Our dog got into raisin bread over Labor Day weekend while we were out of town, and we were…read moredesperate to have her evaluated as quickly as possible. We called Health Network and were told she could be seen. We arrived around 7 PM on Friday night after driving approximately an hour and a half because, given the holiday weekend, there was nowhere closer that was open.
From the moment we arrived, the experience was awful. The first question upon intake was "how will you be paying for this visit today?" The staff took our dog back immediately, which we initially appreciated. Unfortunately, our experience with Dr. Riolo was one of the most upsetting and disturbing interactions I have ever had with a medical professional.
Dr. Riolo was, in my experience, astonishingly uncompassionate, arrogant, and dismissive. I have been a nurse for almost 10 years, and I have encountered countless providers throughout my career. I can honestly say I have never encountered one who demonstrated such a complete lack of empathy toward a patient and a visibly distressed family. The first question I asked when he came into the room was "is she going to be okay?" Dr. Riolo's response was "we'll get to that" as if his time was more important than the concern at hand.
My husband and I were terrified. We were visibly emotional because we were worried about our dog. Instead of acknowledging our fear or treating us with even basic compassion, Dr. Riolo made us feel as though our questions and concerns were an inconvenience to him.
He presented us with two options: leave our dog there for two days on IV fluids, which he acknowledged might not help her kidneys, or take her home and monitor her. Because we were approximately four and a half hours from home, we ultimately chose to take her home.
I also explained that our dog is a rescue and that I was concerned about leaving her alone in an unfamiliar facility for two days. Rather than showing any understanding, Dr. Riolo made a dismissive comment that she would be "fine." Perhaps that was his professional opinion, but the complete lack of empathy in the way he communicated it was unacceptable. There is a massive difference between being clinically knowledgeable and being compassionate, and unfortunately, compassion seemed completely absent.
He also pushed us to give our dog a muscle relaxant for several days. When my husband asked why, Dr. Riolo responded with medical jargon rather than actually taking the time to explain the reasoning in a way we could understand. The attitude seemed to be, essentially, I'm the doctor, so my reasoning should be enough for you.
It wasn't.
We ultimately decided to take our dog home and seek another opinion because we no longer felt comfortable putting her care solely in his hands.
What made the experience even worse was when we asked if he could recommend another veterinarian or provide us with any numbers for another facility. His response was essentially, "No. It's a holiday weekend. Figure it out yourself."
That response speaks volumes.
It is especially ironic given the emphasis on collaboration in his professional biography. In our actual interaction, there was absolutely no collaboration. When I raised questions or concerns, I felt shut down rather than heard.
As a provider, you are dealing with people and families during some of the most frightening moments of their lives. Whether the patient has two legs or four, people deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. We were frightened, exhausted, and desperately trying to make the best decisions we could for our dog. Instead of making an already terrifying situation easier, Dr. Riolo made it significantly worse.
I have never walked away from a medical encounter feeling as unsafe, dismissed, and uncomfortable as I did that night.
This was not simply a difference of medical opinion. It was the way we were treated. It was the arrogance, the dismissiveness, the lack of empathy, and the complete unwillingness to communicate with us as human beings who were terrified for a member of our family.
The entire experience was traumatic for both my dog and I.
Based on our experience, I would strongly urge other pet owners to consider taking their animals somewhere else. I would never feel comfortable putting my dog back in Dr. Riolo's care. I have contacted the state board to let them know about this encounter as well because no family should ever be treated this way.