Wow...My family and I have been coming to this vet for years, and used to get great service and care for our animals. I don't know what happened, but Dr. Dickson has changed. Dr. Dickson always was a ... Read More
Wow...My family and I have been coming to this vet for years, and used to get great service and care for our animals. I don't know what happened, but Dr. Dickson has changed. Dr. Dickson always was a little more gruff/not the warmest of personalities in general, but she cared about the animals. This most recent experience will be my last, as I will never bring another pet back here.I have a dog that came from an abusive home and I got him from a rescue shelter. He's big and intimidating, but not dangerous. The assistants that first came into the room were wonderful with him. He of course was afraid, as most pets are when going to the vet, but he was able to calm down, relax, and even fell asleep. I think the assistant's name was Janelle (unsure of the spelling). She knows how to work with animals who are scared! A dog who is that afraid or feels threatened is not going to fall asleep.The moment Dr. Dickson came in, my dog became more rigid and apprehensive. Anyone who has had pets for a long time knows a person's energy and demeanor will influence whether or not a dog feels safe or on edge. He was squirming while Dickson tried to examine his ears, and I tried to help by talking to my dog and helping to hold him, and was told by Dr. Dickson to let them handle it. Ok, no problem. It was decided that he would be sedated to make it easier for Dr. Dickson to conduct the examination since my dog wasn't cooperating (he was cooperating with the assistants before Dickson came in). I expected them to inject the sedative and leave the room for a few minutes while it took effect. He is a LARGE dog, and Dickson gave no time to allow the sedative to work. She immediately continued to try to examine my dog. No barks, no growls, no bites. He was squirming to get away since he was not comfortable with the situation, Dickson and the assistant were bumped by him and were pushed into the wall, and Dickson LOST IT. Screamed that my dog was dangerous, she refused to examine him, and screamed that I should have yelled at him for squirming.... a moment earlier I was told to back off and let the professionals handle it.The assistants were great. Dickson, the "professional" who has been doing this for years, should know how to approach a nervous dog that comes from an abused background. If she were uncomfortable with the examination, she could have calmly stated that she didn't feel this dog would cooperate (he cooperated just fine with Janelle). If he needed to be sedated, she should have waited for the sedative to take effect (it didn't even hit him until I was already about 5 minutes into my drive home. Had she waited, the examination would have been easy).I have already tried a new vet, and we had no problems. Read Less