her, and she remained in pain and could not walk. Two days later on Monday when my normal vet opened I was able to get her in immediately. My vet ******** Animal Hospital) got her X-Ray images only to find the urgent care never took an X-Ray of her back paws!!! They only imaged the hip and leg, it cut off at her foot. So, they charged me $400 for this X-Ray for nothing. So, I had to get an X-Ray of her back paws, and I had to pay for that. My vet listened to me. I said she had a fever still, and he took her temp. It was 105!!!! It had been that way for days! He saw the yellow reside on her paw, and realized it was a bee sting!!! He did his job. He gave her steroid shot and antibiotic shot, and she stopped limping on her foot not even a few hours later. She is still lethargic, but she is much better. I paid $579 for the urgent care all for nothing. And I want to dispute this. This is highway robbery and it should not be ok for a vet to just neglect my cat's care and not even listen to me or even take her temperature!! She was hunkered over in their office, and I believe they just didn't do a thorough examination due to that. They failed to provide proper care to my cat, and she is only 6 months old. She is very tame, sweet, and she deserved better than that.

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/04/22) */ This response was taken verbally by the BBB: This is not our customer. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/04/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I am the customer. I have the medical record of my cat they sent me. I went to the urgent center at that facility, which is during their after hours located at XXXXX SR 56 Wesley Chapel, Florida XXXXX. Business Response /* (1000, 19, 2022/05/20) */ We are sorry to hear that you have concerns about your visit with us on March 19th, but we are glad to hear that she is doing better for you now. The well-being of our patients is always our highest priority, and we would never compromise their health for the sake of profit. We have reviewed the medical notes for the day that you and your fur baby were at our establishment and there is a body temperature for her recorded in the records as well as the full notes for her complete examination done by the veterinarian on duty the night that you came in. There is also documentation in her records that one of our technicians called you the following day to check on your baby and the Dr that was on duty the following day also called you to discuss the results of the radiology consult that we had submitted on the day of her visit with us. There was nothing documented in the notes for the 2 follow up calls that you received to indicate that your baby was not doing well or that you had any concerns about the care that you had received the previous night. We are always more than happy to offer suggestions or provide follow up evaluations if there are any concerns about the response to therapy that was provided. Consumer Response /* (3000, 21, 2022/05/24) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This response is not acceptable, because I never received a follow up call as to how my cat was doing the next day. I followed up with them to find out when the radiograph results would be in and was told they were not in yet. The medical exam the vet performed prior to the radiograph taken did not include a temperature of my cat, did not examine her back left paw which was the reason for the visit, and failed to do the basic level examination a vet should complete in any examination performed to include taking her temperature at minimal. They immediately jumped to the most expensive test to perform, an x-ray. And despite me telling them her back left paw was hurt and likely causing her to limp severely, the x-ray they took did not even include an image of her paw! It didn't even include the area of pain that prompted the urgent care visit. So I was charged nearly $600 dollars for nothing and then the examination further failed to take her temperature! I had to wait until Monday to see my regular vet to find out she had a fever of 105, and then he had to take a brand new x-ray of her paw due to the x-ray from the urgent care not including the area of concern. I can have my vet send in the x-ray he took to prove this occurred. This is medical negligence and completely unacceptable practice. This urgent care failed to provide the urgent care needed for my baby, which resulted in her having a delayed vet visit days later with my vet that took her in on an immediate appointment after I told them what had happened. I do not accept their ridiculous response. This is completely medical negligence and my cat could have had long term effects as a result of it. It took her 3 weeks to fully recover and included antibiotics, steroid injection and anti nausea meds. This was all provided by my vet who actually took the time to care for my cat and not just charge me for unnecessary services/tests that failed to include the chief complaint.

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