Veterinary Referral & Critical Care

Reviews 5

JO

Joey Coleman

I took my dog in because I thought she may have swallowed something. I asked if x-rays could be taken....They did some blood work and stated that she had pancreatitis and had a 50/50 chance of survival. I had a choice of treatment estimated at $2517.90. I agreed to have treatment done with half down deposit but when I asked about the foreign object and taking xrays.... the doctor stated that the blood work determined that xrays werent needed... I insisted that xrays be taken... By the time, I literally got to the front desk from the examining room the doctor rushed out of the back and exuberantly stated she had find a round object on the xrays--- she just preformed???? I then felt a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders and maybe the treatment would take a different approach. I asked the doctor what we do from here and she said that the surgeon had just left for the evening( at a 24 hour emergency center) and she would have her call me in the morning. I received a phone call from Dr. Schnurrer the next am and she continued to mention Pancreatitis instead of the removal of the foreign object. I then proceeded to ask if the foreign being in the stomach would cause abnormal blood work and she stated yes. There was a level of concern but the main focus should have been the removal of the ball. I agreed to disagree to the continuance of improper diagnosis and proceeded to having a conversation with the surgeon who would preform the removal of the round object. At that time an estimate $2700-$3800 was agreed upon because I felt like I had no other choice. I was told that if we didnt do the procedure my dog would die. I asked if this was addition of the first estimate and the surgeon said that she did not have anything to do with that situation. My bill came out to $4987.00(round off). I know it seem crazy that I would have paid this bill but there again my hands were tied ... I figured I would talk to the owner Dr. Fallin and maybe resolve this in a nice way. I did proceed to write the owner a letter stating my concerns. Did I receive a response--- NO.....Do I recommend this place for 24 hour emergency service- NO.. Do veterinarians recommended this place- NO! Who do they recommended- DOGWOOD on Broad Street

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RA

Rather LiveInKeyWest

Based on our experience, If your animal needs emergency assistance we highly recommend getting here quickly. We found this place based on our veterinarians automated phone systems referral... We purchased a new to us home a few years ago, and moved in without a hitch. That next Christmas, the family got a Golden Retriever puppy from a very reputable breeder. His is 100% part of the family, but almost didnt make it. At about 6 moths old, the hound was frolicking around in the driveway and garage with me while I was washing a car. Suddenly, i noticed that he had his head jammed under the HVAC system in the garage... and I called to him to come to me. He did, but he had something in his mouth. That something was a small pouch of rat/mouse poison that the prior owner must have tossed under the HVAC system. Never knew it was there, but could see that the dog had chewed it open as the granular material was everywhere. Called the vet - but it was the weekend and they were not open. Their voicemail message referred us to this critical care facility if we felt there was a real emergency. We called this center, and they quickly explained the dire impact that this type of poison could have on a dog... and directed us on how to quickly try and get the dog to vomit and asked us to get there pronto. We did all that while on the go, car seats and floors be darned, and made it to the clinic in record time. They took the remnants of the packet and then rushed the dog into their treatment room to flush and pump his stomach and do something with charcoal... not 100% sure of the entire process. The staff was wonderful. Our kids were upset, as were we, but the staffs demeanor was great... though honest about the possibility of system shutdown. They kept the dog for two days and we picked him up on the third day, his bouncy, almost normal self. took a few more days for the charcoal to completely work through his system, but all was well thereafter. A couple years have gone by now and we continue to be thankful for what they did. Great facility. Caring staff. effective treatment for our hound doggy. Can you put a price on that?

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MA

Martin Brill

I brought my 11 year old lab to VRCC to get an MRI to rule out back problems related to weak hind legs. The neurologist, Dr. Clark, wanted to do additional tests while he was sedated such as a spinal tap. During the test, my dog regurgitated into his esophagus(he had not eaten since the night before so must have been gastric juices). Dr. Clark stopped the tests and tried to drain my dogs esophagus. My dogs esophagus became enlarged and dysfunctional making it impossible for him to swallow and force food to his stomach- a condition called megaesophagus. He got strong enough for us to take him home but after 2 weeks of feeding him gruel in an upright position he stopped eating and became steadily weaker. We ended up taking him back to VRCC where we had him put to sleep. Dr. Clarks desire to perform tests in excess of what we asked for required that he use more anesthesia for a longer period of time on an old dog. It is fairly well known that old sick dogs do not tolerate anesthesia very well.In my opinion, Dr. Clark did not consider that he was putting my dog at significant risk. I would advise anyone to think twice before allowing this vet to touch or test their dog.

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EL

Elissa Calvert

Awful experience. Everyone was very nice but we were there for 4.5 hours, spent $400, and got an incorrect diagnosis of esophagitis. I had to call my sister who is a vet tech multiple times and she told me that there is no reason they should have been doing the things they were/taking as long as they were. But they only had 1 vet on; its just not right to have 1 ER vet on duty on a Sunday because they dont want to pay a second vet, resulting in people waiting for unnecessary amounts of time. They had our kitty back there to take an xray for over an hour!!! An xray should NEVER take that long. And all of that would be fine, but we wasted $400 for absolutely nothing. I just looked up the symptoms of esophagitis and he only had one, maaaaybe 2 of them. When the vet was telling us about her diagnosis, she obviously didnt sound very sure of it. She said it was her "best guess." Best guess?? Im sorry but 4.5 hours and $400 should result in more than a best guess...which was clearly wrong...the internet has given me better information than that vet. EDIT: It was a hairball. $400 and 4.5 hours later for a hairball that we fixed at home with some $10 hairball gel from Petco..

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RE

Rebekah Barker

The care that my dog received was good! The vets and vet technicians seemed extremely knowledgeable and willing to help. My dog had to stay overnight, and I felt extremely comfortable leaving him in VRCCs care. My one complaint with the care my dog received is that the emergency vet I saw recommended several costly things that my dog did not need for his treatment. For example, my dog was very well hydrated, yet IV fluids were recommended throughout the course of his overnight stay. When I questioned this recommendation, the vet did say that he thought it wasnt necessary. However, this makes me question why it was even recommended in the first place if the vet did not believe it to be necessary? Further, the front desk staff is a hit or miss - some are very kind, helpful, and empathetic, while others are short and act put out when you call. Further, I have yet to actually have someone call me back when I leave a message and/or they say that they will. Very frustrating communication practices with long periods of holding. I know that this practice is reputable in the community and very good at what they do, but their client communication needs some serious work.

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