Now We're Getting a Lawyer
Back about seven months ago when Pete and I were still living in Farmington Hills, Michigan, our then 9 year old cat, Lovie, started having problems where he was peeing in places that were not his litter box. Under the suspicion that he was having urinary tract problems, Pete took him to a vet on Friday morning to have test done.
We had originally gotten Lovie from the Carousel Cat Clinic as an adoptee and we were very happy with him, so we decided to take him back there for the test. The "vet", Dr. Houghton, told Peet they would perform a $30 urine test that would simply involve Lovie going on a special pad and that he could pick up our kitty later that afternoon. Paperwork was signed and Pete went on his way.
When I got home after work that night, it was to find Pete irate and Lovie looking like he was drugged. I mean, how often do you see a cat looking like he has trouble keeping his balance? The reason my cat looked drugged is because he had been...WITHOUT OUR CONSENT! When Lovie would not go potty on the special pad, the vet and techs took it upon themselves to knock Lovie out and stick a needle in his stomach to get the urine sample. ALL OF THIS WAS DONE WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION AND WRITTEN CONSENT!!
To add to the crime, we were charged $217.50 for this procedure that was never agreed upon, nor was it in anyway necessary. Pete had even voiced multiple times that if there was any problem with him, Lovie could be picked up and brought back in on Monday morning, as Pete was laid off at the time anyways.
When this went down, Pete complained to the Cat Clinic about their actions and refused to pay the sum they were requesting for obvious reasons. No one questioned him on it and it was left at that.
Now, seven months later, Pete receives a call from a lawyer. Not the vet. Not even a collections agency. But a lawyer demanding the money owed to the vet. We never heard anything from the Carousel Cat Clinic about them wanting the money, even a means of settling with us due to the incident. And there was no notification whatsoever about a collections issue sent to us. No. We get a phone call from Colorado saying pay up.
As a result, Pete called back the Cat Clinic and spoke to both the receptionist and Dr. Houghton. The receptionist treated us like we were a joke after Peter repeatedly requested that the vet be put on. Dr. Houghton insists that everything she performed was agreed upon and discussed in her office.
OVER OUR DEAD BODY IT WAS! SHE DRUGGED UP OUR CAT AND STARTED STICKING HIM WITH NEEDLES WITHOUT ASKING US FIRST ABOUT IT!
For now, the $217.50 has been paid, but Pete and I are taking the Carousel Cat Clinic and Dr. Houghton to court. This is very negligent animal malpractice and I don't want other people being taken by these people or having their animals harmed because they think they know what they are doing.
So here are a couple of requests on my part...
1. If you know a good veterinary malpractice lawyer in the Detroit area, please have them contact me at AdrianneSchinkai@yahoo.com.
2. If you live in the Detroit area, please, please, PLEASE do not take your cat or any of your pets to the Carousel Cat Clinic in Farmington Hills. I do not want to see this happen to any one else or their babies.
Thank you.
We had originally gotten Lovie from the Carousel Cat Clinic as an adoptee and we were very happy with him, so we decided to take him back there for the test. The "vet", Dr. Houghton, told Peet they would perform a $30 urine test that would simply involve Lovie going on a special pad and that he could pick up our kitty later that afternoon. Paperwork was signed and Pete went on his way.
When I got home after work that night, it was to find Pete irate and Lovie looking like he was drugged. I mean, how often do you see a cat looking like he has trouble keeping his balance? The reason my cat looked drugged is because he had been...WITHOUT OUR CONSENT! When Lovie would not go potty on the special pad, the vet and techs took it upon themselves to knock Lovie out and stick a needle in his stomach to get the urine sample. ALL OF THIS WAS DONE WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION AND WRITTEN CONSENT!!
To add to the crime, we were charged $217.50 for this procedure that was never agreed upon, nor was it in anyway necessary. Pete had even voiced multiple times that if there was any problem with him, Lovie could be picked up and brought back in on Monday morning, as Pete was laid off at the time anyways.
When this went down, Pete complained to the Cat Clinic about their actions and refused to pay the sum they were requesting for obvious reasons. No one questioned him on it and it was left at that.
Now, seven months later, Pete receives a call from a lawyer. Not the vet. Not even a collections agency. But a lawyer demanding the money owed to the vet. We never heard anything from the Carousel Cat Clinic about them wanting the money, even a means of settling with us due to the incident. And there was no notification whatsoever about a collections issue sent to us. No. We get a phone call from Colorado saying pay up.
As a result, Pete called back the Cat Clinic and spoke to both the receptionist and Dr. Houghton. The receptionist treated us like we were a joke after Peter repeatedly requested that the vet be put on. Dr. Houghton insists that everything she performed was agreed upon and discussed in her office.
OVER OUR DEAD BODY IT WAS! SHE DRUGGED UP OUR CAT AND STARTED STICKING HIM WITH NEEDLES WITHOUT ASKING US FIRST ABOUT IT!
For now, the $217.50 has been paid, but Pete and I are taking the Carousel Cat Clinic and Dr. Houghton to court. This is very negligent animal malpractice and I don't want other people being taken by these people or having their animals harmed because they think they know what they are doing.
So here are a couple of requests on my part...
1. If you know a good veterinary malpractice lawyer in the Detroit area, please have them contact me at AdrianneSchinkai@yahoo.com.
2. If you live in the Detroit area, please, please, PLEASE do not take your cat or any of your pets to the Carousel Cat Clinic in Farmington Hills. I do not want to see this happen to any one else or their babies.
Thank you.