I have been to this vet for the last 3 years and this review is long overdue. I was hesitant to publicly say anything because my dog, Gerard, is enrolled in their (now defunct) vaccines for life program. I worried that speaking negative about the practice may lead the vets to be negligent with my pup. Now that we are moving out of Durham, I finally can speak my mind.
The prices are high compared to other vets in the area but we thought it was worth it because of the vaccine for life program. You pay an upfront fee and as long as you pay for an annual exam, you receive free vaccines. When we got our second dog, we called to inquire about the program. The receptionist told us that the program was still in place and we scheduled an appointment for two weeks later. At the appointment, they informed us that the program was no longer effective... It appeared that in the two weeks between my call and the appointment, they removed the program but did not update their customers. Had I known, I would've chosen a different vet for her. This is just poor practice.
In spite of this operational blunder, we still took Gerard here because he was grandfathered into the program. Each time, I would notice things that made me question the intent of the practice. They consistently attempt to up-sell us on diagnostics and tests...
For example, Gerard spontaneously developed a head tilt two months ago. We wanted to go to a speciality vet hospital but needed a referral from our main vet so we came back to Broadway. Broadway charged us $65 for a 10 minute appointment with the suggestion for a $250 blood test. When we hesitated and refused the blood test, they came back with a "cheaper" version at $125 (why didn't they offer this initially?). The doctor told us that the two leading possibilities were 1) tick/parasite which would be detected through the blood test or 2) a middle/inner ear infection. After the blood test came back negative, the doctor immediately suggested that we run another test to see if there are thyroid issues. I was confused given thyroid issues were not one of the main contenders initially.... I asked why we weren't testing the second option (middle/inner ear infection) and she said that would require a MRI/CT which they didn't offer in house. So... we were going to test for an issue that is not as likely because it's what they COULD do in-house. Let me repeat that. They wanted to do a test because they COULD, not because they SHOULD. Needless to say, we refused the additional test.
Fast forward to today, two months later. Gerard has mainly recovered from his previous issue, despite having no diagnosis. He was due for his annual vaccines, so again, we head to Broadway. Due to social distancing, I answer a set of questions via email beforehand and bring up the head tilt/ear infection. Before I even drop off my dog, Broadway calls and informs me that my total bill will be ~$140 because they included an ear cytology. I am confused because ear cytologies are to detect outer ear infections, which was explicitly ruled out by the SAME vet during our last visit because the outer ear infection could not possibly cause the symptoms Gerard was experiencing. I call back and inquire about this discrepancy, the person on the line finally admits that she has no idea and that the vet would have to call me back. When the vet calls me back, she tells me that my dogs ears are "dirty" and that the cytology will tell her if there's bacteria or yeast. I ask point blank whether the cytology will tell us anything about the middle/inner ear. She admits that no, it will not, but that he could also have an outer ear infection. At this point, I cannot trust that this vet has Gerard's best interests at heart. Best case scenario, she just did not review his chart at all before examining him and was very very confused on a treatment plan. Worst case scenario, she just wanted to sell us more exams.
Broadway is fine if your dog is healthy and you just need someone to do a quick annual check... but I would double check that any procedure or test they offer is actually needed. read more