Category: | Animal Hospital |
Address: | 229 E Main St, Branford, CT 06405, USA |
Phone: | +1 203-488-5990 |
Site: | millpondvet.com |
Rating: | 3.9 |
Working: | 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM |
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A Private User
I recently took my dog to Mill Pond because hed come down with a major case of diarrhea and needed the medical attention. After checking him into the hospital, I was immediately sent to the front desk to pay. I was asked to sign an electronic display on the desk, only to find that I had just signed an electronic release form no one had let me read. This should have sounded the warning bells immediately. I was also provided with an estimate of what the visit would cost me. What no one bothered to explain to me was that the estimate actually only included the visit itself, and not any of the treatment my dog would require, which begs the question why they would bother to provide me with an "estimate" to begin with. When extra treatment was given, no one called me or gave me any notice of what was happening or what my dog needed, and my bill doubled without my knowledge or consent. When I returned to retrieve my dog, I was handed three types of medications without explanation and instructed to pay over twice what the estimate was, without being told what my dogs diagnosis was, what the medications were for, and what hed been tested for in my absence. When I questioned my bill (without raising my voice, making negative remarks, or making any incendiary comments whatsoever - I work retail and I understand needlessly difficult customers; trust me, I was not being one. I can only surmise that this was a case of end-of-the-day frustrations for this receptionist, who did not want to deal with my questions or distress when the office was about to close.) The receptionist immediately rose without making any attempt to explain (or any escalation of the situation for that matter), disappeared for several minutes, and sent me into a room with Dr. Yarrow, who she said would explain the situation to me. I asked Dr. Yarrow why the estimate I was given had been half what I was being currently asked to pay - Dr. Yarrow responded with immediate sarcasm by asking me if she should have "consulted her crystal ball" to tell me what my dog had or what he needed. She then immediately informed me (without having heard any of the interaction herself) that I had been "extremely rude" to the receptionist, asked my boyfriend over my head if he thought Id been "curt" (he was stunned by the inappropriate outburst and did not respond) and actually kept me locked in the small examination room to shower me with remarkably personal abuse without allowing me to see my dog. This was, I would like to reiterate, entirely because she didnt like my tone. I also think its pertinent to point out that I look much younger than I am, which may be why she felt she could talk to me like this. During the incident I explained my frustrations and offered her my apologies no less than three separate times. On the third occasion, when I said, "I am very, very sorry, maam," she looked me in the eye and informed me, verbatim, "I am not a maam to you. I am DOCTOR Yarrow." Well, Doctor Yarrow, congratulations. Now I am not a client to you, and neither is the rest of my family. I have had these experiences with her before to a lesser degree, during which she was strangely rude to my very kind and polite mother during a routine cat checkup, and when I dropped my dog off she made several unsettlingly blase comments about my dogs potential death due to diarrhea-induced dehydration. My dog is healthy now, but the entire experience chilled me to the bone and left an awful taste in my mouth. My dog means the world to me and I will never leave him in that womans care again. On some level I hate to write about what happened because I have had lovely experiences at Mill Pond with Dr. Ray, who is gentle and proficient and seems to understand that veterinary emergencies are an emotional and draining experience. However, Dr. Yarrows behavior and her intense disrespect toward clients is absolutely unacceptable, and as she owns the clinic, she is representative.
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A Private User
Our lab Jessie had seen a vet in North Haven for 1 year. During that 1 year, Jessie had been diagnosed with giardia several times. It causes diareah and loss of weight. Jessie was not getting better, he was actually getting worse. We heard that Dr. Yarrow is the Giardia specialist. We immediatley got Jessie and appointment. When I showed up at hte office, Jessie was extremely jumpy and barking constantly. I waited out in the "porch" area away from other clients. As I was waiting, Dr. Yarrows husband Donnie came out and put Jessie and me at ease. He took Jessie to the outside run to help him calm his nerves. Donnie was extremely nice and knowledgeable about dogs. When I saw Dr. Yarrow, she read through the tests that Jessie had been through, none of which were accurate tests. She swabbed Jessie, ran to the microscope and saw that he was still sick with giardia. She put him on a new diet, gave him a shot to make his stomach feel better and gave him medicine. She personally called the next day to see how Jessie was doing. Jessie is giardia free and gained 10 pounds! Hes finally a healthy boy thanks to Mill Pond Vet Hospital! I highly recommend this vet.
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A Private User
Show me the money! I was a long time client of Mill Pond who had grown dissatisfied. After being rudely treated by the practice manager, I knew it was time to leave. Since I’ve been going to another vet, I have found that my pets receive great care at half the cost. Through my new vet, I had the opportunity to order medication direct from the pet Rx – the same company that Mill Pond obtained their medication from (without giving their clients the opportunity to have it shipped direct). The new vet provided a prescription (at no cost, whereas Mill Pond will charge $5 to write a prescription) and I was contacted by the Rx company for payment. I was astounded to hear the cost of $20….Mill Pond had been charging me $81 for the exact same medication – a 400% mark-up! Unless you have money to throw away, the same level of care can be found elsewhere at more reasonable prices (and better customer service).
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A Private User
We were referred to Mill Pond by family friends after moving to the area. At the time we had one dog and two cats. Both Dr. Yarrow and Don were excellent with our dog and Dr. Carter is great with our cats. We adopted another dog and had territory issues between the two female dogs. Don was the only male our new dog would let near her and he very calmly explained different ways to stop and eventually end both our dogs territory issues. Dr. Yarrow demonstrated for me how to calmly but assertively control our new adoptee. They not only treated our animals but educated us on how to affectively control our "fighting females". After every visit we always get a phone call asking how our dogs or cats are feeling the next day. I would recommend them to any one in area.
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A Private User
Dr. Yarrow has been our vet for well over 2 decades. Over the years, she has proven to be a loving, caring care provider. Some dogs we had during that time had health problems; Dr. Yarrows care extended their lives and provided them with a quality of life that I dont believe any other vet could have provided. I would never take my pets to anyone else; and everyone we have referred to Mill Pond has been ecstatic over the diagnostic abilities and quality of care received. As for our dogs...well, how many people can say that their pets are happy and excited about going to the vet? The staff, and especially Don, are fantastic, and the new facility provides the highest level of veterinary technology.