After visiting other Vets in the area for an ongoing issue with my kitty I was drawn to this practice because of their claims of holistic medicine and boasts about cold laser therapy. In 3 weeks I'd s... Read More
After visiting other Vets in the area for an ongoing issue with my kitty I was drawn to this practice because of their claims of holistic medicine and boasts about cold laser therapy. In 3 weeks I'd spent $1300, and what little improvement there was started to reverse by the time I'd had enough of the place.I'd seen some success with warm laser treatments at my primary "conventional" Vet in Hamburg, but the repeated trips to the doctor stressed kitty and he ended up getting bronchitis which he spread to my other cat. I was also unhappy about the cost (including a $500 hospitalization due to the bronchitis), but compared to what Lancaster has charged me it seems like pennies. Every service/test/procedure/consultation there is higher than anywhere else I've been in my life. Having a bandage wrapped around my cat's foot is $14 at my primary, but Dr. Dusza charges $32.50. My primary charged me $15 for each laser treatment - and the highest I've found elsewhere is $32 - but at Lancaster it's $45!Every time I walked in she'd hit me with $300-$700 worth of "recommended" services. She doesn't even present these to you herself, she sends her Techs in to do it. I've had cats my whole life, have worked at shelters and in rescue, had 7 cats at once at one point - some living to be 20 years old - and have lived in both Seattle and Atlanta, but never have I been soaked for this amount of coin.After spending $1300 she still wasn't really sure what the issues were, and wanted more tests before any further diagnoses or treatments could be determined. On my last visit she wanted me to spend $100 on antibiotics alone, after I'd already spent $100 on antibiotics, and had come there to do holistic medicine! And when they give you your bill they'll list each item you turned down in all caps as DECLINED: Convenia, DECLINED: FELV SNAP Test (they repeatedly pushed this one, even though my cat has been vaccinated for feline leukemia and doesn't really go out) - and then the Vet acted like I wasn't giving her all the tools she needed to do her job. Obnoxious, right? Regrettably before I got this place's number I referred someone else there. They had the male doctor but the same experience - asked to spend $400 in one visit on their 2 year old cat when all it had was a rash. And on another occasion while sitting in the waiting room I overheard a fellow customer complaining that she'd already spent $2500 and was still being asked to cough up more. As I've worked in rescue I know there are many, many animals that don't get homes, and this sort of bull is often why. I'm asking myself how I can continue to afford caring for my animals when prices keep skyrocketing. I am unemployed but Lancaster Small Animal Hospital had little sympathy and offered no breaks, just a "we can spread the charges out" option. When I made comments about the prices I was told they're comparable with other vets in the area, which means they're set by what the market will bear. Putting people into a position whereby they have to either watch their animal hurting or be bled dry financially trying to help them is just plain despicable. I have an issue with the medical community in general in that reaping huge profits off others pain and suffering is immoral, yet these days making yourself rich is what seems to draw many to the field. So my advice is shop around, particularly if you're drawn to the "holistic" offerings here (I'm not sure how much training she actually has in this or from where). I came in saying I believe my cat has kidney decline - which she also suspects but wanted more testing to be sure - then she tried to sell me Science Diet K/D cat food. People truly versed in holistic/Chinese medicine recommend high quality, high protein diets for kidney decline, not the standard unpalatable prescription low protein garbage. The only holistic option I was given were a couple of herbs ($72 for them), but the other $1200+ were spent on crap anyone could do, and might not have even requested, and would've charged me less for. Read Less