Went up against Hope vet in small claims yesterday

woodsy1069 · April 2010

I hope no other pet owner has to go through this.

Will let you guys know the lowdown when I get the arbitrator's decision...Suffice to say I was saddened and angered by the treatment I received from Hope when my cat died under their care in 2008..I had used them before, and it went OK, but this situation wasn't good...cat died after being prescribed opiate pain meds, without seeing the cat, getting blood pressure/rate of respiration... I asked for a sitdown to discuss the care after she died sitting next to me, was rebuffed, and they just demanded payment. One of their billers likened the situation to if I were to buy a car, and I would need to make payments based on that...just cold cold cold...sadly, precedent is not on my side here, as it is reeally hard to prove malpractice and that the care resulted in a death...but damn....the focus on money over feelings stings me badly...has anyone else experienced this, gone to court to argue over a pet's death? I do realize there are no guarantees and the vet needs to make money, but I experienced a lack of caring and empathy that I wouldn't wish on anyone...they just want their damn money! I could have pushed for a settlement but the principle is most important to me, more than money...I will pay in full if arbitrator rules against me...but I hope examines some of their vets and their treatment of a person whose cat died under their care...if that happens, then I will feel better I think

amber82 · April 2010

Good luck to you. I had HORRIBLE impersonal, downright nasty treatment from Fifth Avenue Cat Clinic after my cat died after treatment there. I didn't argue with them about the bill, but I had questions for the main vet/owner who was on vacation (my cat was treated by a more "junior" vet) and I was treated like SHIT for "daring" to ask questions regarding the course of treatment.

My cat ended up dying at the emergency vet - they were willing to speak with me not only the next day, but also several days later (when I had calmed down enough to be more coherent) and were patient enough to answer all of my questions. They sent me a bereavement card, etc.

Of course it did nothing to change the course of events, but it was a class act all the way and just a little bit of human kindness which went a tremendously long way at a time when I really needed it.

And I'm sorry for the loss of your cat. I still miss my girl 5 years later.

(btw, I used arbitration before in small claims court and got an answer within 48 hours in the mail)

testiculon · April 2010

Got a horrible vibe from 5th Avenue Cat Clinic the one and only time I went there. Sad and scared to hear about Hope - they seemed like a great alternative. I will be wary from now on.

8thandprez · April 2010

We've had only complete and utterly positive experiences with our cats at Hope. We've only seen Dr Lishin (sp?) but she's been wonderful. We moved there from 5th Ave Cat Clinic bc the care there was frankly substandard and the vets just barely could manage to be polite, nevermind caring.

When one of our cats required semi-emergency care and then regular medicine just before we were to go on vacation, one of the Hope vet techs offered to come visit our cat twice a day and give medicine for only $10/day. Incredible.

So sorry to hear about your loss, but I'm hoping that this was a (rare) misstep on their part.

bookistan · April 2010

We had a good experience with Hope when we had to put our dog down a few years back - the whole staff was very sympathetic and sensitive to our situation.

whatchuwant · April 2010

bookistan wrote: We had a good experience with Hope when we had to put our dog down a few years back - the whole staff was very sympathetic and sensitive to our situation.

+1 when we put Daver's cat down- they were amazing. Circumstances completely different than what you went through, though.

So sorry for your loss. It's just an awful experience no matter what the conditions.

peanuts · April 2010

So sorry for your loss...I have to say this is the first negative thing I have ever seen about Hope - we all have our opinions on who we like as a vet so it's normal to see postive/negative (except for the Cat Clinic - I've never seen anything positive) - surpised about Hope.
Again, so sorry about your cat...

hitokiri · April 2010

from a professional experience, I can say that the owner is absentee at best (for hope vet). I did computer work for them for a couple of years.

I never brought my pets to them because it just wasn't convenient, but every time I did work for them, the staff had no clue a to what was going on.

Since I do computer work, it was funny that one day a staffer called ME to ask if I knew anything that was going on with some sort of renovation because they couldn't get in touch with their boss. Mind you that's like calling up your plumber and asking him if he knew what your appointments were. Weird to say the least.

Another time I had an appointment with one of the owners (a women...cant remember her name). She made me wait an hour until I left. (and no, she wasn't in surgery, I asked)

So yeah, it's possible that with an absentee boss, the staff might act unprofessional or quite possibly, haven't even been shown the proper way to treat a situation like that.

jeffrey · April 2010

Hope has always been professional, caring and prompt with Cyrano.

They definitely have our full confidence.

jayce · April 2010

I'll add in that Hope has been a godsend to me and my cat. We went there after numerous bad experiences with Animal Kind. Hope has been wonderful to us in the year since we've made the move-- and with a 16 yr old cat thats been a lot of visits. I thought for sure she was going to die under the inconsistent care from Animal Kind-- every time we went in they changed her medication dose for no reason. Hope has been proactive, consistent and wonderfully empathetic.

I am curious, Woodsy-- you mention being prescribed opiates without an office visit-- why didnt you bring the cat in? and were you the one that was giving the meds to your cat? i cant imagine giving my cat any med that she hasnt been thoroughly evaluated for by the doctor. even if they were to give it to me.

cjhannabury · April 2010

Sorry to hear about this. I had a cat die recently and the vet was wonderful.

the yarn monkey · April 2010

I can't vouch for all the vets at Hope, but Dr. Ryan and her staff were extremely understanding and caring in helping us make that crucial decision.. Mrs. Yarn and I had to put old Fu down last month.

jamzer · April 2010

Sorry to hear about your cat. It sounds like they were not very sensitive when your cat died. I imagine, however, that if every client who had a pet die while under their care refused to pay their bill that would quickly put them out of business.

d_luxx · April 2010

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your pet, and it's unfortunate that the person from the billing department was insensitive. Like the poster above said, realistically, its totally standard for vets and doctors to receive payment even when treatment is unsuccessful.
What kind of outcome you hope to achieve by going to court ?

woodsy1069 · April 2010

Got the lowdown today. Lost the judgement. Really thought when the vet expert said he would've had me bring the pet in to be seen, as the Hope vet did not, that I had a chance. That and the fact the arbitrator several times mentioned how I already paid them $1,000, and they wanted to collect the balance of almost $900...Not sure if he though the 18% interest they charged me as I fought what I deemed malpractice was fair LOL. Man...I'm so disappointed....they prescribed the cat painkiller over the phone, I gave it to her, she become almost catatonic right away, and about five hours later died sitting next to me on the sofa. I guess I needed an autopsy to prove that she was too weak to be given a painkiller...I didn't sufficiently prove that the doc should have taken her BP, her rate of respiration....but she was cremated.... I never got an explanation beyond a pro forma card. The vet expert, who was not the doc in charge, tried to portray it as though the cat was virtually in hospice. That was not the way it was presented to me. I just found him to be sooo cold...I hope they enjoy their money....he basically offered a summation at the end of the trial saying hey, I've had cats die, it's sucks, get over it, there are no guarantees. No...but I expect and pay for you to do your best, use good judgement. That wasn't good judgement. Just admit it to me! Admit you aren't fallible. Call us even. But no. You want every damn dime coming to you. Wow. I just have to get over it. I have to pay them the balance within 30 days. I will. But is this really how they want to run that practice. I wanted a sitdown with the owner, see if this could be a learning situation, see if that vet next time would have the animal come in, so this wouldn't happen to someone else. I was rebuffed. Pay us the money. That was the constant refrain.

Went up against Hope vet in small claims yesterday

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