med error at vet's office

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.

my dog (1yr old) was spayed on tuesday. over the weekend her eyes got cloudy, she acted like she couldn't see, banging her head into things. her hair was falling out and she seemed to have extra movements of her head and things of that nature. she had from the vet antibiotics: one pill every 12hrs for 10days and i had requested something for her itching and was given Ivercide: 3.5ml once a day for 7 days. thinking she was showing signs of neurotox, i held her meds untill she could be seen today...

...the vet acted like :chuckle oh...there's the problem... the Ivercide is supposed to be 0.5ml once a WEEK for seven WEEKS. very nonchalant.

that is a HUGE difference, yet the instructions were written plain as day on the bottle as i have told you here. i didn't make a big deal out of it as the dog doesn't act sick and the doc said the effects would wear off shortly.

However 1.) I AM PISSED!! and 2.) how do i prevent this from happening to me in the future? i have no way of knowing normal dosages for animal meds. am i supposed to only take orders from the doc? refuse to talk to kennel aides? (this girl was not a certified vetrinary technician) I don't know, it doesn't take a genious to take an order from the doc and write it on the lable for the client. she even said, (when i picked up the dog after surgery and the meds) sorry, all we have is a 3ml syringe and you need to give 3.5ml," to which i said something to the effect of "don't worry, i'll take care of it," point being that that is what she intended for me to do. quick math, my dog got 42 x the intended dose.

:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

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that is not cool...i am glad your dog is ok

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Oh my gosh! I would of flipped!!!

I would say something to someone...

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Yes, I think from now on, you should have the vet read/approve the RX in your presence, before you leave the clinic with it. You should be able to prevent any future med errors like that.

My dog has Epilepsy, and is on 2 kinds of seizure medications. I watch his meds, I know what they are giving me, but the initial diagnosis and prescription order was written by the vet. Refills are being done by the other office help.

But I am a nurse and I know pretty much what to watch for.

I would be PO'd if they gave me the wrong med and my dog was injured or suffered as a result.

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There has to be some accountability. Vets and vet techs are licensed just as MD's and RN's are. I'd report it.

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I'm just so glad your furkid is okay!!!

Yikes, I'm supposed to have my Gretchen spayed and her teeth cleaned next month. Now, I'm FREAKING OUT!! :uhoh21:

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I have two dogs that were treated at the vet for a skin allergy. The dog that weighs 30# less was given the higher dose steroid shot. When I asked the vet, she just smiled and said "woops!" Didn't seem to bother her one bit as she said it won't hurt the dog. YIKES! :angryfire

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There has to be some accountability. Vets and vet techs are licensed just as MD's and RN's are. I'd report it.

not all vet techs are licensed. In fact, most are not. It is not mandatory. I was trained as a Vet tech on the job. I worked for several years in an Emergency Night clinic- in fact thats where I learned to start IV's. (Once youcan put one in a 6 day old kitten who is ill and dehydrated, LOL's don't seem so bad). I also learned to regulate drips, give meds and take xrays.

Only one of the techs I worked with actually had any official school training.

It is the Veterinarian who is ultimately responsible for this.

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Specializes in NICU.

Is there someplace to report this, because a med error is a med error, to me! I'd start by reporting it, and also sending a written complaint to whoever runs that vet office. Finally, I'd find a new vet. I wouldn't want to run the risk that the same nonchalant staff would be caring for my pet again.

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Personally, I think the vet should be held as accountable as he/she is licensed as is any other M.D., like LPN1974, my dog has epilepsy, dx at 6m, he is now 8yr. His meds are just as important as mine. My dog is like a child to us, I would be fit to be tied if something like that happened. Luckily, we have been through the spaying, teeth cleaning and a broken leg with no adverse effects from any of the meds he was given. (he sure was pitiful with that cast on his front leg for 6 wks though)!!

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If I had any vet who was so nonchalant about a med error for one of my pets I'd find a new vet. And I'd let the old one know why.

People are now successfully suing vets for malpractice in cases of negligence and malpractice.

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I worked in the veterinary health care field for six years as a receptionist. In all that time I never worked with any licensed vet techs and the techs weren't even the ones filling the prescriptions. That was the responsibility of the receptionists.

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