OK, so backing up to Sunday's post about Smokie going to the vet on Saturday...I left a lot of details out because I simply wasn't in the mood to type it all out. But today I feel differently.
Saturday:
I called the vet office Saturday morning, said who I was (a friend also goes to this vet) and the lady remembered me from the time our friends' dog was there. Anyways, I made an appointment. Got Smokie in around 1:40pm Saturday, the Dr. checked him out, talked to me about some ideas and options and we went with it. I was happy with the visit, I paid my bill and I left and came home.
When I got home, I called back to mention that they forgot to give me the first office visit free ($30) and the lady reminded me that I didn't bring a coupon, unaware that I was suppose to print off a coupon, I simply asked if I could come by on Monday and have her credit the $30 to my account for the next time I came there, and that I'd print the coupon. Then I had asked her one more thing about the medicine they gave Smokie, at this point you could tell that she was "in a hurry" to get me off the phone because she was very "short" with me.
I had been home with Smokie about 15 minutes by then, and had already made that call. Smokie wouldn't come out of his cat carrier, so I slowly tried to get him out. He got out of the carrier and walked a few steps and layed down. I thought that his leg was hurting, so I let it be. (He had blood drawn from his leg.) He then walked into the bedroom and fell flat over on his side. I immediately picked him up and thought that he was having a seizure, he seemed to have seized a tiny bit, but he let out a huge meow and I was really nervous, then I realized I was holding his sore leg. Could I have been hurting him?
I called back to the vets office and told them what happened and by this time, the lady is a real witch to me and snottily snaps at me telling me that all she can offer is to bring him back right away and I say "I guess that I will".
I continued to watch Smokie and observe him. I was thinking in my head the stress it would cause him to take him all the way back over there, when maybe I was just holding his leg too tight, he didn't really seize at all and he just needed some time to compose himself. I went with my gut instinct and decided to keep Smokie at home. I had tried one time to call back to say I think he is ok and that I wouldn't be coming back, but no one picked up the phone and I soon realized I didn't give a shit to tell them I wasn't coming back anyways. I was sick of the front desk lady that was so snippy to me. I'll handle it Monday.
Today:
I went down to the vet's office today to bring over the coupon to credit me the $30 and I also spoke with a lady that was working about my experience on Saturday - I had no idea who she was other than someone working who could maybe listen. But with all the interruptions with phones and customers, I sort of got the run around. Supposedly Saturday's are VERY VERY busy and this is why the lady in the front was so hasty to me. I didn't think they were busy at all, but that's my observation.
It would be my luck that the Dr. shows up in the office and she literally becomes very confrontational towards me telling me that Saturday's are VERY busy, this is a low cost animal clinic and that they are very busy because they see a lot of poor people and I tell her that I did not come to the office because I was "poor" and what does that have to do with anything and also, I didn't know the rules of coming to this clinic was that if you don't want to be shuffled around because everyone is busy, don't come on Saturday. The fact of the matter was, I just wanted to have someone listen to my concern without acting like their are off to their honeymoon and I'm holding them back because I have a concern. Was I not allowed to have questions or concerns because this is a poor person's clinic?
The Dr. gets all uptight that I didn't bring Smokie back to the clinic if I thought he was having a seizure and goes on and on and on about it and I told her simply, I felt it was too much for him and that I did try to call back. Her concern is all about the "supposed" seizure and that I didn't bring him back, she didn't think that her staff was in the wrong at all by being hasty and short with me.
The result: I tell her that I do like the place and that I don't want to have to go elsewhere (I'll give them ONE chance to prove to me they are worthy of my "poor money") but that I am still a person that wants my questions answered politely when it comes to my cat, not get shuffled in the mix because they cater to poor people and are busy. I also told her I expect that she'll call me later today with Smokie's results from his blood tests (I know the results are in, because I saw them in his chart today when the lady opened it to look at something) and she says she'll call if they are ready...so we'll see if she calls me and we'll see her attitude from there.
Was I so wrong that I didn't bring Smokie back to the vet after I thought he may have had a seizure? Or is the attitude of the Dr. justified because I didn't? Really, both of us are right. She's right because of a medical standpoint and I'm right because I shouldn't be treated hastily when I have a question or concern.
I just wish I could have been "heard" without the Dr. being so confrontational. It's all I wanted. I already knew I was wrong about not bringing him back, at the time it was a decision I made that was better for my cat. Afterall, I know him better than anyone.
EDIT: It's past 7pm and the Vet did not call about his bloodwork.
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