Silver Bluff is a very good veterinary clinic, with a casual rather than cold atmosphere, caring staff, and generally good recommendations for potential treatment options, without overcharging for unn... Read More
Silver Bluff is a very good veterinary clinic, with a casual rather than cold atmosphere, caring staff, and generally good recommendations for potential treatment options, without overcharging for unnecessary tests, nor recommending treatments that may just as well be delayed until the animal is older. This is why I chose them as my regular vet.This review is based on an incident of a terrible judgment call on the part of a junior vet on staff. I cannot emphasize enough how bad the judgment was.So, why is this review not a 1? The day after the unfortunate incident, I was contacted by a more senior staff vet, Dr. Melanie Anderson, who tried to begin to get to the bottom of what had happened. After explaining, I went in the next day unannounced and Dr. Anderson interrupted her schedule to speak to me about where they were in terms of reviewing the case.By the end of the week, the practice owner, Dr. Ted Sanchez, reached out to meet with me personally. We met, and he made no excuses, no blame of others, just an honest an candid review of the facts. And he described the extent to which he reviewed with his staff the details of the case over the week. Mistakes are made by all of us. In medicine, whether animal or human, the stakes are higher. But the similarity in any profession is that you are honest about your mistakes, learn from them, and do whatever is possible to put them right. For this, Silver Bluff, and in particular Dr. Anderson and Dr. Sanchez get a 5. The average of the incident and the handling of it lead to my review of "3".And as a final note, be aware that a vet clinic and vet hospital are different. Have your vet for your regular reviews check ups, vaccinations, treatment of chronic illness, and any non-acute condition, regardless of whether acute symptoms have presented. For an animal in major distress, go directly to a veterinary hospital, equipped with facilities for surgery, oxygen cubicles, and everything needed to treat an acute and potentially critical condition. This should be a 24 hour hospital (combined emergency and regular), and I would humbly suggest you register with the hospital of your choice in advance so you are a client of theirs upon arrival. By nature, when you go to the veterinary hospital rather than your regular clinic, time will be of the essence, and there may be no time for registration and consent forms. Read Less