I went to Broadview Animal Hospital to see this man, I. S. Gill, because I could not get an immediate appt. with my Vet of 20 years, Dr. Brancel of Prairie State Animal Hospital, Oak Park. I was going to have to wait 3 weeks to see Dr. B or go to an emergency room for my Tshi zu's constipation problem. I was able to relieve my dog with a Pet-enema from the pet store, but was concerned there might be a serious GI blockage problem requiring a Vet, so I called Broadview Animal Hospital.
I had often passed the building at 17th and Roosevelt, Broadview, noting it did not look that busy, thinking I might be able to get in much sooner than 3 weeks. They gave me an appt. for that day, a Thursday. I brought him in a couple days later after getting medical records from Prairie State.
Gill ran an x-ray, which I expected, and said he did not find any blockage. He said I should give Princeton mineral oil for the constipation. He also said x-ray showed some problem with his back legs, that the signals from the spine were not getting through right. This was the same thing Brancel had said months earlier (without benefit of x-ray) and he and Gill both prescribed steroid treatment. Gill went farther and gave the dog injections. One was Vit B12. I don't know to this day what the other one was.
During the first visit, Gill also gave me ear drops for an ear infection and Cyclosporin eyedrops for Princeton's eye. He prescribed the ear medicine 2 x day and the Cyclosporin 3 x day for inflammation. He told me to bring him back in a week.
I returned, happily informing him the dog was doing fine: was eating well, the constipation had resolved and he was walking better, but the eye was still inflamed. After brief check, he said the ear had cleared up, but told me to continue using the eye drops and bring the dog back in four weeks. He did not charge for this visit.
I took the dog back for the third visit as requested. Then I was only concerned about his eye, as it was still very inflamed. When arriving, I told his Receptionist, who asked why I had come in, that I had brought the dog back because of his eye. In speaking with Gill about the dog's overall health, I mentioned the his incontinence, which I told him was probably age related-- Princeton is nearing 13 yo and I was there for follow-up of the eye.
Gill insisted adamantly that the dog had a UTI and then the scamming and abuse began. He said dog would need many tests, including another x-ray, which I protested because he had recently done an x-ray. He said that the x-ray was done 3 months ago and that he needed to do another one! He went on saying the dog needed Blood Chemistry Analysis, CBC analysis, urinalysis and more B12. I protested all this, saying "I can't afford all this, I am on fixed income". He said then I'll give you $ 25 off! At this point I should have taken my credit card and dog back and gotten off the sidewalk, but I was indeed overwhelmed.
Gill reran the x-ray and did the blood work, but did not do the urinalysis, instead told me to bring back a urine sample that weekend. He also gave Princeton more injection, one or two. He also prescribed Amoxicillin to be given 2 x day for the UTI he had not found. He said nothing about the dog's eye. I had to ask him about it. He simply said put the eye drops in only 1 x day.
What is quite clear, he mal-practiced on my dog. There was no urgent need for the x-ray and the myriad blood tests administered to Princeton. He issued penicillin without even determining whether the dog had a UTI and he didn't! This is very bad practice because it can lead to more resistant strains of bacteria!
Because of the flagrant abuse, I did not return with a urine sample, instead decided to not ever again subject Princeton or his sibling, Mary, to this man's abusive practices. I also decided to share my experience to help others.
So friends, pet lovers be wary of going to Broadview Animal Hospital. The man there has the wrong motivation: He is more interested in the money, running up your bill, than he is in your pet. read more