I strongly advise against taking your pet to this vet. I've waited 2.5 years to write this review…read morebecause the experience we had here was so upsetting, and the impact on my dog and our family has been life-changing.
We took our 1.5-year-old golden retriever here to be neutered, and the entire process was a nightmare from start to finish. When my husband dropped him off, the waiting area was full of dogs--an overwhelming environment for any pet, especially ours, who is naturally anxious.
Later that day, the vet called me to say the surgery "went well," but then they added the following:
"Your dog is very nervous and anxious. He even jumped when a tool dropped on the floor. He was one of the most difficult dogs I've ever neutered. When I used anesthesia to put him under, it didn't work, so I had to use more. That resulted in him 'deciding to stop breathing.' But don't worry, we have procedures in place to help him breathe again. You should have him checked by another doctor or a neurologist. You don't want this nervousness to lead to something like seizures."
I was shocked and upset. First of all, blaming our dog for stopping breathing is incredibly unprofessional. Second, why would they overdose him with anesthesia if the first dose didn't take? I asked if he was okay, and they assured me he was but said they wanted to keep him overnight. Third, my husband and I questioned "Why on earth would we worry about him having a seizure? What does that have to do with anything."
Four days later, I witnessed my dog have his first seizure at home. It was absolutely traumatizing and unexpected.
When my husband called the vet to ask about it, the front desk staff made a shocking statement: "Oh, yeah, that's how he acted during his first seizure." This was news to us. My husband asked for clarification--was she saying he had a seizure at the clinic? She immediately put him on hold, and another staff member took over the call. They refused to confirm or deny what happened but said they were "worried this might happen."
We ended up having no choice but to take him to a neurologist. When I asked for notes from the day of the surgery, they were completely illegible. It almost seemed intentional, as if they were trying to hide something. Since that day, our dog has had over 30 seizures. He is a completely different dog ever since - his demeanor, personality, and quality of life have changed drastically. We've had to try countless medications to help him. It's been a devastating journey, and it all started at this vet. I've never regretted something more than us dropping him off there that day.
To make matters even worse, we can't find any daycare place that will allow him to be around other dogs because of his seizures. We can't give him tick and flea medicine because it can trigger seizures even more. We can't give him ANY kind of anti-anxiety medications because they interact with his seizure medication, further increasing his seizure risk. The list goes on and on.
We can no longer have people over to our house because he gets extremely anxious--something that NEVER happened before this experience. Even going out for a simple dinner is nearly impossible because he can't handle having anyone else walk him. Keep in mind, this is a golden retriever--known for being friendly and easygoing.
It costs thousands of dollars for us to go away for even a short trip because he needs to stay at a specialized facility capable of administering his medication and handling his seizures.
We've even had to contemplate the unthinkable--rehoming him--because we're expecting a baby. The stress of managing his care is overwhelming, and in the end, who would even want a dog with such high needs? A dog that doesn't like to be around people, requires multiple medications a day, and has ongoing health challenges?
I don't know what truly happened during his surgery, but I do know that this clinic failed him. The lack of transparency, the unprofessional handling of his care, and their negligence have forever changed our lives and his.