Howdy folks! Sorry I’ve been away so long, but I can’t even seem to keep up with my home email right now, much less writing here. I do spend an awful lot of time getting rid of trackback spam still, but not the several hundred that I was getting a day. I’m almost afraid to check the “submit news” section of my other site…we’ll see.

I’m writing today because a nice person, SC Clark, left a comment (a real comment) asking if I knew a place where you could complain about bad vetrinarians. Apparently he/she (sorry SC, I couldn’t tell which you were) had been using Wells Branch Pet & Bird for six years, rather like I had, and has just gotten fed up. I don’t blame you. I thought I was being oversensitive about my dog, Rhiannon, just because she was abused so badly before we got her; but their treatment of J’s cat, Sidhartha, was equally as horrible. He’s a really grumpy old tomcat, and more than happy to fight back when mistreated, so they kept him sedated – which was very dangerous for them to do at the time – and charged me for it. I could have killed someone.

SC, I have no idea where to go to present vet complaints, but maybe someone out here in cyberspace does. I’m going to post this on the Livejournal as well to see if they do. I did report the vet to the Better Business Bureau, but WBP&B proceeded to bog me down in the paperwork of complaints and countercomplaints, and I finally gave up. If anyone knows who to go to, just drop me a comment, and I’ll make sure that you get it, SC. Those people deserve to be shut down with their horrible treatment of both the pets and thier owners.

My advice to the rest of you? Request an itemized receipt of your pets care, and read it carefully. Keep in constant contact with the vet if your pet has to go in for extended treatment. If you don’t like the way your pet is being handled, say something. It is our responsibility as owners to speak up for those who have no voices. You live with an animal every day, you know what makes them uncomfortable; chances are, it’s necessary for treatment, but check just the same.

Also, if your pet has a condition, RESEARCH IT ON THE NET. I know a couple who thought they were going to have to put their Corgie to sleep, as she was in such pain from arthritis. One of them researched alternatives on the net, and found that there was a series of shots that the vet hadn’t told them about. When they challenged the vet, he backpedaled, and said the treatment would work. Now they describe their pet as “a new dog”; she hardly limps any more, and has gone back to taking walks without difficulty.