In January, we brought our puppy here to have her nails trimmed. We left satisfied, happy in fact, with the nail trimming and we were told by a staff member upon leaving that she was a lovely dog. Hap... Read More
In January, we brought our puppy here to have her nails trimmed. We left satisfied, happy in fact, with the nail trimming and we were told by a staff member upon leaving that she was a lovely dog. Happy with our experience, we booked another appointment to have her nails trimmed. The day before our appointment, we received a message confirming the appointment and also informing us that you felt that our puppy was anxious and that you wanted us to drug her before her nail trimming. When I called to get further information, the staff member told me that it was in the file that she was nervous, "needed" a muzzle, would pull her feet away, and needed two staff members to hold her. This was told to us, not discussed with us. It was not discussed with us following the first appointment, not in the intervening weeks leading up to the second appointment, not at the time that we made the second appointment, but rather through a telephone message. Our puppy is extremely friendly and gets very excited when she is with people. We have handled her paws and mouth from the moment we got her at seven weeks old. It was our first visit to the Morrisburg Animal Hospital, an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people. She can be a bit shy, but when she gets with people, all she wants to do is play. I can understand muzzling her for everyone's safety but I want to be very clear that she does not bite, and yes, it would have taken two people to hold her because she is a 75lbs dog, and still a puppy. Usually, a treat gets her attention. At the first appointment, we, my partner and I, stayed in the waiting room. At no time were we asked to assist the hospital staff, and we would have been happy to do so. The first nail trimming took no more than 15 minutes, but the veterinarian, according to the receptionist, deemed that our puppy would a good candidate for an anti-anxiety "medication." We have had our girl for almost a year. We have never witnessed any anxious behaviour from her, and have never been told that she exhibits anxious behaviour. We have had her at three separate veterinarians for a variety of shots, examinations and even the removal of post operative stitches. We were told each time that she's a lovely dog. Taylor Veterinarians told us she was wonderful to work with, and every single veterinarian has told us that she is well-adjusted. At no time did the other veterinarians mention anxiety, nervousness or a desire or need to drug her. I am disappointed by, and dubious of veteranians that want to drug a dog for no reason. It's made even worse by the fact that you want to drug my dog for a nail trimming! I firmly believe that you wanted to drug my dog because it is easier for you. If you had acted professionally and spoken to us, this may have been avoided. I not only do not recommend your animal hospital, I would actively discourage people from taking their pet here. The staff is friendly, but I question whether the veterinarian is acting in my pet's best interest when they want to unnecessarily drug a dog and not discuss this option with the owner. I am, of course, free to take our dog elsewhere and I will be exercising that right. A forty-five minute drive to go elsewhere is well worth it to ensure our puppy's well-being. Read Less