The dangers of mince pies and dogs...

A cautionary tale...

My loving fiance arrived last Monday with a box of Marks and Spencer's mince pies for myself and a work colleague (a home sick uk native doing her post-doc work in the US). 
Tuesday night we went out for dinner, and when we returned a veritable carnage of mince pies was all over my kitchen and into the living room.  My 7lb min pin devoured 4 of six pies!  I tidied up the house, let her outside, and went to bed thinking not much of it.  The following day we drove her to the kennel (which is also her vet) for boarding over the Thanksgiving holiday, and to begin the PETS process.  I had jokingly said to the receptionist, "My dog must be very anxious to move to England, she's enjoying the cuisine already!".  She inquired what was in the treats, and I proceeded to rattle off a list of the ingredients, including RASINS.  She suddenly became quite serious, and asked me if she'd been sick.  She had not.  We left the vet, and setted off for the weekend trip, when my phone rang.  My vet informed me my dog had vomited quite a lot, and they would be giving her a stomach lavage (aka stomach pump).  I was horrified!  I was completely unaware of the dangers of raisins (and grapes) to dogs! 
Fortunately, she is fine, fully recovered and quite chipper.  I am a little lighter in my pocketbook, however.  The whole ordeal was 600.00 bucks, coupled with the blood draw for rabies testing and microchipping insertion (and 3.00 for medical waste removal?!  Seemed a bit cheeky on the part of my vet) I'm out almost 900 dollars. 

So, be careful this holiday season with your furry companion; make sure those mince pies are where no four legged friend can find them! 

I was unaware about grapes and raisins as well.  Thanks for posting about it!

Add almonds to that list, too. Our dog was sick for 3 days after eating them - it was awful.

And chocolate, garlic, onions, mushroom, potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb and macadamia nuts.

Btw, medical waste charges are common place at veterinary practices.  All syringes and needles have to go in a medical sharps container which has to be disposed of properly.  Not to mention the cleaning and sterilising of any equipment that was used in procedures.

And chocolate, garlic, onions, mushroom, potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb and macadamia nuts.

Btw, medical waste charges are common place at veterinary practices.  All syringes and needles have to go in a medical sharps container which has to be disposed of properly.  Not to mention the cleaning and sterilising of any equipment that was used in procedures.

I had never before seen the charge on a bill.  Secondly, it seems to me that medical waste disposal is a cost that is absorbed by the practice itself--a part of their overhead.  Or more likely, a cost factored into the actual procedure.  Do I also get charged for latex glove use?  No of course not.  Well, at least not itemized as such. 
I'm aware that needles must be disposed of properly.  But I was unaware that veterinary clinics use disposable needles. 

Secondly, it seems to me that medical waste disposal is a cost that is absorbed by the practice itself--a part of their overhead.

That's not been the case in the vet clinics I've worked in.  Clinics have to pay for sharps containers and for them to be picked up and disposed of properly.

Or more likely, a cost factored into the actual procedure.

That would make sense, but many do not.  At the last clinic I worked for, they itemised everything, including latex gloves.  Basically you'd have the whole cost for the procedure and then underneath everything that would be used was listed and had a price next to it...that's how the total cost of the procedure was calculated. Then there was the small medical waste fee that was separate and was only charged once regardless of the number of medical procedures.  Most clinics aren't going to itemize everything in such detail for you to be able to see how they come up with the procedure prices.
 

I'm aware that needles must be disposed of properly.  But I was unaware that veterinary clinics use disposable needles. 

As far as I'm aware there is no such thing as a reusable needle or syringe regardless if it's in human or veterinary medicine due to safety and contamination issues.  I could be wrong but I doubt it.  All of it gets disposed.

As far as I'm aware there is no such thing as a reusable needle or syringe regardless if it's in human or veterinary medicine due to safety and contamination issues.  I could be wrong but I doubt it.  All of it gets disposed.

The only "reusable" syringes and needles I've ever seen are the glass syringes and large metal needles with stylets that are used in the process of giving epidurals.

These are specialized instruments and are sterilized in an autoclave before each use, of course.

In (probably) every other instance though - disposable needles and syringes are most definitely the norm (and the most hygienic!!) way to go.

Oh, and the medical waste disposal fee is also the norm at all the practices I've worked at. As well as the veterinary hospital here at the University of Florida, for the very reasons that Eruname listed.

Aside to Eruname: are you in the veterinary field in the UK currently? Care to share your thoughts? :-)

I had never been charged the fee prior to this visit (my dog is 8, and we have been using this vet since she was a pup).  So either my vet had previously included the fee in the cost of the procedure, or they are now passing the cost over to the clients.  What strikes me is that I was charged only one medical waste disposal fee.  Since she had blood work for the rabies titre, blood work for her kidney/liver function, microchip injection, and bordetella I would expect to be charged 4 times.  So perhaps a few of these syringes used were not disposable (glass).  Clearly, it's not a big deal.  The bill was 900 bucks, I just thought it was shocking to charge 2.00 for something quite arbitrary.
Or maybe it's just another example of the poor economy in the area.

Maybe they only charge it once per visit..?

Why don't you call them if you are really curious? I'm sure they'd explain!