VCA Battle Ground Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

LY

Lyne Farness

Im happy to say the manager made this right. My complaint has never been about management, it was the receptionist handling of it all. I want to voice my frustration as to the situation that has taken place over the past two weeks. Two weeks ago I scheduled exam and vaccines for my dog. At the time I scheduled I asked the receptionist if this would still be covered under care club. She said it would if I had care club and didnt seem to know how to look up if I did. That same phone call I ordered flea control. So when I went to pick it up the next day I asked Fay the lead receptionist if my visit would be covered by care club. She said no that my care club had expired on June 11th. I was somewhat frustrated that I hadnt received notice that I was coming up on my expiration with unused product and services. I asked her to cancel my appointment. I would have still been frustrated but would have walked away and never said a word about it. I did point out that having been a receptionist there before that the policy when I worked there was that we called customers whose care club was about to expire when they still had unused services. Fay stated that it is still their policy to do so and that they do everyday but she didnt have an answer as to why I had not been called. Again, I would have just cancelled my appointment and let it go. But Fay said that my care club exam and vaccines would be honored. She reiterated that she would need to have it approved by Laura (stating that she was confident it would be approved) and that if there was any change she would call me and let me know. So today I go to my appointment with the belief that what I would be paying for would be just the nail trim that I wanted for my dog. I thought that my exam and vaccines would be covered by the care club that I had paid for in full and was told that would cover todays appointment. When it came time to leave I was given my bill that came to just under $90 and told that the exam and nail trim were covered but that I had to pay for my vaccines. I questioned this and was told that Laura didnt approve for the vaccines to be covered. I can accept that. What I am very bothered by is that I had been promised a phone call if this was not going to be covered. I didnt even so much as get a reminder call for my appointment (which, having been a former receptionist here I know is policy) let alone to be informed that my payment of the vaccines through care club would not be honored. I would have been perfectly content to just cancel my appointment and move forward with life but unfortunately they typical VCA policy of get as much money as we can from the client was the policy adhered to in this case. It is not in my nature to make a scene so I expressed my frustration and paid my bill and left very angry. Im somewhat disappointed to say that I will be finding a new vet. Im disappointed because I really like Dr. Rockstad and would love for her to continue seeing Bennett. However, I simply can not continue to give my money to a corrupt corporation who does not even care enough about its employees to give them a proper facility let alone to care about its clients enough to honor the money that was given them for services not rendered. As for Fay and the receptionists Im appalled at the lack of professionalism that is tolerated. I would never have been allowed to treat a customer the way I was treated.

RY

Ryan Smidt

I took my dogs in to get treatment for skin complications related to allergies. Dr. Baumgartner was very pleasant and genuinely interested in the best health and comfort for my pets. However, I was shocked when I was initially presented with a very expensive plan of care for my dogs. After seeing my surprise at the presented treatment and questioning the necessity of parts of the plan of care, and after a long wait in the treatment room, I was presented with a 2nd plan of care which was much cheaper and equally effective. The 1st treatment plan included very expensive medications and those medications further required expensive blood work testing. The 2nd treatment plan included much cheaper medications that did not require blood work to be done. I feel like if I had not been previously educated and had experience with my dogs health history and needs, I would have walked out paying quadruple what I ended up with. Unfortunately, I feel like the first option I was given was mainly in the best financial gain interest of the clinic. If they are in the practice of doing this, it makes it difficult for owners to treat their animals and owners are increasingly hesitant to have their pets seen unless in emergency. I was further unimpressed by Dr. Katan as I was coming in to have a prescription filled. Long story short, I went to pick up a prescription, and Dr. Katan did not trust that I had my dogs best interest in mind, so she gave me an ultimatum that I purchase more medication than was necessary for my dogs or she would not release any medication at all to me. My dogs needed the meds, so I attempted to explain the situation that my dogs had already had half of their medication regimen so I did not need as much as was prescribed. But, because she somehow felt like I would risk missing dosages and therefore not completing the regimen, I was forced to buy more than necessary or not be allowed any medications at all. This may not fully explain the situation, but in the end, I feel like I was presented with unnecessary expensive treatments and made to feel mistrusted and incompetent in the care of my pets. It felt like I was taken advantage of in a vulnerable situation. The front desk staff were very pleasant. The veterinarians in this clinic appear to have a good knowledge set of animal care, but the interactions I have had on a prescriber/patient(owner) level has been poor. I feel like it is the duty of the vet to prescribe, educate and recommend options, then allow the patient to be autonomous in the care they choose.

TO

Tori Sleeper

My family brought my childhood dog of 16 years to be cremated her after her recent pass. Her name was Princess, I was 7 years old when she became a part of my family, and she quickly became the best friend I had ever had, we were literally inseparable. She would always greet me at the door, slept by my side, she did everything with me, she was even there when I very first took off on my bike, troting along side cheering me on, and keeping me safe she was always there to protect me. Well to get back to the point here, this animal hospital, which is suppose to be staffed with people who genuinely care for animals, messed up Princess cremation. She was cremated along with 3 other peoples beloved pets and now the ashes are mixed and can not be returned to the people who are grieving the lose of a family member. As a person and a professional who works with animals every day I do not understand how this can be ok, or even brushed aside. Pets are family, Princess was my family, I know mistakes happen, accidents happen, but not this one. This was a family dealing with a grievance of a death of a loved one and I feel it wasnt treated as such. I know there are people out there who think "it was just an animal" but those people should not be working in an animal hospital, and I feel that is how this situation was handled and thought about. I would advise you dont trust your pets in the care of this hospital, because this wasnt a little forgivable mistake this is something that can not be undone and there will always be an empty place in mine and my familys heart.