This reminds me of a schizoid experience I had with the vet hospital. A neighbor hired a House Sitter to watch a truly beloved and very tiny (about 7#s) dog named Mish-Mish. Mish darted into the street and was hit and thrown into the air by a car. Ultimately we learned that the damage included tears to the bladder (repaired with microsurgery) and damage to the liver and spleen, along with painful bruising and a dislocation. With surgery and care and $10,000 Mish was saved, and his childless owners felt grateful for the recovery. And Mish seemed to fully recover.
But, the way we humans were treated was beyond the pale. I got involved because I saw the accident and I liked my neighbors and their dog. Here are some of the bizarro details. The HouseSitter rushed to scoop the dog out of the street. Enraged by pain the dog used needle sharp teeth to tear up the hands of the poor dog sitter. I don't know how he held on to Mish. HS had rips and punctures; his thumb was torn to the bone and his hands must have been slippery from his own blood. He clearly could not drive, so I volunteered. The first nuttiness was the attitude of the guard as I attempted to make drop-off HS and dog, while I parked. The HouseSitter could not open his own door, but the guard did not want me leaving my driver's seat and the guard's posturing and threats were inappropriate to my brief delay in what should be a passenger loading zone. Next, the person at the desk was eating KFC and sending significant grease odors throughout the waiting room, causing pets and some of the dinner time visitors to drool. Desk man would not be interrupted during his break. His response to our obvious dual emergency (I wanted to get the HouseSitter to the HUP emergency room, but HS insisted the dog be seen first as HS's injuries were only painful and the dog's were life-threatening). When I explained the urgency, the guy behind the desk went on a major tirade about someone who "had not shown up for work" and he got so loud (and weird) that Security and some care-givers stepped in to do his job. But, bottom line, even they would not triage Mish until a credit card, paperwork and a promise that a human would stay continuously in the waiting room until formal admission was complete were delivered. I had to reach into HS's pockets for his ID and Credit Card, complete the form, hold towels under and around his bleeding hands as he signed it and let him walk to HUP (we couldn't find a cab, and security would not help as HS did not have PENN ID for escort service, and HS would not use dial 911 or an ambulance for hour old hand injuries) before they would triage Mish-mish. When they finally saw the dog, Mish was treated beautifully and had full recovery. But I was left with the sense that there was no compassion for people and little rational flexibility for anything unusual. Ultimately the House Sitter needed stitches, pain killers and antibiotics. In separate visits, the Vet School saved our Dobby from a poisoning (probably from traces of antifreeze in a gutter) and seemed to get and appreciate Dobby's quirky personality and our love for her. They didn't offer a lot of hope, but they produced what looked like a miracle and full recovery. The person who helped put down our Crispy was also incredibly compassionate, but the fee was about twice that of the SPCA (which was closed for a week when the need arose). Best! Liz On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 08:16:11 EST [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > In a message dated 11/20/2004 12:02:42 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > we are VERY lucky to have a world-class veterinary school and > hospital......there are very few vet schools in the entire country > I believe there are approximately 17 nationally, making it harder to > get > into, than human medicine. Cornell also has a very good vet school. > > ......If you've ever had a seriously ill pet requiring surgery, or > the need > for a veterinary emergency room in the middle of the night, you > know what a > relief it is to have state-of-the-art care readily available.....to > avail > themselves of services we take for granted here. > > > When you hear the billing rates, you will not be relieved or take > the > service for granted. > > A couple of years ago, I was there late one Sunday night with a > daughter and > one of my dogs. When the admitting physician discussed the treatment > > protocol, costs, and expected outcome, my daughter started crying, > assuming I would > put the dog to sleep. We compromised and had them stabilize the dog > for the > night, until I could get him to my regular vet. > > Talk about a cold response because I would not spend $3000 for two > to three > days of treatment. A hospital staffer was on the phone at 6:00 AM > for me to > come and get the dog, before I was charged for a 2nd day. > > After checking in and going to billing, I left to get my car to pick > up the > dog. A nurse kicked my daughter out of the hospital building because > the > nurse deemed "Riot" dangerous. My daughter is outside, to the side > of the > entrance, crying; the dog looks like hell, with an IV hanging out of > him and traces > of blood dripping from his mouth. I am most appreciative they saved > my > buddy's life, until I could move him to my vet, but the human > trauma went far > beyond bad bedside manner. > > A touch of the old Alec Baldwin/God complex? That's Penn. > > Ciao, > > Craig ________________________________________________________________ Juno Gift Certificates Give the gift of Internet access this holiday season. http://www.juno.com/give ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." 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