University Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

I have read the many glowing reviews of Dr. Curasi and his staff and up until recently I would have agreed with them all. However, my recent experience has shown me a new sid eof University Animal Hospital. I wanted to share my story to save others from a similar experience. Approximately 3 months ago, we brought our Lab into University Animal Hospital for treatment on her leg. She has severe limp on her hind leg. Upon our fist visit with Dr. Privette, we were told it was her knee. Then we were told that it was not the knee but instead was the hip during a follow-up with Dr. Privette. Uncomfortable with the back and forth, we scheduled a follow-up with Dr. Curasi; during which we were told that it was the knee and the hip. At his strong urging, Dr. Curasi conviced my wife to schedule a surgery for the following Monday to perform an operation on my dogs hip and knee. My wife and I decided that we wanted to put the surgery off to seek another opinion. I called University Animal Clinic on the morning of the scheduled surgery and explained our resrevations to the receptionist. I asked that Dr. Currasi call me so that I could get some reassurance from him. I also told her that we were going to put off the sugery in order to seek anoth opinion. I am sad to say that I did get another opinion and that it was discovered that my dog has terminal bone cancer that is causing degeneration to her pelvis and hip (there is nothing wrong with the knee). The new Doctor took the time to look deeper into the problem to find the route cause. I also, had to pay to have new x-rays done because the ones that Dr. Privette did were so poor that they were inconclusive on the knee; this according to the new Vet. Upon learning of all of this, we were obviously very said. We bagan to question many things about Dr. Curasi and Dr. Privette. Why did they not find the cancer? If we had found the cancer immediately, would it have made a difference? Did they really care for our pet or were they just trying to make money? Since I had never heard back from Dr. Curasi on over a week, I decided to try to contact him again. My intention was not to place blame, but to let him know what we had found and get him to try to answer some of our question. I also intended to ask for my money back for the x-rays that they had performed due to the fact they were of such poor quality that I had to pay for another Vet to re-do them. I thought, in light of everything, that thiswas a fair request. Dr. Curasi took my call. From the beginning he was very defensive and often talked over me as I was trying to explain my story and what we had learned about the condition of our pet. He did not want to listen. He told me that he did not have time to hear me out because "he had a dog on the table" and that was the more pressing issue at the moment. He said that he would look into this and either call me back or have his secretary contact me. When I asked when could I expect to get that return call, his replay was: "in the near future". He was just very rude and showed no compasion to the fact that my dog is dying and he and his staff misdiagnosed her condition. We are all human. We all make mistakes. But our pets are often parts of our families. I do not blame Dr. Curasi for the fact that my dog has terminal cancer. I can even understand that he overlooked that root cause of her problem. What I cannot except is that instead over taking ownership or offering even an apology, he decided to compound the problem by being defensive and arrogant. There was no excuse for that. I, of course, have not yet recieved that return phone call either. I am very disappointed with the actions taken by this Vet. For years, I have recommended thier practice to friends and family. I will never do that again. My hope is that, if you decide to use them, your experience is better than mine!

TS

TSB68

My crew of 6 dogs and 2 cats have been patients here for over 9 years. I have dealt with each doctor over the years and they are all exceptional. My primary vet is Dr. Privette. I have nothing but good things to say about this hospital. Having 8 animals I have dealt with small issues and large issues...all have been handled with extreme quality care. I feel very blessed to have found such great fur kid doctors. Its close to where I live and if there is an emergency I am always fit into the schedule. The ladies in the front reception area are warm and friendly. I can be a handful (LOL...just ask!) and they are always sweet and caring. All of the techs are fabulous...Amy can cut the nails of even the most difficult dog (yep, I have one of those too) and still manage the office in stride. I recommend everyone with animals I ever meet to this hospital. Thank you Dr. Curasi for providing quality people to care for our fur kids...it is much appreciated :) Tamitha Betti PS...Id like to add a few things. Ive read the previous reviews. I dont want to take anything away from them, however, the fact is there are specialists that must deal with certain issues. Dr. Privette has never hesitated to encourage me to take my fur kids to AVS for issues that needed a specialist. Ive dealt with very serious issues...spinal disease requiring disc surgery, unresolved pancreatitis, unknown liver issues (three separate dogs). Each time Dr. Privette went as far as he could without specialized equipment (MRI and CAT machines) and did not hesitate to tell me when it was time to seek a specialist....and I wasnt sent through financial flaming hoops before that recommendation was made. Dr. Privette could have also let me put my 17yr old cat on heart meds and put him through hell for 6 months...but he didnt encourage that and if he were concerned with money it would have been easy. Rather, he voiced he was happy with my decision to let my dear Tigger pass. As devastating as this was it was the humane thing to do as his quality of life would have been terrible. He cares about my animals on a personal level. I firmly believe this hospital is a fantastic primary care facility. Every person there cares about you and your animals...you are NOT a number here.

DE

Deana Kalakay

**This 1 star rating is meant for the groomer at University Animal Hospital, Shara.** Picked up my Labradoodle Monday and she looked like I had taken clippers and cut her hair myself. Her hair was uneven all over and her nails werent clipped. I had to ask the techs to please cut her nails before we left. The ladies at the front desk made me aware of my dog needing a tech to assist the groomer with cutting her hair, however, my dog is easy going if she feels safe. Clearly she didnt feel safe considering the uneven spots all over her body. I am very understanding if Im aware that she was fussy during the groom, however no call was made or note left when I picked her up. After expressing I wasnt thrilled with her grooming I was told that a message would be given to Shara and I would be given a call the next day. I havent received a call and Im not expecting one. I spent $60 on her grooming. I expected a quality cut and service, and I didnt receive either. Please save yourself the trouble and visit a different, qualified, professional groomer. The vet here is great, just not the groomer.