Gateway Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

I really never had too many problems with this hospital considering Ive been going to them since 1997. Dr. Jimmerson to me has been my least favorite & I always avoid him if necessary. I felt his bedside manners were a bit condescending. When youre stressed about your sick pet who cant explain to you exactly how they feel & what theyd want you to do for them coupled with the financial responsibility, the last thing you need is someone like Jimmerson. I normally preferred Dr. Prezkov as much as possible. Ive had 2 cats put down there & this past Saturday almost had my 3rd cat per Dr. Jimmersons suggestion/request. It was more of a request, since he did say, "Well youd better bring her in and put her down, you dont want her to suffer." Aside from Jimmerson telling me that cats DO NOT GET A STROKE since I said that my cat seems to be suffering from a stroke, he insisted that my description was a sign of a seizure. Valium was given & I got home, she didnt seem any better. She threw up not once but twice and w/in 6 hrs. took her back after he was saying to give her Pepcid AC, then give her Phenobarbitol which he didnt give me. After that 2nd visit in the same day & paying a total of $259 ($209 for the earlier visit & $50 for the 2nd), another dose of valium, he 1st suggested I give her the phenobarbitol as soon as I get home. Then he asked when did she throw up, then suggested I get her some food first. Later that night she threw up again but even before that I saw no change as she stumbled & her head still turned to the left. The next morning I felt this was it b/c she didnt show signs of improvement nor could she hold in her food. Jimmerson explained that medicine cant work immediately & to give it time. How can I give it time when he insisted the pheno would help & the receptionist said the same thing too. But by this time I had already done my research & found that my cat did exhibit signs of a cat stroke and NOT a seizure b/c the pheno wouldve taken care of the seizure. Jimmerson also told me that her blood work came back NEGATIVE, and to bring her in b/c we need to give her fluids & make sure she gets her medicine but I told him I wont give her medicine b/c its making her throw up nor is it stopping her head from tilting. Jimmerson called back w/in 20mins to say that she has been tested positive for carrying the leukemia virus & I said I had a cat w/ Leukemia a long time ago but he said its not the same but that she probably has the virus in her brain & that is why she is NOT RESPONDING to the medicine. So now he is guessing yet again. Thats when he said that I need to bring her in & put her down that I dont want her to suffer. Today on Monday, shes walking, doing her normal things but she still wobbles slightly, her head still goes to the left but she can function now. She eats on her own, drinks water, and uses the litter box on her own now. She jumps up & down things, head still tilted but I take it she will get better. I had a very bad feeling about this from the beginning and glad I listened to my instincts. Looking back, Id rather have wasted the $259 and not spend more which wouldve made me pay for her euthanization PLUS cremation, etc. Jimmerson had bad manners before, and this time he seemed like he was trying too hard. Vets really need to listen to the patients owners b/c although we do not understand medicine, we do understand our pets behavior. I wont be as mean to say hes an idiot, but I still think his bedside manners could still be a work in progress to make it better. They thought it was funny b/c I paid and they asked if I had everything and I said, "I want my cat back." They said they got my money thats why they didnt care.

SU

suzanne phillips

I cant say enough good things about Gateway. I have basically lived there for the past month...it all started when I rescued 6 kittens and the mom from a horrible building manager (Brimco Management) who was locking the kittens under the building, then dousing them with pesticide. Ive never been so horrified. This was my next door neighbor building. Another blog will come about this; but onto Gateway for now...I caught these kittens, and brought them in 1, 2, 3 at a time - ALWAYS, the girls at the desk were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G, super compassionate and really worked with me. The kittens were spayed/neutered, received medical attention and flea medication. The place is PACKED, but Jessica, the front desk manager always gets everyone through the process in a reasonable time. I was always treated kindly, compassionately. Its amazing how quickly they take care of so many animals. Even the parking attendant was kind, helped me carry in the kittens, and addressed me by my name. Nicole, one of the receptionist/techs - amazing and sweet girl even found someone to adopt one of the kittens. They all jumped in and helped! They posted my flyers, and helped with posting adoptions. Jess, another of the girls at the front desk was absolutely wonderful. So caring and compassionate about the animals, as was Blanca (sweetheart) and Naisha, also so helpful and thoughtful. They took time, worked with me on the bills and made sure that the treatments I was doing was what was needed. They shared photos of their own animals with me. They are fantastic. I also had good experiences with the doctors as well, although didnt have as much contact with them, but the animals were properly cared for, and the vets explained the treatments to me, and why these treatments were needed. This was a really tough experience for me, and I can honestly say Ive never been treated so well by a group of women as these girls at Gateway. They are professional, compassionate and truly love and care for animals. They went well above and beyond to help me, and I am very grateful. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

A

A Private User

Besides being quoted 3 different prices for Neutering our new rescue,My partner and I decided to give Gateway a try.Considering the high cost of everything,we had priced shopped, only to be completely dissapointed and slightly horrified from the service and concern from the entire staff.While trying to make an appointment, we were very rudely put on hold 3 TIMES, ONLY TO find out they didnt take appointemnts for neutering. We were to bring him in M-F between 8 and 9 am. Arriving promptly at 8am, only to witness chaos and filth. The unorganized staff behind the desk,combined with the over crowded conditions in the reception area and the stench of animal urine, was quite depresssing.Very long story short.We were told to leave the dog, and call around 4 pm to see how he had done.Their inability to give us an accurate estimate concering all services discussed with the Vet,who was clearly distracted, led to a quote being faxed to us for our approval. Our Quote had been faxed to us,. Never was it mentioned that they wanted a deposit, or payment was expected prior to any services being done. In fact on their quote sheet, it clealy states that we were responsible for all services WHEN WE PICKED OUR DOG UP. We called at 4, and were told none of the services that we requested had been done. Not one time were we asked when we were there for any credit card or deposit. Our Dog was given no consideration, and we found him visibly disturbed.after being rudely told to come and pick him up.When we arrived , we were greeted with this dumbfounded look by the crew behind the desk. We were then referred to their very passive agressive "office manager" who clearly agitated the situation, and refused to take responsibilitly for anything that had gone on, and any policy that was clearly stated on THEIR letterhead regarding payment..All together, Gateway was a HORRIBLE an unprofessional experience..Avoid at all cost.