My experience with Dr. Donna McWilliams was ABSOLUTELY DISTURBING.
Yesterday afternoon I brought my dog in to see a vet because he developed an eye infection. Within three minutes of being in the ... Read More
My experience with Dr. Donna McWilliams was ABSOLUTELY DISTURBING.
Yesterday afternoon I brought my dog in to see a vet because he developed an eye infection. Within three minutes of being in the room with my dog, Dr. Donna concluded that he was a vicious, out of control, and needed to wear a muzzle in order for her to exam his eye. After I was unable to put the muzzle on my dog quickly enough, Dr. Donna pinned him to the ground and forced the muzzle on him (he has never worn a muzzle, I explained this to her, and, of course, wearing a muzzle is a skill dogs must be taught to do). At the sight of this brash and violent treatment of my dog, I became emotionally distraught – I felt my hands start shaking and the tears welling up in my eyes. She completed the exam and left the room to get his medication.
When she returned she started lecturing me about my dog’s “wrong” behavior. I then tried to explain to her that he was afraid and that our energy was making him more anxious and stressed out. Donna then condescendingly asked me “Well, what would you have me do?” I replied honestly – “I’m not sure but something about your approach seems off.” She started harping on my dog’s negative reaction to her again. I could tell that she was getting very angry and defensive so I told her ‘I don’t think this is a good time to have this conversation. I’d like the medication so I can just leave.” She got up and stormed out of the room and said over her shoulder “He needs to come back for a checkup in ten days.”
Dr. Donna, I’ve had some time to think about what I would have had you do differently:
1. My dog is about a smart as a toddler. He does not have language to express himself. When he is experiencing pain in his eye and you, a complete stranger, try to stick your finger in said eye, of course he is going to react in a defensive manner. HE IS AFRAID! Have some compassion! There are grown adult humans who have real, diagnosed phobias of doctors yet you expect my one year old dog to be a perfect patient for you.
2. Do not begin your working relationship with clients by curling your lip up in disgust and criticizing them. If you expect the pet parent to work with you during the exam, do not speak to them like they are an idiotic child. There are strategies you can use to deliver unpleasant news/ information/ insights to your clients in a respectful and professional manner.
3. Be respectful to your clients. I have been bringing my dog to My Pets since he was two/three months old and I’ve been bringing my cat to My Pet for 7/8 years. I have spent a lot of my money at My Pets. I have recommended friends and family to this vet. When you have upset a client (especially a loyal, long standing client) to the point of tears, your response shouldn’t be to rudely storm out of the room as if they have done something wrong. Remember, we don’t have to bring our pets to you. The privilege is yours.
4. Keep the promises you make to your clients. Your homepage reads “We are committed to providing the best veterinary care to your pet always. We also understand how important your pet is in being a member of your family.” You didn’t seem very committed when you spent three minutes getting to know my dog and you didn’t seem to understand that my dog is like my child when you were ugly to me.
5. BE HONEST!!! TELL YOUR CLIENTS IN A TRANSPARENT MANNER THAT YOU ONLY WANT TO SERVICE SMALL BREED DOGS (one sentence on your homepage is not enough). Don’t take on medium and large size breeds as clients if you’re not comfortable working with them. YOU’D BE SAVING US ALL A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY THAT WAY.
Dr. Donna, I implore you to consider these points and to honestly reflect on them. Read Less