Tl:dr Dr. Youngblood is a saint, I can never fully express how grateful I am to her. I will *never* be returning due primarily to our tech during euthanasia
I was a vet tech at a different hospital. I understand the procedures and processes in a vet office, I know the behind-the-scenes and the closed-door talks. I inherently trust and hold the utmost respect for vets and vet staff.
Dr. Youngblood is a saint. She made herself available and was so kind and attentive and respectful in dealing with diagnosing and through hospice care for my terminally ill dog. She left me wanting for nothing through one of the most difficult experiences of my life.
All that being said, Dr. Youngblood is the only reason I stuck with this Vetco through the whole ordeal.
There was one receptionist, Tara, and a tech whose name I didn't catch that were friendly. Beyond that, every experience I had with the rest of the staff over the last 3 months was distasteful to horrendous. Receptionists were curt and rude, over the phone was unprofessional. The absolute worst experience I had was unfortunately the visit we had to euthanize and the reason I will *never* return to this vet despite how truly grateful I am to Dr. Youngblood.
My dog was an 11lb jackchi. He was painful, understandably and obviously. I carried him in using a dog carseat bed. The tech wanted to get him weighed. I understand to a degree but explained that he's very painful to be lifted and he hates the vet. I took care to try coaxing him out on his own. The tech suggested I lift him out with his blanket but I explained that that was also very painful for him. She kept trying to physically "help" after I said he does not like vet staff and physically putting my body between her and my dog. I had to tell her to stop because she will only make it worse. We eventually got him weighed and I let him back in his bed then we were to wait while they prepped everything. In that time, my dog had left his bed and laid down on the couch. When she returned I requested that under whatever circumstance could they not remove him from his bed, I didn't care what that meant as far as where the catheter was placed or carrying him in without the bed at all. She said that'd be fine so (since the bed is most comfy for him to be carried) I asked him to return to his bed and situated him so one of his legs was accessible and helped to carry him back.
When they returned him the blanket was obviously disturbed (I had it laid over the bed so it'd be easy to cover him up with). I suspected they moved him but didn't dwell on it till the vet(not Dr. Youngblood) confirmed it by agreeing with me when I said he had gotten very painful the last couple of days and she said that yes she could tell by how he yelped even when they pulled him out with the blanket.
I had a suspicion the tech was irritable with me taking my time with my dog during the weighing and believing I should just be able to lift the blanket, to hear that she completely disregarded *everything* I said for my dog's final moment is an indescribable level of anger. If leaving him in the bed was going to be an issue or proved to become an issue then telling me that and having me move him from his bed painlessly as I'd already done was the *only* acceptable course, especially after I explained everything to her as I had. I *told* her he was painful to be lifted, even with the blanket, I told her he was not good with vet staff, I told her I did not want him removed from the bed. To immediately turn and do *exactly* what I requested they not do is abhorrent.
On top of this, the whole progression of lack of professionalism and thought surrounding all of this was irritating. At multiple points different staff continuously gave me updates on other circumstances happening at the vet: scheduling I asked for the earliest appointment and was told about another procedure causing them to not have morning appointments (I absolutely didn't care, I just wanted the earliest available appointment time), while we were waiting the tech told us about all of the other appointments coming in and how they're short staffed so that's why it was taking a while (again, I very much didn't care. My dog is dying, time is not my concern right now), and the vet telling me about how they hurt my dog right before euthanizing him, not the conversation I need to know about. In general, I think this location needs a massive training on how to deal with euthanasias. Again, I've worked in a vet hospital, I've been apart of many euthanasias - pet parents in the height of their grief DO NOT CARE about what's going on with everybody else's pets and whatever you're dealing with at the vet and behind closed doors. In that moment, they are in their own greif and that's all that matters.
I will never trust this hospital with the care of a pet again and I *strongly* advise you take your pets elsewhere especially for their final moments read more