Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital, PC

Compassionate Care Veterinary Grandview Lane Norwich, NY ###-###-#### Fax: ###-###-#### October 6, Revdex.com Bryant Woods South Amherst, NY RE: [redacted] This letter is in regards to the complaint filed by [redacted] *** [redacted] ** *** on 9/25/ Our response to this complaint: [redacted] contacted our office with a "price shopping" question for the cost of spaysShe was advised that we are not accepting new clients at this time, but that we would happily do the surgical procedure for her as a one-time only clientWe have not accepted new clients since March of The price of our spays has been the same for quite some time and for a canine that is under SO# the price is $if that pet is less than one-year oldALL canines over the age of one-year, regardless of weight, is $At that time she did not supply any information pertaining to the age of the animal, or she would have been quoted the $Since she was "price shopping" the standard response is: "Canine spays range between $to $depending upon age and weight." "If you pet has not had a rabies vaccine, one must be provided per New York State law." "If you have had one, you need to provide proof." They did bring proof of rabies with them, so that tells us that they were given the standard response when they called.Our price is significantly lower than most clinics, and as was stated in their complaint that their own vet "charged way to much to do the procedure there." We find that often people knowingly do not tell the correct age of their pet because they are trying to get the lower priceThe veterinarians, however, are able to tell when a pet is over one-year of ageThe correct age was not known until chetime for the spay surgery appointment on the morning of September 23, As stated in the complaint the Owners were notified at 3:pm on September 23, that the procedure went smoothly and anticipated sending pet home after am the next morningAt that time the account balance was given, so there should have been no surprise as to the cost when they came in and picked upThis is the standard phone call that is given to every owner after surgeries are complete The next morning it was noted with great concern that this pet was defecating large pieces of fabric, possibly a rug or towelThis fabric was having to be carefully pulled from the rectum by the veterinarian, with one piece being over 15" in length, taking several long slow moments for the pet to safely pass itThe owner was called and advised of this and responded that she regularly tears up blankets in the crateOwner also suggested laxative, which gives the impression that they have used this method beforeThey claim to " love & worry about our dog" but they did not seem to be concerned about t he health and welfare of t heir pet; allowing her to repeatedly eat fabricThis pet was scheduled for a surgery, and these owners were aware that she had eaten a blanketEating any foreign object is a serious concern, as materials such as blankets, towels, etccan become lodged in the stomach or intestinal tract of the pet, causing pain, bleeding, shock, septicemic, obstruction, blockage, perforations or even deathAlarmingly, this apparently happened prior to a scheduled elective surgery of the spay, and this could have caused the surgery incision to be ripped open as the dog tried to pass these pieces as well; causing more problemsPrior to any surgery, the pet is NPO (no food) after midnight, as we want the stomach emptyApparently, this was not the first time that this pet had eaten blankets and the owners did not notify the doctor or tech upon check in that she had eaten a blanket, even when asked if she had anything to eat recentlyThe Doctor on staff that day had to administer laxatives, frequently remove fabric pieces from the rectum carefully, as to not tear or perforate t he rectum and intestinesThe abdomen had to be palpated regularly to increase the flow of the materialIt was the next morning before this pet had a bowel movement with no foreign material presentThis was not something that the owners should have done at home, as stated above, there are too many possibilities of complications that can cause pain, bleeding and possibly injury to their pet especially after surgery We do not feel t hat t his client was over chargedIn actuality, they were underchargedWe did not charge t hem for t he additional services the doctor and veterinary technicians provided for the care of this petIf we had, this bill would be over $more for the "emergency" care that we administered.These owners obviously care more about the money then they do the welfare of this animalThey were not surprised that this dog had eaten a foreign object, nor do they seem to comprehend the seriousness of this after a surgery or appreciate the extra time and services that their pet received to insure that there were no further complications and her condition was relieved for no chargeInstead, they seek to cause harm to a business who willing helped them through what could have been a disastrous situation for their petWe have enclosed with this letter a copy of their bill for your view, as well as given you a description in this letterYou will note that we did not charge them for any of the services that we provided to their pet that we would normally have chargedWe didn't charge for the many times during that day that the doctor had to leave her appointments to check on, monitor and palpate the abdomen, the time she used to check the vitals, the time to remove t he fabric so as to avoid further complications, the time to assure t hat there was no obstruction or blockage; nor did we charge for a technician to monitor and walk this pet repeatedly throughout the day as she was struggling to pass this foreign bodyThey were only charged for one night of hospitalization, which is actually just housing for the night of $and one bottle of Laxative for $10.00, which we sold to them at the out-patient price, not the hospitalization price, and a reduced fee for the administering of the laxative for $12.00.Below is the prices that were charged: Spay of a one-year old or older canine is as follows: $Surgery, including anesthesia, pand pomedications, vaginal cytology and e-collar $ Waste Fee disposal $ Elected pain medication$Total spay fee The price charged for all of the time and services provided for the foreign body obstruction are as follows: $day Level hospitalization (overnight stay) $Laxative $Laxative administered while hospitalized$Total charged for foreign body obstruction $Total Bill Real cost of foreign body obstruction: $Emergency Service fee $ days of Level hospitalization (monitoring) $ Laxative $ Laxative Administering $150.00-$Veterinary services for Minor Obstruction removal $ Technician monitoring and walking (days)$480-$Total Bill that should have been charged We, therefore, feel that these owners were not overcharged for their appointment and will not receive any further discounts.We certainly, are within our rights, to charge them according to our standard fee scaleHowever, due to the pet already being here for a spay surgery, we were feeling generous and wished to help them by drastically discounting the standard billI'm sure no other veterinary practice would have been as gracious as we have been We are unsure if there was just a miscommunication on the price of the animal spay for a canine over the age of one-year or that they knowingly tried to manipulate the cost of the spay by not providing the age of the pet until they were hereWe have many, many "price shopping" calls daily, and have never run into anyone who thought they were be being cheatedThere should have been no surprise as to the cost of the spay, as they were given the account balance when the technician called them to let them know that the spay was complete on the day of the surgeryWe are offended, that this owner believes that he and his wife could have handled this themselves and feel that what we did required "very little knowledge & expertise" to save their pet from pain and serious injury due to their negligence of allowing her to repeatedly eat blankets that can cause serious problemsObviously, as stated above this was definitely a medical situation that could have caused immeasurable harm if not handled correctly As stated above, we will not be discounting their bill any further, nor returning any moneyAlso, these owners are no longer welcome here at Compassionate Care VeterinaryThey can "price shop" elsewhereAll future appointments will be cancelled, as we do not want any further association with individuals who feel that they were cheatedTheir records for this pet will be faxed to another veterinarian at no chargePlease contact this office with the name and fax number of the practitioner they wish to receive these records.Sincerely, Stevi L.Culverwell, DVM Owner

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this somewhat resolves my complaint. After reading the business response I have mixed emotions (angry & somewhat neutral). #1 - I'm absolutely irate that my wife and I are being accused of being negligent with our dog. WE WERE BOTH UNAWARE that she had eaten some of her bed (a blanket) when she has 3 different toys to chew on in her crate & we fed her several hours earlier than normal the day before so she would purposely not have any food in her system (we've both had other dogs spayed in the past & were very familiar with the pre-surgery routine). We are more responsible dog owners than the average joe. At the time I was informed of the blockage on the phone I was extremely shocked & had to hold back tears. #2 - I was sitting right next to my wife when we she was on the phone with the receptionist when making the spay appointment & I know that she told the receptionist that our dog was 3 years old. The only thing we did not know about the our dog was her weight as we do not have a scale on hand to get her weight when it's needed & the weight of an animal is always changing due to several varying factors. That is the only information we were unable to give. I can't speak at all for what the other end of the conversation in which answers were being provided for doing the procedure. I know not everyone is truthful in society (especially in the area we live in) but my wife & I are very honest people & make a decent living & DO NOT need to "manipulate" the cost of anything as we both make a somewhat comfortable income.#3 - Again, I can't speak for the information given as not many people can give two sides of a conversation verbatim, but my wife never informed me that there was a price range given I was simply told "180" when I asked my wife how much it was going to be. When I was asking about getting my cat Ranger being neutered I was not told at all that the spay for my dog was going to be a "one-time only" thing & that acceptance of new clients was not happening at the business & I know with 100% certainty if my wife had been told that then I wouldn't have bothered asking about having the business see my other pet. As I said in the beginning, I'm feeling both angry & neutral by the response of the business but am willing to forgo asking for a charge of $180 for the spay due to the complications that both my wife & I were UNAWARE of. NOTE to Compassionate Care: Not everyone in this area tries to get something at little or no cost. When you say you believe we tried to "manipulate" you by "withholding information about the dog" which WE DID NOT it is extremely offensive. I will be telling friends & family that own female dogs & cats not to visit your business. As a Native to this area (30 of 33 years of my life) I know a very high number of people who own dogs & cats & are always looking for the "best price" to have a procedure like the spay done. I will simply tell them if they really want to come to you then to get an iron clad quote & not a "price range".
Regards,
[redacted]

Compassionate Care Veterinary
198 Grandview Lane
Norwich, NY 13815
###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####
October 6, 2014
Revdex.com
100 Bryant Woods South
Amherst, NY 14228
RE: [redacted]
This letter is in regards to the complaint filed by [redacted]...

[redacted] on 9/25/14.
Our response to this complaint: [redacted] contacted our office with a "price shopping" question for the cost of spays. She was advised that we are not accepting new clients at this time, but that we would happily do the surgical procedure for her as a one-time only client. We have not accepted new clients since March of 2014.
The price of our spays has been the same for quite some time and for a canine that is under SO# the price is $180 if that pet is less than one-year old. ALL canines over the age of one-year, regardless of weight, is $225.00. At that time she did not supply any information pertaining to the age of the animal, or she would have been quoted the $225.00. Since she was "price shopping" the standard response is: "Canine spays range between $180 to $225 depending upon age and weight." "If you pet has not had a rabies vaccine, one must be provided per New York State law." "If you have had one, you need to provide proof." They did bring proof of rabies with them, so that tells us that they were given the standard response when they called.Our price is significantly lower than most clinics, and as was stated in their complaint that their own vet "charged way to much to do the procedure there." We find that often people knowingly do not tell the correct age of their pet because they are trying to get the lower price. The veterinarians, however, are able to tell when a pet is over one-year of age. The correct age was not known until check-in time for the spay surgery appointment on the morning of September 23, 2014. As stated in the complaint the Owners were notified at 3:23 pm on September 23, 2014 that the  procedure went smoothly and anticipated sending pet home after 11 am the next morning. At that time the account balance was given, so there should have been no surprise as to the cost when they came in and picked up. This is the standard phone call that is given to every owner after surgeries are complete.
The next morning it was noted with great concern that this pet was defecating large pieces of fabric, possibly a rug or towel. This fabric was having to be carefully pulled from the rectum by the veterinarian, with one piece being over 15" in length, taking several long slow moments for the pet to safely pass it. The owner was called and advised of this and responded that she regularly tears up blankets in the crate. Owner also suggested laxative, which gives the impression that they have used this method before. They claim to " love & worry about our dog" but they did not seem to be concerned about t he health and welfare of t heir pet; allowing her to repeatedly eat fabric. This pet was scheduled for a surgery, and these owners were aware that she had eaten a blanket. Eating any foreign object is a serious concern, as materials such as blankets, towels, etc. can become lodged in the stomach or intestinal tract of the pet, causing pain, bleeding, shock, septicemic, obstruction, blockage, perforations or even death. Alarmingly, this apparently happened prior to a
scheduled elective surgery of the spay, and this could have caused the surgery incision to be ripped open as the dog tried to pass these pieces as well; causing more problems. Prior to any surgery, the pet is NPO (no food) after midnight, as we want the stomach empty. Apparently, this was not the first time that this pet had eaten blankets and the owners did not notify the doctor or tech upon check in that she had eaten a blanket, even when asked if she had anything to eat recently. The Doctor on staff that day had to administer laxatives, frequently remove fabric pieces from the rectum carefully, as to not tear or perforate t he rectum and intestines. The abdomen had to be palpated regularly to increase the flow of the material. It was the next morning before this pet had a normal bowel movement with no foreign material present. This was not something that the owners should have done at home, as stated above, there are too many possibilities of complications that can cause pain, bleeding and possibly injury to their pet especially after surgery.
We do not feel t hat t his client was over charged. In actuality, they were undercharged. We did not charge t hem for t he additional services the doctor and veterinary technicians provided for the care of this pet. If we had, this bill would be over $400 more for the "emergency" care that we administered.These owners obviously care more about the money then they do the welfare of this animal. They were not surprised that this dog had eaten a foreign object, nor do they seem to comprehend the seriousness of this after a surgery or appreciate the extra time and services that their pet received to insure that there were no further complications and her condition was relieved for no charge. Instead, they seek to cause harm to a business who willing helped them through what could have been a disastrous situation for their pet. We have enclosed with this letter a copy of their bill for your view, as well as given you a description
in this letter. You will note that we did not charge them for any of the services that we provided to their pet that we would normally have charged. We didn't charge for the many times during that day that the doctor had to leave her appointments to check on, monitor and palpate the abdomen, the time she used to check the vitals, the time to remove t he fabric so as to avoid further complications, the time to assure t hat there was no obstruction or blockage; nor did we charge for a technician to monitor and walk this pet repeatedly throughout the day as she was struggling to pass this foreign body. They were only charged for one night of hospitalization, which is actually just housing for the night of $22.00 and one bottle of Laxative for $10.00, which we sold to them at
the out-patient price, not the hospitalization price, and a reduced fee for the administering of the laxative for $12.00.Below is the prices that were charged:
Spay of a one-year old or older canine is as follows:
$225.00 Surgery, including anesthesia, pre-op and post-op medications, vaginal cytology and
e-collar
$ 3.00 Waste Fee disposal
$ 10.00 Elected pain medication$238.00 Total spay fee
The price charged for all of the time and services provided for the foreign body obstruction are as
follows:
$22.00 1 day Level hospitalization (overnight stay)
$10.00 Laxative
$12.00 Laxative administered while hospitalized$44.00 Total charged for foreign body obstruction.
$282.00 Total Bill
Real cost of foreign body obstruction:
$150.00 Emergency Service fee
$ 70.00  2 days of Level 2 hospitalization (monitoring)
$ 20.00 Laxative
$ 30.00 Laxative Administering
$150.00-$200 Veterinary services for Minor Obstruction removal
$ 60.00 Technician monitoring and walking (2 days)$480-$530 Total Bill that should have been charged.
We, therefore, feel that these owners were not overcharged for their appointment and will not receive any further discounts.We certainly, are within our rights, to charge them according to our standard fee scale. However, due to the pet already being here for a spay surgery, we were feeling generous and wished to help them by drastically discounting the standard bill. I'm sure no other veterinary practice would have been as gracious as we have been. 
We are unsure if there was just a miscommunication on the price of the animal spay for a canine over the age of one-year or that they knowingly tried to manipulate the cost of the spay by not providing the age of the pet until they were here. We have many, many "price shopping" calls daily, and have never run into anyone who thought they were be being cheated. There should have been no surprise as to the cost of the spay, as they were given the account balance when the technician called them to let them know that the spay was complete on the day of the surgery. We are offended, that this owner believes that he and his wife could have handled this themselves and feel that what we did required "very little knowledge & expertise" to save their pet from pain and serious injury due to their negligence of allowing her to repeatedly eat blankets that can cause serious problems. Obviously, as stated above this was definitely a medical situation that could have caused immeasurable harm if not handled correctly.
As stated above, we will not be discounting their bill any further, nor returning any money. Also, these owners are no longer welcome here at Compassionate Care Veterinary. They can "price shop" elsewhere. All future appointments will be cancelled, as we do not want any further association with individuals who feel that they were cheated. Their records for this pet will be faxed to another veterinarian at no charge. Please contact this office with the name and fax number of the practitioner they wish to receive these records.Sincerely,
Stevi L.Culverwell, DVM
Owner