Unfortunately, after today's experience with Dr. Soler and the staff at Calusa Crossing Animal…read moreHospital in Kendall, I am left deeply disappointed by the lack of communication, organization, and, most importantly, compassion shown toward my cat Rosie.
I dropped Rosie off at approximately 8:15 a.m. for a scheduled dental procedure. She had been fasting since the night before, without food or water, as instructed.
At approximately 11:00 a.m., I received a call from a technician named Anthony, who began discussing another patient's account with me. I had to point out that he was speaking to the wrong person and discussing information that had nothing to do with Rosie. I found this extremely unprofessional and concerning.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., Dr. Soler called me and told me he was running "a little late" and that Rosie would be next. Naturally, I understood that to mean her procedure would be starting shortly.
By approximately 3:15 p.m., I had received no further update, so I called the hospital myself. I was then informed that Rosie's dental procedure STILL HAD NOT BEEN STARTED.
When I expressed my concern, I was transferred to the manager, who did not appear to be aware of what was happening with Rosie either. She apologized and later called me back offering options such as coming to pick Rosie up or feeding her.
After Rosie had already spent practically the entire day there--and had been fasting since the previous night for a procedure that still had not happened--simply offering for me to pick her up did not address the real problem.
What bothers me most is the apparent lack of consideration for the animal in the middle of all of this. This is a veterinary hospital. Animals cannot advocate for themselves. Rosie cannot tell someone that she is hungry, thirsty, frightened, stressed, or uncomfortable. She depends entirely on the people entrusted with her care.
Allowing an animal to remain there hour after hour under fasting instructions for a procedure that was not being performed, without proactively communicating the extent of the delay to her owner, felt incredibly uncaring and, from my perspective, cruel. If they knew they were running that far behind, I should have been informed much earlier and given the opportunity to make a decision for Rosie.
The entire experience also left me with the very uncomfortable impression that the business and financial side of the practice is being prioritized over the individual animals waiting in their care. I cannot know what happens behind the scenes, but that is genuinely how this experience made me feel. When you bring a beloved animal to a veterinary hospital, you should feel that the animal's welfare comes first--not that your pet is simply another appointment on a busy schedule.
When I eventually arrived to pick Rosie up, the communication problems continued. The people who greeted me at the door did not appear to know what had happened or even that Rosie's procedure had not been performed. It seemed as though one part of the hospital had no idea what another part was doing.
I understand that veterinary hospitals have emergencies and procedures can run behind schedule. What I cannot accept is dropping my cat off at 8:15 a.m., receiving a call involving another patient's information, being told at 1:30 p.m. that Rosie was "next," hearing nothing for almost two more hours, having to call myself to discover that her procedure had not even started, speaking with a manager who apparently was unaware of the situation, and then arriving to find staff who didn't seem to know what had happened either.
Rosie was already an established patient at Calusa Crossing Animal Hospital, and so is my other cat, Gilbert. After this experience, they have lost the business of both of my pets.
Our animals cannot speak for themselves. We entrust veterinary professionals with animals we love and expect them to treat their well-being with seriousness, kindness, and compassion. After what happened with Rosie, that trust is gone.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Calusa Crossing Animal Hospital in Kendall, and I would not feel comfortable entrusting another pet to this facility.
