Recommended to me by clients so I gave this clinic a lot of credence due to what I heard. Unfortunately my experiences were not as good & ended tragically. The Vet I saw at initial visit 5/18/16 was n... Read More
Recommended to me by clients so I gave this clinic a lot of credence due to what I heard. Unfortunately my experiences were not as good & ended tragically. The Vet I saw at initial visit 5/18/16 was not very friendly & dismissive (Dr. Koster). (I wished I had dressed more "professionally" & found myself verbally presenting my resume for some measure of validity as a qualified & knowledgeable pet owner aka worthy human being.) I explained I had 4 dogs needing to be spayed & to have teeth cleanings as my awesome Vet does house calls & due to a stroke can no longer do surgeries. I scheduled the teeth cleaning & teeth extraction surgery I needed anyway (1st one on 6/3). Followed by two spays (drop off 6/15 pick up 6/16) Everything went fine though each time I went there I felt the staff was not very accommodating or at all friendly. And I NEVER saw a Vet. Just dropped off my dogs & picked them as scheduled for these surgeries without ever the courtesy of seeing or hearing from the Vet. And the clinic not once called to report that a surgery was done. Or to check on one of our dogs after we took them home or when we came back in the next time. Each time I left that clinic I mumbled to myself that I didn't like that place. I'm a very positive, chipper person & no one there would have ever guessed I thought that. And other than to my family I told myself that this place would be fine. My Vet has me spoiled & I'm so used to being treated nicely. I was just looking for a reputable Vet with reasonable pricing for these particular procedures. I told myself I was being too picky. Now I'm kicking myself for ignoring intuition.Third spay done 6/27 & picked up 6/28. Dropped off 4th & last girl at same time. She trembled & eyes were wide as saucers when I dropped her off. I had no fear for her safety. She was the healthiest & youngest of the four girls. (This is perhaps the 2nd time in my lifetime I missed a dog's instincts for self survival. Maybe she knew this wasn't going to be a good outcome?)Well, today my son picked up his sweet Shih Tzu, Mimi, from her spay that she had yesterday. He was told she was bit "wheezy", would be "tired"; give her rest, A/C, & antibiotics (Clavomox). It was explained she had a bit of fluid in her lungs but should be fine. By the time he got home with her 20 minutes later, she was in critical condition. Their office was closed for lunch. We called around to find a Vet with a Dr that was 'IN" & had no luck before calling an Emergency clinic. I was on the phone with them when she seized. We gave her CPR all the way to nearest Vet but it was too late. Dr was there and could not revive her. He suggested we go back to Goddard and find out why they would send her home. Also called my Vet and told him what was happening as we drove back to Goddard he said it must have been an internal bleed. Devastated we went back to Goddard with our dead dog. GPD were waiting 2 lots over!!! No condolences from staff at door. Dr offered K-State autopsy but told we wouldn't be able to get her remains back. We wanted an autopsy but couldn't let her body be disposed of across the state. She had to come home with us. We debated another autopsy on the way to the pet crematorium. Nothing could bring her back. They sent a critically ill dog home that died within an hour of leaving. We suspect botched surgery, internal bleed.The staff is rude and not at all compassionate. The nicest person we met at the clinic was the Vet who apologized for death of beloved girl. And we do appreciate that he was at least apologetic and offered the necropsy. There is no excuse for the way the clinic has treated us to this point & that they caused her death. We would have happily paid to have her stay longer & receive proper care. She was completely healthy. She had a long life yet to live. Instead, we took her remains to Pet Traditions for $275 cremation, urn, & memory package. We are HEARTBROKEN! The clinic is refunding $152 spent today on Mimi spay (Gee, thanks!). No offer to help with her final expenses at this point though again we do appreciate his apology as he has been the only 1/2 way kind person at the clinic. I will never go to a clinic that does not allow me to speak to the Vet before and after every procedure and will never again tolerate snooty front desk service, I don't care how competitive their prices are and how good the Vets are supposed to be. I expect smiles AND warm, friendly people at the front; and will insist on that from now on as a minimum standard! Otherwise, I'll take it as a the first clue to get the heck out of there. And I want my dogs treated like members of my family, which they are... So I darn well expect to be asked about them & informed better about them. I will be advising my real estate clients, Inspire Wichita friends, and Show Tyme Shih Tzu family on what I've learned from this experience. We would have paid ANY expense (thousands) to save her life. #MimiLaRue had a life worth living Read Less