VCA Wingate Animal Hospital

Reviews 4

LI

Lisa Lajimodiere

I went to VCA Wingate as a recommendation of the large-breed dog rescue I got my Great Dane from since one of the vets is the Medical Director. I will say for the first 3 years I went, the service was okay and the staff was fine there was nothing that truly impressed me. However, when my dog (my child, really) got sick, problems started. My regular vet was out of the office a lot and was not responding to calls or emails at all. I requested a second opinion (really a new first opinion since I could never get a response). That vet then referred me to a specialty vet for an oncology consult. It was the worse experience of my life and when I explained that to the VCA Wingate vet her response was, "I havent had that experience with them. Follow up with your normal vet" (referring to her colleague at VCA Wingate). When I did hear from my regular vet, she referred me to VRCC for an oncology consult. The news was devastating; our dog had bilateral thyroid cancer. My vet and I both received an emailed copy of the results and the specialists findings-- And that is when all communication STOPPED! My vet never emailed me, never called me. This was a patient of hers for over 3 years and she didnt have the decency to say, "sorry your dog/child is dying. Let me help you make end of life care decisions." NOTHING! So, when it came time to let our baby go, we chose an outside agency who came to our home. One of her guarantees is that she contacts your vet to let them know she euthanized the dog so you do not have to go through that trauma. Again, no phone call from my vet or email to apologize or to send condolences. The next month, I received an "vaccination due" post card for my deceased dog. I called the office and through tears and sobs of reliving his death, I asked her to ensure he was marked as deceased in their computer so I wouldnt have to do this again. The very next month, same thing. I called and again begged not to receive any correspondence in the mail or email and was told it was taken care of. Too bad that didnt happen. The third month, I received a magazine addressed to my dead dog. I called and spoke to the clinic manager and this time I admit, I was rather perturbed and stated this was unacceptable and poor customer service. She assured me this would not happen again and that she was personally seeing to this issue. Today, I open my email to this heading "Happy Birthday to Onyx!"..... Yep- That was a joy. Today would have been his 11th birthday. I am heartbroken and enraged that after four months of calling, begging, and pleading not to endure this trauma over and over that VCA Wingate cares so little about their patients (animals) and their families who love and treat them as family members. SHAME ON YOU VCA WINGATE- I would never recommend you to anyone! I sincerely hope you never have to go through what I went through at your clinic!

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Rena KS

This was the clinic my family used for all of pets over the last 30 yrs. It was different when it was a small family clinic and not VCA. I remember loving visiting as a child with our family pets and remembered how caring the doctor was with them. So, naturally, when I grew up and had just moved back to the area, I took my beloved 12 yr old dog there with a bizarre gagging cough. I was told it was acid reflux and to give him some pepcid and all would be well. All was not well and a month later I took him to a different vet where I learned he had a massive tumor in his throat and had, if I was lucky, a month to live. Now, maybe it was possible that the tumor inflamed so much over the course of 3 weeks. But I highly doubt that was the case given the shock of the vet who said, "They didnt notice this a month ago?" Perhaps we could have done something if we caught it earlier. Perhaps not. But at that point the tumor was so large and the dog so much weaker that it was really quite late to do anything about it. I would NOT recommend this vet despite years of wonderful animal care two decades ago. It is not the same place, they are not the same doctors. The animal rescue where we adopted our next dog from cautioned against VCA whose clinics have yearly income requirements in order to bear the VCA stamp. **UPDATE** I will credit VCA Wingate for watching reviews and attempting to right past wrongs. I received a surprising phone call yesterday from a kind Wingate representative who wanted to make things right. I appreciate the sentiment, especially since she wasnt at the clinic at the time of the most disappointing veterinary experience Ive ever endured. It does not change my rating because a caring administrative staff doesnt reinstate my faith in the competency of the doctor we saw. But it was nice just the same. Also, THANKS, GOOGLE... I really love that I can no longer post anonymous reviews and can now expect phone calls from apologetic (maybe angry?) businesses due to poor reviews!!!

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Denise Anderson

Great Experience! This past Saturday, I took two of my fur babies to VCA for their annual exam. Now don’t get me wrong, both my pets and I are perfectly happy with our current vet, but this one is located 2 minutes away from my home, has all day Saturday business hours, and offered a free veterinary exam for up to two pets. How could I refuse checking them out??? Loki (cat) and Rusty (dog) were the guinea pigs! The proximity and office hours were my main incentives since my current vet closes at noon on Saturdays which has sent me on more than one occasion racing to the ER hospital between 12-5 o’clock pm which is costly. I also love that this clinic is online and actually responds in a timely manner to inquiries. Loki was in for her annual visit. Rusty was in for his annual, but also required his Rabies updated and a nail trim. The check-in at the reception was quick, with less than a couple minutes in the general waiting area before directed to an exam room. Both pets were examined by Mary Nacey, DVM and the nail trim was done by Victoria. For a first time experience, I found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, considerate of Rusty’s many issues including a “tender back” and genuinely nice. Rusty’s shots and nail trim were not covered by the coupon, but the charges for the services were reasonable. I have another cat at home on a special diet of Royal Canin Urinary SO of which I was able to pick up a bag at the same time also reasonably priced. Your receipt for services can be printed, emailed or both! In rating the facility for cleanliness, staff, friendliness, thoroughness, and knowledge I would give it 5 Stars. Loki would rate it 4-Paws up (kitty 5 stars) and Rusty would rate it 3-Paws up just because he’s a Dachshund, and the only thing Dachshunds rate as 4-Paws are blankets & toys with squeekers they cant break!

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MsApril2012

First off I must say, I love the online options. I dont have time to sit on hold and wait for extended periods of time. Secondly, I appreciate the location and free first pet visit, it helps with the expense of a new family member. Thirdly. I also appreciate the pet insurance availability, I am new to this particular pet insurance and hope it goes well. I am thankful to have VCA Wingate as a partner with this insurance, makes the expenses managable and less intimidating. Fourthly, I absolutely adore the technicians and administrative staff however, my opinion of the actual veternarian is quite the opposite. As some of the prior reviews have mentioned, she is helpful, and informative yet, very judgemental, she makes assumptions and imposes her opinion of the situation rather than actively listening, assessing, and responding respectfully and appropriately. Its as though she is pre-judging the situation and doesnt adapt from that when she finds out the details. It feels as though her listening is selective, based off of her responses and unwillingness to listen to the complete story. We assumed ownership of a young male cat from a family member and the situation is already burdensome, and to have responsible pet owners made to feel uncomfortable is unacceptable. We are the responsible pet owners, the attempt at a guilt trip is not required. For many, a vet bill is not viewed as an essential, so making the visits as friendly, informative, and hassle-free is imperitive to pet owners and the health of their pet. If I could deal strictly with the technicians and administrative staff, I would. We have now sought other options for the neutering procedure we originally scheduled through VCA.

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