Oh my goodness, I have no idea what I would do, but I just wanted to say I am so so sorry you are dealing with this.  Hoping your kitty makes a full recovery. :( ::hugs::

Well I am in professional licensing so the attorney in me says to tell the vet to go pound sand and file a complaint with your state's Board of Veterinary Medicine. You just have to be aware that there's the very real possibility that the board won't impose disciplinary action or at least discipline that you'll be happy with. But you also don't know if this vet has done this before and continues to get away with it because they pay everyone off.

I know it's a tough call. But if it was my cat I'd file the complaint.

ETA: I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I keep looking at the sweet kitty in your siggy and getting teary.

SLBxtreme:

So sorry to hear about your cat Talon. I definitely wouldn't sign anything right away. I would do research to see if anything would come from taking legal action before agreeing to sign that paperwork. I hope your kitty pulls through okay.

I agree with this.

I hope your kitty gets better soon!

I'm so sorry. If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat. Hindsight is always 20/20, but situations such as these are the reason I do it. I really hope that your cat makes it. Do they have you doing hydration treatments?

edit: I definitely would not sign anything at this time. 

edit2: I am very sorry about the statement above about asking for the information prior to giving the meds. I realize that sounds douchey and doesn't help. I do sincerely hope the cat pulls through. 

SCSmith2011:

Well I am in professional licensing so the attorney in me says to tell the vet to go pound sand and file a complaint with your state's Board of Veterinary Medicine. You just have to be aware that there's the very real possibility that the board won't impose disciplinary action or at least discipline that you'll be happy with. But you also don't know if this vet has done this before and continues to get away with it because they pay everyone off.

I know it's a tough call. But if it was my cat I'd file the complaint.

Personally, I would follow SCSmith's advice. However, if your cat requires hospitalization that you can't afford, and there is a chance that he(?) will survive with the hospitalization, I can understand signing the papers to save your furbaby.

So sorry about your poor kitty, OP. 

That is tough. I hope you are holding up ok.

I may be in the minority, but I may sign it. Obviously the drug has negative side effects, but how rare are they (I didn't google the drug). I'm just wondering if it was actually negligence or just bad luck. If you really think the vet was negligent, then I would not sign it, but if it was just a mistake or bad luck, then I would.

I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not 100% sure when the ramifications can be if you decide to take the vet to court. I love pets, but pets are not people and from a legal point of view, they are just property. So I believe if she is found at fault, you would probably get the fee waived (which she is doing) and pay for a new cat (is your cat an expensive breed). It kind of seems like a lot of work just to get what she is currently offering.

Sorry for your cat and that you have to deal with this!

Right now she's not doing great but hanging in there and seems to be getting better. I have no clue what the future will hold though and that freaks me out. They did offer to add that they will treat any issues directly related to her kidney failure at their hospital for free so I'm thinking about signing it, although I'm kinda freaked out to ever take her back there. 

I don't think it would be worth it to try and sue and get "damages" or anything like that but maybe medical care and I would feel better about reporting them to the board. But is it worth not getting reimbursed for $700, I don't know. Ugh, I hate decisions.  

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

talon1226:

Right now she's not doing great but hanging in there and seems to be getting better. I have no clue what the future will hold though and that freaks me out. They did offer to add that they will treat any issues directly related to her kidney failure at their hospital for free so I'm thinking about signing it, although I'm kinda freaked out to ever take her back there. 

I don't think it would be worth it to try and sue and get "damages" or anything like that but maybe medical care and I would feel better about reporting them to the board. But is it worth not getting reimbursed for $700, I don't know. Ugh, I hate decisions.  

I'm sorry. You are in a truly terrible position.

I'm worried that by posting on this board you might have already violated the terms of the non-disclosure form they want you to sign. The fact that you are posting about it makes me think you are leaning to not accepting their deal. Could you revise the agreement so that you agreed not to sue but would be able to discuss what happened? I would tell them that you will need to be able to talk about this with your friends so you can properly process what is happening.

talon1226:

Right now she's not doing great but hanging in there and seems to be getting better. I have no clue what the future will hold though and that freaks me out. They did offer to add that they will treat any issues directly related to her kidney failure at their hospital for free so I'm thinking about signing it, although I'm kinda freaked out to ever take her back there. 

I don't think it would be worth it to try and sue and get "damages" or anything like that but maybe medical care and I would feel better about reporting them to the board. But is it worth not getting reimbursed for $700, I don't know. Ugh, I hate decisions.  

I can certainly understand this. If you decide to sign their agreement it might be worth seeing how it plays out with your cat. If she pulls through but will require ongoing meds or treatment you could ask them for money to cover that instead of them treating her.

Disclaimer: nothing I say should be construed as legal advice.

  Hang in there.  That's got to be rough.  At this point I wouldn't worry about who to blame (the vet) and just focus all our attention on your cat. I've taken mine in for a UTI before and have never heard of that medication. Strange that a vet would prescribe it for a typical UTI. 

 I wouldn't sign anything yet either...

 Thinking of you and your cat!! {{{{{hugs}}}}}}

MsCrispy:

That is tough. I hope you are holding up ok.

I may be in the minority, but I may sign it. Obviously the drug has negative side effects, but how rare are they (I didn't google the drug). I'm just wondering if it was actually negligence or just bad luck. If you really think the vet was negligent, then I would not sign it, but if it was just a mistake or bad luck, then I would.

I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not 100% sure when the ramifications can be if you decide to take the vet to court. I love pets, but pets are not people and from a legal point of view, they are just property. So I believe if she is found at fault, you would probably get the fee waived (which she is doing) and pay for a new cat (is your cat an expensive breed). It kind of seems like a lot of work just to get what she is currently offering.

Sorry for your cat and that you have to deal with this!

I agree with this.  I have two cats that I love very very much, and my first concern would be to see if the hospitalization could save him, and that bill would be a huge concern so having it paid for would help a lot.  I hate to say just don't do anything because it is too hard, but sadly I think you'll have a very hard time recouping any kind of justice on them (if it was indeed negligence).  Legal battles concerning human medical negligence are hard enough, and far too many people would view any kind of dispute over a cat to be less important (not my words, just my opinion of how many would view it).  I think it would also be very emotionally difficult to go through all that and could end up costing you a lot more in the end.

That being said, even if you sign it, I would still attempt to file a complaint.  It could be seen as signing it under duress.  However I have no idea, it's just a thought.   You could also see if there are ways to leave reviews for the clinic and/or the vet...often word of mouth about a bad place of business can give you results by letting others know of what happened.  Good luck, I hope he pulls through and is feeling better soon!

PrimRoseMama:

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

Telling someone what they did wrong when their cat might die because of it is not at all helpful.  Of course anyone is welcome to their opinions but use your common sense about what is helpful and what is just rude.

So sorry to hear this.  

I would NOT sign anything.

If your cat ends up needing more medical treatment or medicine/treatment for the rest of her life due to their negligence, they may owe you a lot more than $700.

I would document EVERYTHING that they have told you, keep copies, recordings, everything.  

Pay the current vet with your own money for now if you need to. 

Even if you can't or don't want to hire a lawyer you could take this as a case to small claims court and be able to get back more than just a one-time $700.

If they're already admitting fault I think it would be a pretty clear case for you. 

PrimRoseMama:

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

Telling someone what they did wrong when their cat might die because of it is not at all helpful.  Of course anyone is welcome to their opinions but use your common sense about what is helpful and what is just rude.

I apologize if you feel like I was guilt tripping you. I was telling you what I do each and every time I get a medication for my animals. My intention was to purely answer the question about what I would do. If you feel I was being rude stating what I would do in this instance then I apologize. No where did I say that what you did was wrong, that you are a bad pet owner or anything in that line of thinking. All I did was state what would I do. 

I think it is terribly negligent for the vet not to give you ALL of the information with the pills. They should have given you everything, period. Again, I'm really sorry that you are going through this and I hope that your cat makes it. 

PrimRoseMama:

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

Honestly that rubbed me the wrong way too.  She didn't ask what she should have done, she asked what she should do going forward regarding the letter and the reimbursement.  Every situation has a could of would of should of and I'm sure she realizes that but it doesn't help her at all now to point that out, especially when she is upset about her cat, which I would be too. 

angelsnight:

PrimRoseMama:

talon1226:

PrimRoseMama:

If it were me I would have asked for the box and medication information before I dosed my cat.

Stuff like this is why you annoy me. How is that at all helpful at this point? You're right, I should have, but I didn't. Thanks for reminding me. 

You asked me what I do and I told you. I also gave you supportive information and told you that I thought it would be best not to sign any paperwork at this time. I think they did you a great disservice not giving you the appropriate information at the time prior to you giving the medication to your cat. They should have sat down and gone over all the possible side effects with you. That is wrong that they didn't do that, and I'm sorry. 

I really hope your cat makes it, but it is unreasonable to ask what anyone would do and then when they tell you get upset with them for telling you what they would do. I am an animal lover, and would feel awful if I were in your position. It sucks. 

Honestly that rubbed me the wrong way too.  She didn't ask what she should have done, she asked what she should do going forward regarding the letter and the reimbursement.  Every situation has a could of would of should of and I'm sure she realizes that but it doesn't help her at all now to point that out, especially when she is upset about her cat, which I would be too. 

Ok. I apologize for making the statement at all.

I don't think she should sign a thing and pursue some sort of action against the vet. My intentions were not to make her feel worse about her situation, and I am sorry that I did that. 

Oh hell no, I wouldn't sign a thing. 

I used to work in a vet, and have worked with animals ever since. I have never (in those 7 years) seen a CAT prescribed those type of pain medications...especially for something that's pretty "minor" like a UTI. Dogs? Yes. Cats..No.

Definitely do some research on the meds and regarding legal action. I'm so sorry you're going through this. ((hugs)) I hope your little kitty gets better soon!

ETA: Talon, how did they give you the meds? I've only seen Metacam in liquid form (I haven't seen Meloxicam for a while, but I believe that's liquid, too) Did they give you the box that goes with the bottle? How much did they tell you to give her (if you don't mind me asking). I know for dogs it goes by weight. I'm wondering if they had you give her too much?

JustWonderin805:

Oh hell no, I wouldn't sign a thing.

Also, carecredit usually has low or no interest options if you need help covering the bills. 

talon1226:

...They did offer to add that they will treat any issues directly related to her kidney failure at their hospital for free so I'm thinking about signing it, although I'm kinda freaked out to ever take her back there. 

 Trust that feeling.  I would not take one penny from those people, or sign anything, and they would be the ABSOLUTE LAST vet I would ever take my pet back to.  Free =/= worth it. 

I would follow up with the vet board and also post all kinds of stuff about what they did on their google, yelp, yahoo reviews, and tell all my friends to avoid them.  

I'm so sorry Talon.  This makes me so mad, and I hope your kitty pulls through a-ok.   (((((big hugs)))))

I am so sorry to hear about your cat.  Metacam/Meloxicam is approved for single dose injectable administeration for cats before surgery to control post op pain.  Use of it beyond that is considered off lable use.  However, the warning about renal failure is a more recent one.  Unfortunately there are very few option for pain meds for cats, and up until a few years ago a number of vets sent home meloxicam when their feline patients needed pain meds.  I am so sorry that your cat is having problems.  I would not sign the paperwork they are offering at this time.  Keep in mind that a cat with renal failure will require bloodwork several times a year to monitor the disease, medications, treatments, and special prescription diets to maintain kidney function.  In the long run all of that will add up to much more than the current $700 Veterinary bill.  I would suggest at least sitting down with a lawyer and having them review the information and give you guidance on a way to proceed forward to ensure that all of the future medical care can be covered as well.  I am so very sorry your family is having to go through this.

 BTW, Prim I cannot figure out if you are really that much of a biotch, or if you just love "hearing yourself talk" so much that you have zero filter for what is appropriate to say.  It was obvious she was asking what people would do about signing paperowork, not what they would have done at the time the medication was dispensed.  Not sure what kind of vet you go to, but the vast majority use large stock bottles to dispense medications from and don't send home handy dandy drug info sheets on every single medication dispensed like you get from a place like Walgreens. 

JustWonderin805:

Oh hell no, I wouldn't sign a thing. 

I used to work in a vet, and have worked with animals ever since. I have never (in those 7 years) seen a CAT prescribed those type of pain medications...especially for something that's pretty "minor" like a UTI. Dogs? Yes. Cats..No.

Definitely do some research on the meds and regarding legal action. I'm so sorry you're going through this. ((hugs)) I hope your little kitty gets better soon!

ETA: Talon, how did they give you the meds? I've only seen Metacam in liquid form (I haven't seen Meloxicam for a while, but I believe that's liquid, too) Did they give you the box that goes with the bottle? How much did they tell you to give her (if you don't mind me asking). I know for dogs it goes by weight. I'm wondering if they had you give her too much?

She was in pain but there are so many safer meds. Yes, it was a liquid. They drew up 0.4 mg's in 5 syringes and said to give 1 dose a day for 5 days. She didn't need the whole bottle which is why they didn't give me the box but they should have given me a handout or at least told me about the possible side effects. Really they shouldn't have prescribed it at all. I found this website after all of this happened:

www.metacamkills.com

Scary.  

I did pay the vet bill on my own but of course having the money back would be awesome. We've been going back and forth for days and their most recent offer was to pay up to $500 more in vet costs and treat any additional complications at their hospital. They also agreed to acknowledge that they didn't tell me about the side effects and they are required to report the side effect (not their mistake just the complications) to the manufacturer who is required to report it to the FDA. Still seems shady though. They are basically doing everything they can to get me to sign it which means they know they fcked up.  

*blue*flower*:

 BTW, Prim I cannot figure out if you are really that much of a biotch, or if you just love "hearing yourself talk" so much that you have zero filter for what is appropriate to say. 

I apologized. Please don't make this thread about me. There has been enough of that. I acknowledge that I should have filtered what I said and simply answered the question about the paper work. I am not a biotch, but I can be too straight forward sometimes.