Avoid Dr. Ursula!
If I could give zero stars I would!
We brought our dog, Juno, to Dr. Ursula in Wellington because he had been persistently licking his paws and occasionally getting sick from it. After examining him, Dr. Ursula stated that his paws looked fine and concluded that the issue was likely food-related or environmental. She advised us to completely change his food and treats, and prescribed oral and topical steroids, along with Atopica, to manage his skin condition.
Initially, Juno appeared to improve--however, after a few weeks, he began exhibiting serious side effects: excessive panting, anxiety, increased thirst and urination, instability in his back legs, and overall lethargy. We suspected the steroids were the cause and began gradually weaning him off.
Shortly afterward, we ordered a new round of Atopica per the recommended protocol. The very next day, Juno vomited three times. We immediately called and emailed Dr. Ursula's office to report his reaction and requested to cancel the medication before it was shipped. A nurse returned our call and informed us the order could not be canceled. We reached out again to Dr. Ursula directly, expressing our concern and frustration as Juno continued vomiting and had now developed diarrhea. In her response Dr. Ursula simply advised discontinuing the steroids for now and stated that the medications should have worked, suggesting his licking was due to an infection, food allergy, or behavioral issue.
At no point did Dr. Ursula perform any diagnostic tests--no bloodwork, no cultures, no skin scrapings, nothing. Instead, she relied entirely on guesswork and an aggressive drug regimen without first ruling out any underlying causes or current risk factors. This lack of basic diagnostic care was completely irresponsible.
We then sought a second opinion from another dermatologist, who immediately discovered yeast between Juno's toes--something Dr. Ursula had failed to recognize. We also shared our concerns about Juno's overall health. Bloodwork performed by the new dermatologist revealed extremely high triglycerides (over 1400) and elevated cholesterol levels, which she directly attributed to the steroid use. She stated that Dr. Ursula's treatment plan had been too aggressive.
We immediately followed up with Juno's primary veterinarian, she expressed concern that Juno may have developed Cushing's disease due to excessive steroid exposure, as well as potential gallbladder complications, kidney issues and liver issues. We now have a completely new set of health conditions to deal with.
We entrusted Dr. Ursula with our dog's care, and instead, her reckless and careless approach has caused significant harm. Our seven-year-old dog, has suffered serious health setbacks as a direct result of her treatment decisions. The complete absence of diagnostic testing, the over-prescription of powerful medications demonstrate a profound level of negligence.
We strongly urge pet owners to avoid Dr. Ursula. Her failure to provide responsible, evidence-based veterinary care has caused our dog unnecessary suffering and possible long-term health complications. read more