[funkyfish]

The BVA have no powers over vets. Its the RCVS that deals with all complaints.


I can't comment too much on the case as don't know the details, but yes dissolvable sutures can sometimes cause reactions. All wounds can get infected, penicillins are often the first drugs to be given, but if they are not working then swabs taken and put on an appropriate drug.


Some do need redoing and a different type of suture used. The reaction can cause lots of fibrosis and swelling and they can look awful. But is a risk of surgery, it can happen to any animal using any type of suture material, there is no ay of knowing if they will have a reaction.


Where you prob have a case is if they did not treat appropriately- did not swab after antibiotics obviously not working and not dealing with the wound with in an appropriate time frame. Otherwise i'm afraid the RCVS will not do anything as TBH there is nothing for them to get involved with.


TBH even in really really bad care cases the RCVS do nothing except a slap on the wrist, oh unless you turn up to work drunk or are abusive towards clients.

[Alistair]

The BVA have no powers over vets. Its the RCVS that deals with all complaints.




Where you prob have a case is if they did not treat appropriately- did not swab after antibiotics obviously not working and not dealing with the wound with in an appropriate time frame. Otherwise i'm afraid the RCVS will not do anything as TBH there is nothing for them to get involved with.

That's really it, the new vet was most concerned over the fact that the report on the swabs said it was penicillin resistant and then they gave her penicillin with no follow up tests when it didn't work

I really do appreciate that there are risks and that there can be reactions, it's just that 1 of the stitches is DEFINATLEY not dissolvable where some of the others are, don't understand that but that's the facts, and that the top end of the surgery is very messy so he's concerned enough to want to open her up again

Just fed up with being treated as a cash machine and I don't feel like rolling over this time without some sort of a fight, especially as we've had 10 visits to the vets in the last 12 weeks with her and she's not got any better, I'd say worse in fact and that I seem to get charged for drugs each time and sometimes an examination fee and sometimes not and sometimes it's a vet I know and sometimes it's a nurse and sometimes it's a vet I've never seen before and sometimes it's the bloke who owns the sun tan place next door and non of these people is the person who did the surgery initially who I never saw before and haven't  seen since

Thank you all for your views I shall consider them equally and then probably use my magic Kung fu ninja kick of death on them all

[sabrina]

I had much the same when one of the vets from the practice I use gelded 2 of my ponies. Not only was it a terrible job with both ponies suffering infections right from the start ( vet gelded inside dirty stable even though I had a place scrubbed out ready ). One of the ponies had to be opened up again months later and I let the practice know how I felt about the whole event. They fixed the pony who had to be opened up again at their expense but I lost all trust in them.

[happygolucky]

Thank you all for your views I shall consider them equally and then probably use my magic Kung fu ninja kick of death on them all

  hope not!!
 
I did not want to reply as people may think I am being stupid etc.  BUT...I had my stiches react after each 3 caesarean's and after being spayed , I reacted to the stiches and as for antibiotics, my system usually reject them...any little bug and its made worse with intervention, that's me, I am not a dog (some may disagree but that's fine as I love dogs) but just shows how some of us creatures react to things that make other people better...no  compensation to you though, maybe the vet could be a bit nicer to you and Julie though.....I did not have to wear a collar buy the way but my belly was wide open for weeks yukkkkkk My eldest Lab reacts to things but was fine after being spayed, same with my younger one!!  Now, no nija kicking, YOU will end up at the Dr's

[in the hills]

   oh HGL. There you go again.


And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

[doganjo]

The BVA have no powers over vets. Its the RCVS that deals with all complaints.

So generally speaking because you won't get anywhere it's not worth the bother.?    Sorry but that isn't an attitude I'd take.  If my animal had been treated like that I would be doing something about it -,even if there was little chance of any recompense I'd make my views known - very well ,known!

[Alistair]

With you on that. The fact I'm the 'local' dog groomer muddys things a bit, I could be quite vindictive on the other hand so could they, I'm going to try the writing a letter to the senior partners route and threaten taking it to the rcvs, they've lost my business now, for four dogs, not just one, and to be honest I don't think I'm the only one round here who's getting a bit ratty with them, mainly because you never see the same vet twice and they only talk to each other through the medium of computer notes and telepathy

All I want is Julie not to wear a big cone on her head so she can be Julie and interact with the other 3 without them being terrified of the big plastic cone of pain, and believe me an over excited collie with a big plastic cone travelling at over excited collie speed causes pain, significant pain and generally to the achillies area of the lower leg ( I'm sure she's been sharpening it when no one is looking, I wouldn't put it past her, she watched that peeky blinders series on the telly the other night, the one where the blokes sew razor blades in their caps, bet she got the idea from there, clever these collies, best not let her watch gold finger again, she might start throwing it about)

Happy, don't worry it's a magic Kung fu ninja kick of death, not your normal Kung fu ninja kick of death, took me ages to learn it, I had to carry water up and down stairs for weeks and other stuff that I really can't be bothered inventing at the moment

[in the hills]

Alistair, think others are right in that these things do happen but it's whether or not they solved the problems in a professional and methodical manner. Not sure I've used the right words there but you get what I mean.


I saw a lot of different vets. They didn't seem to know which tests had or hadn't been done .... even argued with me that they had done tests that they hadn't until I insisted they go look at their notes.    Didn't seem to approach things in an organised or methodical way when trying to eliminate possibilities.


Maybe it's the "lots of different vets" thing with a lack of continuity in the care of that patient.

[happygolucky]

Thanks in the hills    but it is a case to take up that they should have noted that the bug was not responsive to penicillin. I am so glad our practice is a small and personal one!   Maybe I should sue the Dr who also gave me the wrong stuff

[Kitchen Cottage]

 
Solicitor here

Your details don't say where you are and it doesn't matter for the law on negligence but it does for process.

Firstly, if you want you can pm me details of all of the individual meetings and where you thought there was a lack of veterinary car (continuing to miss something leading to further treatment should be repeated again and again in the narrative as should if you were told that the stitches were dissolvable which indicates and error, and a negligent error).

You should complain originally to the senior partner of the vets and ask for a review of the care and rebate of your fees for the error you think occurred.  Ask for a response in 14 days.

If you are in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, after this write a letter, more formally using the Pre-action Protocol for Professional Negligence Claims, you will find precedents and copies on the web.  Basically its a formal letter under the Civil Procedure Rules which contains 9 sections setting out details of the parties and the claim.  One of the sections in there asks whether ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) is appropriate, I would suggest it is, but not that a formal ADR such as CEDR (Centre for Dispute Resolution) be used because they have to be paid and its too expensive... suggest an informal mediation using a member of the community you are both happy with. 

They have 14 days to acknowledge this and a further 14 days to do a reply.  They will want to sort it because its insurance notifiable and may affect their claims experience.  They will want to sort it anyway.

If they don't respond or don't make an offer, you can use the small claims procedure yourself as this is under £5000 and therefore aren't at risk of costs.

Obviously this is not detailed advice so pm me or tottle off to the citizen's advice bureau when there is a solicitor (and not a trainee) on.  You should not need to aim all barrels and torch the vets and my professional advice is remove the emotion, do not escalate unnecessary and treat it as a dispute and not a feud.

[in the hills]

   That's the reply you needed. Brill KC

[happygolucky]

  ......brilliant informed advice 

[Alistair]

Kitchen cottage

What can I say, that's about everything I needed to know! Thankyou,

I'll do some research on the pre action protocol, but in the first instance certainly will write to them, believe me, I am able to remove emotion and be very matter of fact when I want to, I'd guess they all ready have an inkling something's up (at the local branch anyway) as my new vet had got Julie's records from them before he saw her, and the paperwork certainly demonstrates error on their part re the drugs.

Thanks again, I'll only trouble you with a pm if I need something small in the way of advice, otherwise I'll use cab, thanks for the offer though

 

[sabrina]

Jac our cat went for months with a sore eye. In the end they decided to operate as she had a problem with the eyelid. When I went to collect her they had not done what they said and put her back on more cream and pills. .....she got worse. I was so fed up that I took her to another practice who did the operation and  Jacs is now fine. Cost £300. when I spoke to my own practice al I got was, glad the operation worked.

[shygirl]

i bet you signed a pre-op disclaimer? do you have a copy of the small print?