I would leave 0 stars if I could. My dog would probably be dead right now if we would have listened to them. My mom brought our 10-year-old Bichon Frise to them in May, presenting with lethargy, polyu... Read More
I would leave 0 stars if I could. My dog would probably be dead right now if we would have listened to them. My mom brought our 10-year-old Bichon Frise to them in May, presenting with lethargy, polyuria and polydipsia. They had no sense of urgency, and sent him home after drawing blood and taking his vitals (I understand that blood work takes a day or so to get back, but they did not seem concerned when we told him about the extremely rapid onset of symptoms. By that same night, my dog could hardly walk and we had to take him to the emergency vet, where he was diagnosed with kidney disease, a UTI, and pancreatitis. The emergency vet sent him back to Luv n Care the next day, where they were supposed to treat him and help him recover. After about 3 or 4 days of IV fluids, they resolved that he had kidney disease, and there was nothing anyone could do about it (they said that he was between stages 2 and 3 of the 4 stages). We were devastated, but also confused, because his symptoms didn't quite align with that diagnosis, and we had a hard time believing that he went from being perfectly fine one day, to essentially a death sentence less than a week later. Long story short, we sought a second opinion (Blue Pearl), where our dog began receiving medication and sub-Q fluids. The second vet ran a battery of tests, including blood work, stool samples, and imaging, to rule out several disease and get to the bottom of his illness. Now, 6 weeks later, our dog is 100% better, his levels are back to normal and he definitely does not have kidney disease as Luv N Care suggested.
I totally understand that doctors don't have all of the answers--I don't expect them to be geniuses or perfect, but I do expect them to admit their lack of expertise in when it comes to certain conditions, and refer us to a physician who is an expert. I also expect them to generally be on the same page as one another when giving us diagnoses and next steps. When dealing with Luv n Care, we spoke to a different employee almost every time (ranging from the vet, to the vet tech, and even the front desk personnel), and they had a different plan of action every time. They could not even conclusively tell us what was in the IV fluids that they were giving my dog. One person said that it was just saline, another person said that it had electrolytes, another person said that it had "nutrients" in it (whatever that means)--they constantly contradicted one another and subsequently confused us. It was not cohesive care, nor was it sufficient. Their communication was horrible, their diagnosis was inaccurate, and they literally did nothing to help my dog. They settled on the fact that he had kidney disease and washed their hands of the matter. I can only imagine how many pet owners just take their word for it, and give up on trying to help their pet get better. I would hate to think that Luv n Care has done this to other families, but I am certain that this isn't the first time that they've screwed up like this. If your animal is seriously ill, don't bring it to Luv n Care. They aren't equipped to handle it, but they also won't tell you that. They'll just settle on some diagnosis and proceed as if it's accurate. Read Less