Sunday, July 18, 2004

Doggy drama!
 
Yes, how I love going to the E.R. for totally dumb things, like the dog bite that I experienced Friday night.  I linked to the picture instead of posting it outright just so that my blog doesn't overflow with gore.  Funny, every time I've had a dog bite (I guess that would be twice) the owner has invariably said, "Oh, he's just barking/playing.  He doesn't bite."
 
I was reluctant to go to the E.R., but it was probably a good thing as they said some of the fang holes were quite deep--took a while to clean them out.  Brrr!  And I did get antibiotics, which in this circumstance is probably a good thing.
 
We only spent a couple hours in the E.R., which is not bad for a Friday night, although I had been hoping to go to bed at 10 pm after a quick visit to my friend, not 1 am after an evening in the hospital.
 
I got severe sticker shock when they suggested a hundred-dollar deposit on however much it would end up being. I actually felt scared and sick as they ran my credit card.  I have been so broke this summer, as my student loan doesn't cover summers, only fall/winter.  I have another 4 weeks until I get a check that doesn't go entirely to rent, and because I've been so broke, it's already spent about twice over anyway.  So I really hope the dog owners will pay for the medical part.  Not trying to make a profit or sue anyone or anything; I just seriously can't afford to pay for people's pets to maul me.

8 comments:

Liddy said...

It honestly just seems wrong how expensive it can be to have medical incidents. It's just a split second that costs thousands of times more than your average split second and is far less enjoyable. I stepped on a big rusty nail on Father's Day and had to go to the ER with a board nailed to my foot. $500!!!!! At least I told the doctor to just pull it out and not bother with anesthesia, which I'm sure would have tacked on what may as well have been another jillion dollars. And it was vaguely rewarding to have everyone able to see what I was there for and not ask too many questions.

argotnaut said...

They have to pay for it. Are they homeowners? If so, their homeowners' liability insurance will cover it. If not, they're personally responsible anyway.

Loki's Concubine said...

Ouch. Did you have to get rabies shots? Just curious, as my father works with DHEC and often gets rabies duty. He gets calls all the time from hospitals and supposedly a hospital is required by law to report any animal bites to the rabies control officers. Hmm, sure hope the dog had his shots!

liz said...

I was assured that the dogs had all their shots up to date and everything, and I have their dog license number in order to make the report to animal control when I get back to Ypsi and all. (So it seems likely to be true.)

Gwen said...

You poor thing! Your photo documentation reminds me of the horse-bite I got when I was 13 (ouch). In terms of paying for medical care, you should move to Canada! Free tax-funded medicare really is one of the best things about living here. Of course, if it weren't free, I probably wouldn't get a rusty nail in my foot quite so often...

liz said...

Yes, this makes me even more annoyed than usual about the state of medicine in the U.S.

The best medical care in the world...for the three people who can afford it.

argotnaut said...

It's harder to move to Canada than you think, on account of all of us Yanks who'd LOVE to live in a civilized place that actually thinks its citizens deserve health care.

Of course, Andrew can tell you about Dick Cheney's (I think) health care plan for the poor: "They should just go to the emergency room [shrug]."

Gwen said...

Let zem eat cack.