Took my poor cat here for a severe case of choking, gagging, and not being able to breathe. They diagnosed it as nothing the first time and gave him a shot of steroid while x-raying him (without askin... Read More
Took my poor cat here for a severe case of choking, gagging, and not being able to breathe. They diagnosed it as nothing the first time and gave him a shot of steroid while x-raying him (without asking me if I agreed to the steroid -- they did it while x-raying!). Meanwhile, they found nothing on the x-ray and sent us home saying thanks for the $250. Three days later we return because it was progressively worse and there was a loud routine choking sound he was making. This time another x-ray found a "hook" in his throat and they recommended taking him immediately to emergency VCA care in Fishers. Why wasn't this determined during the first visit in which supposedly 2 x-rays were done yet never shown to us? Oh, have some more of our money.We go to Fishers where they almost laughed at the x-ray and determined this stuck "hook" was a normal cat clavicle bone and they said that "any vet should have known this". They also did another x-ray (full body) again and determined nothing abnormal. While there, however, they said my poor little guy had become severely dehydrated over the course of several days, had a terrible fever, and was too weak to eat or poop or do anything. This was the result of a severe upper respiratory infection which could have been handled with meds three days prior to start the cycle in an upward direction. Now my poor guy had to be hospitalized with an IV with fluids and also a catheter because he was too weak to move. Barely being able to breathe, they insisted on keeping him there for 2 days, before finally discharging him with some prescriptions. Meanwhile, I said hello to a $1300 extraordinary bill that likely could have been prevented at Westwood. I paid it because the cat is part of our family and we love him.Tried calling back Westwood for a follow-up for all of this, I always get the front desk recording about them being too busy with other patients and to leave a message -- so I do. Yet nobody ever calls me back. I have also e-mailed a couple of times (though their website expired and went offline on January 17th -- oops on their part, huh?), including originally the day after the initial non-diagnosis to show the vet exactly what our cat was doing (in a video with his gagging symptoms) since he wouldn't replicate it while being scared at the vet. No reply to that either.Short of driving back down there (which I'm too upset to do after all of this nonsense), I'm just going to go to Brownsburg Animal Clinic, which I should have done the first time I brought him in. I went there in the past and they were incredibly passionate about their practice, but I instead chose Westwood this time due to proximity to my home. Never again. Avoid at ALL costs. Read Less