Happy Pets is, at best, a happy façade…read more
It has taken me a couple of years to work up to writing this review. For starters, I didn't want to re-face what had happened. Additionally, I saw all the dozens of five-star reviews and thought that my situation couldn't possibly be representative of Dr. Rachel's care, and that perhaps my situation was due to freak accidents. I no longer feel what happened to my girls was random.
My mom and I started using HP for our cat, Belle. She was an older cat that we wanted checkups for. Over time, HP determined that Belle had a thyroid issue. We brought her in for blood work and checkups every six months to monitor the situation. At every appointment, it was determined that Belle was in generally good health and just needed some meds here and there for various minor reasons. Overall, we were extremely pleased with the quality of care provided by HP.
A few weeks prior to the incident, Belle had just completed another checkup with bloodwork and was given a clean bill of health from Dr. Rachel. A few weeks later, Belle was not doing well at all. She was in poor condition, which had deteriorated overnight. We contacted HP and were met with cold indifference that they could not see Belle that day. They said that we always needed an emergency vet as a backup. We scrambled to find another vet that would see her the same day. Once we brought her in to the new vet, it was immediately determined that Belle had late-stage lung cancer that was untreatable and inoperable. One lung had started filling with fluids and she was put down the same day. Additionally, there was no mention of poor condition of the thyroid by this vet. This new vet was shocked to learn that Belle was previously getting regular checkups with blood work. We provided the reports from HP to this new vet, and she couldn't believe that another vet could've overlooked Belle's condition.
While Belle was receiving her checkups (prior to the situation above), we were also bringing our other cat, Shadow, to see Dr. Rachel. At one appointment, Shadow needed her teeth cleaned. During this cleaning, Dr. Rachel claimed that equipment had slipped during the cleaning causing a gash in Shadow's paw. Dr. Rachel was very attentive to this matter and bandaged her up. She even returned to rebandage. Though this has never happened at any other vet I've been to, I gave HP the benefit of the doubt because I trusted them even though I felt the gash was extremely unnecessary considering it was a routine cleaning on an unconscious cat. Fast forward to the situation with Belle needing to be put down, we decided to take Shadow to another vet. Upon first evaluation, the new vet determined that Shadow needed her teeth cleaned. We thought this was odd considering she just had them cleaned at HP. After the cleaning, the vet was appalled at Shadow's dental state and couldn't believe another doctor saw the situation and didn't act on it. Shadow had severe condyle resorption and needed dental work beyond what a vet could provide. We eventually had to find a pet dental specialist and have Shadow undergo surgery to remove most of her teeth. The new vet and pet dental specialist both said this type of deterioration occurred over many years and didn't happen overnight.
I understand that anything medical could happen to anyone at any time, especially with pets. However, after two animals went through what they did with HP, I am no longer convinced that it was random. I believe that Dr. Rachel acted negligently toward Belle and Shadow and didn't provide the proper care that they needed and deserved. Belle and Shadow were both indoor pets, who were loved and cared for extensively, and received regular checkups and care. THEIR OUTCOMES ARE UNCALLED FOR. Especially after years of care with HP.
Dr. Rachel and her staff are (generally) friendly, *appear* attentive, run clean operations, and *seem* to care about the animals. However, the poor quality of care we received can be summed up in one word: negligent. For this reason, I do not recommend anyone getting care from them. I will also recommend anyone already with HP to receive second opinions.
I appreciate everyone who took the time to read this lengthy review. Our pet's time on Earth is too short to waste on people pretending to provide good care, no matter how sincerely they fake it. Also, for those wondering, Shadow is thriving now that she's had the proper surgery and care she needed. No thanks to Dr. Rachel.
