Leave No Patient Behind

George is a 9 year old indoor domestic short haired cat who visited us about a month ago for straining to urinate in the litter box, and producing only small amounts of urine. 

He presented again to us yesterday; unable to urinate. George is now a "blocked cat" or, UO cat (for urinary obstructed) cat. 

He found us, like they all do, with a little bit of luck, and a parent with limited resources. 

When he arrived on Saturday morning at the vet clinic we suspected that he was blocked. We also hoped that his parents had a rainy day account of immediately accessible funds so we could send him where he needed to be; the ER. The ER these days require a $4,000 deposit for this. It is beyond my comprehension what they do with that $4k, but it seems ubiquitous enough amongst the lot of them so it must be accountable in some list of line items. 

Within 20 minutes of Georges arrival at my clinic my phone rang.

"Sorry to bother you, (I was away for the Thanksgiving holiday), but, we have a blocked cat here." 

"Is anyone there willing to unblock him?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Ok, then we will figure out how to pay for it later. Have the owner go through our emergency sheet. Have someone else in the room with them to serve as a witness. And, make sure she is ok with us sharing the story and photos. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok. What would happen if we didn't help these cats?"

"They would die at home a miserable death, or be euthanized. Just like all of the rest of the cats. You know that." I replied.

My office manager agreed to go over everything with George's mom. She was working from home, on her day off because that's what George needed from us. George is a perfect example of who we are. He is deserves to be cared for. He is why I went into veterinary school. He is my WHY as much as any of the regularly paying customers are. Maybe more so.

George, the morning he arrived at JVC.

Here is the Facebook post we put up that morning; Georges first FB post here

"This is George.  He has found himself in a hopeless situation today.  He is blocked, and his mom only has $400 available to help him.  At our practice unblocking runs $800 - $1,000.  Despite the lack of funds we’ve agreed to help him, because we know without help George will die.  George and his mom could use some help financially with the cost of his care and treatment over the next couple of days.  Donations can be called in or made in person directly to George’s account.   Donations can also be sent via PayPal to jarrettsvillevet@gmail.com, please note that your donation is for George.

A big thank you to our kind hearted Dr. Ahrens who agreed to stay late to help George today.  ❤️"

A few hours later we posted an update;

Waking up from surgery.

"George is out of surgery and resting!  Thank you to all who have donated.  Please know any funds raised in excess of what is needed for George will be used to help another pet in a predicament like George. 

We truly couldn’t do this without the kindness and generosity of those who support us in our mission to help pets like George."

Two hours after the first post was put up we had raised $1900 for George. 

I posted a video on his story. Find it here; Inspire an army to save lives video here.

George update

One day post op. Looking good George

He is feeling SO much better with the help of our rockstar Saturday staff. He is getting his sq fluids currently (he is awesome at it) & taking his meds like a good boy.

So, George is a miracle, right? I mean its an incredible thing to be able to be given the treatment you need at a price your client can afford? Why doesn't every veterinarian do what we do? 

Well, because they think they can't. I hope to set an example of how this can be done. And remind everyone how good it feels to help save these lives.

We take a can-do approach to these cases. We take a leap of faith that we can save these pets first of all. We only offer payment plans, pro bono, take a risk on non-payment for cases that we think will survive and have a good return to a quality of life. We do not offer this to patients used for breeding purposes, people who are abusive, unkind to the staff, and who we do not believe will continue to provide routine preventative future care. For all of the cases we do not offer pro bono, or potentially not pay us back, we do offer to have the pet parents the option of signing over their pets to us. We will find a home for them, or keep them as our own for the rest of their lives. While this might sound cruel or unkind there are situations where pet parents realize they cannot provide the care their pets need, and they put this above all else. These are the people we want to over extend ourselves for. Sadly, almost everyone would rather their pet suffer, remain without treatment, and ultimately die than give them up. There was a case of a 4 year old dog who swallowed a corn cob who died recently after the owners declined the offer to give lifesaving surgical intervention. They watched her die over 4 days while they tried to raise the $3500 the ER required as a deposit versus signing her over to the rescue who offered to take her and get her the surgery she needed. 

Here is the document we use for these cases. We ask the pet parent to initial each line and then give them a copy for their records. If people would come to me and say "I love my pet so much that I would rather have her treated and alive with someone else than dead with me." I would do everything to save them. I don't think I am alone with this. 

For more information on this please see our website; Jarrettsvillevet.com see the tabs for Financial Assistance and Immediate Help.

All clients who cannot afford the estimate for needed care at Jarrettsville Vet must agree to and sign the following;

___ I understand this is an emergency.

___ I understand my pet would be best served at an ER, ICU, referral center.

___ The only reason that I am NOT at the ER/referral center/ICU is that I cannot afford it.

____ I understand that my pets current condition is (we fill in our differential diagnosis here).

____ I understand that I may not fully understand the extent and severity of this condition without a referral or additional financial resources

____ I have been given an estimate for care;

I can   ______        or    _____       cannot afford this estimate.

____ I understand that the estimate may change as my pets status changes. We will offer a payment plan if we go over your estimate.

If I cannot pay the estimated deposit for care I will;

1.       Sign a letter of collateral. If the invoice is not paid in 90 days the collateral will be transferred to JVC at my cost and the item will be sold for payment. Collateral item is; ______________

2.       Allow my case to be shared on any social media platform of JVC’s choosing to try to raise funds for my pet and awareness for their condition. This will help pay knowledge forward and maybe spare another pet from this condition.

3.       Follow all suggestions to include full story write up, starting a Go-Fund Me, sharing the fundraising efforts of JVC, and assisting with future fund raising projects at JVC

4.       Volunteer at other non-profits to pay it forward.

____ I allow JVC to share photos, videos and pertinent patient info for an indefinite period of time at their choosing.

____ I allow JVC, Dr Magnifico have full access and rights to my pets story. Past, present, future,

___ I will provide updates as asked and allow JVC, Dr Magnifico, the GSF, TPGSF, to share my pets story.

___ I understand that JVC has offered to help me care for my pet as an extension of compassion, kindness and shared goals to help end suffering and provide care regardless of financial constraints. It is with this in mind that I will be kind, compassionate, and generous with the actions and comments about my pets care.

___ We reserve the right to refer care back to an ER/ICU/specialist at any time.

 

Our Immediate Need Policy and Expectations for Non Clients are as follows: 

· We strive to offer affordable options for pet owners.

We usually require a full deposit at the time of intake for any emergency services. Our team will go over an estimate for your pet’s care once your pet is assessed. 

Please visit our website for additional resources to help with paying the balance. 

CareCredit may be utilized. You can apply for CareCredit via their website - https://www.carecredit.com/applyo Payment plans will be offered only to existing clients who have applied for or exhausted CareCredit. Payment plans are provided via Vet Billing

· Any financial concerns must be discussed at the time of receiving an estimate. 

· If you cannot afford the exam fee, the estimate for diagnostics and the treatment plan we will ask what is feasible for you financially, emotionally and physically to care for your pet long term. You are asking us to put your pet above the cost of running a veterinary facility, paying our staff and the emotional burden we take on with these cases.  

You will receive a copy of our Client Rights and Responsibilities and be expected to abide by it. We will not tolerate abrasive behavior directed to our staff. We are here to help you and your pet and expect to be treated with kindness. 

We will work together as part of a team for what is in the best interest of your pet. 

In working within the confines of financial concerns we may discuss with you waiving some diagnostics to keep the estimate within your budget. 

If it is determined that it not feasible for you to care for your pet long term, or if you pet is in need of immediate emergency care and we can not come up with a reasonable financial plan we may discuss surrendering your pet to one of the rescues we work with so that may receive the lifesaving care they need. 

· Jarrettsville Vet is a small animal general practice, we do not have staff in the building overnight. In most cases you will be expected to pick your pet up before we close. 

· We are working your pet in as an emergency. This means that the veterinarian may defer update calls to the support staff. Please rest assured that if your pet’s condition worsens you will receive a call. 

· It is our policy that if your pet is in need of emergency surgery and is intact, they will be spayed or neutered at the time of surgery. This is non-negotiable, if you are not agreeable to this clause please seek services elsewhere. All patients will also be vaccinated for rabies and given a microchip with Jarrettsville Vet listed as the contact for the life of this pet.

· You will allow us to share your pet’s story on Pawbly.com and social media at the discretion of the veterinarian. 

· If you receive funds from our Good Samaritan Fund you will participate in JVC or Good Samaritan Fund fundraising or volunteering and agree to the terms and conditions of our Good Samaritan Fund Recipient Policy. By signing below, you are indicating that you have read and understand our Emergency Services Policy.