I believe I wrote about this long ago about my Sun Conure named Fawkes who had her wing broken during an X-ray for a checkup by her vet. This happened in 2015 and yeah, just now is anything being done about it...
I left reviews for the vet talking about my experience in how Fawkes had her wing broken there and after two courtesy exams (which were just to put on a bandage/splint on her wing) nothing else was done. I felt this was really unjust since her life is forever changed and will never fly again. Her wing will always droop and you can feel her elbow joints out of place where they were dislocated and sometimes she flinches with pain when touched on that wing.
The clinic recently reached out to me in reply to my reviews and after a meeting with the director of the clinic, the same vet that took care of Fawkes back then, has agreed to compensate me somehow.
The options were to either be compensated for the exam in which her wing had been broken. Or to have the clinic pay for a second opinion with another vet and pay for any exams and medications she might need. The thing is though, the vet said he felt sure that any other vet would agree with him that nothing can be done for Fawkes. Her wing is just broken and will forever remain so. Now I feel that if I get the second opinion, the vet at fault will only have to pay for that visit which would end up being less than what I had paid for the initial visit where her wing was broken.
I'm at a loss at what to do. He stated that bringing lawyers into this would not be advisable and in the end not worth it cost-wise.
And with getting a second opinion, there's two options there too! Take her to a vet here that works with birds or travel more than 2 hours to get to an actual certified avian specialist but the travel costs will not be reimbursed.
I don't know what to do...for two years or so I have felt guilt-ridden and horrible thinking about how this vet broke her wing and I was never given an apology or compensation of any kind. I had wanted to take her to get a second opinion but didn't feel it was fair for me to pay for it so it's great to have the option of the first vet reimburse me for that but if that vet is correct that nothing can be done for her, then I feel that the second opinion being compensated for isn't worth what we do deserve...
I feel lost, stressed and anxious to the point I can barely breathe...
What would you do in this situation?
I should probably also add that at the moment I am in a very very very tight budget...it's been really difficult these last few months money wise and just having enough to buy food for myself and my birds is possible...