Complaint Review: University Of Tennessee Teaching Hospital

I wanted to respond to what you said. I know it is very expensive to take care of rabbits because I have six of them. I have had to take two of them to the vet over fungal infections and stuff like that, so trust me I know how expensive it can be. I have went to a vet's office located across the road from Food City on North Roan Street before-they are good with rabbits. My rabbits are probably about 5-6 years old, all of them. The vet I took Stripe to that you wanted to know about was located on the Elizabethton HWY. I can't remember the name of the vet but I am sure you have passed it sometime. This vet's office is in a trailer that sets off of the road-it is right before you get to the stop sign up the road. My rabbit's foot was swollen at the joint and was leaning to the side like it was out of socket. She said that they could treat my rabbit cheaper than she could. She called the University of Tennesse for us because she said we had to have a referrel and set up the appointment to take Stripe. Okay, I got there the next day, which was a Saturday. Usually, UT is not open on Saturday; they just so happen be that Saturday for some special occasion about shots. When the vet saw my rabbit, he told me he had to do some tests and x-rays on her foot-that was fine with me. He told me by looking at her foot it would probably have to come off and if he amputated her foot it would Monday or Tuesday, which was about 2-3 days from the time I left her on Saturday. He told me it would cost about $700-$800 to amputate her foot. I told him if the foot had to come off go ahead and do it. They had to drain her foot, of course, because it was so swollen and I didn't have a problem with that. This is what changed my mind about them. He called me on Sunday and told me Stripe had osteoarthritis in her joint and the foot was dead and had to come off. Then his story changed to-he couldn't do the amputation for about 2 weeks and the bill would run me about $2,000-$3,000 dollars. He continued to tell me that they would have to also drain her foot everyday up until they amputate. From the time I left Sripe there on Saturday, until I picked her up on Sunday, my vet bill was already close to $600-$700. In my opinion, that is just outrageous for 1 1/2 days. He told me the day before, which was Saturday, that he would amputate her foot around Monday or Tuesday. This vet told me that Stripe's infection was systemic. Now why would he want to wait about 2 weeks to take her foot off when she has a systemic infection. I told him on the phone that I would be there to get my rabbit on Monday, which I did. I finally found a vet in Johnson City (Banfield) and explained the situation. I set up an appointment the same day I picked stripe up from UT. This vet immediately set up to amputate her foot the next day because I had the medical report from UT with me and she knew it was an emergency. This vet told me her foot needed to come off immediately because of the systemic infection. This vet done the amputation and my rabbit is fine. I will never take another one of my animals down there. My rabbit probably would have died from a systemic infection if she would have been left there. UT did not impress me, not one bit- and never will. Well anyway, it was nice to meet you! I think that is neat that you don't live that far away.

Steph,

I am sorry for your loss. I Live in Unicoi and raise rabbits, It is very hard to find a qualified Vet to take care of rabbits in this area. I would like to know what vet told you they could not do anything for your rabbit. Why did they send you to Knoxville? A swollen Joint can be taken care of right here in the Tri. i.e. Johnson City not far from you. As far a U.T. Teaching Hospital, I have used them a lot in caring for my rabbits. They are very qualified and ethical people there. The reason the Vet was draining your rabbits foot was to get ot and check for bactera before amputation. Sounds like he may have been wanting to save your rabbits foot. The big question here is why did your vet make you go to Knoxville? Ether way you need to understand owning a rabbit is very expensive when they get sick due to a rabbit being a exotic animal. There is only one Vet in Johnson City that will see rabbits an they are not familiar with all things about rabbits...The best place you went to you left and that was UT Teaching Hospital.....Try this ask your vet if you give Amoxicillin to a rabbit......

My rabbit, Stripe, had a swollen joint and I needed to get her looked at. I took her to a local vet and the vet said that she couldn't do anything for Stripe's foot and told me I needed to take my rabbit to The University of Tennesse Veterinary Teaching Hospital because they might could save her leg and it would be a lot cheaper. The vet called them and got an estimate of $300-500. So the next day I took her the UT Teaching Hospital in Knoxville. When the vet saw Stripe, he told me that the leg would probably have to come off, and if he amputated it, it would be on that Monday or Tuesday. Well the vet called me Sunday(the next morning) and was telling me that my rabbit didn't really have much of a chance to live and give her a poor prognosis. She had an abscess in the joint of her foot (osteoarthritis). He told me that if he done the amputation that it would be about two weeks later because he had to keep draining the abscess from her joint. Then he proceeded to tell me that it would cost around $2,000. He told me Saturday when I got there with my rabbit that he would amputate her foot on Monday or Tuesday if her foot had to be amputated. That doesn't make any sense to me if a vet was going to amputate a foot why they would have to keep flushing the abscess out and leave the foot on. I told him that I was coming to get my rabbit on Monday. When I picked up my rabbit on Monday(I got there before they opened, so they didn't do any kind of treatment on her that day) and went to check out, my bill came to $646.24 just for my rabbit being there a day and a half. Then I got a bill on December 18 for another $44.00. So my total bill there, just for a day and a half, was over $700.00. I brought my rabbit back to a vet here and had her foot amputated the next day and it only cost me a total of $560.00, and she even spent the night at the vet. Needless to say, I wrote a check to the University of Tennessee for the amount and I cancelled it when I got home. They got $200.00 because I had to pay a deposit that Saturday. To me that is just ripping somebody off. They were just trying to make more money off of me when the vet said he needed to keep flushing her foot for two weeks before he amputated it- what a bunch of hog wash! He told me when I took her down there that he would amputate her foot on that Monday or Tuesday then it changed to two weeks. This hospital would have killed my rabbit if I would have left her there. The infection was already starting to spread into her system when I had her foot removed. Luckly, the infection spread down her foot instead of up her foot. If I would have left my rabbit down there for the two weeks, the infection would have spread through her whole body. Trust me, don't take your animal here! The vet I took my rabbit to that referred me down there said they had a good exotic's department but talked like the other animal deparments were not so hot. This vet told me she graduated from there. The vet told me she knew somebody that had taken their dog there and it died. I just don't want anybody getting ripped off by them or thier animals dying in their care. I wasted another $80.00 in gas just driving down there. I will never in my life take another one of my animals here! Steph Piney Flats, Tennessee
U.S.A.