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Got my cat's medicine
Jun. 22nd, 2012 05:00 pmVeterinary visit today. The cat is sleeping it off curled in a chair upstairs. It wasn't too bad, considering, but it was still weird. The important part is that I have the medicine she needs.
It still sticks in my craw that I'm being bullied into not only a $50 vet visit, but also $182 worth of blood work, all for the $30 worth of medicine that I've already been using successfully for four years. The vet tech said, "It helps us see if the dose is right." My bullshit detector went off so hard I started to argue with him before I managed to cram my voice back down my throat. The vet said, "It would be malpractice not to have annual blood work," and later, "Bring her in for annual blood work and we'll get along fine."
Why don't they just say, "We're running a business and your cat needs the medicine, so ante up." That would be too crass, I guess. I wonder what they would say if I refused to spend my savings on this and said, okay, I guess we have to put her to sleep. Would that call their bluff?
The other weird thing the vet said is, "I can see you're taking great care of your cat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Which sounds fine on the surface, except I wasn't there for a referendum on how I care for my cat. In fact I don't let other people tell me how to care for my cat, which is why I avoid vets like the plague. Subjecting her to unnecessary bike trailer excursions and blood draws is not my idea of good care.
On the plus side, this clinic does not have ads for medicines plastered everywhere, they didn't leave me sitting around for unreasonable lengths of time, and it's a couple of miles from my house. I'll hold my nose and take Lilac once a year. I'm not sure I'd get another cat after her, though, and that's saying a lot.
It still sticks in my craw that I'm being bullied into not only a $50 vet visit, but also $182 worth of blood work, all for the $30 worth of medicine that I've already been using successfully for four years. The vet tech said, "It helps us see if the dose is right." My bullshit detector went off so hard I started to argue with him before I managed to cram my voice back down my throat. The vet said, "It would be malpractice not to have annual blood work," and later, "Bring her in for annual blood work and we'll get along fine."
Why don't they just say, "We're running a business and your cat needs the medicine, so ante up." That would be too crass, I guess. I wonder what they would say if I refused to spend my savings on this and said, okay, I guess we have to put her to sleep. Would that call their bluff?
The other weird thing the vet said is, "I can see you're taking great care of your cat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Which sounds fine on the surface, except I wasn't there for a referendum on how I care for my cat. In fact I don't let other people tell me how to care for my cat, which is why I avoid vets like the plague. Subjecting her to unnecessary bike trailer excursions and blood draws is not my idea of good care.
On the plus side, this clinic does not have ads for medicines plastered everywhere, they didn't leave me sitting around for unreasonable lengths of time, and it's a couple of miles from my house. I'll hold my nose and take Lilac once a year. I'm not sure I'd get another cat after her, though, and that's saying a lot.
