Another reason for rising health costs - dogs abusing ER treatment

[gturner]

FARMINGTON — An unlikely patient walked into the emergency room at San Juan Regional Medical Center on Saturday night.


Hospital staff and patients were surprised when the automatic doors opened and a dog with blood on its nose and paw and a puncture hole in its rear leg walked inside.

"The irony of the situation is the dog wasn't doing well," said Robin Loev, animal control officer and park ranger. "He was drooling and appeared to be sick."

Loev responded to the emergency room at about 9:15 p.m. and found people gathered around the animal.

"The patients were giving him a cup of water when I showed up," Loev said.

The animal, a German Shepherd mix about 7 to 8 years old, did not require veterinary care.

Loev couldn't find the source of the blood and it didn't appear the dog was hit by a car. He suspects the puncture wound is from another dog bite, but it wasn't significant enough to call the veterinarian.

Loev took the dog to the Farmington Animal Shelter, where it was vaccinated and given water and a warm blanket.

"He's doing fine," said Patrick Jake, an employee at the shelter. "Everything was minor. He didn't really need immediate attention."

<snip>


Shelter officials often pick up animals that wander into the hospital.

"Every so many months, we get dogs walking into the emergency room because of the automatic doors," Biesecker said.

This situation was unusual because the dog was injured, Biesecker said.

Story

So the usual pattern is for a dog to wander into the emergency room without needing emergency medical treatment. Yet we all have to pay the bill for those visits. This is one more reason that medical costs have been rising out of control, and yet Obama's current proposals do nothing to address it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Tell us a bunny story, gturner.

 

[gturner]

I don't have a good bunny story right now, but yesterday morning I woke up in the dark (pitch black) and started feeling around for my glasses. Kitty jumped on my chest and started nuzzling me, so I had to pet kitty with one hand while feeling around for my glasses with the other. Instead of my glasses, I felt my BIC lighter, and to make finding the glasses easier I lit it to use like a candle.

Suddenly, light, and what did my eyes behold but a really blurry close-up of a flaming kitty tail waving in front of my face. I grabbed at the flames and squeezed them out before kitty realized his tail was on fire. I don't think he ever suspected a thing, or at least he's pretending he didn't.

 

[sojourner]