Letters | Sunday, 13 September 2009

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Unsatisfactory emergency vet service

I write this in response to Dr Caruana Galizia’s recent letter, on behalf of Dr Charmaine Xuereb’s reaction regarding a recent letter on the emergency veterinary service.
Dr Galizia wrote: “Dr Xuereb was the only emergency vet on duty and had to deal with around seven other cats.” This is true. However, the alleged “seven other cats” were not emergencies, unless feeding and cleaning litters of cats under Dr Xuereb’s daily care can be defined so. I saw this while I sat and waited for an hour.
Dr Xuereb even told me, I quote, “I’m opening the clinic for you”. So, unless she was tending to fathom emergencies, there were no cats in desperate need of help, besides mine.
Over and above, she said my cat was “not an emergency”. If a cat whose intestines are coming out of its rear end is not an emergency, then I sincerely do apologise. Had it not been an emergency, surely I could have waited until Monday and used my regular vet.
Incidentally, Dr Xuereb, the two stitches you administered on my cat to keep its intestines in place came off 10 minutes later, right before I arrived home. But don’t worry; my vet fixed the damage the following morning.
When you say, “all cases were therefore treated on a first come, first serve basis,” you’re right. They were. The poor seven cats needed to be fed and needed their litters changed more than my cat needed to have its intestines stitched up.

Joanna Pullicino
Siggiewi

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