Hello all.
This is about Wanda, one of the 3 cats that live with my mom and I. Shes a 9 year old calico cat. She is of healthy weight, friendly temperament, and an all around loving and cuddly cat.
Back in September 2011 my mom noticed Wanda had a bit of tarter build up on her teeth and bad breath, so we took her to Banfield for a cleaning and signed up her for kitty insurance.
Not too long after her cleaning we noticed she was over grooming more than usual. Shed overgroom her tummy and the inside of her legs. She started this back in Spring 2011 and when she was taken to Banfield, they couldnt pin down what it was. I had moved out and gotten a place near school while I finished up my last two semesters over the spring and the summer. Since the Banfield doctors could not figure out what exactly was making her do it, so we assumed it had to do with stress and my having left the household.
Anyways, after her September teeth cleaning, her overgrooming seem to increase some. Then when scratching under her chin one day, I noticed two hard lines going across the underside of her jaw...one of each side of her jaw bone. The locations were symmetrical to one another. I thought they were enlarged veins at first, but since they didnt pulsate I assumed they were glands, or tonsils maybe?. In addition to this issue, Wanda's gums were red near her first premolars on both sides of her mouth.
So we took her to Banfield in October, and over the next few months, and the doctors there could not peg it down at all. They prescribed antibiotics twice and it did nothing for the underside of her jaw or the gum redness. Then last month, in February, I did a inspection of all the cats. Making sure their paws, mouth, and ears were clean. I noticed Wandas first premolar on the right side was showing red. It looked like it was bleeding.
So I got scared...I knew it was pulp showing. So I checked the other side of her mouth...and the same tooth on the other side was gone. So my mom and I were furious. We felt like Banfield screwed something up with her cleaning because all of this mouth stuff started after her cleaning in September. And she STILL has those hard lump things on the underside of her jaw. Shes been a trooper through all this, and hasnt been crying in pain or anything and cuddles up like she always does. But Ive read cats are good at hiding pain. I figured her increase over grooming was indicative of the pain she must be in.
So we called the local Banfield and lodged a complaint. We go on to find out that the vets there are usually fresh out of vet school. Usually only with a couple years of experience practicing. We than called corporate Banfield last week and had our complaint escalated. Corporate said that the head of our local object had said she talked to us and resolved the issue. PATENTLY FALSE. The local offices leadership team was supposed to call us back Friday but never did...so corporate told me to call them back if that happened.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Wanda's other first premolar is gone(the one I originally saw with pulp showing) I then went onto google and search for a local doctor, and vet school rankings. One local vet seems really good...two of the doctors are Cornell grads with years and years of experience. One has been practicing since the 80s. Plus Cornell I found ranked number one in vet schools across the country...is this true?
Also, while looking up stuff to see what was wrong with Wanda...I read about Feline Odontoclastic Resorption Lesions (FORL) aka kitty cavities. Apparently two thirds of cats over 5 years of age get this. And from the pictures I saw it seems similar to what happened to Wandas teeth. But im not sure if its this, but it doesnt explain the hard things under her jaw, nor does it explain why this all started after her teeth cleaning.
So Im about to call Banfield back and move forward. I let corporate know on Friday, that I was seeking an amicable resolution to the matter, but that my mom and I did not want to have to come out of pocket and pay for Banfields apparent goof. And that we were prepared to take this to court. My mom and I cannot afford to pay Banfield more money to fix their goof. We already canceled the cats insurance plan with them.
So, what do you think I should do. What if they do offer to bring in someone with more experience to see Wanda and fix this? What if they try and get out of this and shirk their responsibility?
We are leaning towards taking them to the private practice vet with the Cornell doctors but thatll be expensive...So what cat insurance can you recommend? I live in Orange County, NY if that helps. Im not sure how pet insurance works with private practices, but was told it works different than human insurance. So any guidance would be helpful. And should I also seek to receive some form of compensation from Banfield if we end up taking Wanda to the local Cornell vets?
This is about Wanda, one of the 3 cats that live with my mom and I. Shes a 9 year old calico cat. She is of healthy weight, friendly temperament, and an all around loving and cuddly cat.
Back in September 2011 my mom noticed Wanda had a bit of tarter build up on her teeth and bad breath, so we took her to Banfield for a cleaning and signed up her for kitty insurance.
Not too long after her cleaning we noticed she was over grooming more than usual. Shed overgroom her tummy and the inside of her legs. She started this back in Spring 2011 and when she was taken to Banfield, they couldnt pin down what it was. I had moved out and gotten a place near school while I finished up my last two semesters over the spring and the summer. Since the Banfield doctors could not figure out what exactly was making her do it, so we assumed it had to do with stress and my having left the household.
Anyways, after her September teeth cleaning, her overgrooming seem to increase some. Then when scratching under her chin one day, I noticed two hard lines going across the underside of her jaw...one of each side of her jaw bone. The locations were symmetrical to one another. I thought they were enlarged veins at first, but since they didnt pulsate I assumed they were glands, or tonsils maybe?. In addition to this issue, Wanda's gums were red near her first premolars on both sides of her mouth.
So we took her to Banfield in October, and over the next few months, and the doctors there could not peg it down at all. They prescribed antibiotics twice and it did nothing for the underside of her jaw or the gum redness. Then last month, in February, I did a inspection of all the cats. Making sure their paws, mouth, and ears were clean. I noticed Wandas first premolar on the right side was showing red. It looked like it was bleeding.
So I got scared...I knew it was pulp showing. So I checked the other side of her mouth...and the same tooth on the other side was gone. So my mom and I were furious. We felt like Banfield screwed something up with her cleaning because all of this mouth stuff started after her cleaning in September. And she STILL has those hard lump things on the underside of her jaw. Shes been a trooper through all this, and hasnt been crying in pain or anything and cuddles up like she always does. But Ive read cats are good at hiding pain. I figured her increase over grooming was indicative of the pain she must be in.
So we called the local Banfield and lodged a complaint. We go on to find out that the vets there are usually fresh out of vet school. Usually only with a couple years of experience practicing. We than called corporate Banfield last week and had our complaint escalated. Corporate said that the head of our local object had said she talked to us and resolved the issue. PATENTLY FALSE. The local offices leadership team was supposed to call us back Friday but never did...so corporate told me to call them back if that happened.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, Wanda's other first premolar is gone(the one I originally saw with pulp showing) I then went onto google and search for a local doctor, and vet school rankings. One local vet seems really good...two of the doctors are Cornell grads with years and years of experience. One has been practicing since the 80s. Plus Cornell I found ranked number one in vet schools across the country...is this true?
Also, while looking up stuff to see what was wrong with Wanda...I read about Feline Odontoclastic Resorption Lesions (FORL) aka kitty cavities. Apparently two thirds of cats over 5 years of age get this. And from the pictures I saw it seems similar to what happened to Wandas teeth. But im not sure if its this, but it doesnt explain the hard things under her jaw, nor does it explain why this all started after her teeth cleaning.
So Im about to call Banfield back and move forward. I let corporate know on Friday, that I was seeking an amicable resolution to the matter, but that my mom and I did not want to have to come out of pocket and pay for Banfields apparent goof. And that we were prepared to take this to court. My mom and I cannot afford to pay Banfield more money to fix their goof. We already canceled the cats insurance plan with them.
So, what do you think I should do. What if they do offer to bring in someone with more experience to see Wanda and fix this? What if they try and get out of this and shirk their responsibility?
We are leaning towards taking them to the private practice vet with the Cornell doctors but thatll be expensive...So what cat insurance can you recommend? I live in Orange County, NY if that helps. Im not sure how pet insurance works with private practices, but was told it works different than human insurance. So any guidance would be helpful. And should I also seek to receive some form of compensation from Banfield if we end up taking Wanda to the local Cornell vets?
