Associated Veterinary Specialists

Reviews 3

BE

Betty Sagovac

Let me start by saying I had the misfortune of having to bring two of my cats to AVS. One for diagnosis of intestinal lymphoma (back in 2008) another for radioactive iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism (Dec 2015). My first experience was with Dr. Wayne Hause. My cat was puking and loosing weight and my regular vet was suspecting IBD or intestine lymphoma. We basically just needed a confirmation. AVS did a whole battery of labs, EKG (since my cat had a murmur), and abd ultrasound, upper endoscopy with biopsy. Basically stick me with over $3000 dollars vet bill. Im an cardiac ICU nurse, so did my cat need an EKG? No. He is NOT having heart problems. He is having GI problems. (some can argue that if the heart failure is bad enough you can have GI problems... But come on, there would be other symptoms). Does my cat need the endoscopy or biopsy just to differentiate intestine lymphoma? No. The end result and treatment is basically the same. Steroids. Basically they talked me into doing unnecessary tests and procedures on my poor kitty just to make money and to be "thorough". For my second cat, me was also puking and loosing weight. Turns out he had some sort of GI bug as his became hypertyroid was getting worse (funny thing was, my regular vet had checked thyroid levels less than a year ago). This time we saw Dr. Christine Cocayne. Granted, we had brought my cat to AVS after hours as he was getting dehydrated (yes, I was tempted to fluid resuscitate him myself at home) and I had to work early next morning. The oncall vet that was there basically didnt do much other than give my cat an IV and some fluids and waited until Dr. Cocayne got there in the morning. While she was professional and we had a couple conversation over the phone regarding diagnostics and treatment, she was appearently too busy to bother spending more than a few minutes talking to me when I picked up my cat. There was no followup what so ever. In fact, when my cat had recovered from his GI bug and I called back to schedule his radioactive iodine treatment, Dr. Cocayne did not even bother explaining anything to me. They repeatedly told me over the phone and when I drop him off about the cost for the treatment, making sure I knew how much it cost. During the 2 days my cat was there, I spoke to the nurse. When I pick up my cat, the receptionist basically asked for payment before I even got to see my cat. After she collected $1400 from me without giving me an itemized breakdown of my bill, she went over the discharge instruction with me, but dont ask her any specific questions thats not printed on the paper... Cause she doesnt know the answer. The nurse just brought my cat out in his carrier. I tried to ask her specific questions (what to do about the dirty liter, exactly how radioactive is the waste, how radioactive is my cat, etc.) I basically got a lot of dodging. They dont Geiger the cat waste... They are only required by law to do this and that... When I asked if they had a vet or manager I can talk to, she told me there wasnt anyone. Granted, it is Christmas eve, but if one of my patients family ask for my manager, I contact my manager and ask them to contact the family, Christmas eve or not. Bottom line, they dont care about you or your pet. They just care about the money. Are they able to provide good medical care? Yes. But they have zero bedside manners. So why do I bring my pets there? Because there are no other veterinary specialists, unless I want to drive hours to another facility in Columbia or Kansas City. They know they have the monopoly.

CA

Carolynn K

This place is absolutely ridiculous! They dont care about OUR ANIMALS, THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR! Our dog is dying and they are "demanding" half the money up front BEFORE THEY WOULD EVEN START TREATING HER. As soon as my husband walked in the door, they should have taken our dog and started treating her immediately! One should figure that if you walk into a vet ER that we are animal lovers and are concerned and want to take care of our dog as she was not just a dog, she was our little girl! We are sickened by the fact that our dog lay on the floor seizing and dying and they are wanting half the money up front. Even if they took our dog and started treating her and she passed away, we would have paid our bill. (JUST LIKE WE DID!) We understand that it is a business and that it takes money to run, but when you have people crying and worried over their beloved animal they should realize some people are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their little boy or girl alive! FIRST STEP WAS GOING TO ASSOCIATED VETERINARY SPECIALISTS, BRIDGETON, MO! HUGE HUGE HUGE MISTAKE SHOULD HAVE GONE TO ANOTHER ANIMAL ER. Needless to say, I get a frantic call from my husband that our little girl passed away. Driving in the rain to get to them as fast as I could to be treated like we were going to rob them of their services is TOTAL BS! As my husband is with the dog, I go to talk to them about cremation etc. and the receptionist gets ready to hand me a $600 plus bill--AND THEY DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, BUT LOOK AT HER. I see the bill and ask the receptionist, "Did they even do anything to her?" and she said, "Im not sure, let me check." (I KNEW THEY DID NOT, I JUST WANTED HER TO EXPLAIN HOW THE HELL THEY GOT TO A $600.00 PLUS BILL WHEN OUR LITTLE GIRL HAD ABSOLUTELY NO TREATMENT FROM THEM!) About 5 minutes passes and she comes back up front to tell me, "No the vet just examined her, so it will be $120 for the examination and $160 if you want to cremate her." In my opinion, she would have let me pay the $600 plus bill and not said a word, thinking we were so grief stricken we would have not known any difference. THIS PLACE NEEDS SOME SERIOUS TRAINING ON PEOPLE SKILLS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH GRIEF STRICKEN PARENTS WHO ARE UPSET OVER THEIR BELOVED ANIMAL(S).

A

A B

I rushed my dog here b/c she was attacked by another dog. The staff, specifically Claudette and Dr. Farnan were great. In fact, in later visits, I met more of the staff and they were all fantastic. I wish I knew everyones name so I could thank them each personally. They treated my dog with care and helped me through the emotional trauma as well. I was a little surprised the bill wasnt more for everything they did for my girl. Yes, it was a lot, but she had emergency surgery, drains and stitches, not to mention an overnight stay, medications and supplies to treat her at home. She is going to be just fine, thanks to the great care she received at AVS. I love that they send home written instructions for post-op care. I was in shock with what had happened to her and theres no way I could have remembered how to care for her properly. I also called no less than 10 times to ask questions and was greeted by a caring and professional member of the staff every time. I have also called here on several unrelated occasions and theyve always given me advice over the phone, which is appreciated more than words can say. They actually answer your questions instead of just trying to get you in the door (unless necessary). This place is a lifesaver, quite literally! I cant quite understand the negative reviews. Yes, ERs are more expensive than normal vets, just like with people. If you want/need the convenience of the hours, then you deal with it. Money WELL spent as far as Im concerned. I have taken my dog back for 2 follow up visits since the initial attack/visit and I was not charged for either (presumably b/c they anticipate this and bill you upfront). I appreciate this very much and its a relief to not be nickel and dimed to death, although I would pay whatever necessary for my "kids". Im not sure my sweet girl would be here today and I would probably be in a rubber room without AVS. I hope I never have to go back (b/c that means one of my dogs is in danger), but if I do, Ill come here in a heartbeat. They saved my sanity, and more importantly, my baby girl.