From:
Ferrethealer@aol.com
Date: 2002-10-18 02:12:36 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Digest 18 Oct 2002 00:42:42 -0000 Issue 118
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1c4.4238a8.2ae0c814@aol.com>
In a message dated 10/17/02 8:43:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
ferrethealth-digest-help@smartgroups.com writes:
First, I am very sorry that your ferret didn't make it.
> I can't help but expect to be reimbursed for today's procedure si=
> nce Templeton never recovered from surgery. Does anyone have experience
> wi=
> th a similar situation and how their vet handled the bill? Or do any vets
> =
> care to comment about their policy in this situation? I know surgery is a
> =
> risk and there are never any guarantees...
Although personally I would not have sent a ferret home who had not fully
recovered from the anesthetic, it is the policy of my hospital to not
reimburse fees for surgeries. The payment is for the work that was done -
the surgery itself, the materials used in the surgery including anesthetic
and other items - and there is never any guarantee of a successful outcome,
especially in a situation as problematic as this one, where a major body
organ was removed. Even as routine a surgery as a spay or neuter or a dental
cleaning carries risks, as you state, and those risks become more with
advancing age and illness.
The fact that your ferret died, sad though it is, does not change the fact
that the vet did the actual surgery and deserves to be paid for it. If you
feel that something was done wrong in the surgery and that his death was in
fact the result of negligence, that is another matter, but if you think that
your vet did the proper thing based on your instructions, then there are no
grounds for expecting a refund of the money paid.
Again, my sympathy on your loss.
Dr. Ruth
*****************************************
Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.