Dr. Megan Mongiovi is a thorough & conscientious vet who spent a lot of time with my cat, brought in for inappropriate urination. If Dr. M represents this practice, I think it's fair to say that the... Read More
Dr. Megan Mongiovi is a thorough & conscientious vet who spent a lot of time with my cat, brought in for inappropriate urination. If Dr. M represents this practice, I think it's fair to say that they want your animals to get well & stay well at a fair cost to you, as quickly as possibly to fit your pet's needs. I agree with Mei O: no pressure/guilt to do million dollar work up, or giving you nagging doubts about what if...? you don't do it (like other vets) but they still tell you the options; unique skill.My (one) cat was in a no-kill shelter for 6 years and still hadn't, umm, blossomed in the home after 10 months (bringing us to Feb 2014). At that time, out of the blue, kitty suddenly started peeing on the guest bed, despite having 2 litter boxes in the guest room & 2 additional litter boxes in the bathroom right next door (2 other cats in the house). Suspected UTI but she was also the age of hyperthyroid problems and renal failure and looked much like my other kitty who died of CRF and hyperthyroidism, & also so anxious, not grooming self well (ever), still spending many days hiding under the bed all day not really adjusting well to life after shelter despite Feliway, being separated from the other 2 cats (or not), gave her some anxiolytic med I had leftover from her deceased predecessor, which helped a bit, I was worried...Then it got really weird as she restricted her peeing to same spot on the bed on the doggie pee pads, which were being used to protect the bed. I did request full labs on my geriatric cat. Dr. M made some other behavioral recommendations, like changing litter, that I was not so sure about, and I also forgot about doing (since my dog eats litter, reluctant to add those occasional potential ER fees to the budget). When a CBC became unviable, they did not charge me for it, and Dr. M did not recommend it be repeated, even tho could have re-poked kitty there & then. She was quite calming & felt that labs could be sent out, as sending them out would be cheaper than if done in house. As anxious as I was to have the peeing stop, it made me feel better as I already felt a lot of guilt for delaying taking the cat in for potential UTI (waited for vet appt vs vet ER): turns out there was no UTI after all. The cost was about $200 which I was pleasantly surprised for such a thorough work up & full set of geriatric cat labs & urine studies (comp, thyroid, UA, exam fee; some vaccinations too were not up to date; I can't remember if that included the meds or not (prozac); compared to what I had been spending on my previous geriatric cat....I think vets see me & hear that cash register sound....). Instead of saying, "we can't be absolutely sure unless we repeat the CBC" etc, she phrased it like, "overall, she looked pretty good, and since it's so hard for you to get her here, why don't we just repeat the UA in 3 wk?" (which actually I forgot to do, but the problem is fixed now with the behavioral interventions). In the past, it seems like vets are more likely to say things like, without the CBC, there's nothing to indicate a lack of infection". I was really surprised when she called a week or so later to see how my kitty was doing & to report that she had consulted with a cat behaviorist & to provide me with additional recommendations--free of charge! She asked if I was able to take the call, and when I told her, of course, she was the doctor calling, but I was in the middle of something, she scheduled a time the next day when she could call me back that I could fully attend to the call that worked better for me. So I followed her recs & got a water fountain, changed the litter to clay litter, put her on Prozac: she stopped urinating on the bed. Additionally, kitty does not give me mixed signals, like she was before: she was so mixed up, she would want to be pet but was terrified & would run away, now she lets herself be pet! She still has days where she hides under the bed all day, but she hangs out with the other cats and NO PEEING ON THE GUEST BED & this poor ol' kitty happy again! I am just so pleased with the attention from Dr. M. Just called back 4/2014 because I needed a refill on the Prozac & couldn't remember if I was supposed to increase it further or keep it at the same dose: meant to ask the staff but they put me through directly to the doctor: again! Who talks to the doctor about things like that?! Asked if I should bring in my other cat, but she said I could wait until her shots are due. These guys are NOT money-hungry. Would say more but no lines left: they try to save you $$. My friend brought her dog here and had positive experience with end of life issues also; I had difficult end of life issues with another vet which is reason I chose Easthaven, based on my friends' experience and after reading their website. Observed some cute interactions with staff & other vet and long-time clients while I was in waiting room at subsequent visits. Read Less