By Ruth aka Kattaddorra
This story was reported in our local newspaper ‘The Northern Echo’ today:
Darlington Pensioner’s Vet Bill
A frail pensioner has been left with a huge bill after an out-of-hours vet treated her cat when its tail jammed in a stair lift. Firefighters who dismantled the stair lift at Maisie Wilkinson’s Darlington home to free feline Tilly are now holding a whip-round to help out.
The 81-year-old, who lives alone and receives daily support from carers, was charged £753.56 by the Vets Now service. Her son Tony is angered at the size of the charge – which involved Tilly’s late night collection by a vet and overnight care. Next day she was transferred to the PDSA veterinary charity in Middlesbrough who amputated Tilly’s injured tail free of charge.
“I don’t know how they can justify the cost,” said Mr Wilkinson, 61. “All he did was give Tilly an injection and kept her overnight; the PDSA did the operation.”My mother is worried sick about it all and wants to pay it but she hasn’t got the money.”
His mother, recovering from near-fatal E-Coli contracted in July, said the whole ordeal – which happened shortly after 10pm on a Thursday night – left her shaken and upset. “It was terrible,” she said. “I was coming downstairs and Tilly ran upstairs when her tail got caught. “She was screaming and screaming; I didn’t know what to do.” Her son called the fire brigade who dismantled the stair lift to free Tilly, whose tail had almost been severed by the cogs. One of her carers spotted the fire engine outside and called in to comfort the pensioner during the hour-and-a-half ordeal.
Her son said he was warned that the Vets Now call-out charge would be around £300 but he was flabbergasted at the final cost. “At the time I didn’t feel like we had much choice; my mother was so upset and the cat was in so much pain, what else could we do?”
Richard White, district vet for Middlesbrough Vets Now who attended Tilly, said payment options and fees were “extensively” discussed with Mrs Wilkinson as Tilly needed hospitalisation and further treatment including IV fluids, pain relief and treatment for shock.
“Vets Now is a dedicated out of hours emergency and critical care provider and our treatment fees are representative of the high quality, out of hours treatment we provide,” he added. “Any out of hours emergency service will always come at a premium because of the expensive running costs”
Our clinics are fully staffed and fully equipped every night and weekend so that we can be there for pet owners in an emergency, when other vets are closed. In return for the fees we charge, pets receive a high standard of round-the-clock care; our vets and nurses are awake and on duty all night, and this is reflected in our consistently high levels of client satisfaction.”
Mrs Wilkinson said she will try to pay a small amount off the bill each month, adding that she had been touched by the kindness of the Darlington firemen together with her carers who are also holding a collection for her.
How can that emergency vets justify £300 for a call out? £453.56 for treatment?
I think this is outrageous!
There is still a real heart in the British people. It is what made us great. It is being eroded.
Today’s story:
KIND-HEARTED Northern Echo readers have stepped in to pay the £750 vet bill charged to pensioner Maisie Wilkinson whose cat’s tail got stuck in a stairlift.
Mrs Wilkinson’s ordeal featured on the front of The Northern Echo yesterday (Monday, September 2) and caught the attention of Pauline Wilson of the National Animal Sanctuaries Support League (NASSL) who contacted the paper to say the charity would foot the bill.
Another reader, Tony McMahon – the father of the former Middlesbrough player of the same name – also offered to help and arrangements are now being made between the two to pay Mrs Wilkinson’s £753.56 bill in full.
The delighted 81-year-old, of Darlington, said: “It is so nice of them; I would like to say a big thank you.
“It’s so unexpected and lovely that people care.”
Mrs Wilkinson was hit with the bill after an emergency vet from the Vets Now service was called to collect her cat Tilly who had caught its tail in a stairlift.
Tilly stayed in the surgery overnight before being transferred to the PDSA in Middlesbrough who amputated her tail.
Mrs Wilkinson’s son, Tony, said the offers to pay the bill had left him “gobsmacked
“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to get overtime at work to help my mum because she’s been so worried about paying it, so this is really good news and I’m so grateful.”
He added: “One thing’s for sure the cat won’t trap its tail in the stairlift again!”
Pauline Wilson of the Bristol-based (NASSL), which has an office in Newton Aycliffe and a sanctuary in Darlington, said helping animals and those who care for them is the charity’s objective.
She said: “This is an elderly lady who obviously loves her cat very much and they have both been through a very traumatic experience.
“Then to be hit with a hefty bill, with her poor health and at her time of life, is a sad thing.”
Mrs Wilson added: “In some respects Mr McMahon’s gesture far outweighs ours because we are an animal welfare charity but he is just an ordinary member of the public who wants to help.
“That sort of thing warms the cockles of your heart, I think it is lovely.”
Mrs Wilkinson told The Northern Echo that Tilly is recovering well from her ordeal and is adjusting to life without a tail
Michael, honestly i never have taken my cats to the vet for any major illness barring normal “Inoculations” which i have stopped now. My vet’s bills for cats have never exceeded more than 5 Pounds(Rs 500 at Max).
Don’t forget that Vets are still expensive in India compared to the salary and income of the average Indian.The sum of 700 Pounds(Rs 70,000) you quote for your cat “Charlie” could be the cost of a new 125cc motorcycle in Mumbai! Now this is what you call the difference in income between “First World” and the Developing World.Average hospitalisation charges for boarding/lodging of a cat could be approx Rs 300/day(3 Pounds approx) with medication charges extra.According to my assumption the cost of leaving your cat in the “S.P.C.A” hospital in Mumbai for medical care should not amount to more than Rs 500/Day(5 Pounds) which is a real luxury not affordable by a common pet owner.
Many people abandon their dogs at the animal hospital if the charges are exorbitant and hence the hospital charges a certain “DEPOSIT MONEY” when admitting a dog or cat as a patient.Michael,ultimately, pet ownership in any Country is a luxury,varying in charges and maintenance according to the Percapita income of that particular Country..
Yes most Brits are a generous nation and we know how valuable their pets companionship is to an old person.
This is a lovely story in these days of many old people being neglected through lack of NHS and social care, just look at the relief on Mrs Wilkinson’s face…..
This is disgusting – it’s the same here in Switzerland though – if you keep your cat overnight it costs the equivalent to 700 dollars – and that’s without any treatment. Just horrible. That’s why you need to get insurance I think. Its the only way to be secure this won’t happen. Having said that I still haven’t gotten insurance yet but I should.
Wow…the Brits are generous. It is a crazy idea but we should have an animal National Health Service (ANHS). If there is one for people why not for companion animals?