I wouldn't recommend Mercy Pet Hospital to anyone. Our experience there was akin to being held hostage in a nightmare by a cat hating monster. It started with a concern that our cat might have a UTI. We took him to Mercy because its close by and they had good online reviews. Dr. Tripp examined our cat and felt urine and blood samples were in order. We agreed. She left the exam room with my cat. She said she would extract urine directly from his bladder. She returned stating that the urine was too diluted to analyze, but she would call within 24 hours with the results of the blood work. Dr. Trip called the following a.m. and broke the news that our cat had chronic AND possibly acute kidney disease. We made a beeline back too Mercy after learning that his toxin count was high enough to be fatal. Thankfully it was possible to dilute his blood with IV fluids. He was on fluids from 1:30-4:30 while I was at work. Back again at Mercy, I was met by an extremely anxious Dr. Tripp. She said if my cat ""crashed"" at home he might die. She said an overnight (or two) at the emergency clinic and an ultrasound in the a.m. was in his best interest. His high creatinine level may also be due to a blocked urethra, another fatal risk. An ultrasound was his best bet, only we had to wait for the a.m. In the belief that x-rays of his bladder may rule out a blockage, I consented. The x-rays revealed that his bladder was enlarged (and likely blocked), but fecal matter in his intestine prevented her from viewing the whole bladder. As a result, she couldn't rule out stones as a possibility. When I tried to compute what she had just said, my bull$#!t detector hit me over the head with a bat and screamed at me, demanding that I listen to the voice that had been nagging since Dr. Tripp phoned that morning with the diagnosis. I declined the $2000 in services Dr. Tripp described as our only hope. I said I wanted the IV catheter removed so I could leave, and was denied. Certain that my cat would crash shortly, Dr. Tripp said that having it already in place was crucial to his survival. I waded through the cow patties and left. I paid Mercy over $300 for blood work and a urinalysis of fluids I never witnessed being drawn, for x-rays that never crossed my view , and for IV fluids I did not see administered. These unseen procedures sufficiently indicated to Dr. Tripp that it was appropriate to diagnose and treat my cat my cat for a disease that he didn't even come close to having. A 2nd opinion declared my cat as disease free. The 2nd vet noted that my cat has a very SMALL bladder, which is healthy. This vet said cats with kidney disease don't have soft and fluffy fur, bright eyes, and the happy demeanor my cat was affectionately displaying. I researched protocol in bladder x-ray procedures. Use of enemas is common practice in order to avoid taking images of poop. I was offered a $700 ultrasound! Using a $2 enema would have given my $80 fair chance. I wonder what she would have done if I chose to euthanize? How long was she willing to treat a phantom illness? My kitty is fine. He was peeing just outside his litter box, but after changing his litter and style of box, he is back on track.
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