Vet gave my dog kennel cough...

[DisneyLover83]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, I know our dog is a beloved member of the family. Where we live all boarding facilities require kennel cough 2 weeks before boarding. Our 16lb dog actually gets her's every six months and she is boarded about 3 times per year. I really hope your dog gets better soon!

 

[Dancemom03]

To be clear... I never refused any vaccines at any time. Our collie is 5 yrs old, she has always lived in the country on a large lot, rarely coming into contact with other dogs because she has that annoying high pitched collie bark and way too much enthusiasm that can be heard for miles. She spends all her time in the house or outside by our side. She's always had very good care, comes from one of the leading show breeders in the country. The breeder's plan originally was to show her but the dog is just too hyper and distractible for travel. As such, she has never been to a dog park, and has never been boarded. We never intended to board her at all so my vet never recommended the vaccine for KC prior to this, even when she was a puppy.

I am not saying that I am not responsible. To the contrary, I feel horribly responsible. However, the reason I called the vet that morning was to ask for suggestions and educate myself about the possible risk from the professional responsible for my dog's medical care. The suggestion that I board my dog came from the vet, who said that'd be the best place for her, along with the assurance that KC was rare and not a problem even if contracted - more like a cold and not life-threatening.

At the time I called, I didn't even know they'd opened a boarding kennel attatched to the office. I was really looking for a college student, vet tech, or pet sitter to visit my house after being told by the first kennel that she needed the shot in advance. We also have two cats so a pet-sitter who'd come by to feed/water/walk was the option of choice.

 

[taylor3297]

I do hope you collie gets better soon. Go talk to your vet calmly and explain the whole situation. He/she might be willing to work with you on this. We never know when we may have to board our dog so we get the KC vaccine for her every 6 months. We think of it like her the other vaccinations dogs are required to have. For a time we didn't even board our dog for over two years and we still had her vaccinated for KC. It is something you might want to make part of your routine in the future.

Good luck to you.

 

[Dancemom03]

I'm sure you had the kennel booked in advance. Don't they have a policy for vaccinations to prevent this type of thing? You would think so, especially for first time customers. I think it's insult to injury to pay for an illness that was picked up at their facility!

Until that morning, I'd expected DSIL to feed/walk/watch the collie & cats at my house, while DB was looking forward to keeping the new puppy while we were away, so I didn't book them in advance. I didn't even know they had a boarding kennel now and was really surprised when the tech said "we have room for her". DSIL & DNephew19 usually take turns coming by to care for the animals when we're away and that had been arranged for months. DSIL called the morning we were set to leave and cancelled after talking to DH and realizing she'd messed up her calendar and was a week off so her own vacation was starting in two days.

We were driving while DH was flying to meet us later so we postponed leaving. Our initial thought was to cancel (DH is having some serious medical issues and we'd almost cancelled earlier in the week while waiting for news from the neurologist anyway) but after lots of calls and lots of discussion, boarding at the vet's seemed like a blessing in disguise - an even better solution b/c they had techs on staff 24 hrs and had large new indoor runs.

I certainly never felt as if I were playing Russian Roulette - my luck's not that great and I'm definitely not a gambler. Heck, I don't even play bingo...

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I wouldn't pay another dime to the vet. I would tell them they have to pay for her treatment. Good luck

so agreed, in fact I think I would ask for my $140, if not the whole $600,back.

They are supposed to provide reasonable care and in my opinion taking in dogs from a kennel with KC is not reasonable care. Not to mention they lied to you when you asked if she was ok!

I truly hope your DD precious baby gets well soon.

 

[h518may]

Sorry you are going through this.

We have a similar story. We adopted a dog from animal services, and when we picked him up he had KC. We were told almost nothing about this when we picked him up. After two days of our dog not eating we took him to our vet. The vet said he had a very bad case of KC and gave him an injection of antibiotics and B12. He seemed to get better until that Sat morning. We watched him close during the day and Sat. night took him to the doggy emergency room. I at that point was very afraid he wouldn't make it. They told us that he had pneumonia. He was there for two nights, and returned to us on Mon. We spent three days of syringe feeding him every two hours. I now can say that he is doing great.

Now for us our vet has been great because all his office visits have been on him, we only payed for the medication. But we were so mad at animal services. They had to know he was sicker then they let on. And they had not given him anything for the KC before we picked him up.

I don't know that you can get out of paying, but I agree that the vet should be held responsible for part if not all of the expenses. I know that we spent almost $1500 to adopt our dog and keep him alive.

 

[pearlieq]

Whatever happened to the concept of personal responsibility? It is your dog.

I'm sure there's a kernel of truth in this, but it seems kind of harsh. Why kick the OP when she's down? There must be a more compassionate way to phrase this.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Until that morning, I'd expected DSIL to feed/walk/watch the collie & cats at my house, while DB was looking forward to keeping the new puppy while we were away, so I didn't book them in advance. I didn't even know they had a boarding kennel now and was really surprised when the tech said "we have room for her". DSIL & DNephew19 usually take turns coming by to care for the animals when we're away and that had been arranged for months. DSIL called the morning we were set to leave and cancelled after talking to DH and realizing she'd messed up her calendar and was a week off so her own vacation was starting in two days.

We were driving while DH was flying to meet us later so we postponed leaving. Our initial thought was to cancel (DH is having some serious medical issues and we'd almost cancelled earlier in the week while waiting for news from the neurologist anyway) but after lots of calls and lots of discussion, boarding at the vet's seemed like a blessing in disguise - an even better solution b/c they had techs on staff 24 hrs and had large new indoor runs.

I certainly never felt as if I were playing Russian Roulette - my luck's not that great and I'm definitely not a gambler. Heck, I don't even play bingo...

I see. I missed that. Even so, your concerns were downplayed quite a bit. I would still raise the issues with the vet. Tell him or her about your experience. He or she should care about your experience and take notice of you being a first time customer. He or she should also take note that you did have questions that were not adequately addressed. I would also state I wasn't satisfied with paying for the illness when you specifically asked about the possibility and was told not to worry about it since there were doctors on the premises. (What was that supposed to mean?) You can be calm about it.

I hope your dog gets well soon.

 

[jana616]

While I was reading this, my DH, who's a vet, came in and read over my shoulder. He said that given the circumstances explained in the later posts, it sounds like the vet gambled that they would not have KC problems while your dog was there, and that's why they told you to just get the vax that same day. He said his clinic also does administer the KC vax same day for people needing it immediately (they don't do boarding, but the kennels around here DO accept same day KC vax). He suggested calling and speaking directly to the vet, and politely asking that they cover the cost of the treatment (bills since you've been home and the dog has had problems, not the original bill for boarding and shots) since you feel you were given multiple reassurances about getting the KC vax same day, as well as a possible worst case scenario much less severe than what you are actually seeing. I know at his clinic, they are very willing to work with unhappy clients. Good luck and I hope your pet feels better soon!

 

[Dancemom03]

I'm sure there's a kernel of truth in this, but it seems kind of harsh. Why kick the OP when she's down? There must be a more compassionate way to phrase this.

That's okay, the budget board is always a mixed blessing. I knew there'd be a variety of opinions when I posted. Thinking about it, it's not so much the money, that's just what my family & friends are saying when they hear she's in the hospital - that they wouldn't pay them anything more. For me, it doesn't matter what it costs, at this point as long as she comes home healthy. The vet wouldn't assure us of that so we're really scared for her - and us.

I guess I just needed to vent and I like to hang out around you BB folks - over here you never know what you'll read next but there's always some knowledgeable advice mixed into even the wackiest topics.

 

[RSADP]

So sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience! I believe the vet should meet you somewhere half way with the bills. As a professional groomer, we require all dogs be vaccinated for Rabies. We assume no liablility for Kennel Cough...but we do tell our customers we recommend they also have DPP and Bordetella shots for their own dogs protection.

I hope your baby gets better.

 

[dogodisney]

So sorry you are going through this.
I too have had dogs given the bordetella the day they were dropped off.

One time when I boarded our cat at our vet, a day or two after she came home she got sick. I took her in and the vet said it was something that she must have picked up while there. The vet didn't charge me for the visit. I can't remember if I had to pay for the antibiotic or not though. It's been a couple of years.

I hope your baby gets better real soon. Don't beat yourself up. You did what you thought was the right thing to do based on what you were told.

 

[Imzadi]

Did you pay by credit card? Call your company to dispute the charges. You paid for services, were told your concerns would be unfounded, and instead, you ended up with a sick dog that definitely got sick there.

Usually, if you have a good credit company, they will put a hold on the charge and call the company about it. Once your vet knows you are disputing the charges, they may be willing to settle for a more approriate amount (if any) with you, rather than dealing with your attorney about this, or more likely, showing up in small claims court - which would just send you both to mediation anyway.

 

[lilybrooke14]

Did you pay by credit card? Call your company to dispute the charges. You paid for services, were told your concerns would be unfounded, and instead, you ended up with a sick dog that definitely got sick there.

Usually, if you have a good credit company, they will put a hold on the charge and call the company about it. Once your vet knows you are disputing the charges, they may be willing to settle for a more approriate amount (if any) with you, rather than dealing with your attorney about this, or more likely, showing up in small claims court - which would just send you both to mediation anyway.

I don't know about the credit card company, but I used to work at a bank, and they would never have stopped payment for something like that. Once you've signed the receipt, you've agreed to the payment. You can't just change your mind, even if you feel you have a good reason.

 

[horseshowmom]

When we left the vet who's been treating her wouldn't say she'd recover, just that they'd isolate her and start IVs. When we stop crying, I'm gonna be livid...

I'm so sorry about your situation, and I'll be praying for the best.

I think you did the best you knew to do based on the information you were given by the clinic's personnel (who you had every reason to believe would be giving you accurate information). I agree with jana616's husband in that the vet gambled that there wouldn't be a problem and now there is. I only hope that the vet's gamble doesn't cost your pet's life. In that case, I would probably become a difficult person to deal with.

I also agree with her husband that the clinic should cover your expenses, and that's what I would ask for after the situation is resolved.

 

[IDoDis]

Is your collie a puppy? That was implied on one of your posts or else I read it wrong. We didn't take our dogs anywhere when they were puppies until they had all 3 series of shots. Even when we took them in for those shots we never let their feet touch the floor. Your vet would have known the risks of this would have been even more severe (ie- distemper) if this were the case.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding though when the OP referred to the "puppy."

 

[Goofy22]

My Vet has always said that the Bortadella (kennel cough) shot has to be done at least 2 weeks prior to boarding and the animal must be up to date with shots and they must include bortedella or they will not accept them! I guess out breaks like this are the reason! Crazy! I would definitely question the vet on this and the cost.

 

[surfergirl602]

My vet has always told me that there is a chance they can get it after having the vaccine, just like how you can get the flu after getting the shot.

 

[surfergirl602]

I picked up my dog from a kennel once, at the end of a vacation, and she was acting happy to see us but just a bit strangely. Just after pulling out of their driveway, my wife noticed blood on her hand -- they had trapped her long beautiful tail in a door and didn't tell us at all. I went back and explained that I would be sending the vet bill to them, and if it wasn't paid I would have my lawyer contact them. The vet said the bones in the tail were crushed, and after a month of a cast and no progress, half the tail had to be cut off!?!?! I sent the bill to the kennel with a reminder about my threat of a lawyer, and I got a check in the mail 2 days later. Don't give up - just push them to take responsibility for their neglect.

Our lab had a very long tail and whacked it against everything. He crushed the bones in his tail and ended up having six inches of it amputated. It took forever to heal, and had an infection, broke open the stitches, but,,, months later... had a healed tail that was now a regular length tail for a lab.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Poor baby!

I have 2 collies, both of whom were recently boarded. This was their first time. (and mine) The kennel was adament they received the bordatella vaccine at the minimum 2 weeks before boarding . My vet was adament that even though its stated its good for a year, she recommends every 6 months.

I would definetly push the issue. Your vet was wrong. Why should your poor puppy and you have to pay for their mistake?