Warning! DO NOT BRING YOUR PET HERE FOR WEEKEND/AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY CARE!!!! They'll keep your pet for hours of observation, but when the time comes to take action, they do not have the staffing. \r
My dog Prunella was brought in late Saturday evening after we suspected she had swallowed a foreign object. I had called the Vet Center after Prunella threw up and had blood in her vomit. Initially, phone conversations with the vet on call ended with the recommendation that we wait to bring Prunella in until Sunday morning. As she continued to vomit blood, I expressed interest in Prunella receiving immediate attention. The male doctor on-call on Saturday night seemed to feel as though Prunella’s condition was non-threatening and that he wished to give her an x-ray and keep her overnight to “ease our mind.” And honestly, he just gave us the impression that he was irritated to have his Saturday night interrupted. However, in the morning Dr. Lewis, informed us that if Prunella had an obstruction and needed to have surgery that the Westside Vet Center could not help her until Monday. She then referred us to Blue Pearl. Because Prunella required immediate attention, I wish we would’ve received this bit of information on Saturday evening. We could have saved a great deal of time, money, and grief if we were initially referred to Blue Pearl. Though I understand it is not ideal for patients to come to the Vet Center during the evening, we were under the assumption that center would be available to provide Prunella with the care she needed. Not until after Prunella stayed overnight at the Vet Center and received $1,200 worth of observation did we receive the notification that the Vet Center did not have the proper weekend staffing to meet Prunella’s needs. The only follow-up we have received post-operation was from Rubin at the reception desk who first asked how things went at Blue Pearl and then said we “more importantly” needed to discuss how the balance of our bill would be paid. As a first time dog owner, I know that I may be naïve to what should be the proper procedure for pet health care; however, I think that the staff available on Saturday was monetarily irresponsible. $1,200 is a high price to pay for wasted time, little prognosis, and a referral to another veterinary clinic where we should have taken her in the first place. This whole interaction has really made me question whether we shall continue brining our pets to your facility. After sending in a complaint, we were told that management would be calling us to discuss what happened. We followed up again and were told the same thing. We have yet to be contacted by management here. We have, though, received a bill in the mail. Horrible service, excuses, and broken promises of being contacted by management. Is this really the way to run a business supposedly centered on the well-being of our pets?
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