A day before the TrueCare arrival, we visited our regular daytime clinic, as our 14 year old dog (Talula) was coughing a lot. After x-rays and a blood test, they diagnosed her with bronchitis, for which we were given medication. The next evening at around 10PM, she started to develop shallow breathing and visible discomfort. Common side effects from bronchitis, but we didn't want to take any chances. We saw the (generally) good reviews for TrueCare, so decided to take her in. After some time, Dr. Cavanaugh came in to give us a rundown on her condition (more x-rays, blood test, etc) and ask us questions. We filled him in on her history (heart murmur and kidney issues) and he then disappeared again.
After more long waits and some back and forth with Dr. C, we were flatly informed (with little emotion or sympathy) that our dog had severe heart and kidney failure, and it's likely that she will die. In fact, she probably wouldn't make it through he night. What we thought would be a quick checkup on Bronchitis turned into living nightmare! My wife was sobbing uncontrollably, and our stress levels went through the roof.
We had the option of leaving our dog in the clinic's care or taking her home. After seeing the potential bill of overnight clinic care for a few days (thousands of dollars) my wife said if it's likely our dog will die tonight, she would rather it be peacefully at home with us and not alone in a hospital. We went with the suggested heart medication and diuretic pills, paid the ($1k+) bill, and took our dog home, feeling utterly shattered.
Well, guess what? Over a month later and she's still alive. Doing better than she has in a long time. Upon visiting our daytime clinic a few days later, our regular vet said the medication was correctly prescribed, but was surprised at Dr. Cavanaugh's dramatic conclusion. It's true that an unwell 14 year old dog could die at any time, but I remain skeptical of TrueCare's tactic of jumping to the worst possible scenario.
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