I brought my dog to Baystate after he accidentally ingested Motrin. Our regular veterinarian…read moreconsidered it an emergency, and after Baystate's initial triage, we were told he needed to be evaluated.
After completing the paperwork, we waited in the waiting room. We watched several other animals arrive after us and get taken back, so after a while I went to the front desk to ask when someone would be seeing my dog. I was told they were sorry and that a technician had simply not been alerted that we were waiting.
After about two hours, my dog was finally taken back. We were then told they planned to keep him for observation.
The next day, we called for an update and were told they were very busy and that we would have to wait. When we eventually received an update, we were told they wanted to continue testing and observation.
The following morning, I called again because we were becoming increasingly concerned about the cost. We had been told that "no news is good news," so we assumed our dog was stable. I explained that I wanted to pick him up and was told that the veterinarian would call me shortly. I also expressed my concerns about the growing bill and was told, "a day is a day."
When the veterinarian eventually called, I was told our dog was stable and that we could arrange to pick him up. We scheduled the pickup for 5:00 PM.
When we arrived, the technician handed me paperwork to look over and went to get our dog. She came back with him, gave us his prescriptions, and told us the instructions were in the bag. Then she walked away.
That was it.
There was no real discussion about how he was doing, what had been done, what we needed to watch for at home, or what questions we might have. We were basically handed our dog and sent on our way.
Obviously, we were incredibly happy to have him home and relieved that he was stable. But the overall experience left us extremely disappointed. Throughout the entire process, we felt there was very little empathy, compassion, or communication. At times, it felt more like "treat and street" than a conversation between the veterinary team and the people responsible for the care of their pet.
We were also shocked to see that roughly another $1,000 had been added to our bill for additional testing.
I completely understand that emergency veterinary care can be expensive, and I am not suggesting that our dog should not have received appropriate treatment or testing. What bothered us was that we were not adequately involved in those decisions or kept informed as the additional costs were adding up.
What was especially frustrating was being told that our dog was stable and ready to come home, while at the same time seeing significant additional testing charges on the final bill. I would have appreciated the opportunity to have a conversation about what additional testing was being recommended, why it was necessary, what it was expected to show, and what the additional cost would be before those decisions were made.
We are grateful that our dog received care and was ultimately stable enough to come home. But as pet owners, we expected to be treated as partners in his care. We should have been kept informed, given the opportunity to ask questions, and made aware of significant additional expenses as they occurred.
The biggest disappointment was not simply the cost. It was the lack of communication and compassion throughout the experience. We brought our dog there because we were scared and trusted the hospital to take care of him. We expected to be part of that process, and unfortunately, we did not feel that way.
