On Sunday, June 3 at 5:30 a.m. our precious dog woke up with a scream. We immediately went to his side. We knew that he must have had a stroke. Everything had let go and he had been sick. He was in distress breathing as well.
I called my vet’s office and with no available help, we were told to call Kingston Regional Pet Hospital on Midland Rd. in Kingston or Foster Park Animal Hospital in Belleville. At both places, we were told it was $169 plus tax for them to open the door. I said “This is not a medical situation, we know he will not be coming home.” I asked what it would cost for euthanasia and have the ashes. The cost was $1,000 plus tax, or without the ashes, it was $700 plus tax. I said I’d call back.
We knew things could get worse and wondered what would we do without meds for pain or any vet help, so I called back after a 10-minute wait on hold. I asked how do we get there as we are from Napanee, she told us the directions and the name of the place, which was different from Foster Park on Dundas Street in Belleville. The place we were given directions to was called pet hospital Hwy 62, south of Belleville. We were confused, upset, put on hold, and told of outrageous prices to get our precious boy help. It was inhumane.
A better system should be put in place, after all, our animals are part of our family and deserve better help than this. Let’s go back to a time where vets got their degrees because they care about animals and it was not all about the money.
How can we change this for the love of the animals?
Judy Wood
Napanee