Ellicott Small Animal Hospital

Reviews 5

A

A Private User

Id gone here for years when my large 3yearold dog had surgery to repair an acl tear. Im embarassed that I didnt get a second opinion, as it was the worst decision Ive ever made. Dr. Gray did the surgery, one that it turns out is not adaquate for a dog his size. She basically just tripled the amount of material that should have been used to accomodate his size and "overtightened the joint"...rather than have the integrity to refer me to a specialist for an appropriate surgery. After multiple visits and me explaining "it is just not right" and her insisting it was and would take a year to see how good a job it was, including a $500 bill for something they couldnt diagnose, but that Ill get into later, we went to a different vet. I should also mention that due to his complete inability to bear any weight on that leg, the other side tore within a few months. We opted for no surgery on this side obviously. I felt treated as a second class citizen after spending thousands of dollars there (the owner even had the nerve at one point to tell me "I know money is an issue"....uh, what?) The long story short (as short as possible) is that not only was it a completely inappropriate surgery (a radiologist referred to it as a botched job and epic failure), and unnecessary given his good mobility before surgery, his body had been rejecting the device the entire time! What does this mean? Well, for one, as I trusted Dr. Gray, and waited a full year (Im sick over this), the infection has caused EXTREME IRREVERSIBLE arthritic damage that is sooooo swollen, the new vet was nearly sure it was cancer (Dr. Gray insisted that no...it wasnt swollen...the reason it looked so large was that I was actually seeing the device she put in). It also means that occasionally, this infection will enter his blood stream and cause another area of the body to swell up out of nowhere, requiring medication, or steroids. Im not talking run of the mill swelling....Im talking the kind that is over the size of a grapefruit, and eventually pops and drains bloody fluid. This will happen for the rest of his life. This was what I was referring to earlier. The entire leg with the tear swelled up, and Dr. Steven insisted I have xrays done....it must not have dawned on any of them that 3 months after surgery, if that leg swells and bursts, they MIGHT BE RELATED. And the device should have been removed at that time. Its recommended it is now too late to remove the device, as there is new infection risk (apparently its now just likely to latch on somewhere else in his body) and another long recovery time (4-6 mos). Im not just taking the advice of a new vet, hes been to Cornell, had CAT scans, more xrays than I can count, joint taps....the works. Weve started a holistic approach that is our last option to buy this 5 year old dog a little comfort, as he currently cant walk further than a half a block. So, I have now spent upwards of $7000 on this issue to have a dog that will likely need to be put down within a year. I have literally cried myself to sleep, feeling that I could have avoided this, if I didnt just trust the vet Ive been going to for so long. If I could steer anyone and EVERYONE away from this place, I would. I should also mention how nasty I was treated when I needed to pick up xrays and records, only to have Dr. Stevens call me himself and tell me he was sending everything personally, and what do you know? They never received a thing. In summary, if you feel like spending boatloads of money to be treated horribly, and would love to have your pets quality of life completely diminished, go here!

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A

A Private User

I took my cat to this Vet after she was hit by a car. After a week of helping her with both hind legs, a amputation of one leg was necessary. After the surgery, we took our cat home so she can heal. During her recovery, the stiches continued to open from the stump bone of the leg breaking through. We took her in every other day for the vet to stitch her back up and it continued to open up. After talking again with the Vet that the cut from the surgery would not close because the bone continued to push on it. We suggested that the only solution was to make the stump bone smaller. But before they would fix it to how it should have been in the first place, they told us we would have to pay for another surgery. Since the original surgery was not done properly, we said that it should be done again for free, we had already paid them to do it and is was not completed properly. They said it was our fault by allowing her to lick her wound and that is why the wound would not heal. After speaking over and over with the owner of the hospital and the Vet who did the surgery, they conceded since we were "caring" so much for our cat and paid for many services, that they would give us a break and charge us 50 % of the cost of the new surgery. Because my cat was suffering for a week of re-stitching, we paid the cost of the surgery for them to sand down her stump. Within two days of this second surgery, the wound healed fine. We never returned to this clinic with our cat and our two dogs.

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BA

Barbara Oliver

You will not find a better place to take your pets! All the the staff is highly trained not only in caring for your animals, but also for their caring ways with the owner. The office staff is always friendly, professional and accomodating with appointments. Drs. Stevens, Gray and Nellis are amazing doctors and warm caring people as well. They take the time to explain everything in detail, discuss options, and they all share notes so you get the knowledge of all 3 as confirmation of what is really going on with your pet. Also, the pricing is more than fair. As an owner of 5 fur-kids, believe me I know!

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MI

Mike Adolf

I could not have found a more caring place to do the hardest thing any pet owner should ever have to go through. I had to put my dog down after fourteen wonderful years. Dr Stevens said if your pets tomorrow is no better than today it is time. That could not have been put any better and it was time. Each employee felt our pain and assisted us in this very difficult time. I think about my pet often and will never forget the care and concern the staff at Ellicott Small animal Hospital showed my family.

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ST

Stephen Adolf

My cat was diagnosed with this horrible disease (witch I now cant remember the name of) that said he had 3 months to live. He was only 3 months old at the time. I was living in Ohio and brought him back to get the opinion of Dr. Stevens. Dr. Steve’s found the write mix of medication to get him back on his feet. My cat is now almost 3 and happier then ever! I currently live in Tennessee but Ellicott Small Animal Hospital is the only Vet I go to still! Great staff, great people!

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