Aubrey's chip in update

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
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Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
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The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
I called the animal hospital in hopes of getting their bill reduced, they said they can't. Very disappointed. Thank you to all of you who have donated so far, your generosity is appreciated.

If you have not read Aubrey's story and want to help, follow this link to her chipin.

http://englishbulldognews.chipin.com/aubreys-surgeries
 

kim n the guys

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Apr 3, 2011
1,581
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Holt, MI
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Oliver, Sebastian, Remy, Gracie, and Tonka (10-21-07 to 05-29-14 RIP)
that stinks!!!
 

Davidh

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Mar 21, 2011
13,407
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Katy, Texas
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BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
Sorry suckers. Just shows you they care more about making money than the bullies they treat.
 
OP
bullmama

bullmama

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Jan 28, 2010
24,756
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Tucson, Arizona
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The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
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  • #4
Yeah, I changed my mind. I am NOT disappointed. I am downright pissed! :angry:
 

AubreysMom

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Nov 8, 2011
1,046
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Millbrook, Alabama
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Aubrey (RIP 5-4-12), Aubie Shug (DOB 3-23-12)
We were very angry too. We spent how much money and they couldn't help us out?! We could have at least tried to see if there was anything else they could do if they went in a 5th and final time, as the options were slim if even zero, but it would have been worth trying! but it would have been $10,000 and I really think they would have continued to let her suffer through more and more as long as we had the money. If you can't get it right and it keeps screwing up, why can't you cut us a break?! Everytime they went in it was a spot they weren't worried about that leaked, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th surgeries. To me it was their screw up for not securing things well the first time, but hey, if they screw up its more money in their pocket and not their baby that pays for it!!!
At first I tried to give them the Hbenefit of the doubt, but really? Maybe if they would have paid attention to every sensitive site the first time my girl would still be here and not have suffered through so much. I thought the anger was just my grief, but I know otherwise now. Ugh, now I'm crying again! I am just so mad I could spit fire! Our doctor was great, but I think the surgeon dropped the ball and the finance department is heartless. Don't you have students working for free to cut costs? Sorry, I'm done rambling.

Thank you for all you've done and are doing for us. It means so much that people are on our side. You all have already done so much for us and we are grateful for everything.
 

kim n the guys

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Apr 3, 2011
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Holt, MI
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Bulldog(s) Names
Oliver, Sebastian, Remy, Gracie, and Tonka (10-21-07 to 05-29-14 RIP)
I'm so sorry that you have to go through this!!! Just one word, KARMA!!!
 
OP
bullmama

bullmama

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Jan 28, 2010
24,756
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Tucson, Arizona
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
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  • #8
We were very angry too. We spent how much money and they couldn't help us out?! We could have at least tried to see if there was anything else they could do if they went in a 5th and final time, as the options were slim if even zero, but it would have been worth trying! but it would have been $10,000 and I really think they would have continued to let her suffer through more and more as long as we had the money. If you can't get it right and it keeps screwing up, why can't you cut us a break?! Everytime they went in it was a spot they weren't worried about that leaked, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th surgeries. To me it was their screw up for not securing things well the first time, but hey, if they screw up its more money in their pocket and not their baby that pays for it!!!
At first I tried to give them the Hbenefit of the doubt, but really? Maybe if they would have paid attention to every sensitive site the first time my girl would still be here and not have suffered through so much. I thought the anger was just my grief, but I know otherwise now. Ugh, now I'm crying again! I am just so mad I could spit fire! Our doctor was great, but I think the surgeon dropped the ball and the finance department is heartless. Don't you have students working for free to cut costs? Sorry, I'm done rambling.

Thank you for all you've done and are doing for us. It means so much that people are on our side. You all have already done so much for us and we are grateful for everything.

And what makes it worse is that we as owners who love our babies so much don't get time to "think about it", and we must make the choice, and of course we would want to save our child, no matter what it takes. What I don't like is that they let it go as far as they did. And it was far too late to get a second opinion.... anyone can say that you as the owner made the choice to have the surgeries done, signed for them, ect.... but again.... when is it time for them to say enough? When should they tell you that they cannot do anything more? I know I would do anything to save mine, but I DO hope I have someone sensible next to me, and that person hopefully will be the vet, telling me it is time to let go instead of doing what I see as experiments and lining their pockets. Sorry but I do think you were wronged, and unfortunately since we follow our hearts there is nothing you would have done differently unless someone stepped up and said something. I feel you were taken advantage of. Just my opinion, of course....
 

AubreysMom

New member
Community Veteran
Nov 8, 2011
1,046
77
Millbrook, Alabama
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Aubrey (RIP 5-4-12), Aubie Shug (DOB 3-23-12)
And what makes it worse is that we as owners who love our babies so much don't get time to "think about it", and we must make the choice, and of course we would want to save our child, no matter what it takes. What I don't like is that they let it go as far as they did. And it was far too late to get a second opinion.... anyone can say that you as the owner made the choice to have the surgeries done, signed for them, ect.... but again.... when is it time for them to say enough? When should they tell you that they cannot do anything more? I know I would do anything to save mine, but I DO hope I have someone sensible next to me, and that person hopefully will be the vet, telling me it is time to let go instead of doing what I see as experiments and lining their pockets. Sorry but I do think you were wronged, and unfortunately since we follow our hearts there is nothing you would have done differently unless someone stepped up and said something. I feel you were taken advantage of. Just my opinion, of course....

Exactly. It was never a "think about it a little while", it was "we have to know NOW".

Being wronged is highly probable. We live over an hour away from there and we came every day after work to see her for two weeks. It was something they said none of their doctors had ever seen before (though they had heard of it), and it is highly probable that they wanted us to keep going to be able to say they fixed something so uncommon, no matter the cost or outcome. They kept saying her surgical sites leaked and I just wonder if she had something going on that made that a problem instead of it just being a normal risk with those kinds of surgeries (disease or something?). At least for me, there had to have been for it to keep happening in different spots, especially when it was time for it to have been healed already. Of course after the surgeries she would do so well and we would get so excited that she was coming home, so when something happened we would want to do whatever we could since she'd been doing so well. She was a fighter and her spirit never got down. We wanted to fight because she was fighting. But I really think vets should be honest, even brutally if need be, instead of giving false hope when it is obvious things aren't going the way they are suppose to. I don't regret it because I would have always been thinking "what if?", but I feel for certain places it is more about money than the pets. If your surgeon doesn't do his job right the first two times, shouldn't that be a factor in it? :cursing:

I'm not angry with the doctor that worked with Aubrey every day. She was great and was only going by what the surgeon said he could do; it was always "I talked to the surgeon and he said...". She couldn't be in on the surgeries, so she just relayed to us what the surgeon said about everything. She cried with us when she put Aubrey to her forever sleep and again when we talked to her on the phone the next day to ask a couple of questions. I think her heart was in the right place because she tried to help us by getting us a meeting with the financial office and putting in a word for us (even though it didn't help). She was young and I think maybe her inexperience allowed her heart override her brain instead of having the experience to say, "look, this is for the best".

Thanks, by the way, for listening. It has helped a lot to "talk" about these things.
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
We all can learn from what you've gone through. It won't lesson your pain or the financial burden you have, but just know we are all listening. Shame on this hospital. I wonder if a few letters were written to them, they would realize how badly this was handled. I truly believe in the power of voices and I'm more than willing to write a letter as an individual pet owner.
 

kim n the guys

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Apr 3, 2011
1,581
138
Holt, MI
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Oliver, Sebastian, Remy, Gracie, and Tonka (10-21-07 to 05-29-14 RIP)
me too!! I take Remy and Sebastian to a teaching hospital for their pulmonic stenosis and I have never been treated like you have. The first words out of Dr. Sanders' mouth is usually, "if he/they were my dogs this is what I would do" and it's never things to line his pocket. When I told him to stop Remy procedures if he feel he couldn't go do it without a risk to Remy, he totally agreed with me, even though it would have meant twice as much money for him even if Remy didn't make it through the surgery. So there are some good teaching hospitals out there with some awesome surgeons as well. I'm just so sorry and sad, you had to find a bad one.
 

MamaAndi

Moderator
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Nov 20, 2011
3,371
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Nebraska
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Tank
I'd be willing to write a letter as well. Bre has had enough run-ins in the time I've had her that needed veteranarian attention and luckily my vet is a saint.
 

Biogirl71

Moderator
Nov 5, 2010
3,500
242
Cedar Rapids, IA
Bulldog(s) Names
Frank
Yes, I would also be happy to write a letter. I think it his horrible all that you have gone through and the insensitivity of their office (other than the nice doctor). What if there was the possibility that the surgeon made a mistake on one of the procedures? You would never know, yet you would pay financially and emotionally for it. And even if everything was done correctly, the fact they pushed for this and weren't completely truthful is awful. And to pay so much and not have your baby.... angry, angry tears.
 

buffalobabie

New member
Apr 11, 2011
233
16
Toronto, Ontario
Bulldog(s) Names
Gregory
is there someone else we can write to in regards to it being ethical? If there is any question that there medical suggestions were based on financial gain and not in the best interest of her health ethics could be questioned. Im not sure you would see any impact financially, however you may help another family from going through this. There has to be some sort of risk assessment when doing repeated surgeries.
 

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