Is this a naughty thing to do (vet)???

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wench

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To cut a long story short, horse had an xray last Thursday on leg, and vet wanted to get him in for operation.

I spoke to a vet nurse about how much it was going to cost (for insurance), and that I would ring them back when I had thought about it, to book him in, and sort out transport. I didn't ring them back that day.

Then on Friday, I got a call from YO saying that vets had rung him up, wanting to know where my horse was, as he was due in for the operation. He then sorted out transport etc and horse was at the vets. Never in all of this time did the vet ring me to see if I wanted it doing.

Should the vet have rung me first? I am rather annoyed they have taken my horse in for the op without consulting me first (not mad/blaming YO, he was doing what he though was best), bearing in mind I was contactable, they never tried ringing me, and the op is most certainly not a matter of life or death.
 
As far as I am concerned (I work in a small animal surgery) you need to have a signed consent form for any surgical procedure. Not by law (as far as I'm aware) but more to cover the vet's arse if something goes wrong!

I would be VERY annoyed!!!!! In fact, I think that is awful! Could there have been a mis-communication between vet and nurse?
 
Who signed the consent form? You can't anethsetize an animal without written consent.

If you signed the consent forms at the time of the X Ray then it is possible that the vet thought he had the required permisison to continue. But if there was no consent form signed I would have very serious concerns and possibly think about calling the RCVS for advice. Operating on an animal without written consent is a very serious matter.
 
WOW that is bad I would be livid!! I know most yards need consent from the owner to do any vetinary care needed if the owner can't be contacted was this the case?
 
Bloody hell - I'd be incandecant.

When was the first you heard of this - please say it wasn't when the horse was on the table????

And why on earth didn't the YO just refer them directly to you??
 
What????

The vet takes your horse in, after arranging it with your YO, and you, despite being contactable, are not in the loop???

Unless it was life or death situation and they saved my horse, I cannot type the words that reflect what I would be saying/feeling....!
 
Call me a cynic, but I can't help feeling there is more to this story!

The fault is surely with the YO for letting OP horse go without checking, and I can't believe no consent form was signed.

I smell a kipper :)
 
Seems very strange, and I would certainly be furious if this did happen. My vets ask for a signed consent form for even sedation, and in the reverse of the OPs situation, when our pony was on loan and fractured her leg, the loaners vet wouldn't even x ray until she had spoken to me, despite the fact the loaner had a full loan agreement in her possession.
Another thought, as the operation was apparently non urgent, why did the vet choose to do it on a Friday, which meant the subsequent recovery would be over a weekend, which presumably meant less staff.
 
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There must be more to this story. I have never heard of a vet sorting out transport for an owner, and of course they can't operate without a consent form.
Edited to say, I'm not sure if you're saying that your YO organised the transport? In which case they would need shooting.
But nothing about this sounds quite right.
 
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OK, then get some legal advice because a) your vet has carried out an operation on your horse without a legally signed consent form. And b) your YO has transported your horse without your knowledge or consent (or a passport?).
 
Did anyone sign a consent form (eg YO). If not, I would SERIOUSLY consider speaking to the RCVS for advice on this matter.

IMO the situation is very serious!
 
spoken to RVCS advice line - not much they can do about it. You don't need a consent form, if someone (ie me or YO agreed to operation) then they can go ahead and do it. (YO didnt transport horse, local transporter did with passport - this is not the issue!)
 
Well, who consented to the operation? The only circumstances in which my YO can consent to veterinary treatment for my horses is if they are considered to be in urgent need of medical attention or suffering.
Were you intending to go ahead and pay for him to be operated on? I see that the problem was a broken splint bone. Did you have the option of doing nothing?
 
wench said:
spoken to RVCS advice line - not much they can do about it. You don't need a consent form, if someone (ie me or YO agreed to operation) then they can go ahead and do it. (YO didnt transport horse, local transporter did with passport - this is not the issue!)
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Wench, can you give us an exact breakdown of events and timelines??
 
Yes, this is a bit like a drip feed LOL!
For example, what have your YO and vet said when you contacted them and asked why they acted in this way?
 
Horse xrayed on Thursday - veterinary nurse rang me later on that day saying "the gold star" treatment for it would be to get him in and clean it all out. However horse vet doesnt work Mondays.

I then said I would have to ring them back to get him booked in, sort out insurance, and sort out transport etc. Cant remember or not if I said I needed to think about it.

Horse was eating quite happily, certainly didnt look like his leg was going to drop off.

YO got a phone call Friday saying where is horse, he was booked in for op today.
 
Tinypony said:
Were you intending to go ahead and pay for him to be operated on? I see that the problem was a broken splint bone. Did you have the option of doing nothing?
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This makes alot of difference. If you were intending to go ahead with the surgery and the RCVS say there is nothing you can do, i suppose your only option is to vote with your feet and move (and write a strongly worded letter to your vet stating why!) I would also consider moving yards!

However, if you were NOT going to go ahead with the surgery as Amymay says, it would be better if we had more specific details since you should be entitled to some sort of comeback against the vet.
 
wench said:
Horse xrayed on Thursday - veterinary nurse rang me later on that day saying "the gold star" treatment for it would be to get him in and clean it all out. However horse vet doesnt work Mondays.

I then said I would have to ring them back to get him booked in, sort out insurance, and sort out transport etc. Cant remember or not if I said I needed to think about it.

Horse was eating quite happily, certainly didnt look like his leg was going to drop off.

YO got a phone call Friday saying where is horse, he was booked in for op today.
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Yes, we get all that - but what exactly happened after the YO got the call.
 
Who arranged the transport?
Who put horse on lorry?
Who gave consent for the op?
Have you spoken to vets and what was their version?
 
Shay said:
Who signed the consent form? You can't anethsetize an animal without written consent.

If you signed the consent forms at the time of the X Ray then it is possible that the vet thought he had the required permisison to continue. But if there was no consent form signed I would have very serious concerns and possibly think about calling the RCVS for advice. Operating on an animal without written consent is a very serious matter.
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This!

(except it won't be enough letters...)
 
I think what most people most concerned about is the lack of info re: consent form.

Have you contacted vet to find out who signed it?
 
Confused.com.

OK - When the vets called to say where is he.......YO arranged for him to go to the surgery. The CRUCIAL point for me is:

* after he was taken to the vets, were you made aware of the impending operation BEFORE or AFTER the op had happened.

ie did you at ANY point before the op give consent??
 
why didnt your YO ring you?

did YO think you would have forgotten to something quite so large/important as your horse going in for surgery :confused:
 
MontyandZoom said:
* after he was taken to the vets, were you made aware of the impending operation BEFORE or AFTER the op had happened.

ie did you at ANY point before the op give consent??
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I rang the vets as soon as I found out he was going in and asked when it was due to be done.
 
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