‼ ZERO STARS - Gross negligence and failure of duty of care…read more
They let my beloved girl die from untreated sepsis ‼
I brought my diabetic girl to Advance Vet Kensington. She was already collapsed on arrival, with a swollen, painful forelimb, obvious distress, and systemic illness. An x-ray revealed gas and fluid in the limb - a textbook red flag for necrotising infection and sepsis. A blood gas test also confirmed she was critically unwell.
Despite this, the night staff did nothing. She was never diagnosed. She was given only methadone for pain relief and anti-nausea. No shock-rate fluids were administered, no antibiotics, oxygen or insulin were given, and no stabilisation was attempted. I was told to wait until 8 am, or even midday, for a surgeon. This advice, to delay urgent treatment in a collapsed, septic, diabetic patient was grossly negligent and unforgivable. Their dismissive and demeaning conduct made it worse: I had rung in advance and arrived calm and clear about her condition, yet I was treated as though I had woken them up from sleep with an inconvenience rather than a medical emergency.
When the morning shift arrived at 7am, they finally recognised how severe the situation was. At that point, I was asked to approve and sign for $15,000 in hospitalisation fees before any treatment plan was commenced. I have never once put a price on my dog's health, but to withhold urgent, life-saving care until a financial signature was obtained added another layer of negligence. Emergency measures were then attempted, but the sepsis had already advanced too far. In fact, the first antibiotic was not administered until after her heart had stopped, during CPR.
Her death was preventable. The staff failed to act on clear diagnostic evidence, failed to treat her as an emergency, and failed to treat me with even the most basic respect. Their negligence, inaction, and attitude directly caused a preventable death. To add insult to injury, I was charged $4,000 for six hours of neglect.
