Amici:
This blog will serve as our daily update on the real boss of the Stella family, Rigoletto, until he's home again with us. Here's today's (Wednesday, June 16) update:
This blog will serve as our daily update on the real boss of the Stella family, Rigoletto, until he's home again with us. Here's today's (Wednesday, June 16) update:
Thursday Rigoletto Update: Yesterday we were told that maybe it’s a good idea for him to go home for a few days after all (what my wife had been saying all along; the dog was vomiting from stress). I eat, my dog vomits. So, we were told the doctor would have written instructions for a tech named Jason and Jason would explain everything to us about the meds we were bringing home with us for Rigoletto. Of course when we got there (and managed an $800 credit on a $5000 bill—but the $2700 surgery (without extra hospital costs and they charged you for shit you can't even imagine) comes next week), of course Jason hadn’t been instructed on anything and we went home somewhat blind as to medical instructions that weren’t on the bottles. Long story short? Rigoletto ate skirt steak last night, had his insulin shot and managed to eat his treats after the shot. He was able to stand on his hind legs for a few second before they collapsed while he tried to urinate (that happens to me sometimes too, but usually after drinking a bottle of Chivas) and this morning he looked 1000 x’s better and much more alert.
The air mattress game plan didn’t work out so good because once you put 320 pounds on an air mattress it turns into a pancake … so it was the Principessa Ann Marie doing bed duty (I doubt she slept at all) through the night while the ugly one slept alone in the king sized thing we have in our bedroom. I was supposed to go to the gym this morning but didn’t have the heart to go downstairs (in case she was actually sleeping) so I just waited until 4:00 a.m. and then headed down to make my first cauldron of coffee. The pup ate again, took his painkiller like a champ and had sad eyes when Ann Marie left behind me. Ann Marie’s son, Timmy, will be doing Rigoletto duty through the day and fortunately, the wife is off Fridays so she’ll be with the pup through the night into tomorrow and the weekend until we have to bring him back for the surgery. Hopefully they will listen to us this time and not leave him to be observed overnight before the operation because without us he stresses (the way we stress without him) and he’ll start vomiting again.
For now, the Rigoletto monster is home and in charge once again. What a dog!
Wednesday Rigoletto Update: He’s coming home this afternoon because he keeps vomiting (from fucking stress, we told them) ... he’ll stay home with us until he’s eating normal again and then plus one day (after he’s stabilized), he’ll be scheduled for the surgery the following day.
He can’t be moved, etc, because of his spine situation, so we’ll have to sleep on an air mattress in the living room (the things we’ll do ...) because he can’t get up or down the doggie stairs at the end of our bed, couch, etc.
We’re half relieved ... at least we get to have him again. We miss our boy big time.
Tuesday: He was vomitting liquid this morning so the operation has been put off until Wednesday or Thursday (most likely Thursday). We get to wait (as does Rigoletto) even longer now. Of course we’re worried about what is going through his mind about us: What happened to them? Etc.
We also wondered why all the delays since we were told it was an emergency 4 days ago and the cost is obscene and getting worse every day.
The other thing is this: It’s great to know that even when you’re shelling out $7-10K, you can be treated like shit by receptionists. I have to wonder if they graduated from some Motor Vehicles Department. Unbelievably rude and incompetent treatment. a) They didn’t know a doctor who’d spoken to Ann Marie just an hour earlier was on site; b) they didn’t know his voice mail message said he was out and wouldn’t be back until June 10th (5 days ago) and c) they didn’t seem to care that one of them told us “he was in a procedure” and the other told us that “he was out on leave”; they couldn’t get their stories straight, even after being told they gave us two different stories after two different calls and that the doctor had already spoken to one of us.
And of course we were put "on hold" over and over and nobody ever picked up again. We had to call back, at which time we can only assume they recognized the number and didn't pick up again ... even though it's their emergency number.
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital … they may do good work (we sure and shit hope so) with your pets, but there's a good chance you’ll be treated like shit over the phone by their receptionists.
Motherfuckers …
