Dr. David Schwartz has quite a reputation as a horrible vet in the San Fernando Valley. My wife and I unfortunately had to learn through experience by losing not one, but two, kittens in his care. We rescued a 3 month-old kitten from Los Angeles Animal Services who became very ill the day after we brought him home. We made an appointment to see Dr. Schwartz who diagnosed him with an unusual stomach condition which required hospitalization, x-rays, fluid injections, and talks of possible surgery. In spite of a few hundred dollars in vet bills, our kitten didn't make it. We decided to rescue two new healthy kittens from the shelter, and after two healthy months, one kitten demonstrated the very same symptoms as the first kitten that passed. This time I went in to Studio City Animal Hospital where the kitten was immediately diagnosed with feline panleukopenia, a virus nearly impossible for a young kitten to defeat. This kitten also passed. Feline panleukopenia can live in an environment for years and is highly contagious for unvaccinated cats and kittens. Our first kitten had likely contracted the virus on the streets or at the shelter, and introduced it to our home. Because Dr. Schwartz mis-diagnosed the first kitten (after multiple tests and hundreds of dollars), we unknowingly introduced new kittens to the exposed environment, and lost a perfectly healthy, loving kitten to the disease. We confronted Dr. Schwartz, who was the least bit concerned about the life of both kittens, and our emotional condition. We regretfully had to surrender our kitten's sister to remove her from the environment. She was fortunate not to contract the virus. I have written to Animal Services asking to remove Dr. Schwartz from their local vet contact list. I've also spoken to rescue organizations who have first-hand or through foster parents and adopters shared horror stories. Please avoid at any cost, you and your animals deserve better.
Pros: None
Cons: Everything
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