My dog had been coughing for a few days and I thought that he had swallowed something in the backyard. I gave it some time because I thought that it would stop in a few days. Monday morning he started... Read More
My dog had been coughing for a few days and I thought that he had swallowed something in the backyard. I gave it some time because I thought that it would stop in a few days. Monday morning he started to look very ill. Being in a rush to get my dog looked at, I ran to the nearest vet, Burnhamthorpe Animal Hospital. Little did I know this was going to be a very bad decision.I called on Monday morning to make an appointment but they had nothing available in the evening, so I had to book an appointment during my lunch hour. My timeline was very tight as I had to go home, pick up my dog, take him to the vet, and then drop him back and get back to work within an hour. I had mentioned this when I made the appointment, and the receptionist told me that she would get him seen quickly and if there was any issue with timing based on other appointments, she would give me a call before I came in. I never heard back, so I assumed everything was good with timing. When I got there, I had to wait 15 minutes before we could be seen, and then another 15 minutes when the vet went away to get me a quote for her suggested examinations (I actually walked out and then was called back in, otherwise the wait would have been longer). I waited a total of 30 minutes, and my total stay there was 45 minutes!! I kept telling them that I was on probation at work and had to get back on time, but Dr. Kristin Agius didn't care and kept me back to see how much money she could squeeze out of me. She could not tell what was wrong with my dog and suggested that he have x-rays done, then more x-rays and then a blood sample. She quoted me $500 for the first set of x-rays, so all of these steps would have cost under $1000, just to figure out what was wrong with him. After I said I could not afford it, she gave me many suggestions on how I can borrow money to pay her. She also charges $22 to write a prescription as "it is a service she is providing". I have never heard another vet charging to write a prescription. It became very clear to me that Dr. Kristin Agius is a money grabber. I was also turned off when I walked into her room with a very sick dog and she was making comments about how I am bringing in a pony.I went away, agreeing to have the x-rays done (she was going to charge me boarding to keep my dog there for x-rays for 4 hours while I went back to work and then came back to pick him up, but decided to credit me for it - seriously!?). When I picked him up, she thought he had kennel cough and gave me antibiotics for $100. She then followed up via email, and after I told her how my dog was not eating food, she suggested that I bring my dog back and hospitalize him on IV plus do bloodwork, ultrasound, repeat x-rays, and these diagnostics would cost in the thousands (she provided all the pricing). She also recommended that I take out a loan to finance this medical care and suggested either a bank or petcard.ca.I never took him back to the vet and he got better with the antibiotics. This vet just gave me a big scare and charged me $500 for a couple of x-rays and a bottle of pills (which she didn't even have a full supply of and I had to come back to pick up the rest). Avoid this vet at all costs! Read Less