<Sigh> How many times have I written about them, and how many times have I turned it down. I know—not every ugly thing that happened to you must be published. Could it be part of my experience, as what journalling is all about? But must it be private? Or is it just the typical me who loves to share happenings in my life? But for now, I need some advice. The blame was on me. They were all pointing at me. Here’s the story:
A five-time unpleasant thing happened to me that I was to be blamed for. I was the submissive. Anything for the dogs—I was so down for it. Am I that naive or embarrassed that I shouldn’t own a dog in the first place if money was the problem? Yes, you heard it right. Most of our complaints and issues were about money after all.
At the first incident, Molly, the German Shepherd, was having water retention. My father, who was the original owner of our GSD, summoned me to take Molly to a vet. I’ll make a brief summary of every incident; I don’t want to make it long and dramatic.
Inside, the vet was convenient—no queue and air-conditioned. We were assisted fast and nicely. Okay, now listen. I am not against any doctors, but we were unfortunate with this one.
The attending doctor was consulting a senior doctor in their clinic. That doctor on the phone was Molly’s original doctor, PVC (Primary Care Vet), who attended her before. I know nobody’s perfect, especially when they’re in practice—probably a fresh graduate or recently licensed.
The doctor couldn’t determine what made her bloated. Could it be blood? Urine? Food? Or just water? The doctor failed to grab a sample from the paracentesis process. So I was so stupid and didn’t know how to talk well (bad side of awkward-weird-introverted me).
The doctor successfully convinced me to get an X-ray. The doctor analyzed that it was all water and then billed me for 4k or 3k, I guess. (I do not want to upload any pictures, even the receipts, for documentation or proof to avoid defamation. I just want to tell a story.)
I didn’t have enough money for such a hefty amount. I called my father, and he scolded me and frustrated with the entire situation. He withdrew money from a nearby ATM and asked for a discount because he was the owner and a senior. He successfully convinced them, and the doctor overrode the receipt. We were like, “They can price the process?” I don’t know, readers—please do tell me.
After a few weeks, it was quite upsetting to know that it really was just water because Molly’s PCV doctor did the paracentesis successfully. Just for an X-ray, we had reached that painful amount without yet her medication.
For Molly’s next visit, it was still pricey; it reached 4k due to medicines and a CBC that indicated high SGPT (liver). My father asked for a discount again, but it wasn’t granted this time because the long and fatiguing process of paracentesis was already free of charge. I don’t know with them; they used a small injection to suck the water out.
Courtesy of photo from this website. Vetoxhealthcare com
The second incident was at the same visit as the third. I happily messaged them about returning a box of Doxycycline. They had excessively given it out based on how many times Molly should take it.
Together with the third incident, both Molly and Mickey were there for the anti-rabies vaccine. Molly is turning one in a few months, but she wasn’t vaccinated for the first time. Mickey was for his booster. We were there for free—a gift for Christmas.
Her PCV doctor suggested on our attending doctor for taking the 8-in-1 shot, which could prevent Molly from leptospirosis, especially since we live in Metro Manila. So I said yes again and was convinced it was actually good, knowing GSD dogs are mouthful—they will put anything into their mouths. After that, we were asked to go back the next week for her anti-rabies shot.
Wait for the second incident—when we went home, just wait.
While in the waiting room, the doctor computed the amount of medicine we got a few months ago against what was written on an old receipt—they wronged me. Instead of being a good Samaritan for returning excessive medication, the tables were turned against me for having a debt with them. AKO PA ANG NAGKAUTANG, T*NGIN*. XD
I was there for a free anti-rabies vaccine, and now I paid for the 8-in-1 vaccine and paid the debt they suddenly came up with.
How was the calculation? The prescription was for 60 tablets. The computation should have been per tablet, but the doctor misread the box as 10 tablets per box, so I got 3 for first 30 tablets. I've completed this prescription of 60 and it turn out one box left as unused. Instead of receiving money back, it turned out to be so expensive per tablet.
Our first receipt for 3 boxes was ₱750 per tablet, which they gave me initially. Now, when I returned one box, it turns out 60 tablets for 2 boxes cost ₱1,500. You see, I was short ₱750 months ago. What if I hadn’t brought my wallet for the sudden debt and the additional 8-in-1 vaccine? From my perspective, it’s not my fault, and I had the right not to pay it because it was already written and signed by them. I agree with my father.
And now, when we went home, here’s the BLAMEEEE. I was wrong again. They insulted me for being manipulated, naive, stupid, weak... "mahina". Okay!?
The second incident was the vaccine. Yes, the explanation here is that they are doctors—they should’ve known that a rabies vaccine is more pivotal as a priority than any other vaccine. The logic here is: what if Molly suddenly encountered a rabid creature—probably a cat—which can jump from wall to wall or from our gate and on the way home? It can’t wait another seven days for her shot. She could possibly die.
My father said, “Para lang may benta ngayon.” He even fumed badly when he found out about the Doxycycline incident. He insisted that they should not have made me pay for the lacking amount the doctor demanded.
You know why? IT WAS ON A RECEIPT FROM A FEW MONTHS AGO. Then I suddenly realized he was right. It’s not my fault that the doctor made a mistake in giving out the medication and on our receipt. It was already written. It was filed in the monthly reports. It had doctor's signature before it was handed over to me—a certified document, true and irreversible. (Sigh.) All of my opinions will be in the last paragraph.
For the fourth and fifth time, hoping that it would be the last, I was planning to take Molly to a vet due to her diarrhea—her tummy issue again. I came first and talked to the attendant who assists dogs while the doctors do their work. I told him that we would be there later when there was no queue. He agreed with me and said, it would be less inconvenient for us.
So around 11 or 12 a.m., my brother took Molly out and went back so quickly with frustration. He told me that there was an additional 600 pesos emergency-time fee—and it was their graveyard shift. He also told me that they were given an exact price without even initiating the consultation. He fumed out his frustration.
So I tried to get some sleep, and I even ignored everything—ignoring even Molly’s concerning behavior. I was told by the price and suddenly convinced by my father and myself to go out and bring her. Same situation: I was given a price—600 for emergency time, 1,500 for CBC, and 1,000 for GIA.
I surrendered to the price, but I told the doctor, “Wala pa tayong magagawa diyan?” I wasn’t clearly sure what I said before, but the doctor said there was. I almost agreed to the GIA, which would cost an additional 1k for nothing, and thank God he didn’t insist on having this test done for Molly.
Thank God there is available internet nowadays—you know why? GIA-positive is viral, and if Molly has it, Mickey could have it as well. Researched by my brother.
While waiting for the medicines and the receipt, her doctor came down after surgery. It suspected other diseases aside from her history of having high SGPT. Molly was showing signs of pacing—she was swaying left and right. Her doctor added new medication, like a heart supplement, to our bill. The doctor said she might have heart problems if the liver results were good for now. Molly had been pooing water for a week and I thought of it as a good sign because her water retention reduced so perfectly.
And now, I paid everything with small amounts of medication so that we wouldn’t run out of funds.
Okay, now here’s our frustration. Ugh!
If you’re going to ask me truthfully, I don’t care about every expense that was made—except for that fucking Doxycycline. I just realized that it was so wrong to oblige me to their fault, their mismanagement. It was already signed, and that was already the receipt. It wasn’t my fault if the doctor failed to calculate everything on that paper. I was so frustrated at myself that I didn’t realize this instantly. I could have defended myself against it.
Take note that it wasn’t the cashier doing the receipts—it was the doctors. After writing everything on paper, we were told to pay at the cashier, then handed the receipt over the counter. I told you, they were the ones pricing and adjusting their services and products.
For the first incident, okay—probably it was your first time or your first year in practice—but it wasn’t fair either. Not just because we are the owners, we should really expect responsibility for what we planned like adopting. Most abandoned pets are neglected due to vet pricing. You guys were totally expensive, and I feel sorry for poor souls who were just given up by their owners.
I know you deserve good pay from your respected careers, but in every situation, we were unfortunate to be scheduled with you. I feel sad for less fortunate families who want to rescue strays or save their pets. It’s just so timely unfair. We’re tight too.
For the second incident, I already said earlier that I don’t know—readers, please educate me on this. Was my father right in making the anti-rabies vaccine a priority over any other vaccine? Because I think he was. His friend kept asking if Molly was given a shot, but it was always delayed due to her continuous medication.
I think I agree that the anti-rabies vaccine should be the first thing before the 8-in-1, because you see, this wasn’t about money at all. The other vaccines are essential too and could save us thousands of pesos and multiple medications that could harm her internal organs from too much medicine. I’m down with that. It’s even my expense, and not my father’s. So, if it weren’t for me, Molly wouldn’t have been given the 8-in-1 shot. I don’t know why they didn’t like it.
Lastly, for the fourth and fifth incidents, they could have helped their customers a little bit by reminding us of things beforehand. If it weren’t for the queue, I could have brought Molly quickly just to avoid the 600-peso emergency fee. They didn’t tell me.
And for the fifth, I’m sorry, doctor—you just suspected her with heart disease. From my perspective, I would prefer a proper diagnosis before additional treatments. It seemed to me that more tests should have been done before giving extra medication. Even the CBC didn’t indicate the need for your additional medication for her. My brother refused to let me complete her heart supplement dosage. Well since I believed on them, I bought some for few days and yes, I only went back to complete her antibiotics.
Here’s my final opinion. Readers, I am just a simple person like you who doesn’t have any medical background. This is purely our side and opinions, so please no hate—we’re all willing to be corrected. I own the mistake; it was totally on me—the debt, the additional vaccine—and I wasn’t even earning anything at all.
This poor GSD happened to be hated by everyone because they were shocked about how to raise a high-energy dog for the first time. I took her as my own, like I was the owner on paper. I bathe her, I clean her ears, I feed her, I cure her wounds, we sometimes walk and I, ONLY THE ONE, buy treats and toys for them. Our dogs, our lovable pets, and any other animals we care for—they don’t complain about their feelings to us unless it’s severe. We only see symptoms, so whatever the doctor says, of course, they’re knowledgeable in their chosen career. They’re licensed to do so; I really believed in them.
But there were instances when your own intuition or senses could detect anomalies from your experience and situation. These doctors don’t rely on what they don’t know. Like us, we rely on CBC results or other tests before making judgments about what’s going on. We even realized our own sickness and our own way of healing. For Molly’s case, I finally figured out what was causing her water retention and high SGPT. It was her poor behavior and eating habits.
I noticed rice-shaped pieces in her poop. Without my cousin’s expertise—he is also a doctor—we wouldn’t have known all of this. It’s a typical GSD behavior to eat excessively and play with their mouths. I know she had eaten insects before, which caused the white, rice-shaped worms—flatworms.
The bloating caused her high SGPT (liver). That was probably inflammation from being bloated or from the worms inside. And now, since the day we figured it out, we never went back for the same issue, and she never had diarrhea or water retention anymore.
To sum it all up, I just don’t like the way they could have helped us more instead of drilling us down, because these types of clinics are truly expensive.
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| Heading to a new vet clinic for her epileptic seizure as for second opinion. Decided by my father. Her repeatitive diarrhea had ended for a long time before we went here. |
We changed to another vet clinic with someone more senior in his career. He told us, “Mahina nga apat na libo diyan,” and “Yung iba uuwi na walang gamot kasi test pa lang, ubos na.” His clinic is like a simple home—no air-conditioning unit and not really looking like a clinic at all. He didn’t summon us for a CBC before giving prescriptions. His consultation fee is only 300 pesos. His Doxycycline tablets were 10 pesos each, while the some clinic charged 25 pesos each.
The best thing that our previous vet have is free consultation; no wonder it’s a bit expensive. The doctors, staffs, rent, and etc. I am not totally against them—just please, can you help us a little bit? Would that be too demanding to ask for?
Veterinarians are really expensive because they are few and private. It’s still a profitable business, and if it’s not owned by a doctor, hiring is a challenging one.
Once again, I wasn’t planning to write this and had already turned down one dramatic Facebook post about them. If it weren’t for the blame and insults at home, I wouldn’t feel bad at all. It’s for Molly, and I want to take care of her, so I hastily decided without the consent of the true owner and payor—my father. Well, the next time they will have violent reactions on our next appointment, I'm done. "Sila naman next time ng may experience sila mag-analyze."
Writing this won’t change anything, but maybe it’s a call for the government to finally establish at least one public veterinary hospital. A voice for the voiceless who are under the care of animal shelters operated through donations. And a little help for irresponsible fur parents who refuse to take pets in, even a bit.
From my business and investment career, what I learned for every loss in a way was always a "Charge to Experience."
A call for everyone—please, let’s help one another.
*Honestly, I want to write something and I want to keep on writing. This made me do it. Totally have given up on this but I just want to write. Don't want any harm but was totally a heck of an experience. We still went back to our old vet when Molly started new illness, an epileptic seizure. I realized that their lab test has a different company name. Could that be an additional expense?
Dear doctors, — still, thanks for your service.
If you see this story as potentially defamatory, I’d like to say it’s meant as feedback from a client’s perspective. I am not weak nor even naive so, don't blame me.
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