On Saturday mid night, after I reached home, I noticed one of my 3 weeks old pups is having difficulty in breathing. Since it's mid night and there's no way I can bring it to my vet to have it checked, I waited until Sunday morning.
At the Vet's place, at first the doc diagnosed that my pup is having constipation and administered enema to ease its faeces passing and told me it'll take around 3 hours for it to be effective. Fine, I brought him back home and waited for two and a half hours but still no passing and it is still having breathing difficulty. Brought him back to the clinic, and our vet said it might be something else already if it's not constipation. He suggested putting him into an oxygen tent and will monitor how he is after half an hour and we went back home.
Half an hour has passed, the vet called us and informed us that inside the oxygen tank, he's breathing normally and once taken out, the heavy heaving comes back. I knew something was amiss when he said that and he said he'll take an x-ray to see what is wrong.
We went back to the clinic after the call and consulted the vet; one of the worst things has come true. My pup had asphyxiation pneumonia and because they are about to call it a day, they would not be able to provide the oxygen therapy. I then asked for any recommendations on clinics that is opened 24 hours because I have vowed not to lose any of my pups and I will not give up any hope in saving him.
He recommended the Brickfields Vet Clinic which is "theoretically" opened 24 hours where by during the night, there will be a person to overlook the well being of the pets under their care. I asked my vet to call up the vet over in Brickfields and tell them our situation and we're going there now. After the call has been made, which I assumed he knows that it's an emergency since it is asphyxiation pneumonia, got Brickfields' number and Vet's name, we quickly sprang into action.
When we reached there, there's a family with one cat or a pair of it waiting for consultation. Whilst I was standing there for 2-3 minutes, one vet asked "Eh? You're the one with the pup right?", I replied "Yes" and he asked me to wait while another vet coaxed the family into the consultation room. I was fuming at that point because it is an EMERGENCY for god's sake. We need that oxygen tent!!! All the while, since Saturday mid night, my pup has been making sound as if he's in agony and yet what is being done when we reached there?!?!
5 minutes have passed and out of the sudden, my pup started trembling and water bubbles which are white in color and white liquid started to flow out of my pup's nose. I assume that is the milk inside the lungs since my vet said it might be milk as he drank too fast and the milk entered the lungs. That's why it has asphyxiation pneumonia. "We have an emergency here!!!", I shouted and the vet that asked me the question earlier, came to me and have a look at the pup, went to the consultation room and talked to the other vet and deliberated for at least another 30 seconds and finally asked the family with cats to let us use the room first..
By then, it is too late already. My pup is slowly giving up and by the time we entered the room and placed him on the table, he's left us.
What kind of vet is this? Is a normal consultation more important than an emergency that needs quick attention? Personally, I think my pup needs only the oxygen tank for it to breathe and because of the lack of urgency and "Sikap Tidak Apa" cost me my pup's life. I would think that with that oxygen tent at the instance I entered the clinic; I would still have him playing with his littermates.
You want to say it's already cannot be saved? Screw this. The following Wednesday itself, another pup was down with the same symptom and we only notice it after we got back from work. During the day, we have another person to take care of the pups for us and she said there's nothing wrong and was feeding well. That evening, when I tried to coax him to drink from its mother, it refuses to do so. The next day itself, my partner took emergency leave and brought him to the same vet we've been seeing all the while and the first thing he did was to put him in oxygen tent and administered antibiotic. Every night we have to bring him back since it is closed at night and every morning we will bring him in for oxygen therapy for the whole day until night time. From Thursday until Saturday, we have been doing the same routine everyday and this pup has been saved.
So what does that vet in Brickfields have to say about this? Time and tide waits for no man and in an emergency every seconds count and what did that vet do? NULL, zero, nothing!!!

Looks like a really bad experience, maybe they are not professional enough. I remember when I was at Segar vet hospital, a dog that had difficulty breathing was able to jump all the queue and get in 1st, that should be the way its done. However i think vets will always charge extra for emergency like if you have to cut queue etc.

On another note, this happens to humans too... there was this lady fainting at the clinic I went to, but they didnt let her go in 1st either...force her to register n all tat, then do the card n all only let her in.

Sorry for your loss, I think most vets do take things too lightly.

bah.. f**k it. they're banned from my list and i'll make sure to tell anyone who asked me which vet to go.

I was utterly crushed, destroyed to f**k them up at that time.

Ban notice taken! I will not let such vets go unpunished. Trust me, the local pet community will know about this dastardly behaviour!!! >_< GRRR.

I feel for you, Nairud. Rest in peace.

This post has been edited by Suet: May 23 2006, 01:09 PM

Not just this forum only that i've posted this thing. They'll get their due credit when the words spreads out.

Nairud, i know what frus you've been through coz my cousin had a sick rabbit (diarrhea) once that waited too long in the clinic only to be handed in and she was told to call up and come to the vet the following morning. They then told her the bad news that her rabbit died in the night. We didn't know whether the rabbit was killed during treatment or some other reason (vet said the rabbit died of complications ) but my cousin was crying all day when she heard that. At first i didn't want to share but it's time to let them realise how crucial it is to sensibly prioritise emergency cases like this

Mine is diff from yours. I am being recommended by other vet and they know it's an emergency while yours is not an "emergency" since you waited in line (as in, the vet didnt know your case earlier)

Nairud,
You've probably let your first vet know about this right. Just so then won't recommend this vet for emergency cases no more.

I think in singapore you can sue the vet for this kind of issue, dunno here can or not though...

Sorry for your loss ...

bloody hell..
I'll burn that damn clinic,bloody f***k**g vet!
how can he not attend to an emergency?


This post has been edited by Tainted: May 23 2006, 06:08 PM

So sorry for your lost. If you wanted an emergency vet hospital, it should have been Animal Medical Center.... happened to my dog once, emergency case and they were very fast at acting.. They have vets on standby for cases every night.

Brickfield's vet is just a clinic, not a hospital so from my dad's point of view, they do not have the facilities to treat emergencies....

Really feel very sad. Do update on the other pups. You take care.

eh, can we really sue them?

LOL for malpractice. Should be an emergency but they did not treat it that way. You can even dredge up the witnesses there that night!