I'm giving this hospital 1 star only because you can't give it 0. While visiting friends in Henderson, my old dog went downhill. He was 17 years old and had an infection last summer that caused him to... Read More
I'm giving this hospital 1 star only because you can't give it 0. While visiting friends in Henderson, my old dog went downhill. He was 17 years old and had an infection last summer that caused him to lose a lot of weight. It was a struggle to keep weight on him and he always looked very thin. When he stopped eating, I knew it was time to let him go. I made an appointment with the closest hospital and whoever answered my call seemed nice. The red head at the desk when I got there was entirely different. Here I am standing at the front desk, crying my eyes out, while she types in my information, answers calls and basically ignores me. I asked if we could be put in a room to wait and she said she needed to fill out the form on her computer and charge my credit card first. So I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, with tears streaming down my face, while she dutifully filled out her form. Eventually she opened a room and left us. No blankets or anything, so my old dog was forced to lay on the cold, hard floor for another 10-15 minutes. Eventually a tech came in, another red head, and said she would have to take my dog to the back. I wasn't about to let my dog go with someone I didn't know, in a hospital I'd never been to before, so they could do something to him without me being able to help him. I said whatever needed to be done could be done right there in the exam room. She left and when she came back she said that would be okay, but I would have to leave the room. I told her I was a vet tech and have assisted with surgeries and necropsies, so there wasn't anything I'd faint over. But, no, the 'hospital rules' are that I couldn't be present while they worked on my dog. I was just about to take my dog and leave, but decided for his sake to compromise and step outside, but the door would remain open. They agreed. While outside the door, the song that was playing was Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody with the lyrics - "Mama, ooh, I don't wanna die." Again I felt I needed to leave and walked in the room just as they finished placing a catheter. I hugged my dog and asked him if he wanted to stay so they could help him leave his old body. Luckily the vet walked in and she was the only nice person I met there. I believe her name was Dr Aybar. She immediately noticed there was no blanket for my dog and went to get one. She was the only one who seemed to genuinely care about my dog and me.It's hard enough when you lose a beloved pet, but to be surrounded by such uncaring people (with that one exception) at a time like this is just unthinkable. If you care about your pet, I urge you to skip this hospital until they can hire better support staff.Update: About a week or so after this incident, the practice manager called me to apologize. He said the staff members involved were sent to additional training and one was even reassigned. While I appreciate the apology, it doesn't wipe out the terrible memory I have of that day. When it comes to our pets, we are their advocates and it's up to us to decide on acceptable treatment. If something doesn't feel right (whether it's at an animal hospital, a grooming parlor or anywhere else), I urge you to say 'no' and go somewhere else. Read Less