Before I decided to post my experience on yelp, I posted on r/AITA in case I was missing something. Spoiler alert: NTA so here is my cautionary tale for those who are considering Dr. Cauble.
I made an appointment with Dr. Cauble for my dog's annual wellness and vaccinations because I liked the convenience of a vet coming to my home and being able to be with my dogs during the visit (as most clinics are now a drop off service due to covid). All went well leading up to the visit - it was easy to make an appointment and send over their records and although the prices are a little steep, that's the cost of convenience and I was willing to accept that.
In general, Dr. Cauble has a friendly and patient demeanor and seems to enjoy discussing and explaining all things animal related, pointing out the pros and cons but ultimately leaving the decision up to you, judgment free on what you want to do. We discussed my initial request to do titers on the dogs instead of vaccinating them because I had some concerns about over vaccinating. Dr. Cauble explained that most annual dog vaccines are formulated to only provide immunity for 1 to 1.5 years unlike human vaccines which are mandated by the government to provide longer lasting immunity. After his explanation, I decided to go ahead with their annual vaccines which they were due for instead of doing the titers. Because I had provided their records in advanced, I assumed they would only be given the vaccinations they were due for.
At the end of the visit while taking care of the bill with the vet tech, I saw that the dogs were given their rabies vaccine even though they were not due for them for another 1.5 to 2 years. When I pointed this out, the vet tech seemed a little flustered and went to double check with Dr. Cauble. She returned and said that one dog wasn't due yet (so they would not charge me) but the other was. When I pointed out in the records she had printed out and had on hand that my other dog also wasn't due yet, she then agreed to not charge me for either rabies vaccines. At this point, although slightly annoyed that my dogs were vaccinated early given my concerns for over vaccination to begin with, I was at least satisfied that they were doing the right thing by not charging me for their mistake.
When I asked for a visit summary reflecting that they received their rabies vaccines so that I could update their records, Dr. Cauble refused to do so without payment for the vaccine and said that I should just have them vaccinated in 1.5 to 2 years when they were originally due (even though he had already given them the vaccine last week that's good for another 3 years). He further claims that there are no consequences to over-vaccinating (which is false) and accused me of trying to "capitalize" on his mistake (also false, the vaccines were given, just want documentation showing as such). We went back and forth a few times on emails but ultimately did not get anywhere. They even tried to put the blame on me for confusing the vet tech by saying I wanted to give them the vaccines (which apparently to her meant give them everything even if they're not due for it). Telling me to vaccinate my dogs early again because he doesn't want to document the mistake he made without payment makes me question his judgment and concern for my pets. I, personally, do not feel comfortable with his level of attention, integrity, and professionalism. Ultimately, the veterinarian is responsible for verifying that the medications and vaccinations administered are accurate and appropriate; every other clinic I've been to the vet will check the vaccine with the records before administering. Dr. Cauble just took the pre-filled syringes from his tech and administered them without checking. He may feel that early vaccinations are just a booster and can only improve immunity without consequence, but many other vets do not feel the same way and vaccinations do carry inherent risks. In the big scheme of things, it's not the biggest deal that they got their rabies vaccine early but it is a big deal for me that Dr. Cauble refuses to document it appropriately without full payment for his mistake and that he wants them to just get re-vaccinated early again to avoid having to complete the work caused by his mistake and it should make you hesitate that he allows such mistakes to happen in the first place. The takeaway I got from this whole experience is that Dr. Cauble places profit over clients/pets.
Tldr - Dr. Cauble gave my pets vaccines they weren't due for, refuses to document that it happened without full payment for the vaccines, believes there are no consequences to over vaccination, and refuses to accept full responsibility for his mistakes. read more