Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital

Reviews 3

JU

Julie Carmichael

GROSS NEGLIGENCE AND LACK OF PROPER TRAINING We took our bunny in as an emergency patient 2 days ago. He had cold ears, which is indicative of hypothermia and possibly a serious GI issue. We called to let them know we were coming. He was responsive when we arrived at 9:50pm. They brought him back, weighed him and took his temp which was below normal at 99 degrees. This is extremely serious for a bunny. Dr. Cao came in and without urgency asked if we wanted x-rays and/or lab work. I agreed to both. We waited about an hour when he then told us there was no visible blockage on the films and that he was THEN going to give IV fluids, and we could take him home and cover him with a blanket. I questioned his diagnoses but was emotional and scared and didnt think to insist on different treatment. They gave us an antibiotic and Critical Care (food) to administer and sent us home. When we were about half way home I knew our bun felt heavier and wasnt ok. When we got home I laid his limp body in his cage and called the hospital in a panic. Dr. Cao told me that he "might be tired". He wasnt. He was dying. Dr. Cao then asked me if I wanted to bring him back? When I asked why we were sent home he told me my boy was stable. Obviously he wasnt. We left immediately for another 25 min. drive back to the hospital. They knew we were coming yet when we arrived one of the techs wanted to get his paperwork together first. I told them to get my bun back there immediately. They took him and within a minute came out to ask if we wanted them to do CPR. We agreed. Needless to say we were in shock. A few minutes later we were taken to a room and Dr. Cao came in to tell us that he had passed. I immediately questioned his diagnosis and the possibility of GI stasis/ileus and why he was sent home with hypothermia. He not only got defensive, but was very non-chalant about the situation and said our bun was probably too far gone to have made it anyway. I will have to live with never knowing. After researching Miami School of Vet Medicine, the Rabbit Society, Bunny World Foundation and several other care and rescue websites, I found that each one had information of the seriousness of hypothermia and simple standard of care treatment for GI stasis. He should have been warmed immediately with warming blankets and given pain medication to avoid dying from severe pain as bunnies often give up and die from such. An abdomen exam and massage, and an anti-gasseous med(s) should have been administered immediately, along with WARM IV fluids. This is basic knowledge but we were sent home with a dying bun. Not a single one of these things were done to try to save his life, all of which would have taken 10-15 min. max. He was in the doctors care for over an hour. Antibiotics are not even indicated. I have spoken to Dr. Hughes, the owner who agreed after looking at his x-rays, that ileus was clearly evident. Hypothermia was never addressed. He agreed with what I said and offered to pay for our cremation and bill. I agreed since I shouldnt be charged for gross negligence and incompetency. He assured me that he would speak to his other doctors and get them better trained. This is absurd as well as malpractice and at the expense of my bunnys life. I will be filing a formal complaint with the CA Veterinary Board and pursuing legal advice. Money is not an issue for me. Health care professionals take an oath to "do no harm" and are privileged to provide the basic standard of care, and beyond. This is gross negligence at its finest and inexcusable. Of course none of these actions will bring back my bunny but perhaps it will prevent another death and a beautiful life cut short by people who claim to know how to care for rabbits and do not, and do not care otherwise. Sadly there was the same incident posted here by review only 2 weeks ago. If you cherish your animals, be their voice, research, and stay away from this hospital.

LI

Linda Nelson

I am the Director of a small breed rescue and I was told by an adopter Conejo Valley had gone to a 24/7 operation. I filed it in the back of my mind and when we encountered an emergency situation on a Sunday afternoon with one of our pregnant rescued dogs, Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital popped into my mind. I rushed the dog into them and as someone who has a LOT of interaction with vets and their facilities, I believe I have the experience to give an accurate review and/or recommendation. What I like the most about CVVH is that the vets are compassionate but the cash register doesnt start ringing the moment you walk into their doors. Too many times I have found vets who recommend every test under the sun as they try to determine what is going on with a dog. Many young vets have much more updated knowledge, but not the old timer experienced smarts that dont rely heavily on test results to make a diagnosis. CVVH has a unique combination of both older, more experienced vets and younger, newly educated vets. It is not common to find such a combination in one facility. Another aspect I like about CVVH is that the non-veterinary staff are informed, compassionate and know their jobs. To me, the in the trenches folks are what make or break a business for me... if I get attitude or sense it is just a 9-to-5 job for them, I have less tolerance when someone doesnt know the answer to one of my questions or cant take ownership of their job and the tasks given to them. Any good, successful business realizes that the front and back staff make a team, and if ALL arent at the top of their game, it reflects badly on the business (and their bottom line) overall. A vet can be great, but have a poor front office... and will go for months (years) not realizing why their business is doing poorly. I have yet to find this going on at CVVH. When I ask a question, if someone doesnt know the answer, they will make sure to go to someone who does... and they will follow up with me to make sure my question is answered. IMHO, this is GREAT client service and because of this, we now recommend our adopters to use CVVH after adopting from us... something we as a large rescue are not apt to do unless we ourselves believe in the care our rescued dogs and puppies will get after they leave us.

JE

Jean Kammerer

Below is the review I posted some time ago about the excellent vet care at CVVH. Our dog is now almost 10, having survived his bout with a usually fatal blood disease thanks to this wonderful practice. We continue to use them as our vets. They now have a shiny new building, 24-hour emergency care, boarding, and grooming. Doogie has a few health issues, and we depend primarily on Dr. Coscarelli to keep him healthy. My five star recommendation stands. All the vets are terrific. Posted five years ago: I can not possibly express how much we love these vets and how grateful we are to them. Nothing I can say can recommend them as highly as they deserve. Weve been going to Conejo Valley Vet for 9 years and have seen many of the Drs. The office staff is always friendly ad polite, and everyone there is just as nice as can be. This winter our young labradoodle developed hemolytic anemia, a usually fatal blood disease where the immune system destroys red blood cells. He was very, very sick but they pulled him through with their scientific expertise and compassion. We saw Dr. Binder, Dr. Ceccarelli, and Dr. Lavie at different times...primarily Dr. Binder. For a while we were going to their office several times a week. They gave wonderful care, consulted with specialists on our behalf twice that we know about, and did everything they could to keep the expenses down. They also answered our questions and listened patiently to our opinions. Happily, Doogie-the-Doodle is now off all but one of the medications, and is back to his wonderful, happy, energetic self.