This is the letter I sent out today (3 copies, one to each of the co-owners of the clinic I take our furbabies to), with identifying info redacted:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
### Xxxxxxx Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX #####
October 9, 2008
Dr. D
Wxxxxxxxx Animal Hospital
#### Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX #####
Dear Dr. D:
I am writing to you and to the other co-owners of Wxxxxxxxx Animal Hospital to express my deep anger and disappointment in the events following my most recent visit.
Last week, I brought a cat, Toaster, in to be examined. She is a stray that I took into my care after attempts to locate her original owners yielded no results. She had several wounds on her side, but apart from those she was happy, healthy, and friendly. She saw Dr. Cxxxxxx.
The visit went just fine, and I was advised that since her bites were of unknown origin, she will have to be quarantined for 6 months on suspicion of rabies exposure, and immunized at 5 months assuming no symptoms develop. I signed an agreement to this effect, and upon arriving home returned her to the guest bedroom where she had already been quarantined.
What I was not advised of was that Animal Control and the Department of Health and Social Services would be informed. I understand the necessity for this, and it makes perfect sense, but I think it would have been appropriate (and bare bones good customer/patient care) for someone to let me know this would be happening. I was also not informed of the very specific enclosure requirements DHSS mandates for home quarantining. I only discovered this when their letter arrived today, requiring compliance within 10 days. It has been a week since I visited your hospital. A week in which I could have been obtaining a cage that fits these requirements, or the materials to build said cage.
I have trusted the care of my animal companions to this facility and the staff there for years now, and I feel that this trust has been violated. I tried to do a good thing for an animal that had no home, no family, and no medical care. And I wasn't shown basic common courtesy or provided with vital information for the care of this animal.
The main reason I am writing is to bring this issue to your attention. This can not have been the first animal brought in with unknown bites. I feel that in the future, the people providing the care for these animals should be given all relevant information at the time of the visit by your staff.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Me
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3 comments:
Sorry this is so late.
Like you, I would be livid if something like that happened to me. How is the little sweetheart? Hope all is well.
I love your previous post. :-)
I can understand to how you felt having half the areas strays eating at my house!
How is the kittencat now?
Bela - I was! I'm still peeved, but I received a VERY apologetic phone call from the clinic owner I have dealt with in the past (I'm assuming they decided he should call, since he knows me a bit) and we had an excellent conversation. Apparently the policy *is* to let people know, but the ball was dropped. Probably because poor Toaster had so much else going on. She is doing SO well! She is healed and fur is already growing back over where the injuries were. She and her cage are downstairs now, though she is only in it when I have to leave the house. And she's still as sweet as can be! Unless we manage to find her a home up to my standards (very unlikely, now that the friends we wanted to have her go to have taken in a stray of their own!), Chris has said we can keep her! It won't be easy, but she's worth it!
Gemel - bless you, for feeding those strays! I'm often tempted to put food out, but I know I'd get attatched, and we really can't have any more critters. Honestly, Toaster is an exception that was only made because she was hurt. I just couldn't leave her out there, knowing that. She's good now, and always getting better!
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