Avon Animal Hospital

Reviews 4

ER

erika palazzo

My husband and I have boarded both of our dogs at the hospital for short trips that totaled 6 or 7 visits this year. This past visit, we were extremely disappointed with how a situation with our dog was handled. Upon picking up the dogs, Doris, the receptionist at the desk, immediately started to tell us that our Lab mix almost bit someone last time, but actually succeeded in biting a someone this time ("a kid" as she said, who is a kennel attendant that is not a kid). Immediately, my husband and I were upset she would do this as she is the sweetest dog to anyone she meets, we have four young kids who are around her, and we have never had any issues with her biting or being aggressive. However, we also understood that dogs can be different when their owners are not around, but didnt understand why she would just start this behavior now. We were obviously concerned and asked her if the attendant was okay and how bad the bite was, but she wouldnt give us any details. Instead, she was quick to tell us it was under their liability so we werent responsible, but our dog could no longer be boarded there. She continued to tell us that our dog growled when an attendant would come to the cage or while being put back into the cage after she was taken outside by leash (because they are not equipped with a facility that opens a door out into a run for when they need to get exercise or relieve themselves). When we asked for her shot records so we could take her to a more suitable boarding facility, there was a banner on the shot history that read, "Too Dangerous to Board in bold letters across the middle of the sheet. We were surprised at this because there was no documentation on her past behavior or the bite incident and animal control was not called to our knowledge. It wasnt until we got home that we saw this on the paperwork. When Dr. Marvin called us back, she told us that our dog did not in fact bite anyone, but she came close to doing it and our dog was getting more and more aggressive every time we brought her there. This upset us even more because they never told us about this behavior at all. If we had known, we would have worked with them to find a solution for her anxiety and cage aggression or we would have stopped bringing her there to board. Dr. Marvin explained that we still couldnt board her there and that the hospital has a policy around this kind of behavior to protect her staff; we completely understood this. She did offer to take the Too Dangerous to Board" alert off the shot record, but when I went into pick up the new paperwork, Doris referred to my dog as "the one who tried to eat one of us last week" and how biters couldnt be boarded there cause they are too dangerous, even though it was already established that she lied and our dog did not bite anyone. Dr. Marvin and another employee were standing right there and said nothing upon hearing this. I am not one for confrontation so I ignored her and waited patiently as Dr. Marvin looked for the new paperwork so I could leave. The staff was wonderful at boarding the dogs within a day or twos notice and getting one of them in quickly for an emergency and customer service had been courteous up until this point, however, we will not be taking our dogs to board there again because: 1. No one documented or notified us of any aggressive behaviors during past boarding visits and they falsely labeled our dog a dangerous dog. 2. We found a facility that is better equipped to care for our dogs and understands when a dog shows anxiety over being put in a cage it doesnt mean they should be labeled a dangerous dog. 3. Doriss poor customer service skills around this situation that included unnecessary comments about our dog being a biter and lying about her biting one of the attendants, when she didnt. THIS WAS ADDRESSED ON THE PHONE WITH DR. MARVIN and neither she nor Doris apologized or took responsibility for her lying to us. DORIS worded it exactly the way she wanted to and no one seemed to have a problem with her lying or talking to a customer that way.

---

A

A Private User

The staff was not very considerate of my pet or myself, which led me to believe they really are not concerned for the well-being of their patients. I brought my dog in to get checked because he was not acting himself. After leaving me in the exam room for 40 minutes the doctor came in, acted very disinterested and inconsiderate of both my dog and myself, rushed through the exam in less than 4 minutes and wrote out a very expensive prescription that didnt seem to have anything to do with her symptoms. For some reason I trusted them and gave him the medicine, resulting in him vomiting, lethargic and not eating or drinking for days. I brought him in again to find out what was going on, and AGAIN they didnt seem to care at ALL about my dog or the fact that they probably misdiagnosed. He was given injections for nausea and dehydration. I was told to feed him rice and chicken for 3 days, then to continue the prescription. After spending over $300 and getting absolutely nowhere, I took my pet elsewhere and the doctor was appalled at what I told her. She instructed me to stop the medication immediately and began the CORRECT treatment. Hes slowly getting better but apparently a 1972 diploma at Avon Animal Hospital results in scheduling pointless appointments for the sake of billing you to the poorhouse. If you decide to take your animal there, good luck and get ready to spend with no solid answers.

---

SU

Sue Foster

I have been taking my dogs to Avon Animal Hospital for over 25 years and will never go anyplace else. I love the people there - they are caring and skilled individuals who also recognize the emotional attachment that we pet owners have for our pets. When my elderly Shih Tzu was nearing death I was out of the country on business. The doctor took the time to write me a long e-mail describing her status and suggestion that she only had a week or so left. He also suggested I prepare for the worst and bring family with me when I brought her into the office. His reaching out enabled me to cut short my trip and get home to spend a few last days with my Zena. My current dog is a rescue who came with "issues." The vets were fantastic in working with her while I worked with her. Seeing the vet getting down on the ground to approach her meant alot, and they noted as she improved in trust and temperament. Today the vets and I all enjoy seeing the new girl... more relaxed and happy than ever. In short, they are just a wonderful group.

---

DA

Daisy Plower

Doris, who answers the phones, shouldnt be answering phones. She is pushy and overbearing. She was talking over me. All I wanted was for Dr. Marvin to give me a call, and Doris obviously didnt give the message as this was over a week ago. She was trying to pressure me in to an appointment at $61.50 to talk to the doctor. I said i dont want to pay $61.50 to talk to the vet in person...I just wanted a call back. Doris started saying, " Well, Dr. Marvin has sick pets to take care of all day, and she has the weekend off, so she wont get back to you until Monday." I told Doris that Monday was fine--I didnt expect a call over the weekend or on a Friday night. I just wanted a return call. Doris continued to argue with me and then hung up on me! I already complained once to Dr. Marvin about Doris attitude on the phone, so they have lost my business. Horrible, horrible experience! Dr. Marvin and all the other employees I met were awesome, so its too bad one rotten apple had to spoil the whole bunch!

---

---