I wanted to like this animal hospital, but Dr. Haves did not make a very good first impression. I gave his clinic a try because it's convenient -- right around the corner from our home. We adopted a p... Read More
I wanted to like this animal hospital, but Dr. Haves did not make a very good first impression. I gave his clinic a try because it's convenient -- right around the corner from our home. We adopted a puppy on Friday and needed care for him as he was quite listless and refusing to eat. Dr. Haves did not introduce himself, smile, or show much compassion toward our puppy (or my 13 year old son who was clearly quite anxious and worried). He examined our puppy, said that he would "be back with a quote" and left me and my son alone in an examination room with our puppy. When he returned and my son asked him if our dog would be ok, Dr. Haves responded with a cold, "Well, I can't answer that." His suggested method of treatment was quite aggressive, including intravenous emergency care, bloodwork, and tests for the parvo virus (even though I had medical papers from our puppy's breeder that indicated he was vaccinated twice for parvo). Our puppy had a lower temperature and was drinking (two symptoms not indicative of parvo). When I asked questions and told him what I thought about the parvo, he was condescending and said that dogs "don't always have a fever with parvo". I believed that our little guy was listless because of low blood sugar and needed treatment for that, but I found the other things listed on his itemized $600 quote were excessive and extreme. (He also mentioned an irregular heartbeat but did not explain the possible causes for this.) Essentially, I did not feel comfortable with him: his cold demeanor, fatalistic approach, and excessive quote made me feel uneasy. I didn't trust him to care for a beloved member of our family. When I communicated this to him (nicely and respectfully), he crossed his arms and looked at me with a condescending smirk. I mentioned that I thought his response to my son lacked compassion, and he said abruptly (with a bit of a mocking laugh), "Well, do you want me to lie?" I said, "No, but there are softer ways you can talk to children to reassure them." I am all about compassion, especially with children and animals. I immediately called Mitchell Animal Hospital (where I took my 2 previous dogs) and received superior care, as usual. Dr. Gerald Gyorffy introduced himself to me, took great care with our puppy, and reassured my son. He ruled out parvo immediately because our puppy's medical records showed vaccinations and he thought intravenous was a "last resort" if our little guy didn't respond to his suggested treatment: a fluid injection and some enticing Urgent Care wet food. Both worked splendidly and our little guy's heartbeat normalized. He told my son that our puppy really wasn't that sick and reassured him with a wonderful bedside manner. Bottom line...our little guy is full of energy after eating wet food and getting a fluid injection. He is bouncing around, wagging his tail and happy as can be. Mitchell Animal Hospital is a superior clinic with compassionate veterinarians and I will be trusting them, not Doon Animal Hospital, with the care of our dog. Read Less