Ann Arbor Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

AB

Abigale Scott

Absolutely appalled by the actions of the veterinarian who helped me after my dog had gotten attacked at the dog park, requiring surgery & stitches to a laceration on his scalp! This is an emergency clinic, so I expected there to be high costs, (~$600 for the exam/surgery, aka their "low estimate"). I didnt expect for there to be so much disrespect & lack of consideration from the veterinarian after the surgery finished This vet could not have been more money hungry! Luckily, Im a clinical pharmacist, and know a lot about medicine- both human medicine &veterinary medicine. Ive studied both, &practiced both in hospitals, retail pharmacies, and compounding pharmacies. Ive filled hundreds of commercially available meds for pets, and had requested that I be able to for my own pet as I have in the past, &it tends to be much more affordable. Dr Emery Enger said she recommended Clavamox (Clavulanate/amoxicillin- at first I thought this was a shortened name for augmentin, also clavulanate/amox) and I had agreed with this recommendation, as it is the equivalent to Augmentin (amox/clav), which is commonly used in dog bites in humans to cover the anaerobic gram negative bacteria common in canine mouths, Pasteurella. She questioned me multiple times, wondering how i would be able to get this med. Having the experience I do, I assumed I would have no problem taking it to the pharmacy where I work. Upon getting there, the pharmacy did not have the augmentin in stock which is an equivalent product to brand Clavamox (they had 875/125mg tabs, a 7:1 ratio; Clavamox comes as 300mg of amox to 75mg of clavulanate, a 4:1 ratio). the pharmacy called to see if she would mind if they used this formulation, she refused, insisting that Clavamox was used. I then called and asked to speak to her personally, to which she called me nearly 3 hours later. I asked why she was being such a barrier to my pets care, &she said the ratio available was not the same. I informed her that there is a 500/125mg tablet, &250/62.5mg oral suspension available that is the same ratio as Clavamox, so I didnt see why this couldnt be used. She quipped back that human Augmentin hasnt been FDA approved for use in animals. I informed her that my dog taken it in the past, that I personally have filled this rx for hundreds of animals, &that that these drugs are first tested, IN ANIMALS, before being available to humans, so there is absolutely NO reason why she couldnt prescribe it to my dog! Unbeknownst to her, I also called over to Blue Pearl Emergency clinic &spoke to a vet while I was waiting, who said it is common &safe for pets to take this medication. I told her this, she then said it might put my dog at risk for "Side Effects." As a pharmacist and doggy parent of 3, I am well aware of side effects of meds, esp antibiotics, so I asked her which she was worried about- she replied "GI upset& loose stools." I educated her that this is normal in everyone, as whenever you take an antibiotic, you kill the good gut flora/bacteria, resulting in loose stools, that its still safe and not a justifiable reason to avoid antibiotics. Again, she refused & said if my dogs have had loose stools before that they should try cefpodoxime (another antibiotic which causes loose stools, &is quite costly). I asked why she would recommend this alone, as it doesnt have anaerobic coverage, esp in a dog bite when you want to cover the anaerobic organism, Pasteurella, &other mouth anaerobes- she just replied that they use it often (inappropriate treatment?) I told her I would still prefer to use human augmentin, the 500/125 version or the 250/62.5mg suspension (either have a 4:1 ratio). She finally agreed but only if I would come in to the clinic &sign a sign-off paper. Dr. Emery Enger is a barrier to patient care, &was doing everything in her power to drive prices up & force me to pay for brand name, expensive meds. Ive never met a physician, human or animal veterinarian, who is more unwilling to work w/their clients, &who cared more about inflicting high costs on their patients.

EM

Emily Bauerle

My 11 year old puppy got really sick, really fast. We hadnt taken him to a vet in quite some time. We knew he was suffering and came to the conclusion that he would have to be put down. We reluctantly took him here. We arrived late afternoon on a Sunday. For being a walk in, they saw us pretty quickly. The front desk staff were all attentive to our needs and talked about our pup as if he were a family member, which to us, he was. It was very comforting. The vet examined him and came back with the news we already knew: he was dying. She explained to us exactly what was wrong with him and after asking her, she explained to us the options we had and end results. Never once did she say anything about "putting him down" or to "euthanize him." She simply said it best by saying, "or you can give him lots of hugs goodbye." That was comforting in itself. After coming to terms with the fact that with treatment, should he get better, that he would only get better enough to be put on hospice care, we knew the decision we had to make. Never once did we feel pressure to do one thing or another. We never felt like they were trying to get us to spend money and actually suggested we take him home to bury him should we have the ability to do so. (Which is cheaper than cremation.) They simply helped us to make a guided decision that we were uncertain about before we arrived. They gave us all the time we needed and explained everything beforehand. Once it was time, the vet came in and talked thru all of the steps of the process. She explained what was going to be normal and what was going to happen, since I had never had to put a pet down before. It was very comforting and very peaceful. No one ever likes to, nor expects to have to put their pet to sleep, but they made it a very calm and loving experience. I never felt judged for my decision or questioning myself. They reassured me that I was doing the right thing. Its been a little over a week and I just got a hand written sympathy card from them today in the mail. Hopefully I will never have to bring a pet here for end of life care again, but Im so glad I made the decision to come here this time for my dear pup. Highly recommended.

HA

Hadeer Sinawe

Never, EVER again. Today, I called Ann Arbor Animal Hospital around 10:30am. I was told that appointments cannot be taken but if I came in shortly, I would be able to be seen. I was also told that the cost of the rabies shot was around $30. I asked if this was my out the door cost and the answer was yes. When I arrived, I was given a one hour wait time. After being taken to the exam room, I was surprised by the tech that I had to pay a $55 examination fee. During another 20 minute wait, I contacted several other animal hospitals, and all said that they were required by law to do an exam before they administer the rabies vaccine. One of the clinics (which Ive been to before many years ago) said the rabies examination fee was $21. Thats a $34 difference! What a discrepancy! The "vet" comes in and in one breath says "sorry weve had you waiting so long but how can I help you?" What kind of apology is that? I had waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes, to be exact. I mentioned the cost of the examination and was told "well youre paying for my time and youre free to go elsewhere" and in more or less words, she stated that "no one is holding you here." I mentioned to the vet, an older woman, that I was not trying to be confrontational but that I felt she was and that I would gladly take my dog elsewhere, where she proceeded to push him towards me even though he was right by me. By the way, I care for my dog. I would never put him in the care of someone with a negative attitude. Dogs pick up on that. He was anxious the entire time she spoke to me. I care for my little guy, so there was no way Id subject him to that. I do not see how these vets seem to care much more about charging hidden fees (I have been here before, when my other dog was put down, and although he was hopeless, another vet tried to get the "works" totaling thousands of dollars on him when the situation was dire). I travel and move a lot, and Ann Arbor is my home base. Because of moving a lot, I have seen many other animal hospitals. In my opinion and beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ann Arbor Animal Hospital only seems to care about profits and not their customers, patients, and certainly, not their animals.