should i complain about my vet?

[hoops]

hello.im new to this site so dont know if im doing the right thing.i had a 10 yr old small terrier called scooby,he has been very poorly for about 6 weeks,i have been back and forth to the vet with him.he has been given different meds and so on,he was vomitting a lot and was loosing weight very fast as he could'ent keep any food down,the past 2 weeks he has'ent eaten anything.2 1/2 weeks ago i took him to the vets again and they took a xray.when i went back to pick scooby up the vet told me that he could'ent find anything on the xray.2 days later i phoned the vets and asked if i could have some liquid paraffin as i know it can loosen fur balls(everytime i saw one of the vets i suggested that it could be a fur ball as when he gets sick he brings up a lot of hair in it)he told me i could go straight down and pick it up.then on friday night my dog collapsed i took him straight to the vet she was great she pumped him full of fluids,she also looked at his xray and said she could see something there.i took him back the next morning and she did blood tests etc,she got the results within the hour.she decided a op was the only thing to do and i agreed,she did the op that morning,he got through the op but was very weak,we saw him that evening.we got a call on sunday to say he was getting worse,so we went to see him(still hopeful)then another call to say that she thought he was not going to survive,that was our last visit to him.at 8am monday i had a call to say he had gone(yesterday)i am so angry with the 1 vet,if 2 other vets could see some thing on the xray how come he did not.am i within my rights to complain to the practice.my beautiful little dog had starved to death,i believe he would still be here if that 1 vet had checked the xray properly.(they removed part of his intestine and repaired a hole in the bowel both caused by a bit of plastic that he had swollowed,it had been there for some time then fur had got caught on it and had plugged the hole.

[Dally Banjo]

I so sorry to hear about poor Scooby just awful. You can complain about vets here is the link you need I want to make a complaint - RCVS Animal Owners good luck I know it wont bring Scooby back but......

Run free at the bridge brave little man xxx

[angelina1104]

I'm so sorry you went through so much heartache.

Although vets are only human, they are skill accountable for their actions, as we all should be. You say two other vets saw a foreign object on the x-ray. It is definitely worrying then that the first vet missed this. This could be for a number of reasons, but what ever these reasons were, it had consequences.

This vet now has to deal with this. Other professions would insist on addressing the issue and insist on further training to brush up on poor skills. Poor Scoobys life was tragically lost due to this mistake. I personally feel the vet should be help accountable, so that he learns from this and so it stops it happening again.

It's going to be hard enough to deal with the loss of Scooby, so if you feel it is to much to take on then don't be hard on your self. If you do go a head, I wish you all the best and my thoughts are with you.

This is a link to the blue cross bereavement page:

Blue Cross - Pet Bereavement Support Service

[lucylastic]

So sorry to hear of your loss. You must be devastated. There may be a number of good reasons why the first vet didn't find anything (such as the object was hidden or moved) or of course they may have just been negligent. It has been my experience though, that if a vet doesn't see anything unusual on an x ray, and there is clearly a problem, other vets in the practice are asked to check to see if anything has been missed. It would be interesting to compare the x rays to see if there is any difference. Why not tell the first vet what happened and see what they say.

[Nancy Parker]

The problem might be coming because most of the time veterinarian completely depends upon the veterinary technicians for analysis of information. Though vet technicians are trained on performing laboratory tests, analysis of the results from the tests performed and producing accurate diagnosis as per the evaluation of test results. But in all the above list, their main role is to assist the veterinarian during various procedures Veterinary Technician Careers and Jobs | Online Veterinary Technician Schools
But nowadays vet techs are over burdened with complicated and specialized tasks. They are assigned to act as a communication bridge between the patients’ owners and the veterinarian. Sometimes, a skilled veterinary technician should also be flexible enough to take care of both small and big animals.

[Ianthi]

I'm truly very sorry to hear about your little dog. I can fully understand how devastated and angry you must feel.

Given the symptoms and their duration there's no doubt in my mind Vet 1 was definitely negligent. Even if the X-ray proved inconclusive ( they have their limitations and not all vets are skilled in interpreting them ) he should have been more proactive in pursing a diagnosis by suggesting an ultrasound/some further tests or even an exploratory op to rule out an obstruction. The fact the second vet managed to spot something makes him all the more culpable in my eyes. Frankly, he doesn't have a leg to stand on!

I would write a letter of complaint to the Practice Manager in the first instance outlining the situation with reference to the points mentioned above. I would follow this up with a complaint to the RCVS. Let us know how you get on.

Again I'm so very sorry you've had this truly awful experience.

[hoops]

thankyou so much for all the comments,they were a great help.the 1st vet had seen something on the xray but ignored it even though my dog was so ill.after a few calls to the vets practice(we spoke only to the practice manager)nothing was done about our complaint,so we decided to write a letter threatening to take things further(sent by special delivery).surprise,surprise,less than 24 hrs later we had a call from the vet that had ignored what he had seen on the xray,he apologised and held his hands up saying he had made a mistake and he also cleared the bill.its all we wanted from the beginning,some one to own up to not doing a job properly.i know i could take it further but i wont,its not going to bring my dog back and i am moving to a different vets for the sake of my other 2 dogs.also heard a lot more horror stories about the practice from other people.i miss my little dog so much.

[Ianthi]

Hoops-Yes I'm sure you miss your dog very much. It's all still very raw in the early stages but it will get easier, I promise.

I'm very glad to hear you wrote the letter-it must have been hard given the circumstances. Once things are committed to print it's amazing how people spring into action and the results that ensue.

Wishing you well with your new practice. Take care

[ginge1965]

i'm sorry for your loss, its hard to lose something you love. the way i look at it, is if it was 1 of your children that was treated like this would you complain about your doctor? of course you would. i dont know about you, but my dogs are like my kids. damn right you should complain about the vet, you dont want this to happen to someone else do you? some vets think of our pets as just another animal, well they're not, they're part of the family. i've used the PDSA most of my life and they are brilliant, they really care and dont cost you the earth.