. I had a grand-dog who was so very special. He was gentle, affectionate, beautiful, playful, and smart. He became ill about a year and a half ago and was taken to this Veterinarian, who followed h... Read More
. I had a grand-dog who was so very special. He was gentle, affectionate, beautiful, playful, and smart. He became ill about a year and a half ago and was taken to this Veterinarian, who followed him during his "illness". When he started having worse symptoms, the Vet took x-rays but could not diagnose the problem, so my family was told that he needed an ultrasound. No one in the immediate area could perform the ultrasound, so the Vet referred them to a Vet in Sarasota which is about a 45 minute travel time, and an urgent appointment was made for the next possible time available. In the meantime, my grand-dog became worse and on the morning of his scheduled appointment in Sarasota, he took a dramatic turn for the worse. This local Vet of about 7 minutes travel time was called, and was asked if she could see him immediately since his condition had become critical. The office said that she would not see him because he had been referred to the Vet in Sarasota and needed the ultrasound first. You can imagine the shock and disappointment not to mention panic the family felt, yet they would attempt to get him to Sarasota. He died about 20 minutes later in front of the grief stricken family. It was not a peaceful death and obviously painful as well. Needless to say, the appointment in Sarasota was canceled. The next morning, the Vet's office called my daughter to inquire about the results of his appointment in Sarasota. Of course, the Vets' office was told of his death and the office staff said they would relay the news to the Vet. The Vet as well as office staff has yet to contact the family to express condolences. After about 6 months, the family decided to contact The Board that regulates the practices of Veterinarians in Florida to file a complaint on how the situation was handled. After a year of "investigation" a letter was received stating that there is no evidence to demonstrate that anything was handled improperly by the Vet. Well, now, come on, how about a DEAD DOG? Isn't that evidence enough? I am outraged. What good is this Board in Tallahassee? Takes months to get that kind of a cold, callous determination? And the letter further states that there is no appeal in these matters and they do not reveal how they determined their decision, so in other words, don't bother calling us again. So bluntly, coldly, sorry pal you lose your little "family member" and the Vet goes on as if nothing happened. Well that's just a lot of malarkey. There are a lot of very good Veterinarians out there, and if you have one, count your blessings. This Vet is not one of them. Read Less