THERE'S NO HELP FOR THE POOR WITH PETS
****
THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT BEING POOR WITH PETS
Story By: James Edstrom
****
****
Ashley With Stanley
It is very sad what the poor have to go through trying to keep their pets healthy. It really is.
A transgender girl, Ashley lives in my building. She has a dog she rescued a couple of years ago who was a abused and beaten animal. The dog is a Boxer and his name is Stanley. Ashley is poor.
Stanley started to grow a huge Tumor on his leg around a year ago. She had it checked out, she spent her food money for the Vet, and the Vet told her it was just a cyst and the dog was in good health. Well it started to get bigger and Ashley got scared, so she scraped up the little money she had and went to the Vet again. This time the news was not so good. It was a Tumor and it had to be removed.
Now the Vet Ashley went too was one of those places that advertise themselves as "Gods Gift To Animals" in all the media stories. But they want money. Lot's of money and Ashley is Disabled. She has no money. They also told her they did not do Surgery, which I find strange considering their website has the following on it's pages.
• Office Visits
• Wellness Exams
• Inoculations
• Blood Tests
• X-rays
• Ultra Sound
• Geriatric Care
• Complete Medical and Surgical Management
• EKG
• Spay/Neuter
• Hospitalization
• Medical Care for Exotic Pets
• Endoscopy
They told her she would have to get a Surgeon and that costs money. Once again, Ashley has none. They told her there was nothing they could do then. So I look at their website once again and I find the following:
Neediest cases (frequently elderly or disabled owners with acutely ill pets) receive full or partial underwriting for care; costs are covered through the Society's Animal Emergency Appeal. Each year, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of life-giving care for animals in need is made a reality through such underwriting.
Now, here you have a sick dog with a huge Tumor growing from it's leg. The dog is walking on three legs because this Tumor is so big. And this "God's Gift To Animals" place won't help. Who is this organization you ask? Well I am going to tell you, The Humane Society Of New York.
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF NEW YORK SHOULD BE ASHAMED!
So Ashley starts making calls. She calls her case worker with Village Care. They give her a list of places they think will help. None of them will. She starts making phone calls. She is sent to The Animal Medical Center, on the RICH UPPER EAST SIDE. I warn her about going there. I told her horror stories when my cat fell down 6 stories and all The Animal Medical Center cared about was money. I told her how people were in their emergency room and had no money and the nurses were saying to these people, " How do you feel about euthanasia". That still costs hundreds at The Animal Medical Center, nothing is free at this place. You can see this from the following from their website:
Payment Options
The staff and veterinarians of The Animal Medical Center appreciate your patronage. For your information, we have outlined the billing process and payment options available to our AMC clients.
Outpatient Care: All outpatient care is payable in full at the time of service.
Inpatient Care: Prior to admitting a pet to the hospital, the owner will receive a preliminary estimate of the cost based on the doctor’s initial examination and the anticipated testing and treatment plan for the pet. This estimate may change as the pet’s condition changes or a diagnosis is made.
We require a deposit of 50% of the estimate plus all outpatient charges.
We accept all major credit cards, Care Credit, cash and personal checks with valid ID. Also, be sure to ask about the CC Express plan, The AMC’s expedited credit card payment system.
For financially-qualified pet owners who have inpatient pets with a good prognosis, The Animal Medical Center may offer partial assistance through the Patient Assistance Fund. The Patient Assistance Fund has limited resources and not every pet will qualify. When a pet owner does qualify, a portion of the bill must be paid by the pet owner before money will be allotted from the fund.
*As a not-for-profit organization, we do not receive state, local, or federal funding of any kind.
Now from my own experience with bringing my cat to this place, I was told it would be around twelve hundred to fix my cat. By the time they were done, we were up to three grand with no end in site. So I know very well their estimate changes. And their estimate for helping Stanley was thousands of bucks.
They also have the following on their site:
As a nonprofit organization, your contributions help The AMC deliver this expert care to animals in need. Please consider a gift to support The AMC’s life-saving work.
IS STANLEY A ANIMAL IN NEED?
The search continues. I sent her to Bide-A-Wee, they tell her they can not help, which I am surprised, because I know for a fact they have these funds that rich people leave to them when they die for such emergencies. I make phone calls to people I know who are involved in pet rescues. They give me some numbers. At first they were very nice when Ashley called, then they got nasty on follow up calls, and said they didn't do this sort of thing and did not know who she could go to. They did not know? They rescue pets and don't know?
MEDIA OF LAST RESORT
So I sent a letter out to someone in the media who I know get's results fast. Help Me Howard from WPIX in New York. I never met him, but have seen him in the hallways of WPIX several times when I was there with Jerry Springer. I have many friends at WPIX, but Howard is the expert at getting this kind of help. I could raise money on my site or some pet site I was told about, but we have no time. Stanley is getting worse. I figured the best way to go was the media. I hope Howard gets my letter today or tomorrow or reads my site today. We need help!
ABOUT STANLEY
Stanley is a wonderful friendly boxer. He came from a abused home and Ashley rescued him from his life of neglect and abuse. Walking through Times Square with Stanley, brings hello's from just about everyone. Tourist's always stop to pet him and the people who live in the neighborhood always run up to say hello to Stanley. Stanley has become a fixture in Times Square and for the first time in Stanley's life, he has a wonderful home.
IDEAS?
If anyone has any ideas, please e-mail me at TheBestGossip@aol.com . If you have stories like this, please post them in the comment section.
Comments