I have been taking cats to Dr. Lukas for 40 years, up until my recent cat rescue who died, at best…read moreguess after an xray, from an enlarged heart in 2016. She came home and died at home with the added comfort of I believe it was gabapentin the vet gave me. Now, my other cat, also a rescue, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, an enlarged heart, in the middle of the night at an all night clinic after he stopped eating, and had his chest drained of accumulated fluid and spent some time in oxygen, but I turned down another many more hours in oxygen, which was an additional cost I was told of at least $4,000, and said I'd follow up with my vet. Needless to say, my traumatized cat came home with some diuretic medication and it took three days for him to start drinking and eating on his own and he's been a happy camper since, this cat that has had minimal exposure to vets and handling outside of the home because of his feral background. When I went by Washington Square to pick up more diuretic, I was rudely, and I mean extremely rudely responded to when I asked about the medication as it was in pill form not liquid, and when I went to double check the medication I'd been brought to compare I was BARKED at that the vet checked the records, though my medication had a different name...I was again BARKED at that it was the same stuff. I was only given ten pills that would last another 5 days into the Thanksgiving holiday and said what do I do call every week to pick up more? She said no the emergency vet said I'd refused treatment and had brought my cat home for hospice care so I'd have to make an appointment to get more medication. I told her the only treatment I'd refused was the additional hours of oxygen that was extremely expensive. The cat had had full bloodwork, examination sent out of the liquid taken from his chest, two sides of his chest drained of liquid, and oxygen, all of which were forwarded to Lukas. This front desk person was very rude and nasty as she said I couldn't get further medication because of my "refusing treatment" for MY CAT at the emergency vet and had brought him home for "hospice care" and I decided I'd had it with the entire practice. I have put in a call to the vets at the emergency clinic to see if I can resolve the issue of obtaining diuretic beyond the next week without the additional trauma to my cat of taking him in, risking his physical health and another bout of refusing to drink or eat to satisfy the greed of a vet practice, its unnecessary cruelty...and after all this I must question why Dr. Lukas never said draining the lungs of a cat with congestive heart failure to make it more comfortable was an option with my former cat that lived a good three months after her diagnosis (including her statement she would die in another day or so) yet the emergency vet knew to do this immediately when she saw the condition. So I must say DO NOT bring YOUR CAT to this vet these people don't like cats, her new front desk person is an insensitive monster and an earlier cat brought back to be given a rabies shot years before came home with an injury from this practice also, by the way, a leg that limped the rest of her life, and now I've said it all. STAY AWAY!
Let me add, this vet called within a couple of minutes of me posting this review and said in an irate tone, "You've got a lot of nerve!" and hung up on me. Let me tell you lady, you should be taking responsibiolity for the inappropropriately offensive tone and rudeness and complete insensitivity about my concerns for my DYING pet from a front desk staff member, you should have been PROFESSIONAL and called within the 24 hours after I came in the day before or to set up an appointment to touch base with me by Monday to discuss the test results that came in and my request to extend the medication if you knew it would be an issue because of your nonsense conveyed to me I hadn't "treated" my pet at VEG, so I did not have to be BRUSHED OFF by this creep of a front desk person just to find out I'd only be getting a 5 day supply of diuretics over the Thanksgiving HOLIDAY I am making for my homebound family members I am responsible for. I would have been happy to pay for a clinic visit cost to have done that on the phone as all his tests were at your office giving you info to discuss about him without the necessity to drag in my traumatized, DYING cat to your office. And yes, considering I stopped regular visits for YEARS after my third cat was crippled after his rabies shot almost 20 years ago, I politely after that used your office out of necessity of proximity or an emergency the years that followed, and stupidly thought as you're down the block it would be a no brainer for you to prescribe his continuing medication for me to pick up, but never again for regular cleanings, annuals or the rest to PROTECT my pets from physical mishandling at your office. And G-d forbid I'd have my cat end his days with your inappropriate staff around.
