Hickory Tree Veterinary Hospital

From: [redacted] *** [mailto: [redacted] ] Sent: Monday, March 09, 9:PMTo: [redacted] ***Subject: ID [redacted] To whom it may concern at the Revdex.com, HTVH did try to come to a reasonable conclusion with the owners concerning their pet Their pet was a regular daycare attendant As soon as we were aware of any problems with the pet, HTVH began an internal investigation interviewing those in the kennel and grooming departments who had taken care of her that day There were no accidents, abbehaviors, rough play, etcreported by our staff who are always very attentive and quick to alert the medical staff about any concerns Our staff knows our regular daycare participants very well and will often know if something is “off” They reported her to act/play normally and have a grooming exp***nce.After our internal investigation, we sat down with the owners and discussed their pet’s condition and the findings of our investigations Despite always thinking highly of our care previously and discussing the fact that this is a genetically predisposed condition not needing a traumatic event to occur, they still believed she had exp***nced a “trauma”, though they didn’t believe it to be “intentional” At the request of the owner, we contacted our insurance company to further investigate since the medical condition seemed to present itself after a visit at our facility Between the specialists’ reports, discussions with the neurologist, and the insurance investigation, it is clear that the pet had a pre-existing condition, common among her breed, that can become a problem with routine, everyday activity We know we provided her with our consistent high level of care while she was here that day, and that she had no “trauma” They are correct that prior to this she appeared to be a young, healthy dog Unfortunately, that is the nature of her disease It is not known it is a problem until it presents itself even though it had been present for quite some timeWe always communicated openly with them and never “dismissed” the situation We even assisted with some pocareWe have compassion for their situation, and we understand they have incurred financial hardship and personal loss However, after involving our insurance company and the follow up investigation, they found there is no reasonable evidence that we are at fault The fact that the pet was physically in our building has little to do with her pre-existing medical condition Upon request,we can send [redacted] insurance investigation summary report and [redacted] [redacted] report of pre-existing condition (with owner’s permission) It has been clear from the beginning that unless we paid $7,to the owner, this situation would never be resolved for him Sincerely,Hickory Tree Veterinary Hosp [redacted]

From: *** *** *** *** [mailto:***] Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 6:PMTo: *** ***Subject: ID: ***To Whom It May Concern at the Revdex.com, We want to thank the Revdex.com for providing a forum for this discussion to take place We feel we have addressed the complaint in our previous response. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Hickory Tree Veterinary Hospital***

From: [redacted] [mailto:[redacted]] Sent: Monday, March 09, 2015 9:35 PMTo: [redacted]Subject: ID [redacted]To whom it may concern at the Revdex.com, HTVH did try to come to a reasonable...

conclusion with the owners concerning their pet.  Their pet was a regular daycare attendant.  As soon as we were aware of any problems with the pet, HTVH began an internal investigation interviewing those in the kennel and grooming departments who had taken care of her that day.  There were no accidents, abnormal behaviors, rough play, etc. reported by our staff who are always very attentive and quick to alert the medical staff about any concerns.  Our staff knows our regular daycare participants very well and will often know if something is “off”.  They reported her to act/play normally and have a normal grooming exp[redacted]nce.After our internal investigation, we sat down with the owners and discussed their pet’s condition and the findings of our investigations.  Despite always thinking highly of our care previously and discussing the fact that this is a genetically predisposed condition not needing a traumatic event to occur, they still believed she had exp[redacted]nced a “trauma”, though they didn’t believe it to be “intentional”.  At the request of the owner, we contacted our insurance company to further investigate since the medical condition seemed to present itself after a visit at our facility.   Between the specialists’ reports, discussions with the neurologist, and the insurance investigation, it is clear that the pet had a pre-existing condition, common among her breed, that can become a problem with routine, everyday activity.  We know we provided her with our consistent high level of care while she was here that day, and that she had no “trauma”.  They are correct that prior to this she appeared to be a young, healthy dog.  Unfortunately, that is the nature of her disease.  It is not known it is a problem until it presents itself even though it had been present for quite some time. We always communicated openly with them and never “dismissed” the situation.  We even assisted with some post-op care. We have compassion for their situation, and we understand they have incurred financial hardship and personal loss.  However, after involving our insurance company and the follow up investigation, they found there is no reasonable evidence that we are at fault.  The fact that the pet was physically in our building has little to do with her pre-existing medical condition.  Upon request,we can send [redacted] insurance investigation summary report and [redacted] report of pre-existing condition (with owner’s permission).  It has been clear from the beginning that unless we paid $7,500 to the owner, this situation would never be resolved for him.  Sincerely,Hickory Tree Veterinary Hosp[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:There was no offer made to resolve the issue.  We already have copies of all paperwork.  I believe, more than anything at this point, that it is important for the public to be aware of the risk they are taking if they choose to use Hickory Tree Vet for veterinary services, boarding, grooming, or daycare services.  
The "internal investigation" described was the office manager asking the other employees if they saw anything happen.  An external investigation may be warranted when something like this happens.  My recommendation, after discovering that there are no video cameras on site, would be that Hickory Tree install video cameras to monitor the animals and their employees for when this happens again in the future.  An additional recommendation would be that Hickory Tree Vet add additional insurance to cover themselves when this type of negligence/neglect happens in the future.  They have no coverage for anything that happens at their facility that isn't directly under the care of a doctor - no coverage for anything that happens during daycare, grooming or overnight stays - no way to protect the themselves, the pets in their care, and more importantly, their customers.  The Animal Legal Defense Fund states that anytime anyone leaves their animal in the care of another person for some kind of care or treatment (daycare, vet, groomer, etc.), a "bailment" is created in the event that injury or death occur, to help facilities defray the cost of those events.  I believe that in this particular case, it would be important for Hickory Tree Vet to use some of this money to help with medical bills - to come to some sort of settlement with us.
Our dog did not have a pre-existing medical condition.  A pre-existing condition would require that she had received previous treatment for that particular issue and she had never had any past neurologic issues or treatment for issues related to her eventual surgical intervention/death.  Regardless of whether or not our dog had a pre-disposition to these kinds of neurologic issues, doesn't take away from the fact that the size of her hematoma located during surgery was indicative of a traumatic event.
If Hickory Tree Vet believes that our initial request of $7,500 to resolve this matter isn't a reasonable solution, then I'd like them to make a reasonable offer to help resolve this matter.  Despite their statement to the contrary, we would be open to discussing something other than a $7,500 payment as steps towards resolution.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: Our little 3 and a half year old, 9 pound dachshund Marliss, was placed in Hickory Tree Vet's daycare/grooming/vet facility one day in early July of 2014 and was in perfect condition, with no past medical history. When we picked her up later in the day she was having severe issues walking, was screaming out in pain just from touching her, and was urinating on herself. After monitoring her closely over the next 24-48 hours, we were forced to take her to the Emergency Vet after she continued to lose the use of her back legs and continued to be in agony. She needed spinal surgery. The neurologist stated that the size and depth of the hematoma on her spine was most likely the result of a traumatic event (i.e. fall, kick, etc.). This traumatic event happened while in their care. When we attempted to speak with the staff at Hickory Tree Vet, they claimed that nothing happened to Marliss while she was in their care, denying any responsibility for the injury. They were relatively dismissive of our exp[redacted]nce and what had happened to Marliss. A couple months later, months filled with intense physical therapy for our little one, sleepless nights and a rigorous medication schedule, she seemed to be on the mend. She was able to get some of the movement back in her legs, but would never fully recover. One day in late October, only 3 months after her surgery, she had complications that resulted in her inability to walk again and severe pain. Sadly, we euthanized her on November 1st, 2015. During the past 7 months, I've had direct communication with several people (names can be provided if necessary) from Hickory Tree Vet and their insurance company. We requested financial help for the cost of treating our pups injuries, due to them occurring while in their care, and were pacified. Hickory Tree Vet's insurance company told us that they would have a decision for us before Christmas of 2014 and we are still waiting for them to contact us. Hickory Tree has made no attempt to rectify this situation.Desired Settlement: We have incurred around $7,500 in medical bills (surgery, ICU stay, physical therapy, etc.) attempting to save her life. We have exp[redacted]nced emotional hardship, have had to miss work (costing us additional money) and are now without our dog because of injuries that occurred while in the care of Hickory Tree Vet. To resolve this matter, we would like Hickory Tree Vet to pay for the costs associated with attempting to save her life. We have all receipts and can provide an exact number if needed.

Business

Response:

From: [redacted] [mailto:[redacted]] Sent: Monday, March 09, 2015 9:35 PMTo: [redacted]Subject: ID [redacted]To whom it may concern at the Revdex.com, HTVH did try to come to a reasonable conclusion with the owners concerning their pet. Their pet was a regular daycare attendant. As soon as we were aware of any problems with the pet, HTVH began an internal investigation interviewing those in the kennel and grooming departments who had taken care of her that day. There were no accidents, abnormal behaviors, rough play, etc. reported by our staff who are always very attentive and quick to alert the medical staff about any concerns. Our staff knows our regular daycare participants very well and will often know if something is “off”. They reported her to act/play normally and have a normal grooming exp[redacted]nce.After our internal investigation, we sat down with the owners and discussed their pet’s condition and the findings of our investigations. Despite always thinking highly of our care previously and discussing the fact that this is a genetically predisposed condition not needing a traumatic event to occur, they still believed she had exp[redacted]nced a “trauma”, though they didn’t believe it to be “intentional”. At the request of the owner, we contacted our insurance company to further investigate since the medical condition seemed to present itself after a visit at our facility. Between the specialists’ reports, discussions with the neurologist, and the insurance investigation, it is clear that the pet had a pre-existing condition, common among her breed, that can become a problem with routine, everyday activity. We know we provided her with our consistent high level of care while she was here that day, and that she had no “trauma”. They are correct that prior to this she appeared to be a young, healthy dog. Unfortunately, that is the nature of her disease. It is not known it is a problem until it presents itself even though it had been present for quite some time. We always communicated openly with them and never “dismissed” the situation. We even assisted with some post-op care. We have compassion for their situation, and we understand they have incurred financial hardship and personal loss. However, after involving our insurance company and the follow up investigation, they found there is no reasonable evidence that we are at fault. The fact that the pet was physically in our building has little to do with her pre-existing medical condition. Upon request,we can send [redacted] insurance investigation summary report and [redacted] report of pre-existing condition (with owner’s permission). It has been clear from the beginning that unless we paid $7,500 to the owner, this situation would never be resolved for him. Sincerely,Hickory Tree Veterinary Hosp[redacted]