Dr McDonald, TAH Animal Hospital: causing my dog to suffer severely

Dear “Doctor” Mc Donald From TAH SONSTRAAL, DURBANVILLE, Animals are so vulnerable, voiceless and utterly dependant on us humans for their wellbeing. I have always had the highest respect and admiration for Veterinarians. My dog, Laska, was seen by you. This poor animal was enduring a lot of discomfort, after I saw another Vet prior to seeing you. That specific doctor showed the least amount of interest and a lot of irritation when I visited him a few weeks earlier. Therefore, I decided to get a second opinion. After I was questioned about her condition, you indicated that you want to examine her. She is a 19- year old gentle soul, who endured a lot of trauma in her life before she was rescued from a horrible life 12 years ago. My heart jolted when I saw how you reached out to pick her up behind her neck to put her on the table. Immediately I stepped in and gently lifted her heavy but fragile body of almost 30 kg onto the table for you to examine her (as a Husky mix breed, she has a very strong body). Maybe I should have seen the warning signs then, but I second guessed my feelings and gave you the benefit of the doubt. After all, how a second doctor in a row treat my dog with so little concern? (Thinking back, I wonder if the previous Vet did not badmouth me to all the other Vets in the area, simply because I had the guts to stand up to him that day and calmly told him that I can see he does not want to help my dog, and I will then simply have to find another doctor. I then took my dog and walked out of his office). After you somewhat emotionlessly examined her, I was assured by you that “clinically there was nothing wrong with her” – yes, those were your exact words, even though you could see my puzzled look. But hey, you are the expert “caring” doctor, who I am I to question your professional opinion? Afterall, this is now the second doctor who tells me there is nothing wrong with my dog, except that she is old. Yes, I know she is old, but my question was how can we make her life more comfortable and with as little pain as possible in her last days? Is that too much to ask for? You could see that she still has so much vigour for life and her spirit is full of love and life, in spite of her age! No effort to look at her back and hips, no effort to do a proper examination of the swollen gland in her bum. No treatment plan offered. Only some vague mentioning of X-rays and heart sonars. All my dog and I got was an attitude of irritation, superiority and unfriendliness. I walked out of your rooms without one tablet to ease her pain and discomfort or even a follow up visit. When I phoned your practice at a later time to ask for something for pain, I was promised that someone will call me back, but to this day nobody bothered to call me back. After 2 nights of almost no sleep and constant up and down, tossing and turning, licking and gagging (she sleeps next to my bed where I monitor her every move and breath) I got referred to a most wonderful doctor, thank God! She had a very professional approach, but also very caring. A brief history check was done (she even requested the records from the initial Vet practice I used to visit). She then started examining Laska in a careful, gentle, loving, thorough way (she even went down on her knees to examine my dog). She touched my dog and felt every part of her body, and within a few minutes she was able to tell me where the problem areas are – her back was severely damaged, the hips were in bad shape, her joints also needed some attention, her heart and lungs did not sound good. An she was very worried about the swollen gland in the bum. Immediately a treatment plan was laid out and which concerns need to be addressed immediately. Yes doctor, you know who you are, the one who allowed my dog to suffer unnecessarily just because you were “not in the mood” or for whatever reason – only you will know. She could have been helped and spared a lot of pain and discomfort if you were really dedicated and really cared about animals. May her unnecessary suffering be wake-up call for you, and may your heart be in the right place next time to help animal who desperately needs help and intervention.