I have been a customer of this vet practice for over 7 years. The original vet, Dr. Stottlemeyer (RIP) is no longer the owner or associated with this office as he passed in June 2016 . Dr Courtney Ri... Read More
I have been a customer of this vet practice for over 7 years. The original vet, Dr. Stottlemeyer (RIP) is no longer the owner or associated with this office as he passed in June 2016 . Dr Courtney Riley became my Dr of choice for my dogs when she joined the practice. I feel she has a genuine, caring energy and never pressured me to get extra tests or "nice-to-have" tests for my animals when they were ill. She was able to recommend a treatment plan that restored their health and did not cost a fortune (though one dog has diabetes and the other had bladder stones, so it was still pricey!) Fast forward to about a month ago when I brought dogs in to office for ear infection of boy dog and to discuss the continued itchiness of my girl dog (I have tried apoquel in the past and grew concerned about the side affects reported online) My appointment was with Dr Clarke, one of the new owners and investor in the practice. Dr Clarke addressed my concerns that apoquel suppresses the immune system leaving the dog exposed to other opportunistic diseases. He minimized the risk and assured me any dogs that got sick while on apoquel were already in a high risk group with other health problems. I made the decision to try apoquel again as he spoke with confidence. He was also very convincing that I should get several tests for both animals. This visit ended up costing over $850 for cultures and blood tests and medications. (including $120 for package of 6 heartworm preventatives. full disclosure) I still was satisfied when I left that the neighborhood animal hospital was in caring and competent hands - after all, I could have said NO to any of the tests he suggested.Dr Clarke called me with test results and said all was fine except he wanted me to give my boy dog antibiotics even though the medication I was using for his ears was appropriate for the infection. He told me the Rx was sitting at the front desk waiting on me and had been there for several days. When I got to the vet though, the front desk staff told me that medication had just arrived that morning and was not unpacked and stocked yet. I had to wait while they located the box and filled the Rx (incidentally, the directions called for 1 1/2 pills a day until all gone - I wondered why I could not just get the right dosage for my dog?) I paid another $50 for this.I decided to order the apoquel online as I searched for a less expensive option since she needs 2 pills a day for the drug to work (cutting down to 1 pill a day after the initial 14 days brought back the itching.) When I called the office staff to get a supply of apoquel to hold us over until the mail order drugs arrived, I was told that "if they (the office) had already faxed the Rx to the online pharmacy, I could only get 1 or 2 pills to hold me over as the Rx is considered filled once it is faxed." I knew the pills would take a week or more to arrive so I questioned this policy?? Did they think I wanted to black market some apoquel? It seemed like if I did NOT order from them, then they could not help me. After checking, the office staff verified the Rx had not been faxed yet. (I placed the order on Thursday the previous week and this was Tuesday! Additionally, I CALLED them not only to get the holdover-pills but to see why the Rx was taking so long to FAX) I asked if I could go ahead and pay ahead of time to which she replied that wasn't necessary, as there was only one other patient left for the day so it would not be busy when I arrived. I also asked for a copy of my dogs shot records and a copy of the prescription.When I stopped to get the pills, they would only give me a 7 day supply and they charged me an UPCHARGE for filling the "emergency" supply. The desk tech also tried to tell me that I could not have a copy of the Rx as it was not signed by the Dr (who I could hear talking through the door leading to the treatment rooms.) She also refused to give me an Rx with unlimited refills - this was a drug the Dr told me is safe for my dog to be on for the rest of her life. She told me it was the Dr's policy and they weren't responsible for the Dr's policy. I asked who was responsible for the fax not getting sent to the online pharmacy resulting in me having to pay more for the medication for my dog? I seriously do not know why these young girls that work here feel like giving a customer a difficult time is OK. I am left feeling that Dr Clarke recommended the treatment plan that would net him (and his team of investors) the highest profit. Why should it be a problem to get a prescription filled online? Wasn't a grand enough to make from one customer on one visit to the vet? I suggest the Dr and his staff give customers some CHOICES (ie aggressive plan A, conservative plan B, etc)....otherwise, they risk losing their BREAD and BUTTER!! Change your business model to treat your customers with KINDNESS and CONSIDERATION. Read Less