HapkidoMedicine

Thanks for all the responses to the question. I wish I knew what the outcome was with the animal. I felt so helpless while waiting for instructions from the house supervisor. In the past, I had gone to patients' home to check on their animals. One patient was very grateful and she mentioned this on her exit survey. Well, I caught hell for that. Big lecture on liability and boundaries. Anyhow, it's not so simple to call anonymously; Caller ID shows the hospital calling, and furthermore they require a name to accept the complaint. I thought about asking my boyfriend to call from another phone, but then I would have to reveal to him patient information. I think today I will try to look up the contact number and see what the outcome was. Last I knew, the man who beat the patient had not yet been caught, and the patient had not made it back home when discharged. I'll update you if I find out anything. Thanks again.

Hello all! I was a member a few years back and recently started lurking again. It's good to be back! Anyhow, I am wondering your thoughts on a recent situation. A patient was admitted after a severe beating by her significant other. Six days into her stay, she revealed that she had concerns about her dog, which she had left behind in the house. She said it only had access to toilet water and probably had run out of food. No A/C in the house and the temp had been in the 90's. She had no one to go check on the dog. We offered to notify animal control so they could retrieve the poor thing, but the patient refused, saying she knew they would seize the dog and fine her because it was not licensed and had no shots. Of course we could call animal control 'as a concerned citizen', but that would be risky privacy-wise, as the call would show up as the hospital's number. We agonized over what to do, worrying that the dog might already be dead of dehydration in the heat. The doctor ended up discharging the patient so she could check on the dog herself, but the next day, a family member said she never called to say she arrived home, and the patient could not be contacted. (The family member was recovering from surgery, which is why he could not check on the dog). What would you do?