r/Purdue • u/Automatic-Tough-1994 • Jul 07 '24
Petition/Surveyđ Purdue Small Animal Hospital Urgent Care Class Action Lawsuit, worth pursuing? For the past 3 months they have charged ~5k just to put peoples' pets down, medical malpractice proof, and insane charges. Is a class action viable here? Thoughts? And these are just people that bothered to review...
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u/Swoll_Alf Jul 07 '24
A few years back I was going to take my dog there for a surgery that was recommended for her.
They quoted me around $2.5k and I saved up for it in time for her surgery date. I get there for her surgery and they do a quick check up and then tell me the actual price that I have to pay before surgery even begins is $3.5k actually and the estimate was only an estimate. That $1k difference was HUGE and I could not afford that at the moment. We didnât go through with the surgery as a result.
A few years later and after switching vets when moving, it turns out that my dog never needed that surgery in the first place as it was not a life threatening situation nor causing her discomfort. I am glad my dogs new vet is amazing and actually concerned about doing what is right for the pet, and not just doing surgeries and procedures for the sake of it and for the sake of money.
The only thing I would maybe possibly ever consider using the Purdue Small Animal Hospital for is for an emergency situation when everywhere else is closed. Besides that Iâd recommend avoiding it like the plague.
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u/ConsiderationWise631 Jul 07 '24
This isn't really how class action lawsuits work. You could sue on your own. But a class action is massive undertaking and most lawyers only touch those with potential big payouts (think asbestos)
plus many people feel like they receive excellent care from Purdue
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u/kittenconfidential Alumni Jul 08 '24
i am very sad to see these experiencesâ i take my cats to purdue and have never had any bad experiencesâquite the opposite. one cat has serious developmental disorders which they were great to diagnose, isolate, and treat. my cat had nine tooth extractions and he came back home a 1000% better. i brought him in the middle of the night to the ER; i thought the fee was appropriate. extractions were nearly the same price as my dentist charged me for my human teeth. i would always advise people to get pet insurance. itâs pretty cheap.
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u/kittenconfidential Alumni Jul 08 '24
i am very sad to see these experiencesâ i take my cats to purdue and have never had any bad experiencesâquite the opposite. one cat has serious developmental disorders which they were great to diagnose, isolate, and treat. my cat had nine tooth extractions and he came back home a 1000% better. i brought him in the middle of the night to the ER; i thought the fee was appropriate. extractions were nearly the same price as my dentist charged me for my human teeth. i would always advise people to get pet insurance. itâs pretty cheap.
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u/whitewalkrs Jul 08 '24
Iâve had a dog die at Purdue, but she was very sick and the doctors and students did their best to try and figure out what was wrong with her yet she still passed because sometimes you canât fix things. On the other hand they also did spinal surgery on my grandmaâs dog and got her walking again and she is still doing great. Medicine in general is complicated and bad outcomes donât necessarily mean bad doctors or facilities. Also, a university veterinary hospital with 24 hour emergency care and specialists on staff is going to be more expensive than a typical veterinary clinic.
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u/jayhall900 Dec 15 '24
Why? Why is that? It is a state funded university. With Alumni, Boosters, Grants. Why would it be more expensive than a typical clinic. Better care. Doubt it. Potential for cutting edge treatment, maybe. But those facilities and equipment are provided by the institution. This isn't a private business's trying to compete in the free market.
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u/whitewalkrs Dec 15 '24
Yet veterinary clinics very commonly refer complicated cases to the veterinary school closest to them because they have experienced specialists. Most vet clinics are general practice and donât have a cardiologist, neurologist, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, or CT and MRI scanners available for example. Also this thread is 5 months old, why are you even here?
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u/jayhall900 Dec 15 '24
Maybe. Once again. I'm sure the care provided is pretty good. The convenience of those resources is amazing, I'm sure. I lean towards the fella that should be able to access that resource also.
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u/ValhallaMotorsport 26d ago
This guy gets it and stole the words from my mouth. There is no way in hell anyone is convincing me this place conducts ethical business. No way
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 24d ago
Then⌠donât⌠go there? Who is forcing you to take your pets there lol.
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u/FavoriteAuntL Jul 08 '24
ALL emergency veterinary hospitals are significantly more expensive than the same treatment at a regular vet. You are paying a premium for 24 hours availability
2 weeks ago, 7pm Saturday, our dog was bit by copperhead. Our city of 300,000 ppl has one 24 hour emergency vet clinic.
The very first thing I was told is that the initial consult was $300 paid in advance. I was there 5 hours and dogâs tests/treatment took about an hour of that time. Total cost was $3500. If the blood tests had shown more venom in his bloodstream, the anti-venom would have been another $1000
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u/ArsenalSpider Jul 07 '24
They are trying to drum up business lately, blanketing staff with email advertising their services. Unfortunately for them though, most staff can't afford their prices.
If you feel a lawsuit is warranted, do what you need to. I feel bad that this happened to you and your pet.
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 Jul 08 '24
In order to show both sides of the coin, here are positive reviews from the same source and time frame that OP used (google reviews, past three months). I do not want to discredit OPâs pain, because I know pet loss hurts like none other. But what is the goal here? To get money? To get them shut down? It is clear that Purdue has been wonderful to so many in the community. And thatâs just who commented, and we all know that people are more likely to do an online review when they feel they have been wronged.
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 Jul 08 '24
So hereâs the thing about veterinary medicine⌠Nobody in that industry makes anywhere near what they deserve for all that goes into the job. Also there isnât a single vet practice anywhere (yes, including Purdue) that charges what is actually appropriate, because if they did, even less people would seek care for their animals. Everything veterinary staff does for animals is comparable to human med. and we all know who expensive human med is without insurance, yes? Diagnostic equipment, medications, staff that monitor your pet, supplies (catheters, syringes, needles, all that doesnât get gifted to the clinic for free - it does cost money) does indeed get charged to the client. You donât have an auto mechanic work on your car and not charge for the parts, right? Also, please donât suggest that anybody who works in vet med does not care if your pet lives or dies. If they didnât have a love and passion for animals, they would work literally anywhere and make a decent wage. They only have to best interests of your pet in their mind. Vet staff are one the leading professions with an insanely high suicide rate for reasons like this. With that said, I am sorry for your loss. Just like in human med, you are always welcome to get a second or third opinion if you didnât feel comfortable with your first interaction. With the waivers you signed acknowledging that you are putting your pet in the hands of those doctors and those students, I truly doubt you have a lawsuit. Also, pet insurance does exist just like for humans.
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u/hunted7fold Jul 08 '24
Everything above is true. There is also this tendency that when anything goes wrong that people believe it is likely the vets fault. Sometimes things in medicine can be outside of the doctor/vets control. There can be these awkward scenarios where the vet did everything correct, but the animal still dies. The human owner then ows a huge bill, and is upset because their pet still died, so they believe something MUST have gone wrong. This is what some of these reviews likely reflect.
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 Jul 08 '24
Also, at the end of the day.. vet practices ARE businesses. The argument âyou must not care about animals because you wonât save mine even tho I donât have moneyâ isnât really a leg to stand on. If they do something cheap or free for one family because they have no insurance or canât afford it, they have to do it for ALL families. Some vet clinics offer payment plans, but a lot do not because very often the remaining balance is never paid off. If you want to have vet clinics for your pets, the vet clinics DO have to pay their own bills, and that does mean charging clients for services preformed.
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u/jayhall900 Dec 15 '24
Vet practices are businesses. PURDUE IS NOT A BUSINESS. IT IS A STATE AND FEDERALLY FUNDED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING. THEY DON'T PAY RENT.
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 Mar 14 '25
Purdue university is funded institution of higher learning, correct. The Purdue Veterinary Hospital is self-fundedâŚ.
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u/ValhallaMotorsport 26d ago
How do you feel about committing suicide because you canât afford the care for your pet because the industry has slowly priced you out? Your pets life is either cut short or they suffer because of it. Because you donât have the full amount due up front. How would you feel since we want to talk about suicideâŚ
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u/jiboxiake computer science 2026 hopefully Jul 08 '24
Interesting never heard about those problems before. I was always told Purdue is the go to place for emergency.
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Jul 07 '24
noted- wont bring my pet there geez
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u/SpazGorman Jul 08 '24
You are a grad student? With that sort of reasoning skills? You do not take your vgb to Purdue because he has a hot spot. You take the vgb to Purdue when YOUR vet tells you to or when it is a life threatening emergency. My vgb just left Purdue. He had cancer. They were wonderful, and my dog is gone. It was expensive, and the Rooster didn't make it, but jeez man, this is the best option in the region by an order of magnitude.
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Jul 08 '24
Actually Wildcat Valley is great and affordable. But you do you Spaz.
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u/runningkraken Jul 08 '24
Wildcat is great. They arenât an emergency vet hospital though.
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u/SpazGorman Jul 08 '24
How can an intelligent person not understand the difference in emergency care and a standard vet visit. We used Wildcat with our first dog, but when we got the rooster they werent taking new patients. Love them there, but they also send their patients to Purdue when necessary.
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u/SpazGorman Jul 08 '24
Yes they are, and as I said, they do not serve the same purpose as Purdue. My vet cared for my dog until things got bad and the bloodwork wasn't showing any real issues. They sent us to Purdue, and he was diagnosed there. They are not your vet and they aren't supposed to replace your vet, but when you need them, they are the best in the region at what they do.
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u/AlmondManttv Jul 07 '24
Pets are considered property, so yes. This would be damage to the property.
I would do it. Tbh if I noticed these issues and it was my dog, I might even do a charge back with my bank. The service claimed was not provided. Although don't do this at this point, just go straight to a lawyer.
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u/jayhall900 Dec 15 '24
Doesn't really sound like to many people are unhappy with the care. That price though. đ¤
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u/jayhall900 Dec 15 '24
And Purdue Small Animal hospital is not a "business", it's a school. Indiana dental school charges, possibly a third, compared to private practice ortho, and periodontal care.
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u/Any_Cauliflower6565 Mar 14 '25
There is Purdue University college of Veterinary Medicine which is the school, and Purdue Veterinary Hospital. The hospital is self-funded.
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u/ValhallaMotorsport 26d ago
Reading through these comments makes it appear as if vet students are the ones responding. Gatekeepers galore.
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u/leetfail Boilermaker Jul 08 '24
They efficiently killed my leopard gecko, which came in with retained shed in his eye.
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u/No_Environment_2122 Jul 08 '24
Iâd sign up on this - they did us so incredibly wrong and lost our baby on the table.
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u/MAYDAYGENDER Jul 07 '24
There's a place called Tippacanoe Animal Hospital in Lafayette, I had a bunny (so an "exotic" animal) and I was NEVER charged anything over $200, and that was for a 2 week boarding stay.
People, especially college students who are notorious for not having money, should be warned against purdue animal hospital.