Alvarado Veterinary Clinic

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Although they did run the tests they are saying they did not do anything about themThe second vet we took him to read Alvarafo's vets tests and told us his blood count was very low and needed to be checked again When we questioned Alvarado about this they told us "yes, it was low but not at "death" yet" but the first time we were there we were told the blood count was normal, not low I feel like if an animals blood count is low something should be doneAlso, when we questioned the vet about the fecal sample he told us he did not have a sufficient sample size for good resultsIn their reply they made a comment about us giving the wrong medicine and doses, but when we were there we were told to continue what we were doing at homeI asked multiple times if it looked like he was dying and I was told no and that his tests were fineI took him to the vet because it was very obvious that something was wrongAgain, he could walk, eat, his gums and eyelids were pale and he was struggling to breatheWe took him there for some type of care and instead we were sent home with nothingOnly to continue what we had been doingAlthough they clearly just stated in their reply that it should be done by a vet, that's not what they told us that night. Like I stated before, we went in expecting to pay a lot because we knew it was bad, but he was treated like he was "just a goat" and not given the attention he needed at that timeOur goat died less than hours after we were told he didn't not look like he was dying and all of his tests were "normal"
Regards,
*** ***

Dear Representative at The Revdex.com,This letter is in response to a request by your organization regarding claim ID [redacted].The patient in question presented for a reported 24-hour history of lethargy, loss of appetite andpoor doing. A veterinarian discussed the presenting complaint...

with the owner, and the historyaccompanying this patient. Per the owner’s history, she indicated the clinical signs had beengoing on for at least 24 hours prior to presentation, and that she had attempted treatments athome prior to having the patient seen by a veterinarian. These treatments included giving anantibiotic (Penicillin) and vitamins without the advice of a veterinarian regarding appropriatedose or route of administration.A physical examination was conducted to evaluate the patient on presentation, and appropriatediagnostic tests were chosen to determine a potential underlying cause of the presentingcomplaint and physical exam findings.Blood was drawn to evaluate a pack cell volume (PCV), or a patient’s circulating red blood cellcount. If an anemia (low red blood cell count) was present, the PCV value would also helpdetermine the severity of said anemia. While the patient’s red blood cell count was lower thannormal, it was still at a level that, when evaluated with the remainder of the physical examparameters, was acceptable for a stable patient that could receive out patient at home care. Itis important to realize that a PCV can be a value that changes over time, and indicates ananimal’s RBC count at a set point of time, which is when the blood sample is drawn. A patient’sPCV can change over time, increasing or decreasing based on demands and stressors that areaffecting the body at a given time. Thus a PCV should be interpreted not only as a singlediagnostic result, but in regards to the entire clinical picture of the patient as well.Fecal screening, a standard diagnostic for animals to screen for GI parasitism, did not showovert evidence for parasitism. In addition, the owners had reported in their medical history thatthey had used a deworming product on their patient the day prior to presentation, which is thefirst step taken in any patient that has GI parasitism present. The owner reported she wasunsure of the dose or name of product that had been used when asked by the veterinarian.While it is commonplace for at home management of caprine, ovine and bovine patients, theuse of any medical product on a living animal should be done under the direction and discretionof a licensed, practicing veterinarian, to ensure appropriate dosing and product choice are beingmade, while considering the welfare and safety of the animal being treated. Deworming is ahallmark practice in livestock herd management, and when done inappropriately and solely atthe discretion of an owner, can contribute to parasite resistance to deworming products, andpotentially inappropriate dosing of an animal on medications as well.At the end of the visit, the client was discharged with directions for at home care, as thediagnostic and exam findings did not conclude this patient would require intensive life savingmeasures immediately to salvage the patient. The client was asked to come back in 2-3 days,at maximum, for a recheck examination. She was informed that our clinic has an on-callveterinarian 24-7, and to call if there were any questions and/or concerns at any time. Inaddition, she was instructed to return sooner than the above indicated recheck, if the patientcontinued to decline at home.We have no control over who a client wishes to follow up with or when they choose to do so; wecan only make recommendations based off our diagnostic testing, exam findings, andinvestigation into a patient’s medical history. We can make no reference or interpretationregarding the other veterinarian’s diagnostic findings and conclusions that have been previouslymentioned, as that information has only been communicated by second hand interpretation atthe time of this correspondence.Our medical records visibly show the progression of this patient’s case from start to finish. Ourrecords are available to any other veterinary practice upon professional request and clientconsent, as we value communication amongst clinicians in our profession to ensure patient careand welfare. In addition, informed discussion between our doctors and clients is of utmostimportance and a hallmark of the prized veterinary patient-client relationship, and something westress everyday at Alvarado Veterinary Clinic.We do not view our clients and their animals as source of money for our clinic. We value theclients we see every day because we have the chance to build lasting relationships with themand their pets, regardless of species, and ensure we are their go to whenever they havequestions or concerns about the health and welfare of their companions at home. We alwayswork to ensure we provide outstanding, quality care for all our patients in and around ourAlvarado community, and strive to make each of our clients and their pets feel welcomed andcared for when we see them, regardless of the species of animal we meet in our hospital.We ask that you, the Revdex.com, evaluate this case as a whole, removing theemotional complexities of said complaints and potential second hand relay of findings andinformation, and make your decision based solely on the facts presented for this case.Thank you for your time in this matter and we look forward to receiving your decision in the near future