I would not recommend and would never take another animal here again, especially to see Dr…read more Fraysee. Our 9.3 year old pit mix, Otis, seemed lethargic for about a month. On the morning of Friday, March 6, 2026, when he didn't want to eat his breakfast, I called his vet office, Hampstead Animal Hospital, and got a 2:15 pm appointment and it was with Dr. Frayesse. They did blood work and an Xray at about a cost of $1,380. Dr. Fraysee came back in after the Xray with a woman (either a Vet or a Vet Tech and I don't remember her name) with a woozy Otis and literally "dropped a bomb" and said these words to me: "The bloodwork shows that he is a little anemic. The Xray shows that he has a large mass (showed me with his hands in a circle about the size of a large orange) in his spleen. His spleen needs to be removed before it ruptures. Once the spleen is removed, it can be biopsied to see if it's benign." He may have said something else but I was in shock and then he walked out of the room.
The woman suggested I schedule an ultrasound for Otis on Monday, March 9th at 8:15 am for better imaging and reiterated that it could rupture and that surgery should be scheduled soon. I asked her about the benign comment and asked about a needle biopsy. She said due to fragile nature of these masses, it could rupture so it's recommended the spleen be removed and biopsied. I asked her how much the surgery would be and she said about $10,000. I think my mouth may have fallen open in surprise, that much? She left to go check their surgeon's schedule. Not once did they mention CANCER but that is what I gathered. I had never even heard of spleen masses or tumors before and I was in shock and crying in their office.
When she came back, she said their surgeon was booked all next week and handed me 2 brochures, Port City and Bulger Hospital, and a magnet with contact information for Rockingham County Emergency Vet in Windham. Seriously???? I was only able to leave with Otis after handing her my credit card which she brought out front to run while I stayed with Otis. I called 2 of the hospitals and did a ton of research before his ultrasound on Monday.
Dr. Storey called with his results. He explained that Otis had many more masses within his spleen but that he didn't see any sign of spread to other organs. But that didn't necessarily mean microscopic cells that they can't see are not there or that in surgery, a mass could be on another organ that they can't see on the ultrasound. He said that the Xray on Friday showed fluid in his abdomen, which meant he was already having bleeding episodes that then clotted and stopped. (Dr. Frayesse did not mention this on Friday). He said that they use a calculator to estimate the risk of malignancy based on several factors. Found at the end of this review. He said due to internal bleeding episodes, the size of masses and multiple masses, he said Otis is at an 80% chance of it not being benign. Again, no one says CANCER. He did recommend yunnan baiyao, a Chinese herb that can help with blood clotting. I told him we were going to schedule an at home euthanasia and he said he understood and that Otis was ready to be picked up. I didn't feel an herb would help him much as his spleen could rupture at any time.
When I went to pick him up, the same women that was in the room with the original "bomb being dropped on me" brought Otis in with me and asked if I'd made a decision? I replied, "Yes, you have given us no choice. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that you are recommending a $10,000 surgery to remove his spleen with an 80% chance of it being cancer and that even with his spleen removed, if it's HSA cancer, he'd be lucky to make it 1-3 months. And you need to do the surgery for a definitive diagnosis and so it won't rupture. I'm mad and we don't want to put him through this! I think I said something sarcastic about only the wealthy can afford pets these days." She just nodded and then said I could go out front a pay for the ultrasound, another $648 dollars, and she would bring Otis out once that was done.
Between the lack of empathy, lack of communication, lack of details regarding the surgery itself and possible outcomes, his risk for surgery, lack of help when I just got a bombshell diagnosis dropped on me...I'm at a loss for words. I just feel like this place prioritizes profit over services and pushes for emergency surgery at an exorbitant cost. Dr. Fraysee's bedside manners are horrible, and I feel that we were just encouraged to go through with a high risk, high-cost surgery with an 80% chance of it being a horrible cancer where his quality of life would have deteriorated rapidly.
My heart is still broken. I'm still devastated over a month later and keep doing the "what if's" and should we have done the surgery? The guilt is horrible and I miss him so much. I still cry every day. He was way too young in my opinion. I thought we had a lot more time left with him.
