On Thursday, May 23, my boyfriend and I were hiking in Valley Green Park when we came across an injured red-eared slider. He was suffering from a severe eye infection and was extremely malnourished; it appeared to be a case of abandonment, as it is (unfortunately) common nowadays for people to release their turtles into the wild once they grow too large.
We took him to Aardvark the next day, and I was asked if I would be surrendering him to them or claiming him as my pet/paying the vet bill; I chose the latter. It was my first time being there, and I was very impressed with how clean and well-decorated it was. The girl at the front desk was friendly, and she took down all of my information and told me that she would give me a call once Sheldon was done being treated.
All weekend I prepared for Sheldon's return home. I have worked with animals for nine years and have a fairly decent understanding of turtle care, but I did endless research regardless. I even went to the pet store to stock up on goodies to spoil him with.
Three days passed, and I had not received a single call from the office, which I found strange. I was forced to call them this afternoon to ask for an update on Sheldon's progress, and the only response I received from Dr. Thomas was, "Oh, he passed away over the weekend" in a nonchalant tone.
After allowing the news to sink in for a few minutes, I then grew angry. Would they have never bothered to call me to let me know that my pet had passed away had I not taken initiative and called them first?! They also neglected to tell me the steps they took in treating him.
I called Dr. Thomas back and calmly asked her those questions, and her response was nothing but abrupt and downright nasty: "Look, it has been a long day and a long weekend. We would have released him into the wild anyway had he survived." Not a single hint of compassion or even a remote attempt to understand my confusion. I signed a legal document stating that I was taking ownership of Sheldon, as well as the financial responsibilites. I drove over an hour to the office and back, in order to have him treated. I spent my entire weekend eagerly anticipating his return home. I poured my heart into this rescue case and received no cooperation in return.
I am sharing my story to prevent anyone else from having to experience this and to perhaps encourage Aardvark to clean up their act. I am an incredibly understanding and considerate individual, but this behavior is unnacceptable and downright unprofessional. I wound up with a dead pet and no explanations whatsoever, thanks to this joke of a veterinary business. read more