He clearly needed immediate medical care, and I knew that Riverside Animal Clinic, a hole-in-the-wall practice attached to a small pet store, was just a few blocks away on 187th and Fort Washington. I had taken Lucky there several years ago for routine shots, had been charged what seemed like an exorbitant amount of money, and hadn't been back since. However, this was an emergency. I called, and the receptionist told me that the office was about to close but that they could see Lucky if we could get there within 30 minutes. I had no money or credit cards on me, but fortunately my roommate was home and agreed to meet me at the vet with my credit card. (If you happened to see a man running down Fort Washington Avenue with a woman's purse yesterday, it was most likely Mark. Yay for awesome roommates!)
In the vet's office at Riverside Animal Clinic, the vet's assistant took Lucky's temperature, weighed him, and asked what the problem was. I pointed to the gaping wound. He went out and got Dr. Ramos, the veterinarian. Dr. Ramos looked at Lucky and told me that Lucky would need to stay overnight. Red flags went up in my mind, and I asked him for an estimate. He gave me some paperwork to fill out, and excused himself to go prepare a rundown of anticipated costs.
The first piece of paper was to admit a pet for an overnight stay. One of the paragraphs stated that animals would have veterinary supervision only during office hours. Wait. The receptionist had already told me that the office was about to close. So was my dog going to be locked in a cage unsupervised for an entire night BEFORE he was actually treated? Why not just ask me to come back tomorrow? I didn't even have time to fully form the questions in my mind before Dr. Ramos came back and presented me with the estimate. The total was $1629.31.
I asked him to give me a few minutes to think about it, and he left the room. I didn't really need to think very hard... I had taken Lucky to Animal Medical Center on East 62nd and York for a similar injury several years ago. The care had been excellent and the cost had been significantly less than what I had just been quoted. I thanked Dr. Ramos and told him that I wasn't able to pay what he was charging and would be going elsewhere for Lucky's treatment. He shrugged and asked me to "sign out" at the front desk before I left. I discovered that "signing out" actually meant paying for an "emergency office visit". On a less stressful day, I probably would have challenged this, but I didn't have the strength. So, for $98 dollars, I learned that Lucky weighs 64.7 pounds and his temperature is normal. Yay.
Mark and I hopped into cab and took Lucky down to Animal Medical Center. AMC is open 24/7, and takes walk-in emergencies as well as appointments for routine care. (More info on AMC at www.amcny.org.) The facility is clean and well-lit with a comfortable waiting area, and the staff is friendly and helpful. Lucky was seen almost immediately by Dr. Lisa Gorman, who clearly loves dogs. She called Lucky by name and scratched his ears, and he relaxed and let her look at his injuries. She explained what needed to be done (sedation, cleaning of the wounds, suturing, and perhaps insertion of a drainage tube in the largest of the wounds) and gave me an estimate that was significantly less than the one from Riverside Animal Clinic. She predicted that the procedure would take about two hours, and told us that we were free to go out and get something to eat if we didn't want to sit in the waiting room.
Lucky was ready in just under two hours, and Dr. Gorman sat down with us to go over his care for the next 14 days. AMC has its own pharmacy, so we didn't need to find a drug store to fill his prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication. My bill at AMC, including Lucky's medications, came to just $728.75, $900 less than Riverside Animal Clinic had quoted me, and I was able to bring Lucky home with me instead of leaving him in questionable conditions overnight.
I read a little more about AMC when I got home with my high-as-a-kite dog (ever seen a dog coming out of anesthesia? It's pretty entertaining...) and learned that AMC is a non-profit institution that depends on donor contributions for much of its funding. If you're looking for a group to support, please consider making a donation to this fantastic organization. More info here: www.amcny.org/contribute.
The next time (if there is a next time) Lucky needs urgent care, I won't be messing around with Riverside Animal Clinic. Animal Medical Center has been stellar in every regard on two separate occasions, and the cab fare down to the East Side is 100% worth it.
Oh yeah... you can make Lucky really happy by liking my site. After all, his face is featured on several designs: www.erinmcintyredesigns.com.
Here's to our furry friends, and here's a little video of MY furry friend. Live, from inside the cone, it's LUCKY!