BY JOANNE ZAHN | TRUCKEE
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, between 6:30 and 7 p.m., I returned home to find our cat suffering extreme and violent seizures. I called your office and your outgoing voicemail referred a local number to call for emergency services. I then got an operator who referred me to an emergency service south of Reno. I couldn’t believe that this was my only option, so I called all the other local vets and was given the same “local” number that, again, referred me to Reno.
I traveled 45 minutes to South Reno with my suffering, seizured cat lying in the back seat. The doctor immediately administered Valium, and Reggie calmed down. He advised that it was most likely a brain tumor, and added that the outcome would not be good. I didn’t opt for further testing for something that Reggie would probably not come out of, after seizing for so long. He was euthanized quickly after the doctor’s diagnosis.
I am angered that my cat had to suffer for almost two hours and, in addition, have the added stress of a long car trip because Truckee has “no veterinarians on call” at 7 p.m.
We have come to find out that we are not the only victims of this situation, as many locals have driven the long, stressful drive to South Reno with a suffering pet to see a doctor that they’ve never met and who will ultimately make life or death decisions.
We give pause with the thought of having another treasured animal that may suffer from the lack of on-call emergency services in Truckee. I am thinking that it may be more beneficial to our animal to engage with veterinary services in northwest Reno, particularly an office that supports emergency services after 5 p.m.
In addition, I strongly advise veterinary hospitals edit the array of Truckee doctors’ veterinary emergency business cards displayed on lobby counters by clearly printing their “emergency hours.” Rather than misleading clients, they should be advised, and have the right to know, that emergency services are non-existent after 5 p.m.
It may not be in vets’ best interest to include “after hours” emergency services in their business plan; however, I am writing this letter with the hope that vets revisit their ethics and how they want to grow and retain business with locals. As a client, they let our cat down — and us.
