Dr. XXXXXXX
Cross Keys Animal Hospital
2071 North Black Horse Pike
Williamstown, NJ 08094
Dear Dr. XXXX,
On August 16, my mother brought her 3 ½-year-old boxer, Molly, in because of very strange behaviors she was exhibiting, including inexplicably urinating around the house, stumbling, failing to recognize family members, losing her appetite and the ability to drink, losing her nerve function and possibly her eyesight, and becoming confused about where she was. You did blood tests and said that if they came back clean, there was a chance the dog had either a behavioral problem or brain cancer, the latter condition being somewhat common in boxers.
We waited 24 hours to get the blood test results back and when they were finally relayed to my mother over the phone, a vet tech suggested that the problem was behavioral and that my mother should hire a trainer. When you eventually called her back yourself, you acted as though you were completely unfamiliar with Molly’s case and made the same suggestion. By that time, Molly’s symptoms had worsened considerably. The problem was clearly NOT behavioral and she was clearly NOT in any shape to be transported to a vet hospital in the city and left there.
The service my parents received from you at Cross Keys Animal Hospital was despicable. If you had bothered to listen to what my mother was telling you, you may have been able to make some real recommendations rather than jumping from one extreme to another, especially since you were Molly’s primary vet and could have easily looked at her charts to see some of the other unexplained medical issues she’d previously encountered. In fact, if you had listened to the especially troubling symptom that my mother repeated to you over and over (completely colorless and odorless urine), you probably would have reached the conclusion that we did – her kidneys were failing. If you had bothered to actually speak to my parents this morning when they went through with the incredibly difficult decision to have Molly euthanized because she could no longer eat, drink, see, or stand well, you probably would have thought twice about your previous diagnosis. Since you didn’t seem to take it very seriously when my mother talked to you on the phone, perhaps seeing just how pathetically downhill Molly’s quality of life had fallen would have made you take a second look.
I’m sure you’re wondering what my objective is in writing you. It is simply this - I have lived and worked around animals my entire life and never have I witnessed anything so ethically unsettling as how you treated my parents and their dog when they needed expert advice and compassion the most. Molly was our family dog – she was an incredibly special part of my parents’ lives and those of our extended family and it was very hard to see such a young animal suffer so needlessly.
It was no easy decision to have Molly euthanized, but ultimately none of us believed that she deserved to suffer the debilitating effects of whatever she had anymore. When my parents brought her into your animal hospital, a vet tech took the dog, asked if they wanted to be in the room with her (they did not), and took her away. No vet ever spoke to my parents – not you, not any of your colleagues.
I do not blame you for Molly’s death, but I do blame you for treating my parents and our family pet with so little compassion and respect. Perhaps you are overworked or have achieved some degree of burnout in your career as a vet, but in either case, there is no excuse for being so detached from an extremely time-critical situation that required your attention. Given that the AVMA’s code of ethics is largely based on the Golden Rule, I would ask you the following question: How would you have felt if you’d been treated with little compassion or respect when a member of your family was in critical condition and time was of the essence?
I hope you will think of that the next time someone puts the life of his/her dog in your hands and you are too tired or burnt out to give them any real consideration. As it is, no one in my immediate or extended family will ever make the mistake of visiting your office again. I’m sure that won’t eat into your profit margin too much, but I hope it eats into your conscience a little.
Sincerely,
Tara N. Ronda
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