Not eaten for 12hrs - worry or not?

[Beau Belle]

Hello,

My Poppet passed away two weeks ago, and I made a formal complaint about what I felt was a lack of care and concern by the receptionist/nurse at the vets when I took my poorly bun in without having made a prior appointment (Poppet passed away shortly afterwards so my assessment of her condition as 'critical' was correct).

Today I received a letter from the practice manager, and it has greatly upset me. In the letter, the practice manager states that a rabbit who has not eaten for 12 hours (which wasn't the case by the way, we'd syringe-fed her) is not in an immediate life ending condition.

Is this correct? My understanding is that they *must* eat regularly? I feel very confused about this. I feel that they somehow deem me hysterical for insisting that she normally eats loads, and would only ever pass up an opportunity of treats due to being sick.

Further on, she shames me for not having opted for a necropsy - my immediate reaction was 'no' but I feel that must be my choice. In hindsight I might choose differently, but I was in shock - the vet had stated I'd see an improvement within the hour, so Poppet passing within 30mins was traumatic enough.

She then states that the receptionist in question is "quite possibly the kindest person I have ever met" - what kind of sycophantic BS is that?? I'd expect that from a mother or a partner (biased) but not from a practice manager handling a complaint.

I'm upset and confused. I don't know what to think.

 

[WillowAndBiscuit]

There are a couple of things I find wrong with her response and the first is that yes, you are correct in thinking that a bunny not eating for 12 hours is an emergency as they can pass away very quickly if they haven't eaten in 24 hours.

Secondly, she had absolutely no right to shame you about not getting a necropsy done as it is not something that must be done, and is personal choice and often to put the owners mind at ease. Also, I do believe that they cost a far amount of money (correct me if I'm wrong) and don't always even find the cause anyway.

Lastly, saying that the receptionist is "one of the nicest people I have met" is completely unprofessional and the sort of thing that you say between family, friends and colleagues, not when dealing with a formal complaint.

They sound very unprofessional and as if they are trying to make out that you are making it all up, which is not acceptable. They also sound like they have no idea what they are talking about as they pretty much said that a rabbit not eating for 12 hours is not that important, which most rabbit owners know is not true. I certainly wouldn't use their services again if I were you.

Also, I'm so sorry to hear of Poppet passing, especially in such circumstances. Binky free little girl x

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Hello,

My Poppet passed away two weeks ago, and I made a formal complaint about what I felt was a lack of care and concern by the receptionist/nurse at the vets when I took my poorly bun in without having made a prior appointment (Poppet passed away shortly afterwards so my assessment of her condition as 'critical' was correct).

Today I received a letter from the practice manager, and it has greatly upset me. In the letter, the practice manager states that a rabbit who has not eaten for 12 hours (which wasn't the case by the way, we'd syringe-fed her) is not in an immediate life ending condition.

Is this correct? My understanding is that they *must* eat regularly? I feel very confused about this. I feel that they somehow deem me hysterical for insisting that she normally eats loads, and would only ever pass up an opportunity of treats due to being sick. I would cetrainly expect it to be considered to be potentially very serious and dealt as 'urgent' until a Vet has examined the specific Rabbit.

Further on, she shames me for not having opted for a necropsy - my immediate reaction was 'no' but I feel that must be my choice. In hindsight I might choose differently, but I was in shock - the vet had stated I'd see an improvement within the hour, so Poppet passing within 30mins was traumatic enough.

She then states that the receptionist in question is "quite possibly the kindest person I have ever met" - what kind of sycophantic BS is that?? I'd expect that from a mother or a partner (biased) but not from a practice manager handling a complaint.

I'm upset and confused. I don't know what to think.

Unless the Practice Manager has examined a Rabbit who has been anorexic for 12 hours he/she wont have a clue if it is a 'life ending' condition or not. So on that basis alone her comment is both crass and wrong.

I obviously have not seen the letter and it's exact wording, but I dont doubt your description of it's contents and if I were you I'd write back asking for a face to face meeting with the Receptionist and the Practice Manager. This should have been offered by the PM as part of an 'In House' complaints procedure. If this is refused I'd contact the owner of the Practice (often a Vet in a small Practice) and/or the Head Vet. If it is within a large chain of Practices, then contact their Head Office.

The PM had no right to infer that you 'should' have opted for a necroscopy. That decision is an entirely personal one and frankly, none of the PMs bloody business.

 

[Sarahbun]

I'm sorry to hear what happened to Poppet, binky free little one.

The response you've had sounds unprofessional and inaccurate. If it helps here's a link to the 'guide to when it's an emergency' reviewed by the vet at the RWAF and you can see that they consider it an emergency if a rabbit has stopped eating.
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/reso...When your rabbit needs to see the vet now.pdf

In response to the comments about the receptionist I'd be inclined to respond (if that what you plan to do) along the lines of 'I note your comments about the receptionist being possibly the kindest person you have ever met', however I'm more concerned about the receptionist behaviour in a professional setting. She was presented with an owner who knew that their rabbit needed immediate veterinary care (and so was naturally distressed) but the receptionist response was to .....INSERT HERE WHAT HAPPENED'

Perhaps also consider reporting the vet practice to their professional body? The British Veterinary Association http://www.bva.co.uk/Contact-us/
as the response you've received indicates that they do not understand (with the comments about not eating not being an emergency I mean) about rabbit welfare.

xx

 

[biscandmatt1]

i think you have every right to be angry and upset, and you are correct about the not eating being serious. i'm so sorry you were let down when you desperately needed help. as someone else said, an emergency is not a normal thing you just plan for! if you were there waiting for them to open, then how could you have phoned first or anything anyway! and to be annoyed at you for getting the help you knew your pet needed is just terrible.

the vet nurse may be the nicest person they've ever met, but the fact is that you felt their annoyance at you and so they weren't so nice in that moment!

all this on top of your grief is just so wrong. hugs x

 

[Accrington1947]

Hello, sorry to hear your rabbit passed away I have 9 rabbits at the moment and I have had many problems over the past 20 years at one time I had 15 rabbits. I managed to solve a digestion problem by giving my rabbit zeolite. if you notice rabbits sometimes seek out soil or grit to eat when they have a problem. if you notice cats sometimes eat their litter from the litter trays because some cat litters contain zeolite. I suspect that not eating this is due sometimes to bacterial infection in the stomach or parasites. I had a very clever little rabbit who immediately went for the zeolite and was soon eating again. I also have a light therapy machine which was very expensive, but which I use on myself as well as my rabbits if they have digestive problems.

 

[daphnephoebe]

I'm very sorry you had such a heartless response from your vet practice. It was obviously a very distressing time as your rabbit had stopped eating and is rightly so an emergency situation.

You might, along with all the other advice also be able to seek the opinion of a exotic specialist who can confirm your situation was an emergency and should have been dealt with differently. x

 

[Beau Belle]

Hello All, many thanks for responses and helpful advice.

I will write back, using the well-written lines from you Sarahbun, and I'll ask for a meeting JJ - very good idea. I tried to upload pic of letter to photobucket, with little success. It's quite a lot, and she completely ignores my point about the receptionist saying I shouldn't have brought in Poppet - which was my main complaint.

Zeolite sounds like something I should have at home, thank you for suggesting Accrington1947. I've never heard of it before.

Thank you lovely people.

xx

 

[RosRWAF]

Hello,

My Poppet passed away two weeks ago, and I made a formal complaint about what I felt was a lack of care and concern by the receptionist/nurse at the vets when I took my poorly bun in without having made a prior appointment (Poppet passed away shortly afterwards so my assessment of her condition as 'critical' was correct).

Today I received a letter from the practice manager, and it has greatly upset me. In the letter, the practice manager states that a rabbit who has not eaten for 12 hours (which wasn't the case by the way, we'd syringe-fed her) is not in an immediate life ending condition.

Is this correct? My understanding is that they *must* eat regularly? I feel very confused about this. I feel that they somehow deem me hysterical for insisting that she normally eats loads, and would only ever pass up an opportunity of treats due to being sick.

Further on, she shames me for not having opted for a necropsy - my immediate reaction was 'no' but I feel that must be my choice. In hindsight I might choose differently, but I was in shock - the vet had stated I'd see an improvement within the hour, so Poppet passing within 30mins was traumatic enough.

She then states that the receptionist in question is "quite possibly the kindest person I have ever met" - what kind of sycophantic BS is that?? I'd expect that from a mother or a partner (biased) but not from a practice manager handling a complaint.

I'm upset and confused. I don't know what to think.

You've been treated very badly. You are completely correct that anorexia is an emergency and rabbits must be treated swiftly and appropriately.

Having already been contacted by the Practice Manager, you can bypass the step of complaining to the practice and go straight to the RCVS and make a complaint there. They will investigate fully and report back to you, and take any necessary action. How to proceed is explained here http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/what-you-need-to-know-first/ and here http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/ where there is a link to a complaint form download

 

[Jack's-Jane]

You've been treated very badly. You are completely correct that anorexia is an emergency and rabbits must be treated swiftly and appropriately.

Having already been contacted by the Practice Manager, you can bypass the step of complaining to the practice and go straight to the RCVS and make a complaint there. They will investigate fully and report back to you, and take any necessary action. How to proceed is explained here http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/what-you-need-to-know-first/ and here http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/i-want-to-raise-a-concern-about-a-veterinary-surgeon/ where there is a link to a complaint form download

Can we do that if the complaint is about a Receptionist rather than a Vet/VN ? I thought the RCVS had little if any control over Administrative staff ? Not that I have any need to make such a complaint ! Just unsure of who Governs what in this situation ?

 

[RosRWAF]

It looks like the practice manager is giving (inaccurate) veterinary advice so I would say so, yes.

In the letter, the practice manager states that a rabbit who has not eaten for 12 hours (which wasn't the case by the way, we'd syringe-fed her) is not in an immediate life ending condition.

The procedure normally would be to complain to the practice manager but that has been taken out of Beau Belle's hands by the practice manager jumping in first with his/her letter.

The practice as a whole, represented in this case by the practice manager has given very poor advice and that is the crux of the complaint with everything else being supporting evidence

 

[Jack's-Jane]

It looks like the practice manager is giving (inaccurate) veterinary advice so I would say so, yes. The procedure normally would be to complain to the practice manager but that has been taken out of Beau Belle's hands by the practice manager jumping in first with his/her letter.

The practice as a whole, represented in this case by the practice manager has given very poor advice and that is the crux of the complaint with everything else being supporting evidence

Thanks Ros

 

[MightyMax]

It looks like the practice manager is giving (inaccurate) veterinary advice so I would say so, yes. The procedure normally would be to complain to the practice manager but that has been taken out of Beau Belle's hands by the practice manager jumping in first with his/her letter.

The practice as a whole, represented in this case by the practice manager has given very poor advice and that is the crux of the complaint with everything else being supporting evidence

Excellent response Ros. Thanks so much for clarifying a difficult position.

 

[Beau Belle]

Thank you - I will do that x