Is there such thing as a free emergency vet?

RainbowJack · 09-09-2011 8:21pm #1

My sister has just rang me in a panic so I came on here in the hope someone might have some advice -

One of her cats Sam has been missing for 2 days and has just arrived but she thinks his paw is broken and he is not eating. She's short on money and can't afford a vet. She's in a awful panic - any ideas what she can do??

She's in Dublin 15

Thanks a million for any advice

tunney · 09-09-2011 8:22pm

Seriously?

marley123 · 09-09-2011 8:25pm

Honestly, if the cat is bad she needs to get him/her straight to a vet! It cats paw is broken he/she may be in awful pain. Most Vets will allow you to pay a bill off in stages. Where is your sister living?

Justask · 09-09-2011 8:25pm

RainbowJack wrote: »

My sister has just rang me in a panic so I came on here in the hope someone might have some advice -

One of her cats Sam has been missing for 2 days and has just arrived but she thinks his paw is broken and he is not eating. She's short on money and can't afford a vet. She's in a awful panic - any ideas what she can do??

She's in Dublin 15

Thanks a million for any advice

The blue cross is in the centre I think on a Tuesday evening.
But to be honest if she is in such a panic she needs a vet and needs to borrow the money asap.

Hope he will be ok

mikemac · 09-09-2011 8:26pm

You don't need to pay in full straight away

It can be done over a few weeks

A broken paw cannot wait

Lawrence1895 · 09-09-2011 8:28pm

The Blue Cross is near Donneycarney Church on a Friday, as far as I know

marley123 · 09-09-2011 8:28pm

Here is a contact for you in D15 with an an Call Vet

<snip>

Justask · 09-09-2011 8:31pm

Call 016409010 and see if they have a vet on call, im sure they do

Vet in Blanch Village

scudzilla · 09-09-2011 8:35pm

Try these http://www.bluecross.ie/

If not give yer vet a call, maybe they can arrange a payment plan

RainbowJack · 09-09-2011 9:05pm

I'm really sorry my sister is a bit of a drama queen and rang me and got me into a state thinking of the poor cat. It turns out he's not as bad as she first made out and is running around no problem.

I have made an appointment for her tomorrow so thanks for all the advice

anniehoo · 09-09-2011 9:49pm

If she can afford €6/month ask her to get pet insurance.Its absolutely vital if she doesn't set aside money away for things like this.Vets will not work for free (some will if its a "stray") and most will accept a payment plan as mentioned above. Glad the cat isnt as bad she thought

Bullseye1 · 09-09-2011 9:56pm

If it's a Tom Cat it sounds like he got in an fight especially if he is no longer limping.

Zapperzy · 09-09-2011 11:02pm

For future reference I think the st francis dispensary also does reduced rate vet care (or I think ask you to donate what you can towards it). http://www.stfrancis.ie/index.html

JustAThought · 10-09-2011 8:50am

Seriously ; tell her to go now and get pet insurance. People can fall on hard times and be stuck but it's really not fair on others ( fundraisers, volunteers, etc) to have as a long-term plan for a pet looking for something for free when the pet is ill or has an accident. The little cat I'm sure gives lots of love and enjoyment; a few small euro a month will make sure this crisis dosnt happen again.

January · 10-09-2011 9:50am

marley123 wrote: »

Here is a contact for you in D15 with an an Call Vet

<snip>

Don't use these guys if you've no money... they held my dog until I could pay in full after explaining to them that I couldn't pay straight away I was assured I'd be looked after.

JustAThought · 10-09-2011 10:15am

January wrote: »

marley123 wrote: »

Here is a contact for you in D15 with an an Call Vet

<snip>

Don't use these guys if you've no money... they held my dog until I could pay in full after explaining to them that I couldn't pay straight away I was assured I'd be looked after.

Did they see your dog, and fix it?

Cherry Blossom · 10-09-2011 11:13am

JustAThought wrote: »

Did they see your dog, and fix it?

This is a thread looking for free veterinary treatment!

January · 10-09-2011 11:21am

JustAThought wrote: »

Did they see your dog, and fix it?

Yes they did, but I explained before bringing him up that I hadn't any money right then, but could pay a couple of days later, he needed emergency treatment and I was assured that they'd never turn a sick dog away. They took him in over night and the next day when I rang to see how he was I was told that they'd be keeping him until I settled the bill in full, with whatever boarding charges there were for keeping him in longer. Ended up costing me nearly 300 euro for what could have been a 150 euro bill. Learned my lesson and have insurance now.

Justask · 10-09-2011 4:50pm

January wrote: »

Don't use these guys if you've no money... they held my dog until I could pay in full after explaining to them that I couldn't pay straight away I was assured I'd be looked after.

+1

And they are so expensive

zyndacyclone · 10-09-2011 6:47pm

If this cat is still suffering, PM me.

Tigger · 10-09-2011 7:25pm

anniehoo wrote: »

If she can afford €6/month ask her to get pet insurance.Its absolutely vital if she doesn't set aside money away for things like this.Vets will not work for free (some will if its a "stray") and most will accept a payment plan as mentioned above. Glad the cat isnt as bad she thought

sligo animal rescue paid to fix a stray i found with a broken leg
then i adopted him

we had no money at the time but i gave them a fair donation years later when i was able

Cherry Blossom · 10-09-2011 7:39pm

This cat isn't a stray and I seriously hope people aren't suggesting conning vets and rescues into paying for someone's veterinary treatment :mad:

RainbowJack · 10-09-2011 8:22pm

Hi sorry haven't been able to update until now. The good news is we had Sam at the vet this earlier and Bullseye1 was right - it was a bite that had got infected. So he's on antibiotics but should be fine in a few days.

I would never con anybody into helping a cat for free but was looking for advice because my sister wouldn't have any spare cash and there was nothing me or OH could do last night to help out. I was able to get to her his morning and pay for the vet myself and have lectured her on neutering and pet insurance etc. For the first time she actually listened and has promised me she will get pet insurance!

Tigger · 10-09-2011 11:53pm

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

This cat isn't a stray and I seriously hope people aren't suggesting conning vets and rescues into paying for someone's veterinary treatment :mad:

i'm notb but if a person wasn't able to pay i'd rather the cat got treated: wouldn't you?

Cherry Blossom · 11-09-2011 12:00am

Tigger wrote: »

i'm notb but if a person wasn't able to pay i'd rather the cat got treated: wouldn't you?

I'd rather people who can't afford to look after animals either didn't get them, got pet insurance or sold their worldly possessions on e-bay to pay for it. There are more than enough free-loaders already in this country without people trying scam others into looking after their pets. I'm not exactly rolling in dosh myself but what little I give to animal charities I would hope they use for genuine purposes and not to pay for veterinary treatment for people who are probably far better off than I am!!

Delancey · 11-09-2011 12:06am

January wrote: »

Yes they did, but I explained before bringing him up that I hadn't any money right then, but could pay a couple of days later, he needed emergency treatment and I was assured that they'd never turn a sick dog away. They took him in over night and the next day when I rang to see how he was I was told that they'd be keeping him until I settled the bill in full, with whatever boarding charges there were for keeping him in longer. Ended up costing me nearly 300 euro for what could have been a 150 euro bill. Learned my lesson and have insurance now.

In fairness to them they treated your dog , as for holding on to him I would have to say that is what most garages do if you cannot pay your car repair bill.
I realise vet fees are an emotive issue but these people need to be paid or they won't be around to look after any animals.

Discodog · 11-09-2011 7:03pm

January wrote: »

Yes they did, but I explained before bringing him up that I hadn't any money right then, but could pay a couple of days later, he needed emergency treatment and I was assured that they'd never turn a sick dog away. They took him in over night and the next day when I rang to see how he was I was told that they'd be keeping him until I settled the bill in full, with whatever boarding charges there were for keeping him in longer. Ended up costing me nearly 300 euro for what could have been a 150 euro bill. Learned my lesson and have insurance now.

I would contact the VCI & make an official complaint. It may be legal but it isn't ethical & it's self defeating as the longer they keep the pet the less likely that you would be able to pay the increasing bill. Their oath requires them to do the best for the animal - not their bank account.

The moral of the tale is to go & meet your Vet, even if you don't need them at the time. Find out how they handle out of hours & emergencies. Also get your pets on their database so that they know who you are when you have to contact them.

Justask · 11-09-2011 7:08pm

Discodog wrote: »

I would contact the VCI & make an official complaint. It may be legal but it isn't ethical & it's self defeating as the longer they keep the pet the less likely that you would be able to pay the increasing bill. Their oath requires them to do the best for the animal - not their bank account.

The moral of the tale is to go & meet your Vet, even if you don't need them at the time. Find out how they handle out of hours & emergencies. Also get your pets on their database so that they know who you are when you have to contact them.

This vet unfortunetly only thinks of their bank account

In my experiance

January · 11-09-2011 7:36pm

Discodog wrote: »

I would contact the VCI & make an official complaint. It may be legal but it isn't ethical & it's self defeating as the longer they keep the pet the less likely that you would be able to pay the increasing bill. Their oath requires them to do the best for the animal - not their bank account.

The moral of the tale is to go & meet your Vet, even if you don't need them at the time. Find out how they handle out of hours & emergencies. Also get your pets on their database so that they know who you are when you have to contact them.

Happened early this year and while I was pretty upset at the time (and little doggy was pretty pissed off with me for a few days too!), I'm over it now. I know they have to run a business but they could have done it a bit better, they knew well who I was and lost a good bit of business from my family over it also, my dad and sister both moved practice over it also (and my dad had a litter of 9 Hungarian Vizla's to vaccinate and microchip at the time too).

Thankfully we're now with a fantastic small vet practice who we know will look after us in an emergency without thinking of money straight away.

Delancey, I'm sure you see the difference between a sick animal and a sick car, one can be caused undue stress being removed from it's owners while it is sick for longer than necessary, while the other can't feel anything.

anniehoo · 11-09-2011 8:26pm

January im actually SHOCKED to hear that i really am. Your dog was basically held hostage until you paid...ive never heard the like!!!Most vets dont want to cause any undue stress to a pet and keeping them away from their owner longer than is necessary will do just that. :eek::eek:

I live in the area and certainly wont be visiting this practice if thats their attitude.

I dont blame you for leaving them and making sure your family did the same.I too would go to the VCI and write a very strongly worded email outlining your complaint.

Allgäuerin · 11-09-2011 8:42pm

I'm shocked too, because we using this vet too and we really happy with him :eek: They often gave us an discount or when the bill is higher (like the last time with bloodtest, vax....) they even asked if we wanna pay the next time or in steps, so completly diffrent experience then you January

Is there such thing as a free emergency vet?

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