I want to share my experience with Ascension Animal Hospital, not out of anger, but in the hope…read morethat no other pet owner has to go through what we did with our beloved Chloe.
This began around the beginning of June when I brought Chloe to see Dr. Jenna. I was concerned because she wasn't eating normally and I believed she had a UTI. The UTI was confirmed and they did bloodwork. Chloe was started on antibiotics. We returned about a week later for a recheck, and I was told the UTI had cleared. However, Chloe was still having accidents and, more concerning to me, she still wasn't eating.
During her examination, Dr. Jenna discovered arthritis in Chloe's hip and also began treating her for what was thought to be bronchitis because of a cough. She also recommended completing the final test needed to definitively confirm Chloe's Cushing's disease. I scheduled the all-day Cushing's test.
When I dropped Chloe off for the test, I specifically asked that Dr. Jenna be given a message that Chloe was still not eating. When I picked her up that evening, I asked the technician if Dr. Jenna had received my message. I was told that "he" would come out and speak with me. I then learned that Dr. Rob, not Dr. Jenna, had performed the all-day test. No one had told me that Dr. Jenna would not be seeing Chloe that day.
I expressed my concern about Chloe not eating. I was reassured that it was likely because of the antibiotics. A couple of days later, I called again because Chloe still wasn't eating and I was trying to get her seen. I received a call back saying that Dr. Jenna felt Chloe's stomach was upset from the antibiotics. Over the next couple of weeks, I was repeatedly told that her lack of appetite was related to an upset stomach from the antibiotics, and nausea medication was prescribed.
Eventually, Chloe stopped eating altogether.
At that point, I took her to Dutchtown Animal Hospital and saw Dr. Rosen. From the moment she examined Chloe, she was concerned and said, "I think it's pancreatitis. I need to run a blood test to confirm." The test confirmed that Chloe had pancreatitis.
Unfortunately, by then, Chloe was too sick and too far gone to respond to treatment. We ultimately had to make the heartbreaking decision to let her go.
Chloe was a beloved member of our family. I understand that veterinarians cannot always know immediately what is wrong, and I understand that pancreatitis can be difficult to diagnose. My concern is not that the diagnosis wasn't made on the first visit. My concern is that Chloe repeatedly wasn't eating, I repeatedly communicated that concern, and for weeks we were reassured that it was simply her stomach being upset by antibiotics.
I wish there had been more urgency in investigating why she wasn't eating, especially when it continued despite treatment.
I am sharing this because I truly hope Ascension Animal Hospital will look at Chloe's case and consider whether something could have been done differently. If another pet owner comes in saying their dog has stopped eating and continues to decline, I hope their concerns will be taken more seriously and that additional testing will be considered sooner.
We loved Chloe deeply, and we would never want another family to experience the heartbreak of wondering whether things might have been different if her symptoms had been investigated sooner.
Chloe deserved that chance.
