I mean, do you want to take care of things yourself at home? Or do you want to rely on the western medical system?
And you do know that the way prices have been set, has been determined by economics? The majority of people can afford to pay a certain amount. So the emergency room makes an outrageous amount of money.
Here are the questions I’ve received this weekend:
- A cat pooped blood.
- A dog stepped on a bee.
- A dog ate an entire package of blue cheese.
- A dog stole freeze dried treats off the counter and bit into a desiccant pack.
Each one of these, both AI and Dr. Google recommended going to the emergency room (you do know why, right? Who do you think writes this “common wisdom“? That’s right. Emergency room veterinarians.)
OK, so what happened with the four emergencies that I helped with this weekend?
It was too late on the cat, they were already at the emergency room when I received the message. And I predicted that they were going to do no diagnostics, they were going to give an anti-vomit medication, prophylactic antibiotics, recommend really low quality probiotics, and a prescription diet. What happened? Exactly that! Exactly. 100%. No deviation. Exactly that.
So the owner still has a cat that she brought home who pooped blood and she doesn’t know why. She asked me if she should push for an x-ray. And my answer was: do you need an x-ray to make yourself feel that everything is OK? Her answer was no. Had her answer been yes, I would’ve suggested that she got the x-ray.
Sometimes people go to the emergency room for reassurance.
To me that sounds really expensive.
The other three situations?
The bee sting?
The swelling stayed localized to the foot. We soaked in water with Epsom salt.
Did not even need to give Benadryl. Nope no Benadryl needed.
The blue cheese?
We laughed! And her dog has a happy belly. And a smile :-). And yes. The Internet said go to the emergency room. It’s cheese.
Worst case is the next day there will either be diarrhea or constipation. If I ate a whole package of cheese, I’d probably be constipated.
But some dogs might get diarrhea.
Bit the desiccant pack.
Didn’t even eat it? Not a big deal especially because it’s a big dog.
None of these are emergencies. They are all important. Don’t get me wrong. They are all important. But not worthy of a $600 or more emergency room visit.
Why did I help everybody? Multiple reasons. They are all current clients. They are also members in my $25 a month membership club. I know each of those animals. The monthly membership is meant for animals that I at least have some familiarity with. And it’s meant to keep people out of the emergency room. So people can text and ask for help.
And if we need an emergency room visit, I send them.
Last weekend we had the girl who was hit by a car. She went to the emergency room. She’s also had some complications because of the incident, which surprisingly has affected her pancreas and her gallbladder. I absolutely sent her for more diagnostics.
There IS a time when the emergency room is right, but there is also a time when you’re just wasting money.
And just a reminder. 30% or more of pet urgent care and emergency room facilities in the United States are owned by Mars the candy bar company. That’s right. The same company who owns Banfield, VCA, Blue Pearl, and Tampa Bay veterinary specialists. This is not limited to Tampa Bay or Florida! I’m talking nationally here – 30% are owned by big business.
Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.