Cat Goes to Vet for Flea Bath, Gets Euthanized Instead

[Liberal_in_LA]

Lady was special to the family because she first belonged to Ms. Conlon's daughter, who died in a car accident in 2010. Her daughter had given her the cat about a year before the fatal accident, Ms. Conlon said.

She said she called about 15 minutes before the appointment to confirm and to check on the price for the flea bath.

-------------------


But when Mr. Conlon returned with the second cat and said he'd take Lady home if she was finished with her bath, the vet surprised him when he asked, “You want the bodies?”

“At first he thought it was some cruel joke,” Ms. Conlon said, but the veterinarian told her son he'd signed the papers.

He quickly realized Lady was gone. Ms. Conlon said she could not bear to go back for her cat's body, saying she wanted to remember Lady alive and well.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120923/NEWS/109239745/-1/NEWS05

[revolution breeze]

1. How very ver sad.

I don't know how I would have handled this.

[sabbat hunter]

2. I would have broken down in tears

I am nearly crying now


The vet will be sued, and rightfully so.

[riverbendviewgal]

3. I think the signed paper should be provided

to make sure what happened.


I would be devastated if this had happened to our family cat. I had my late younger son's cat after he died but when I moved I gave him to his brother. Who had him for years. My son then was moving to England to be with his fiancee. One vet said the cat had a heart mummer and wouldn't sign the papers for the flight for the cat. My son took the cat to a homeopathic vet who said the cat is healthy and if he died on flight at least he would be with his family. The papers were signed. The cat is 16 years old and he made it without any problems. He is still kicking around almost a year after his flight. He says "meow" to me on skype each day.

My Younger son and husband both died of cancer...We found there were good doctors and some so so ones. Doctors are not gods. They make mistakes.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. sorry about the loss of your son and husband

[riverbendviewgal]

6. They are still with me everyday in my heart.

Thanks for your kind words.

[Ezlivin]

4. WTF?

How does someone confuse "flea bath" with "euthanize"?

Damn, this is a horrible story.

I'm so glad that I've had a good 20 year relationship with my vet.

Damn.

[xmas74]

8. Same here.

My vet cannot stand people in general but damn he's good with animals and charges a third of the price of everyone else in the area. And he does everything in his power to save an animal. I had an appointment with him about 20 minutes after he'd found that he couldn't save an animal-I never saw someone so visibly shaken and humbled.

I adore my vet and wouldn't dream of going anywhere else.

[Egalitarian Thug]

7. There has been a disturbing trend over the last 10 - 15 years of Veteranarian practices

going corporate. Just like human health care, it's all about the money today, they couldn't care less about the animals.

Our small animal vet has recently just given up and retired because she can't find a practice that doesn't demand ever increasing billables and she just doesn't have the energy to start her own all over again.

[hollysmom]

9. As in any business, there are incompetent vets. I learned the hard way,.

I adopted a pet and she came with a free coupon to get fixed. When I went to the vet, the dogs in the waiting room were all muzzled. I should have walked out then and there, but I was distracted by other problems at the time.
They used a rough and old fashioned way of fixing her and had me pick her up a few hours later. At home, she climbed in the tub and stayed there for 2 weeks, I could not get her out. I had to clean up the tub because she would not move and I could not lift her and the vet would not help at all. I had to make chicken soup for her because she would not eat or drink anything else. This was way before the internet was there, so I had to research in the library and could not find anything. turns out they used metal stitches and she got an infection. The fact that she eventually recovered and lived for a ful life time is not credited to that vet, but that I found a good one immediately after that. By the time the other vet saw her, she had recovered from everything but the metal stitches which kept her from lying on her stomach her whole life.

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. how awful! Glad she recovered

[H2O Man]

10. On in ten vets

graduated in the bottom 10% of their class.

[HopeHoops]

12. That's just sick.

[SheilaT]

13. What vet is doing flea baths?

There's amazingly wonderful prescription (from the vet) medication that you put on your cat and all the fleas are gone in about 24 hours. And if you put it on them every thirty days during the warm months, the fleas don't come back.

I've had flea-infested cats at various times and the problem is always solved with the medication.

Flea bath?

[Comrade Grumpy]

14. Shouldn't this be in the lounge?