Can I sue the veteran??

Question

I took My pet bunny in to an emergency vet, because his head was tilting and his p**p was irregular and he was developing a kind of large bump on his neck. Well we took him in and the vet said it was an absest and he gave us medicine, 3 days later my bunny dies(he was only 2). so i left a message to the vet, and he calls back saying i could of been an intestinal problem. The vet Didn't have a clue of what he was doing. Now i know some of you are gonna say he is only human and they do make mistakes. But you don't pay as much as i did to save my pet(who was in pain) to have it die 3 days later. If he didn't know he could of just sent me elsewhere :( Please all i want to know is it possible i have a case.

Answer 1

Veterans should not be trying to cure your bunny.  They don't know anything about medicine.

Answer 2

That really depends on what you signed as well as what your vet offered you.

Did you sign something releasing him from responsibility?

If you did then you have no case.

Did they offer any tests you refused?

If you refused tests then it is your own fault.

Did you get an autopsy to find out exactly what the cause was so that you have proof?  

If you didn't get an autopsy done on the animal then you have no proof that the vet was wrong.

Answer 3

I'm very sorry to hear your rabbit passed on, it can be worse than losing a human friend. Unfortunately, the answer to your question is probably not...malpractice is hard to prove even in humans.

You would have to prove that he was negligient in a manner that clearly resulted in the death of your rabbit. For example, he was drunk at the time and injected your rabbit with something totally unrelated to your rabbits illness. Since your rabbit was already seriously ill, you'll have a very hard time proving that he was at fault. I had a rabbit, and it died from a malignant tumor that originated in its neck. This is pretty common for rabbits, unfortunately.

One thing you can do is consult your state veterinary medicine licensing board, and they may be able to tell you if he has a history of malpractice charges. I know this information is available for medical doctors, but it's a matter of your state's laws.

If there is a pattern of malpractice, it may make your case more appealing to any attorney considering taking your case. That said, if you're serious about pursuing a lawsuit, you need to consult an attorney, as they will have the most knowledge of your state's laws regarding this issue.

If you do decide to sue over this, you may end up spending a huge amount of money. I'd recommend giving yourself a proper amount of time to grieve, then buy another rabbit and find a new veteranarian.

Again, sorry to hear about your rabbit. The death of a beloved pet is a very hard thing to deal with.

Below are some llinks about veterinary malpractice with instructions on what to do:

http://judymyers.tripod.com/tfaq.html

http://www.animallaw.info/articles/qvusv...

http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display...

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/vet_mal....