First of all, I am so sorry for the loss of Autumn C's furry family member.
The loss of a pet is such a difficult time and my job is to make it easier; a job which I failed miserably to do on this occasion. For this I am terribly sorry.
I had a personal emergency that prevented me from keeping the appointment, and I notified the family just as soon as I was able to contact them. This was, unfortunately, 30 minutes prior to the appointment time. On Sunday, this was the best I could do- I realize that 'my best', on this particular day, was not very good at all.
I never spoke to Autumn C directly, but I did talk with her husband on several occasions. This may be why there are a number of inaccuracies in her statement. I would like to clarify.
I received the C family's message on Thursday morning & made a note to call them back that day. I believe the call was diverted to voicemail at the same time as another client I'd been trying to reach called me back; I took the incoming call. At this time I wish I had made a note to try the number again, but I didn't remember to do so until later that evening when I was preparing my agenda for the following day. It was too late to call at that time, therefore I called on Friday, which was the following day.
When I spoke to Autumn C's husband (Mr. C) on Friday, we talked about their family pet's diagnosis & her quality of life. I listened to Mr. C's concerns about the specific disease, which was of the respiratory system, and how he did not want to wait too long (and have his pet enter in to an emergency situation where she struggled to breathe or became scared) or make the decision too early. He was having trouble determining when that would be, as his pet was 'doing alright' for now, but wouldn't improve. As we were talking I offered to send him a few articles that I thought would be helpful via email, which I did just as we were done talking. I know I asked him if he'd had to euthanize a pet before, and I do not recall if he said yes or no. If he said yes, I would have asked if he had any questions about the procedure, which I would have answered at that time. and if he said no, I would have explained each of the steps from physical exam thru the final injection & aftercare. We then discussed the location of the appointment. Mr. C needed to talk to his wife (whom I believe was at work) about this & determine if his pet would be happiest at home or at his mother in laws home. He planned to let me know the following day, after speaking with Mrs. C. I reassured Mr. C that he was handling the situation appropriately, telling him it sounded to me as if he 'had a good head on his shoulders' with respect to the pet's welfare. He wasn't sure that it was the right time yet, he indicated it could be days or weeks, but we spoke again about it being better to schedule a day early than a moment too late.
Mr. C responded to my email around 5pm on Saturday with the new address for our appointment, then called to make sure I received it. I confirmed that I had.
It was so unfortunate that I had a personal emergency on Sunday that prevented me from keeping the appointment. I sustained an injury which left me without the use of my dominant hand, which I require to give injections.
I called Mr. C to let him know as soon as it happened. I felt terrible that it was so close to the appointment time but it was unavoidable. I did not call Mr. C back the following day as I had stated I would as he & Mrs. C had already been in contact with the president of our company to complain about the day before, which I understood. Dr. Dani indicated to me the pet had already been euthanized. I sent Mr. & Mrs. C a sympathy card & pet loss booklet as soon as I was able to write again.
I am deeply sorry for their loss & would have done anything I could to help them.
I have decided to implement three changes in my practice to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Beginning December 2014 & will be using the support center (a carefully selected group of highly trained individuals) to answer my business phone & schedule appointments. All calls will be answered by a knowledgeable person, eliminating the possibility for an owner to slip thru the cracks of voicemail. The second plan of action is to begin searching for a part-time associate veterinarian; I've been on call 24/7 since early 2012, and I need a back up plan for appointments that doesn't involve re-scheduling. Finally, on a weekly basis I will be providing specific times for owners to pick up their pet's ashes from the cremation center. As much as I would like to continue personally delivering each pet's ashes back to their owners, seeing that each made it home safely, I realize that my practice has grown to the point where I can no longer offer this as part of my service. Owner's can come pick up their pet's remains when it is convenient for them or make other arrangements thru the crematorium.
In closing, I could not be more apologetic to the C family for being unable to keep their appointment. I hope that one day soon, they can see past their anger towards me and grieve for the loss of their beloved pet, may she rest in peace.
by Dr. Sara Fletcher, DVM
xxx.xxx.21.35
March 30, 2015
