I called just about every vet in town to get my ancient cat in for a tooth to be removed. It was probably by chance that I went with West Side, they had an appointment available much sooner than most ... Read More
I called just about every vet in town to get my ancient cat in for a tooth to be removed. It was probably by chance that I went with West Side, they had an appointment available much sooner than most vets that I called. They even called me when there was a surgery cancellation and my cat was able to get everything taken care of in less than a week from my first call.
My experience going in was unlike the other recent times I had visited the vet with my ancient, overweight, cranky pet cat. Firstly, the front desk and waiting area (has a useful airlock) is comfortable, clean, warm, and has a very professional atmosphere like a nicer hotel. The vet did not berate me for 'letting my cat get fat' or not brushing her teeth. The vet did not try to be macho at all, and took cues from my cat to determine what she could and could not do without irritating the cat. After blood work, she even praised my kitty on her patience (I don't know if I believe that).
The vet didn't beat around the bush when it came time to discuss costs, she gave me two estimates a high end estimate (around 1,000) and a low end estimate(around 500), she let me know that in both scenarios there was a 'wellness plan' available that would cover a majority of the costs and I would pay a lot less out of pocket, as well as getting a whole year's worth of checkups, shots, etc for my cat. I decided to go with it (for about 70 a month) because my cat is getting so old.
Two days later, bloodwork is good, cat goes in for a cleaning and potential tooth extraction. They let me drop her off at 7:30 and scheduled pickup for 2:30. I got several calls from the vet to discuss complications unique to my cat, and he let me make the choice on whether they should proceed or complete more x-rays etc. My cat apparently has a slight heart murmur, but it wasn't an issue, she went under fine, got her teeth cleaned, and had 2 teeth removed.
I ended up paying less than 500 out of pocket, despite needing additional x-rays, opting for some of the higher cost options, etc. I got x-rays on a disk and they even trimmed my cat's nails (probably for their own safety). The vet gave the cat praise for her patience again and discussed her meds/ etc. The vet didn't try to change my mind about my cat's diet (another vet gave me a long lecture on switching my cat back to dry food that made her overweight and constipated in the first place), and agreed it would help with her weight and water intake. Didn't try to pressure me to brush my cat's teeth or anything suicidal like that, and scheduled a follow up appointment in 3 months to check on her weight and check out her heart again. I left even feeling pretty good about the whole thing because they drew a smiley face on the paperwork and said her other teeth were all perfect. I don't feel like a bad pet owner.
All of the staff was helpful, and genuinely interested in my cat. Everyone was very gentle with me, even though I don't express much, the whole ordeal was very hard for me, and I appreciate the kindness they showed my cat.
Most importantly, Rectangle is back to her normal self and just as belligerent and murderous without fangs as she was with them, much to the chagrin of any rodents or lizards in a 1 mile radius. Read Less