Nashville Veterinary Specialists

Reviews 3

JE

Jen Allyn

Our dog nearly died because we took her her to Nashville Veterinary Specialists. If you do not read the rest of this review, please at least take your sweet pet somewhere else. We took our sweet dog, Ellie, to NVS because they were recommended by our vet and we trust her implicitly. It was a Friday night and our dog was in an Addisonian crisis after getting attacked by another dog. The treatment for this is steroids, to counteract her inability to produce them herself, and to support her blood pressure which can drop dangerously low. She had bite wounds but they were not life threatening. Her endocrine disorder is. We told the secretary, the tech, and Dr. Smith immediately upon arrival exactly what the problem was, and what she needed. We were told that steroids were not indicated in this situation but the recommendation was to leave Ellie overnight for stabilization. The first thing we were given was a price list of everything they anticipated Ellie would need, including surgery for her wounds. She absolutely did NOT need surgery for her wounds. Her wounds werent going to kill her, but her Addisons disease would. We said no to surgery and, trusting that our pup was in good hands, left her there overnight for treatment. I received a call from Dr. Smith at 6am, telling me that they were having a hard time keeping Ellies blood pressure up (at one point it had fallen to half what it should be), that they were continuing to push fluids and had her on a pain medicine drip (more fentanyl per hour than I typically give my human patients, and a medication that can severely lower blood pressure). She was concerned that Ellies white blood cell count was low (this is expected in anyone on chronic steroid therapy, which Ellie is), and thought that she was septic. WHAT???!! Why on earth would my dog be septic? This is getting stupid. At this point I have lost all confidence in Dr. Smith, and began to speak to her not as a pet parent, but as the health care provider that I am. When she realized I knew what I was talking about she replied in a flat tone, "Oh, youre in healthcare?". I told here there is no indication that my dog is septic, and that if shes so concerned about Ellies blood pressure then to take her off the Fentanyl drip and only give pain medication as needed. I also brought up the steroid Ellie desperately needed, which up to this point (9 hours later) she still hadnt received, and Dr. Smith continued to tell me it wasnt indicated in this situation. I wanted to tell her to pick up a book, or maybe do a google search on Addisonian crisis, but I remained professional and tried my best to remain respectful, knowing the only saving grace was that she had just handed off Ellies care to the incoming doctor, and my vet would be in touch with them within an hour. Thankfully, I was able to reach our vet that morning, who immediately called NVS and spoke to Dr. Clark, who knew exactly what to do for our sweet Ellie and gave her the steroids she needed right away. A few hours later she was like a new dog and was able to come home. I am just sick thinking about what could have happened, and how close Dr. Smith came to killing our dog, all because she wouldnt listen to us, wouldnt admit she didnt know how to manage an Addisonian crisis, and couldnt bother to pick up a book to learn about it. We will NEVER bring any of our pets back here and will make sure all of the pet owners we know hear about our horrific experience.

ST

Steven Childs

Today we put down our sweet family member Maggi Sue Baker 9 yrs 8 months pit/lab. She had some issues for the week prior but were told it was arthritis (we took her here last Monday). Took her to another vet this Saturday 7/30/16 got some meds and it seemed like a miracle she was herself most of the day. That evening she had her first seizure in her life. We called Nashville vet and asked what to do they said to bring her in. We did and left her in their care and the doctor was very upfront about what she thought about it. Dr Sarah do not recall her last name. Brain tumor was most likely/most common. We left her there for sat & sun hoping they could get the seizures under control and we could bring her home. I called almost every two to three hours to get a status update, they were happy to do so and I appreciate it very much She did well for a day but this morning when we went to get her she suffered from more seizures. When we saw her, we knew it was time to let her go. We got a room with a couch, rocking chair rug etc a good attempt at making it feel like home. The Dr was very professional (Dr. House)giving us time to spend with our sweet dog (we hadnt seen her in two days!). The procedure was quick, and sweet Maggi passed on and over the rainbow bridge peacefully in her moms arms. They gave us more time afterwards and when they came in for her remains asked if we needed more. We set up private cremation from a 3rd party thru the vet with a paw print keepsake. Nashville vet made it easy to get services we needed after hours and professional consulting. The people here at this emergency vet are very professional and I felt like they cared about Maggi. We had a consult with the vet neurologist and they didnt even try to push a MRI ($2000ish). Which surprised me personally, however it has restored some of my faith in people who care for, treat animals and try to give the best care to their patients. The photo attached is of Maggi Sue in better days. We will never forget you or the care you received from the vet when you needed it most.

HA

Harrison Williams

If you value your pet, your time and your sanity, you will look elsewhere for a vet. This is the worst run collection of people that I have ever seen. I work closely with a regional dog rescue group and one of the dogs that I personally foster came into the rescue with a missing a back foot. We raised funds and chose to get a prosthetic for him so that he could enjoy a more normal life and run with his brother and sister in the backyard instead of literally laying down and crying every afternoon because he physically cant keep up. The staff at Nashville Veterinary Specialists have been the most inept, incompetent and unaccommodating people that I have ever dealt with in the business world. They are rude, they dont have any idea whats going on, and they absolutely cannot ever give me reasons or information as to why there is always a problem with billing, scheduling, or discharging my foster dog after visits. I literally dread having to go to this vet. If the rescue group didnt require that we go here, I assure you I would hit the road and go elsewhere - literally anywhere else. The doctor I met seemed nice and knowledgeable enough, but every single time I go in, I find myself quite literally laughing out loud at the front staffs incompetence. They are clueless. Theyre unhelpful. And worse, theyre rude and dont know how to get anything done. I would never recommend that anyone ever take their pet here. If you work elsewhere, like myself, and have to make special accommodations to leave work and take your pet to the vet, youre bound to waste hours of your life when you could be working because things are sure to come unraveled once you arrive. As a business professional myself, I literally cannot understand how this place is still in business.