Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > General Forum for cats and dogs

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old July 6th, 2018, 11:29 AM
Staciewells1 Staciewells1 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 55
After the emergency...

Hey, all! I’ve come out of lurkdom to ask for some advice.

The short version is this:
Rosie, our 3.5 year old mixed breed terrier, just had emergency surgery to remove an empty 13-gallon trash bag from her small intestine. The only place she could have gotten this was at her vet’s while she was being boarded. They told me she had pooped in her crate and she had to have a bath. I chalked it up to nerves at the time, but wasn't really worried. Afterward, it dawned on me that the few times she’s pooped inside, she immediately tried to eat it. (I suspect the people who owned her before us punished her for pooping inside.) So, it makes since that if they used trash bags as a cage liner, she would have frantically eaten the bag. We don’t buy garbage bags in either white or 13-gallon size. Even if we did, I would have noticed her eating a garbage bag! So, technically, I can’t PROVE she ate the bag there, but it’s the only logical place.

I’m really torn. On one hand, I understand it was an accident, and the people at her vet’s office are good to Rosie. On the other hand, if they had walked her enough, she wouldn’t have pooped in her crate. And someone should have noticed a trash bag was missing.

I haven’t confronted anyone yet. I think I should let them know we’re leaving their service and why. We have insurance, but it won’t cover the entire cost of the surgery. The hubs thinks we should try to recoup some of the cost, or get a refund for the cost of boarding- since they didn’t do a very good job of watching her. Money isn’t my primary concern, but maybe losing some money will make them be more careful in the future. What do you guys think?

I’m sorry if this is all over the place, but I’m still a little emotional about the whole thing.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old July 7th, 2018, 05:55 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,528
I'm so glad to read she is all right now. If she ate the garbage bag while at the Vet's you should not have to foot the bill. However I can't imagine a Vet being dumb enough to line a crate with a bag. But maybe she got it from outside her crate? You could always bring it up with them. My friend's dog was badly injured while boarding at the Vet, it was indisputably the Vet's fault and they paid the bills.

Oh, an idea. How long was she at the Vet's? Impossible she ingested a bag before she got to the Vet? Bags can stay in side for days. My dog scarfed one up on a walk and it took nearly a week to exit.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old July 7th, 2018, 07:53 AM
marko's Avatar
marko marko is offline
Administrator - Pet lover
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada
Posts: 12,651
Happy the actual trauma is over!

For sure your emotion is evident in this post....Longblades makes excellent sense though with regard to a 'potential digestive timeline' for lack of a better phrase.

At the end of the day...imo...if you can't prove it, if all you have is a hunch...then it's a mistake to accuse them. Of course leave their service for any reason though.

Idea - call them up as another customer and make up something about your pet's sensitive skin. Ask them what they line their cages with.

Hope that may help
__________________
Please tactfully EDUCATE or IGNORE posters you don't agree with.
Please PM me & Include URLs and post #'s for any issues and it's my pleasure to help.
I'm firm - but fair. Mind the Rules and enjoy your stay.
Newcomers FAQ - How do I post on this BB?
Pet facebook group
Check out the Pet podcast
Follow me on Twitter
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:16 PM.