meds and charlatans

it's gone from being an unseasonably cool to an unreasonably warm summer in the space of two weeks.  at 6pm, it's still 95 degrees.  our old house has no air conditioning, so we have fans spinning everywhere and a small free-standing a/c unit in the bedroom to make it sleepable.  the olive trees help to keep the temperature down, both inside and out.  the animals can usually be found laying under them during the heat of the afternoon (or under one of james' trucks, which usually leaves a tell-tale grease mark).  i tipped a couple of the waterers in the yard and the chickens cooled down by soaking their feet.  

ivan is in a cage inside the pen for another week.  dr. martin came on wednesday to remove his bandages.  he said that ivan's stitches are looking fairly good but his leg needs to remain uncovered for the next week - so he must be caged and kept away from dirt and bacteria.  ivan's being a good sport about it and we're trying to give him lots of treats to compensate.  based on the results of cultures, he's now on two antibiotics - ceftiofur and amoxicillin.   dr. martin called in the prescription for amoxicillin to walgreen's.  in the state of california, you can't obtain drugs for your animals without a prescription.  while this seems like a good idea in theory, it also allows overcharging for these drugs by unscrupulous vets.  dr. martin never charges more than he pays for medication because he doesn't want to discourage people from treating their animals properly.  unfortunately, i think he's the rare exception.

three years ago, after we'd had our first sheep for about 6 months, i had a horrible experience with a vet.  our black ram, scooter, was laying down alot, having difficulty breathing and seemed lethargic.  it seemed like something might be stuck in his throat and i was frantic.  since dr. martin was out of town, i called our previous vet for a recommendation of someone who could come to the house for an emergency.  most vets won't see "rumens" (animals with 2-chambered stomachs, like sheep, goats and cattle), but there are a handful of vets in l.a. who cater to "exotics" and make housecalls.  i called the recommended vet, and a receptionist answered.  she explained that the vet could come in about an hour and a half, he would charge extra to come for an emergency, and i would be charged for travel time.  at that point, i felt i had no choice since i couldn't find another vet who was available.  the vet, john, showed up with an assistant, listened to scooter's lungs, took his temperature and pronounced that he had pneumonia.  he took cultures from scooter's throat (which take 3-4 days for results) to determine the type of infection.  in the meantime, he loaded me up with about 20 pre-filled syringes of antibiotic (for which he charged $200) and told me to follow up with him the next day.  when he found out i was a producer, he  bragged about how he worked with many animal trainers in the film industry (i should have know).  i wrote him a fat check for over $600 for about 20 minutes of his time and antibiotics that cost him about $25 for the full bottle.  the next day, scooter was worse.  he couldn't stand.  i called the vet and he recommended adding another antibiotic to the course of treatment, since the cultures wouldn't be ready for another two days.  i drove down to his "office" (in an industrial park in the valley) to pick up a bottle of antibiotic - for which i was charged about $225..  this medication could be purchased online for $26.  i didn't have the time to wait because scooter was very ill, so i was charged about 9 times the retail price.  i asked the vet's receptionist how, in good conscience, could they ask clients to pay such a huge markup.  she rattled on about how they kept their meds at a constant temperature, under ideal storage conditions, and that was what it cost for them to maintain their inventory.  basically, they were ripping off people who were desperate to cure their animals in an emergency situation.  when i told her exactly that, she just looked at me like she really didn't care.  i was so angry that i wrote a letter to the veterinary board when i returned home.

the kicker is that the second antibiotic didn't work either.  at that point, dr. martin had returned and i begged him to come to the house.  he examined scooter and recommended treating him with - penicillin!  he sold me a whole bottle for $15, and it cured scooter.  i had wasted $1000. on a charlatan.   dr. martin charged me $45, including the meds.  a few months ago, i received a postcard from dr. charlatan, wondering why he hadn't seen us in awhile and letting us know he was available for our medical needs.  indeed.