5 Star Google Reviews

If only there was a way to share all of the dirty laundry every local business owner had on their bad patrons. Some sort of deep state message board to alert others about the people who suck the life out of your raw hard-working hands. 

You know the customers I am talking about; the ones we get restraining orders on. The ones who cry in the exam room begging for help for their kitten, promising they will pay you back and ghost you a week after you saved its life. Full balance still on the books. The kitten you send home same day after not letting it die-on-deaths-door from a broken jaw and emaciated body because it couldn't eat kitten. The ones who stand over you like some possessed demonic warlord from the underbelly of hell and tell you that you are an "fing idiot!" because you advocate for vaccinating indoor cats for rabies. The ones who steal all of the snacks from the coffee bar, and the clock from the exam room. The one who starved to death two dogs and then dropped the last at the shelter. The one who runs for public office but euthanizes every photogenic purebred puppy at 6-8 months old for "aggression" and refuses to see them as living beings who deserve 10 minutes of your precious phony veneers facetime. The list,, oh my god,, my list. I bet the local dentist, pediatrician, doctor and meat guy all have a list of their own. Me, me at my little clinic, well, I run it a little differently than my predecessor. Me, well, you raise a finger, utter one swear word, lift one hand up against a staff member (or patient), well, I throw your a$$ out the door immediately.. No apologies, no excuses, no second chances. The staff knows that if someone treats them with anything other than total respect and appreciation that I will fire them. Our work is too difficult, too important and too hard to do with some human being being anything other than kind and compassionate. Let's say our vet clinic sees 50 people a day. On any given day one person acts like a total fool over stuff that never has anything to do with the quality of our medicine, or, the price of our care, and they still go postal. This week I had two people treat me pretty despicably. They both were called/emailed and told to go elsewhere.  

Seems there isn't a week that goes by that I don't see a social media post on one of the local pages with the question; "looking for good local vet." 

Every time it is posted I peruse. It's the best unsolicited piece of data to remind you who your true friends are. It is without fail that I will personally know at least 75% of the people who respond with our name. Of these about 50%  have my personal cell number. From these I will text with a personal "thank you" for their trust, confidence and loyalty to us. In many of the cases I truthfully divulge that this person is someone we fired. Most of these people are fired for being rude, bullying, or neglectful with care that isn't based on financial ability. (Did you see that I have mentioned this twice already? We help everyone who comes to us, and we never deny care based on financial constraints. Know how many vet clinics do this? Yeah, not many).

Dixie,,, I would save her everyday a million days over

The veterinarian side of me that knows the most harrowing details of how some of our local citizens treat their pets makes the community member side of me want to scream in all CAPS "Please don't throw my name in the recommendation ring." The way I figure it if this person lives in my town and they don't want to go to the vet practice with the same town name on our sign then let them go elsewhere. The people seeking advice on the FB page are probably out there for a reason. 

If you run a business then you already know what I am talking about. Every single business that gives a rats a$$ about their employees and values keeping them, (and lets be real honest here, they are absolutely my most valuable asset), has a black list. That list of people who are not welcome back. These are the people who walk out without paying. Yell, scream, throw profanities with saliva bullets at the front desk, or, obnoxiously kick their dog in the waiting room thinking we won't intervene or stand up to the big-mouth a$$hat they are. 

So, if you are really my friend, you won't mention my name unless you know this person personally. 

I don't want the business of someone who has already been banned from my neighbors practice.

....and if you are a person who genuinely is new to the area, and needs advice on who to patronize locally, go next door, introduce yourself to your neighbors. Ask them personally. Support your local private businesses and in return they will help pay your local taxes. 

One slightly broken kitten who slept over for a few days,,
wired jaw, feeding tube,, and soo cute!

,,,oh, and one last thing,,, if you do see any business with a perfect 5 star rating two things are likely; first, they are insecure and they paid for a perfect score (pathetic and insecure), or, they decided that it was more important to be popular and liked, then stand up for their patients. (Think about how many times I am asked to euthanize a pet because people can't ______ (insert anything here,, too cuddly, too friendly, too barky, too wiggly, too black, too hairy, too perfectly wonderful for some humans).

Me,, I am a solid 4,, solid. 3 for humans, 5 for the animals,, law of averages applies.

The Brink Of Humanity

The letter came in the form of an email. Buried in the list of a hundred others, 99% of them spam marketing. I was tired. It was late. It is a small miracle in itself that I didn't dismiss it at a glance and pitch to trash.

The letter was a thank-you for a pet I had seen, (and honestly only vaguely remembered seeing), at the end of a long Sunday. Sunday's are a blur. They are walk-ins, essentially emergency appointments, and the whole mission is to get in, get these patients triaged, offer options that need to include transfer to an ER,  (which none of them go to anymore due to cost), and then get the staff out at a reasonable hour. We are open for 2 hours and typically see 12 to 20 patients. This particular Sunday was Dec. 22. Christmas was just a few days away. Like every Christmas season I head into work knowing that a few Christmas miracles would arrive. I look for them. Those cases who just need a little bit of kindness, a compassionate hand, and maybe just a free exam. 

Sadie. So much of my story starts with this girl.

Dear Dr. Magnifico, 

I've been trying to find the words to thank you since last Sunday when you helped our Pearl. I'm afraid to let more time pass without trying, as I don't want to appear ungrateful. 

The past few years have been a complete struggle for our rescue, Hodgepodge. We have endured so many losses and hardships: life threatening illnesses, job changes, divorce, and even a tragic, unexpected death.  We kept plugging along until it was eventually just me caring for all of the rescue animals, handling admin work and records, meds, transporting, etc. We went from eight workers to one. Intake was closed. I worked 790, consecutive, 16-18 hour days, to keep this rescue going. I cried - a lot! I pushed thru my broken bones, covid, and pneumonia. (Additionally, my dad was hospitalized 14 times in one year with post-op complications of osteomyelitis, MRSA, sepsis, Steven's Johnson syndrome, and kidney failure. He seemed to be in competition with my blind uncle that I look after. I'd get one out of the hospital and the other would go in within days. It was a lot of running back and forth to hospitals.) Some days the animals didn't get fed or cleaned until midnight, and I was often at the barn at 2 A.M., but it got done. Fortunately, animals are very forgiving and they didn't seem to mind my crazy schedule. Unfortunately, caring for them and holding down things at the rescue left no time for fundraising or adoption events, so I carried the rescue financially again and I depleted my bank account.

My adult son could see my fatigue and kept telling me that I couldn't keep doing it, but I told him that I had so many lives depending on me - I had no choice but to keep going! I'd made a commitment to them that I wasn't breaking. I reminded him that things were constantly changing, and if our numbers could go down, that they could also go up. I was right! Amazingly, my dad's health eventually improved enough that he returned, my nephew and his three kids moved back to help out, and my 12 year- old niece has also moved in. We have two student volunteers from Hereford High, and another volunteer that comes by every Tuesday.  My daughter transferred from Salisbury to Towson, so she is local again. I am grateful for the noise, clutter, and help! We've also been able to do some fundraising which is nice and has helped keep the animals fed. 

Some days, I have no clue how I kept going for so long, or how I endured such long, hard days alone caring for 80+ animals, plus family members. (I have MCAS/EDS/POTS that I manage daily, and was in a car accident that left me with a TBI and whiplash. I tried for 2 years to heal, trying every remedy that was thrown at me, eventually having to have 3 occipital nerves severed and resected. Four months later, I fell at a car wash and broke the acetabular bone in my hip and got another TBI, basically undoing the prior surgery. My husband left me shortly afterward and we were divorced within four months.) So, the fact that this rescue is still here despite all of those setbacks, is pretty amazing.  

Hodgepodge has always tried to help people as well as animals. We have a hardship program where we foster and care for pets for free for various reasons: military deployments or training, incarceration, rehab, homelessness, hospitalizations, domestic violence, etc. Most pets are here for a couple of months, but we've had pets for as long as five years before they were reunited with their owners. (I don't know if you remember Moofin and Stormy, two Aussie's that were boarded at your hospital last summer? We paid their balance and brought them here for three LONG months before their owner got housing and took them back. Moofin was so bad, we almost discontinued our program...  ;) We have also paid for behavioral training and vet bills for strangers when funds allowed, to prevent the owner from euthanizing or surrendering their pet. We strongly believe in doing everything we can to help an animal stay with its family.  

I guess the point of this very lengthy email is to say that though we have struggled greatly and persevered, we really needed a break now. We needed to be the ones receiving kindness and compassion. We REALLY needed help. And, you came thru for us. We are so grateful! 

Your kindness and generosity are so appreciated! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy New Year! 

My Frippie. Taken Dec 22, 2024,
modeling her new collar.

Medicine is about a lot of things, but paramount to all of them is compassion. The idea that people who are trained, capable, and in place to help, and yet choose not to via financial blackmail is unethical and archaic. There is a way to solve this. It will take enough broken hearts to force bankruptcy of the current model, or enough CEO's being shot in the back, to solve it. Sad that this is where we have pushed people whose only crime was loving the pet who provided their salvation. 

There is not one day in my life where I don't give something away. Meet some random, anonymous person on the street and offer a piece of unsolicited pet care advice. The aging dog struggling to walk. The pup with the glucose meter in the park. The Pawbly question. Always free, always in the spirit of having had someone else's kindness in passing their medical knowledge down to me for the sake of our collective patients, and patients yet to be.

Doc, Linear Foreign Body Surgery

In veterinary school we are taught to think based on provided data. I was taught the following numbers about cats; the average lifespan of an indoor cat is 12. The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 3. In private practice I routinely see indoor cats living up to late teens. I have some patients who have lived to 20 or more years old. Medicine and science love numbers. Data. Tangible, emotionless, critically scrutiniz-able graphs. The problem with reducing a life to a number, or a population of lives to a grouping of statistics, is that we are each our own beings. None of us want to go the doctor to be told we have to meet the criteria of a bell curve and therefore be given a treatment option based on what a computer tells us to do based on the masses.

I use this analogy for other things; like the lottery, and contracting rabies. Both very unlikely, and yet we still participate against the odds that are astronomically not in our favor. (I know there are some anti-vaxxers out there, but goodness-me watching an animal die of rabies is about the most horrific thing you have ever seen!). My point here is that in veterinary school we are given statistics about how much longer indoor cats live than outdoor cats. Upon reflection I think these numbers are based on black and white. Totally indoor couch potatoes, and totally outdoor colony cats. Life, as we all know, isn't just black and white. Some of these cats are merles, shades of grey, don't-put-kitty-in-a-corner felines. Some of these cats need more than a couch and a bowl of dry cat food that sits out 24/7 and never gets a second thought about its contents or underlying sediment layer. Cats are compact, stealthy ninjas. I wish every cat parent saw them as little hidden predators. They need more stimuli than they often get inside, and on the flip side, outdoor only cats need way less stress. Outdoor cats have to spend their whole lives on the defense. Every moment (awake or asleep) is spent afraid. Afraid your safe harbor will be invaded, removed, lost, taken, destroyed, repossessed, or your food will follow the same dismal vanishing at any moment suit. You have to fight, or deliver babies, (then try to feed them when you have no food security yourself), and then hope you aren't eaten, run over, or attacked and left injured. This, is an unfair and unkind life. Human beings brought domestic cats into existence we are therefore responsible for them. They might fancy themselves as assassin, but they still want to be manicured and look pretty whilst furtively stalking the demise of another.

Indoor cats need a life of their own. They need to feel that there is a meal to hunt, grass to chew, eat, roll in, and a food source that brings joy and interest. (Sounds like me I know). Indoor cats are at greater risk for foreign bodies because they are searching for something to either play with or eat and have inorganic options to choose from. In the wild it is far less likely that they will chew, play, or eat an inorganic substance. They have no time, or energy for that outside of kittendom. In our homes we provide toys, they find toys of their choosing and they nibble, chew, and make poor decisions. Of the most problematic ingested foreign bodies are linear foreign bodies. The things like thread, ribbon, carpet (think long strings of synthetic fiber found in Berber carpet). For some pets they put something in their mouth and the reflex to swallow takes over. This is especially disastrous if you keep swallowing and ingest a long thin item. Cats are also poorly designed to avoid this because the tongue has backward facing barbs on it. They help with grooming, but also act like a Velcro-conveyer belt to move items into the back of the mouth and into the esophagus/stomach. Once they get the end of a linear foreign body in the mouth it is very likely to end up in the gi tract.

For some cats (and dogs) they seem to have an affinity for eating things they shouldn't. 

Cats swallow the following; Hair ties, string/thread, non-plant imposters, stuffing, rubber, plastic.

Dogs swallow; tampons (bleck!), socks, corncobs, rocks, balls (they tend to catch or retrieve and then swallow by accident), bones, and for the dogs who are constant chewers; pieces of plastic because they chew off tiny pieces of the items they gnaw on.

Doc is one of these cats. He has a history of swallowing things he shouldn't. As with every patient I see there is a story there. They have things to tell us, problems for us to help solve, and BOTH an immediate need and long term desire. Doc is one of these poignant cases. 

Doc came to us because his mom knew that he had a predilection for eating things. He had been to the ER previously for eating plastic off of a sippy cup. Emergency surgeries at the ER are always expensive. There is no way around the increase in charges with the access to 24 hour staffing and the inconsistency of volume. In almost all cases that I see an ER visit for a foreign body surgery is going to be over $4,000. Most people cannot afford this. When Doc had his second suspected foreign body his mom came to us. 

Doc presented to us as many of these cats do. Quiet, not eating and presumed guilty based on previous infractions. 

Doc had been to the ER. The ER had taken an xray and also suspected that there was a foreign body. They gave an injection for nausea, a pain medication and some fluids. He was discharged from the ER to see us for his surgery.

My biggest gripe with veterinary medicine remains in the increasingly larger gap between affordability and access to care. Almost no one can afford to go to the ER anymore. It has gotten increasingly futile to send our clients to them. If we cannot send clients and patients to the place they need to be because afforable options are not provided then I do what anyone who cries "wolf!" often enough does,,, I stop referring. It is now common practice to call the referral center before sending. We used to call to see if they had availability for transfers, now we just ask about affordability. 75% (or more) of the time clients cannot go due to cost. 

Doc was dropped off in the morning. I rechecked his xray to make sure it was consistent with the previous one. We never want to start a surgery without knowing how the patient is doing. Blood work had not been done so we took a sample and ran it through our in house machine. On physical exam Doc looked good. One of the very important pearls you learn is that the patient will tell you what you need to know. Doctors want to know data. We want numbers. The more nuggets of information we have on our patients the better we feel about our decisions and actions. This is also how we have become so profitable. There is gold in them there diagnostics. BUT, diagnostics do not treat your pets or patients. Diagnostics give you excuses to not treat them. Actions, not incomes, matter. Doc's xrays looked much like the last. Doc needed an exploratory surgery asap. 

Here is his xray;

Doc had a few things in his favor. He is a very sweet boy. (Fractious cats are really hard to manage without sedation. It is hard to give sedation orally when they are trying to bite). He also has a mom who recognized he needed help and then was willing to work with us to get it. She offered to surrender him if it meant treating him. As silly, (or whatever adjective you choose to add here), as it sounds, if you cannot afford life-saving care at least let the pet get care elsewhere. The people who watch their pets die so they can retain ownership are putting themselves above their pets. If a pets life at risk let them go and live. If more people offered to help in the caregiving process more animals would be saved. Never once has someone offered to help at the clinic to offset the price of care. I have three people who volunteer weekly so that their pets are considered employee pets and get care at little (or no cost). That is a parent invested in their family. 

Here is Doc's YouTube video:

The cost of Doc's care was trimmed as much as we could to allow for his treatment. We are so fortunate to be in a community where when we ask for help we get it. 

As a veterinarian who is trying to stay committed to her patients and insure that they get the care that they need, we made a promise to ourselves that we would help every patient who came to us. There would always be hope, kindness, and care offered. In some cases we will give away free diagnostics so we can help understand the disease process,  this gives incite into the patients prognosis and helps with the decisions based on them. In others we provide free euthanasia to provide peaceful passage. In others as long as we believe that the condition is treatable, and the outcome favorable for a return to a normal, healthy life we will use our non-profit; Pet Good Samaritan Fund to help bridge the gap between provider costs and client resources. 

Here is more on Docs case, and how we manage emergency care with a client who has financial constraints;

The goal of the PGSF is to provide a safety net for all whose focus is helping pets in need. 

Here is the link to the homepage; Pet Good Samaritan Fund Guidelines, application, and contact information can be found there.

Doc is like all of us; a complicated, unique individual with specific needs, desires, thoughts, feelings and compulsions. Doc has had two exploratory surgeries. Its time to listen, offer an environment with stimuli, safe things to eat, and enrichment. I have 5 cats. Each one of them likes different things. Two love to be outside. Crouching by the bird feeder. Climbing trees, digging in the dirt, or going for walks with the dogs and us. I have never had a cat with a foreign body, but, I do have a cat that eats cat grass everyday. I grow it for her. If I don't she will eat things that are not for her. 

My views on ideal cat care have evolved since the bar chart in vet school. We are who we are and finding what works for my pets is what works for me.

Here is the breakdown of Doc's care at my clinic Jarrettsville Veterinary Center, Jarrettsville Maryland.

• surgical pack; $250 (iv catheter, iv fluids, fluids, fluids pump, anesthesia 30 mins, surgical instrument pack
• exploratory surgery feline; $400
• additional surgical time; $70
• hospital boarding; $45
• surgical materials; (sponges, suture) $200
• medications; (surgical, peri-op, and post-op) $150
• x-ray; $175
• e-collar; $23

            total; $1400

You can find more about me on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook

Corporate Acquisition Inquiry

I get these phone calls and emails daily. It seems that as the available pool of private practices gets smaller the tactics and tactful phishing gets more invasive and obnoxious.

Here is todays example. I have half a mind to add the phone number. The volley serve to texting me at 5 pm on a Friday.

Hi Dr. Magnifico, this is XXXX from VetEvolve. I hope it's okay reaching out by text. I am very interested in learning a bit about Jarrettsville and your plans for the future of the practice. Are you available for a quick call next week to introduce ourselves? 

Looking forward to hearing back.

XXXX

Practice Partnership Specialist 

xxx

George.
Multiple unblockings (UO) and a PU surgery

Myreply;

If you are reaching out bc you work for a corporate entity seeking ownership than no. It is not ok. It is predatory, rude, disrespectful and unprofessional. You are also working for people who intentionally and purposely make pet care so expensive it costs pets their lives. It also costs pet parents their ability to trust other veterinarians. Think about what your paycheck costs pets. 

Doc, linear foreign body surgery.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I do appreciate your passion and commitment to the veterinary profession..and also the well-being of pets and clients alike.  

At Vetevolve, we are not about being predatory or undermining the trust between veterinarians and pet parents. Our focus is to support practices, maintain each unique culture, and provide resources to help teams thrive and better serve clients and patients. Affordability and access to care are priorities for us and we are striving to make a positive impact.

I understand completely if you aren't interested in further discussion, but I want to assure you that our intentions are grounded in supporting and preserving the veterinary community, not taking advantage of it. 

If you would ever like to share more about your concerns or ideas for improving the industry, I'd genuinely value the opportunity to listen. 

Warmest Regards,

XXXX 

Lola, pyometra surgery

I would be shocked if all of that pitching garbage had any teeth. Let me know which patients of the other corp owned practices who are turned away due to financial restraints that I can send your way for affordable care   I'll give them your name. 

Send me one case that you made affordable. 

You are drinking the kool aid. 

I just visited your website.  There isn't one word about patients. Every single page and line item is about people. So if your website is any indication of how much you care about your patients it's zero 

And for the record my husband and I have 40 years of combined service Bn the navy and coast guard. 

Don't say I didn't warn you. Eventually some bigger fish will send you packing. They treat their people as bad as their patients. 

Dixie, Pyometra surgery

I assure you,  my heartfelt thoughts are based on what I witness.  I don't have cases on hand from the hospital level...but our integrations and operations teams would be sure to provide  for any owners who are moving forward with discussions.

In reference to our website, I can direct you to the resources tab where there are videos and posts... where the veterinarians speak about community and their clients. By implication clients are happy because their pets are taken care of ...but you raise a great point ..a heightened awareness of protecting and caring for the animals could be more prevalent instead of mostly mentioning vets and their teams.

As for your combined service, I appreciate what you have done for our country... I admire all branches of our military. 

Lastly, I have my eyes wide open here....and it's not my first rodeo in M&A.  You have a valid point that companies merge or close without warning.,.being tied to PE does come with occasional risk...but if I can add on to the culture from what I have learned in the past few decades in the space, I will. So many of us here have come from other places and want to right some of the wrongs we have seen in the past.  I don't view that as having Rose-colored glasses ..its just because someone has to take the first steps to do it right.  

Thanks again for your thoughts..I do value your opinion...

Have a great weekend and much continued success this year. 

Garfield, trauma, fractured jaw

There is not one single thing that is in place in your organization that puts pets first. The whole concept of the corp ethos is about profits over individuals. As a civil servant it is unethical and deceitful to even try to portray otherwise. 

At some point you will ask yourself what your efforts contribute to our society. What legacy you are building. Who you are, who you represent are the antithesis of what the pets who we consider family need. They need love, compassion and kindness. Medicine should embody this in every molecule of our being. Every action, word and decision that we make. 

It is the dawn of shooting CEOs in the back and the public cheering them on for it. This is the world you built. These are the consequences of greed, wealth and your idea of power. 

It's shameful. I'm not afraid to tell you that. We, as the spokesperson to our companies, have nothing to say to each other. 

As the individual You just aren't looking deep enough into your own mirror. 

Seraphina and Dr Ahrens

...and PS XXX, my success is infinitely easier to achieve because of two factors; 

1. Your business model makes my new client patient appointments robust. Your "one and done" visit ratio is much higher than mine. You will price them out of care once and they will never come back. That's the price of playing with the lives of our family.

2. I possess qualities you will never have; genuine compassion and utter determination to save lives.

If you aren't saving the souls you came here to serve you are selling yours short. It is not about the "if they can pay we can help" it is about altruism and your own humanity.

"If you feel pain, you are alive. If you feel other people's pain, you are a human being." Leo Tolstoy.

If you are a veterinary professional looking to save the lives you came here to be the kind hand of healing for then please reach out. Medicine was never intended to be driven by profits alone.

For more on the cases above see the other blogs, my YouTube channel, Jarrettsville Vet Facebook page, and Instagram.

Tips on Facing the Veterinary Estimate You Cannot Afford

Too often pet parents avoid the vets office because they fear they cannot afford to be there. This was not always the case. Veterinarians were, (and some of still desire to be), trusted, humble, affordable and focused on patient care over financial gain. Everything was offered. Everything was affordable. Every person around the pets care was honest. In those days a veterinarians reputation mattered. It was everything. We were only as sought after as our skills had proven and our names bore witness too. Our names were our badges of respect in the community. In those days everyone knew everyone else and you didn't need credit cards or credit ratings. While life was simpler so too were the options we had for diseases.

Veterinary medicine is at a place of unprecedented advancements, treatment options, bordering on miracles. In return it has become profitable above anyone's imagination. Money, greed, all of the allure of this has corrupted all that got us here. Reputations are not based on hard work, decades of healing, they are now just credentials and self inflated senses of accomplishments. 

For all of the unparalleled, unmatched joy pets bring to us, vetmed has decided to turn its back on that bond unless it is profitable to even try to salvage a patient a singular chance. 

We have broken our oath to the serve the meek. We have abandoned an obligation to be compassionate, and utilized every imaginable excuse to dismiss all who suffer around us.

Maggie, pre-op TPLO surgery

No one should ever have to leave the vets office feeling broken, especially, heart broken, and certainly not bank account broken. The goal of this blog is to also be able to leave with a sense of being heard and offered options to meet a wider spectrum of financial ability. I am also here to be transparent and honest. I have been a practicing veterinarian and hospital owner for 20 years.

If your pet is an integral part of your life, and you have financial stability to permit advanced specialty care, there are numerous highly skilled veterinarians working in impressively modern facilities that rival human care, without limits, and pushing the barriers of miraculous. There are almost no limits to what we can do, or what is available to save your pets life. In modern veterinary medicine there are no horizons we will not let you pay for. We will never abandon hope nor options as long as you can pay.

When you cannot we offer euthanasia and an alleyway with best wishes to finding someone else who cares enough to do it at their own expense. You are not guaranteed anything in life and you sure as heck aren't our problem if you lack the cash (or credit) to get your pet out of whatever pickle you find yourself in. If society wants us to be better than this, more compassionate, and self sacrificing it has yet to take a good long look in the mirror and ask itself what it has ever given back for someone less fortunate. While I meet some amazingly kind people in my day to day life I more often meet angry, demanding, accusatory jerks. If you want someone to be kind to you you might want to be kind to others first. 

The public wants to believe that veterinarians are in this for the love of animals, but lets be real honest, we are here for pets, not people. People, well they will break you, sometimes intentionally. 

For every person who comes to me seeking affordable care they are always nice at the beginning. They are always nice when they have little to bargain with, a dying pet in their lap and a promise to pay us back. The reality is that their past behaviors for how important that pet in their life is is a very good prognostic indicator for how likely they are to actually pay you back. Many of the emergency surgery requests I get on a daily basis have not vaccinated their pets in years, or ever, have never used preventatives, and never spayed/neutered their pets. The owner will tell you how much they love their pet, swear that they are good for the money to pay you back for services, and yet they have tattoos, nails, and a new car in the parking lot. There isn't one vet out there who isn't nodding their head right now. If your pet was everything to you their health, safety and current precarious position would be in good hands at the over-priced, yet-capable ER right now. Spare us the excuses. 

Sunshine. Survivor parvovirus thanks to the Elanco monoclonal antibody treatment

When it comes to an immediate medical or surgical plea for emergency care be open, honest, courteous and ready to compromise/negotiate. If you want to be a belligerent, angry, accusatory, demanding bully I (and I expect everyone else who actually went to vet school and sacrificed what we had to (like 8 years of our life) is very unlikely to help you. I am only here to help your pet who is in this predicament only as an innocent victim. Remember this. For most of the people I see they have little to negotiate, less to compromise, and still would rather see their pets as theirs, even if that means deceased, instead of treated.

Always Be Kind. Then ask what you can do to keep your pet alive.

Here are my tips to finding affordable care for your pet;

First, always be the example you want your vet to be. Be kind, compassionate, and be focused on your pet as the center of everything you do. In simple terms, if you want the vet to put your pet above all else, do the same.

Remind the vet who your pet is to you. Maybe this doesn't seem sensible to you, after all you already know what your pet means to you, but, us vets, well we see so many pets that we have to emotionally distant ourselves from them so we can maintain some degree of analytical, scientifically based care. We have to be able to do and not be encumbered by fear/stress/grief/longing/loving/emotions. It is a sad truth that we need to have a layer of armor even when we came here to be healing and compassionate. Life strips the soft vulnerable layer from you as a protective mechanism to survival, but life is about love so remind your vet to see the world, your pets life, as an extension of this.

Remind yourself that you can find help. Affordable help, and don't give up. I see a lot of people who find me after they have asked for help in dozens of other places. The key to these people; they all adored their pets, and they all refused to give up until they found the care they needed. I have dozens of examples of this. Dozens. Here are some real-life examples:

Blocked Cat. Meet the many cases I saw in the previous blogs. Go to Pawbly.com. Read through the storylines. We post the cases and the invoices. All are real cases that I saw, treated and helped. This is the power of finding a veterinarian who is passionate about petcare, the immense power of keeping the patient in the focus of all we do, and, very importantly, working with a team that is independently, privately owned. You, every client facing a veterinarian who is not being given affordable options for their pets care, have options, rights and ways to find help. Ask hard questions, and document everything.

Here is my step-by-step approach to finding affordable, meaningful care.

1. Provide an accurate, honest, brief description of what is going on with your pet. When it started, and list any and all medications, foods, and supplements that you are giving. I strongly recommend that you put this in writing and email it to yourself and the vet clinic you are at. Document everything. Every word, every name of every employee you interact with. These documents are your best way to keep everyone honest and accountable. Document and then disperse to the veterinary provider. Insist that they acknowledge receipt of your email. Document this too.

2. Your vet will then perform an examination. When they come back to you after the exam ask them to provide it to you in writing. If the vet does not return ask to speak to them, and ask for the exam findings in writing. Get a copy of the physical exam before you leave. Write down who you spoke to at every interaction. 

3. Ask for their top differential diagnosis. Ask them to try to narrow down them to three. In some cases this might be impossible based on the lack of diagnostics. The differential diagnosis MUST be recorded. You should ask the veterinarian to review what you record for errors and accuracy. Many medical terms sound alike. Spelling and specificity matters. I use an app on my phone to email myself these notes. You can use a pad of paper.. Whatever works for you,, BUT, record and provide a copy to the clinic/hospital. This insures everyone is being provided correct information. Before consenting to anything ask what the veterinarians differential diagnosis(es) are. Write this down and ask the vet to confirm that you have it correct. 

4. The estimate that you are going to be given should be explained line by line. You should be able to write down why each item is recommended. This will take time but it must be explained to you so you understand what the veterinary team is asking to do and why. Get a copy for yourself and take notes on this copy.

5. From the list of differential diagnoses ask the veterinarian which are treatable and which are not. They may not know, but they should have an idea as to which would need immediate interventional care AND be curative, and which will not. From those that are treatable ask for the estimate to treat. If this is cost prohibitive ask if there is a more conservative/affordable way to treat so that you can be transferred to another veterinary clinic (like your vets office) where the cost of care might be a small fraction of what it is here.

6. Omit any disease and treatment plan for a non treatable disease. Say for instance a brain tumor. While there are possible treatment options for this (and actually high success rates for brain tumors, most pet parents do not consent to brain surgery, or organ transplants, etc). If it is not treatable, or affordable for you to treat, ask them to only do the diagnostics for the treatable.

7. Ask the veterinarian to provide you one, yes, just one, diagnostic, to help identify the presumptive differential diagnosis. Write this down. Ask them to confirm this. If they argue, or refuse, remind them that every veterinarian was trained by this. Using the skills we were taught to be able to identify 1, just 1 test to do next. It is absolutely your right, and our responsibility to provide honest, transparent work-ups for your pets care. This is how I practice medicine. Why my vet clinic is so popular. Why we get so many requests for transferring care. We have conversations. Meaningful, honest conversations. We are here to help. We help in anyway we can. We are able to give away care. We are that focused on pets being given a compassionate chance.

Serabi, one of 54 cats rescued from a hoarding home

If I have a very sick patient I will almost always ask for a comprehensive blood work panel (full chemistry (25 to 27 items on this), a CBC, a urine, tick borne disease (common in my area), fecal (intestinal parasites or parvovirus) and a thyroid panel. Cost for this is about $250. I will also ask for xrays (3 view chest and abdomen) for about $300. In the ER setting where these panels might be $600 each you can ask for a minimum database. The veterinarian should be able, and willing to scale down these to one or two items. You need to ask and get the answer to these presumptive differential diagnoses in writing. (Please see the disease specific blogs for what the minimum database is for each).

If you end up at my clinic and ask us for help this is what we will ask of you.

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.