We brought our perfectly healthy Miniature Schnauzer here for ONLY OFA heart and bone certifications, and what happened was nothing short of staggering, dangerous ineptitude.
What we walked into at here was an absolute nightmare. The waiting area is a literal biohazard. Packed with animals and their humans, with standing room only. Vomit and urine remained on the floor our entire stay. Two, assuming overworked, "receptionists" buried under mountains of charts were answering phones. There were no visible patient rooms. They drag your pet through a door that looks like a storage closet, and you are not allowed to follow. Your dog becomes their hostage while they play medical roulette and extort you.
This "clinic" was supposed to perform:
OFA Cardiac Certification - A screening process for purebred dogs to identify heart conditions involving a thorough evaluation which can range from basic auscultation (listening to the heart) to a more advanced echocardiogram. Which is to help prevent the spread of genetic heart disease, identify subclinical conditions (diseases not yet showing symptoms), and support responsible breeding practices.
OFA Bone Certification - A screening process involving orthopedic X-rays and other health evaluations provided by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to help breeders reduce the incidence of genetic diseases like hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia in dogs.
Instead, my dog was taken away (again, behind closed doors with zero transparency), and someone comes out to the crowded waiting room to publicly announce that my dog supposedly has an arrhythmia. She does NOT, and she never has. She has an amazing primary vet and has always been in perfect health. I never even saw a doctor while in this office. Instead, I was guilted and bullied into paying $220 for an unnecessary EKG performed by an invisible, unverified doctor. We waited over an hour for the results of said EKG, and at this point sitting in this cesspool for well over 2 hours, we had to leave, only to get a call minutes before they close to casually confirm that she's healthy. The EKG (surprise, surprise) came back normal, because my dog IS healthy. Then comes the punchline, the EKG they forced on her DOES NOT COUNT toward her OFA certification. So, if I wanted the actual OFA test, I'd have to schedule again, pay again, and start the whole circus over. Yep that's right, risk their apparent guesswork again and them potentially "finding" a problem that doesn't exist for a second time. This is outright extortion
To make matters worse, here we are about TWO WEEKS later, and OFA still hasn't received the bone test results and I still don't have proper documentation. I called to follow up, they swore they had emailed it, only to finally text me (so professional, right?) a blurry photo of a handwritten "medical history" sheet. No letterhead, no business name, no doctor's signature, no license number. The only name on it was "Sinclair" with no first name and no indication that this person is even qualified.
My invoice is just as shady:
$225 for "OFA (3 x-rays)" - supposedly her bone test
$220 for the unnecessary EKG
$80 for "1 X-ray First Film"
$65 for "1 X-ray Second Film"
So... if the OFA bone test was already three x-rays, why am I also being billed for two more random x-rays? It makes no sense. It reads like padding the bill and scamming unsuspecting clients.
Bottom line: Citra Animal Hospital is unsanitary, unprofessional, and unethical. They withheld me from my pet, invented medical problems she doesn't have, forced unnecessary tests, and failed to provide legitimate OFA documentation. They are either completely incompetent or outright fraudulent. A garbage operation that lies, scams, traumatized my fur-baby for no reason, all in an attempt to what extort more money? It's filthy, unprofessional, unethical, and downright dangerous. Citra Animal Clinic deserves zero business, zero trust, and zero credibility. I am reporting them to OFA and the state veterinary board, and anyone who values their pets should run screaming in the opposite direction. read more
