After 6 1/2 years of bringing my duck, Dudley, to Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, I left today…read moreabsolutely appalled by how we were treated. After this experience, I would strongly caution exotic-pet owners before trusting this hospital with their animals.
Dudley is an indoor pet duck and has been a patient here for 6 1/2 years. Today's appointment was nothing more than a routine nail trim. I specifically spoke directly with the exotics department when scheduling the appointment, so they knew exactly what type of animal I was bringing in.
When we arrived, however, we were told to go through the emergency department. Emergency then sent us back to the regular waiting room. About five minutes later, we were suddenly told that Dudley needed to wait outside and that someone wearing full PPE would come get him, take him upstairs without me, trim his nails, and bring him back.
I explained that this was not acceptable to me. Dudley is a pet who knows and trusts the people caring for him, and having a stranger dressed head to toe in protective equipment take him away from me would have been unnecessarily frightening and stressful for him. I asked to speak privately with a manager.
Instead, the manager came into the lobby accompanied by the veterinarian and a technician dressed head to toe in PPE. We were then confronted in the middle of the lobby and told that Dudley is a bird and this is now "protocol."
What I cannot understand is this: **Where was this information when I scheduled the appointment directly with the exotics department?**
If Red Bank Veterinary Hospital has implemented a new policy for birds, why wasn't I told BEFORE I brought Dudley there? Why allow a longtime client to schedule a routine appointment, arrive at the hospital, get sent from one area to another, and only then announce that their pet will be handled completely differently than he has been for the previous 6 1/2 years?
And perhaps most disappointing was the complete lack of compassion for the animal at the center of all of this.
Exotic pets are not disposable, interchangeable animals. They are beloved family members. Their stress, fear, comfort, and individual temperament matter just as much as they do for a dog or cat. A veterinary hospital with an exotics department should understand that better than anyone.
I was particularly disappointed with my interaction with Vicki in Exotics. After trusting this department with Dudley's care for more than six years, I expected communication, compassion, and at minimum some recognition of why I was concerned about suddenly handing him over under circumstances he had never experienced before.
Instead, we left without even having his nails trimmed.
I understand that veterinary hospitals may establish infectious-disease protocols, and I am not suggesting that employees should disregard legitimate safety requirements. What I find unacceptable is the **complete failure to communicate those requirements before the appointment**, the chaotic way this was handled once we arrived, and the apparent lack of concern for the stress their proposed procedure would cause a longtime exotic patient.
Had I been informed when I called, I could have made an informed decision about whether this arrangement was appropriate for Dudley. Instead, we wasted a trip and put him through unnecessary stress only to leave without receiving the service we scheduled.
After 6 1/2 years, this experience completely changed the way I view Red Bank Veterinary Hospital.
If you have an exotic pet, particularly a bird, I would strongly recommend asking detailed questions about their current handling and PPE protocols **before you bring your animal through the door.** Do not assume that because your pet has been treated there for years, you will be informed in advance if the hospital dramatically changes how your animal will be handled.
Dudley deserved better communication and more compassionate treatment than what he received today. After 6 1/2 years of loyalty to this hospital, so did I.
