It's hard to find a good vet now days- one that shows compassion, one that follows up, one that is thorough in communication.My family has been taking their cats here since I was a preteen- back when ... Read More
It's hard to find a good vet now days- one that shows compassion, one that follows up, one that is thorough in communication.My family has been taking their cats here since I was a preteen- back when Krista (I think that's her name) was running the place. So, when I moved back to Arizona this is the first vet I decided to take my cat to see.My cat has IBS and has for years and lately her symptoms have worsened and have been causing her severe pain. The new vet at Larkspur cat clinic saw my cat and he recommended two medications to ease her pain and inflammation.Now, when he gave me these medications he didn't mention any cautions or side effects. Didn't say to watch out for anything in particular- he just told me that they would help relax and ease the pain. So, I went home and I gave these medications to my cat. Within a couple hours she looked drugged up and out of it. She was acting quite strange and after 2 days she was very constipated and straining to the point that she was crying in pain. I decided to look up the medications prescribed and every single website I went to (and I went to a bunch) said that both medications are used in dogs- one of the dog medications was commonly administered to dogs in 17-23mg dosages- which my cat's dosage was 43mg (seems a bit high for a 6 pound feline), and the other medication had repeated warnings that it was controversial for cats and I read several times that is should NEVER be used on cats because it can cause constipation and blockages that can lead to disease and death, or something to that effect.At this point I called the clinic and I explained my cats odd behavior and the constipation and straining. I also mentioned the medication and told them that I understand if there was a reason that the cat was given this type of medication, but was concerned because I read that there were side effects associated with this drug in cats and my cat was straining a lot and seemed out of it. The woman told me the doctor was busy and couldn't take my call. So, I asked if he could please call me back before 4PM that day because I was very concerned about my cat (it was 9 AM when I called), . The woman literally... LITERALLY, snickered out loud, condescendingly, and snorted that the doctor was very busy and she'll 'see'... ~click~Anyhow, the vet NEVER called. Surprise!I have found a new vet- that so far has been very good to my cat. They follow up and check in and make sure my cat's symptoms aren't getting worse. I showed the new vet and the nurses the medication that I was given to administer to my cat. They were all shocked. First, one of the medications are these huge capsules- they are people sized. The first comment I heard was, "I've never seen medication in that format... for a cat". The other medication I was given were broken pills. Again- everyone was shocked by the format of the medication alone.The new vet said she was unfamiliar with using the 2 medications on cats. I could tell she didn't want to say anything negative, so instead she told me to give her a couple days to research the drugs and she'd let me know whether or not it was safe to give to my cat.A day and a half later I get a call from her. She says one of the meds is probably ok, but if the cat hasn't gotten better from it- don't give it to her. The other one- she said she didn't feel comfortable with me giving it to the cat and asked me not to. I will NEVER go back to Larkspur Cat Clinic. From giving me dangerous drugs (it seems like they buy what's on sale and give it out generically even if it's canine medication) that could kill my cat, no warning to the many possible side effects and complications to the dangerous dog medicine prescribed for my cat, then the horrific service- (Who condescendingly laughs at you when you are calling to say that your cat is having a bad reaction to the medication your doctor recently prescribed?) and then the fact that they NEVER called back- not to return my call, not to follow up, not to give further direction. I can't believe I paid $100 for this! They charged me almost $40 for the bad meds as well. I'm actually filing a complaint with the state board, and I told my family about what happened and we are all switching vets. I don't know what happened to this place, but it's not what it used to be. Read Less