So many bad things on so many levels. We were told our dog could possibly die and would have to be…read moremonitored after he ingested an excessive amount of Carprofen we thought was safely stored. We left him at Southpaw - and when I called a few hours later that first night to see how he was doing, the young woman on the phone tried to transfer me three times and kept disconnecting the call. Every time I called back, she'd start laughing. Not really what I wanted to hear when trying to find out if my dog was going to live. We thought we better go check on him and take his favorite blanket to him so he'd be more comfortable. He always laid on it and slept with it. It was his sister's blanket, and she had passed about 3 months earlier. I wanted him to have something familiar that would help him feel safer. When we got there, the person at the desk seemed more interested in eating her food than helping us. We were taken into a room, and it was so hot, my husband and I could hardly take it and had to open the door and keep going in the hall to cool off.
The entire feel of the people there seemed scattered and superficial. Like they put on an instant fake smile when they saw you. When I turned over my dog's Pelsbarn calming blanket, I told the tech I knew it would get charcoal on it and I didn't care and would take care of it myself.
We went back to visit our dog two more times - the last time, spending about an hour with him in one of the rooms. There was a treat jar in there, and I asked one of the staff if I could give our dog one, and she immediately said sure. I looked at her with what was probably a skeptical look on my face, and she then said she should probably ask someone. When she came back she said no and that it could cause problems for our dog. Why would she have said yes if she wasn't sure? That could have potentially harmed my dog.
We decided to bring our dog home after being assured he was stable and have our regular (more trusted) vet take over his care. It was very late two nights later, and we were extremely tired and focused on our dog, and we absentmindedly forgot his blanket. But the vet tech also did not give it to us when we left - or the medicine the vet said she would. She brought him in and asked if she had the right leash because she wasn't sure where it came from. That comment was very telling to us, and we honestly just wanted to get out of there.
When I texted them later to say I'd come get the blanket, I was told it had been washed. I had purposely asked them not to do that, and was not told ahead of time they would wash it. When I expressed being upset, I was told "most people remember to take their possessions with them when they leave". They weren't even sure where it was and said they'd have to look for it. When I asked how it was washed, I never got a straight answer, other than being told it was "common practice" for them to do that. If it was "common practice", why didn't someone tell me that at the time I left it with them and told them not to wash it? It should have been very obvious the blanket was more delicate than a heavy cotton blanket and was super soft and fur-like. Them washing it (probably in hot water with a load of who knows what else) ruined the blanket's soft texture, stretched it beyond repair, and most heartbreaking, washed my dog's sister's scent off it. They showed no real remorse, insinuated it was my fault, and refused to provide compensation for me to replace it. I trusted them with an item my dog slept with every nap and every night and I knew would comfort him, and they ruined it. And they took no responsibility and offered no solution. They were unfeeling, condescending, and defensive - and showed no true empathy, understanding, or compassion beyond a robotic "we're sorry you had that experience" type of response. I had the experience THEY created - but didn't take responsibility for. They attempted to minimize the importance the blanket had to me and my dog, and really, just didn't care about what THEY had done. I believe that when you wrong or hurt someone, you take responsibility for it and do what it takes to make it right. Evidently they don't believe the same thing.
My vet also disagreed with their treatment and said we did the right thing getting him out of there. Southpaw got paid their 4-digit bill - and wouldn't give me the $49 refund I requested for our blanket to be replaced. This is a petty business with the goal of making money. A poorly run business with cold, preoccupied, and unorganized employees who obviously don't communicate with one another and appear to be very inexperienced at customer service. I regret ever stepping foot in their door and will take my dog to another emergency vet if ever needed in the future.
