SANDAKAN – Pet owners here are upset with veterinary clinics in the district, saying most have rejected emergency cases and are providing services only by appointment.
The issue caught public attention when a Facebook post by one Norazween, a Sandakan resident, detailed her experience watching her pet cat die of excessive bleeding after being turned down for treatment by a veterinarian recently.
In the post, she said her cat Luna had difficulty giving birth. Norazween placed a call to the vet, who told her not to come in without an appointment.
“I pleaded my case, but was rejected. I then called another vet clinic, but it was engaged. I am really upset with the vet clinics in Sandakan. Because they rejected my case, Luna died.
“What is so wrong with accepting urgent cases? Are we supposed to wait with our pets dying? It is not like we can predict when our pets will fall sick.”
The post was shared on the Kelab Pencinta Kucing Sandakan Facebook page, and many locals took to the comment section to share similar experiences.
According to the commenters, there are three private vet clinics and a government one in the district. Many said they were turned away despite their pets being emergency cases, and were told to set an appointment on another date.
Norfazilah Rahman, who shared Norazween’s post, told The Vibes that the problem began when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
We understand that the clinics need to abide by the standard operating procedures during the pandemic, but I think that turning away urgent cases and leaving animals to die is not right.”
Facebook user Asrianis Asri criticised vets in Sandakan for not aiding pets in life-threatening situations.
“There was one time my cat fell very ill, and the clinic set my appointment as the last one on that day. They saw cats that needed to be vaccinated first, before seeing my dying cat.”
Sor Gt said he was given an appointment for his “seriously sick” cat only three days later.
“Are they crazy? My cat was dying. This is despite my cat having taken all the vaccinations at the said clinic.”
Nurul Asihin said: “This is how vets in Sandakan work. I took my cat to the clinic after it got injured in a fall, and I was asked to make an appointment first.”
The commenters mentioned two of the three private clinics.
Most of them did not go to the government clinic as it is known that the facility cannot attend to serious cases, often lacking the required medical equipment and drugs.
She Nad said the government clinic cannot take cases requiring surgery as it does not have the equipment and resources for such procedures.
The government clinic in Mile 7 has limited its business days from five to three a week, and is opening only three hours per day, as its staff have been instructed to assist in Covid-19 treatment at the district hospital.
The Vibes is attempting to reach the clinic for comment. –The Vibes, September 14, 2021
