The negligence of their receptionist nearly cost my cat her life, I strongly recommend anyone who cares about their pets safety DO NOT go to this vet.I had been bringing both of my cats here for the e... Read More
The negligence of their receptionist nearly cost my cat her life, I strongly recommend anyone who cares about their pets safety DO NOT go to this vet.I had been bringing both of my cats here for the entirety of their lives (4 years) and for the most part, our experience had been positive. Both cats were healthy, barring one having some urinary issues. For that episode, she was evaluated at this clinic and given a special diet that remedied her problem, again it was overall positive.Our major issue that caused me to forever leave this clinic and now warn my friends and family from not going here occurred two weeks ago when our cat suffered a potentially fatal embolism. My husband and I came home from work and within about 30 minutes found our cat unable to move her hind-legs and in shock, this was a sudden onset and we knew something was horribly wrong. I called New England Veterinary Clinic while in a panic; I immediately gave the receptionist our name and stated our cat had suddenly lost movement in her legs and that it was an emergency. She lackadaisically told me they were "booked up and closing soon", I again reiterated that our cat is a patient there and it was an emergency, she needed to be seen immediately. She put me on hold for what felt like minutes as we were in crisis but more than likely was for about 30 seconds, then returned on the phone to say "Yeah sorry, we are booked and we close at 6. Try one of the 24 clinics, good luck".And that was it. No address was given to me of another clinic, no offer to make a call to another clinic for a referral, nothing at all. That's it. End of call. Good luck.In shock and disbelief of their disregard and negligence, I then Googled another vet in my area and IMMEDIATELY when I relayed to the receptionist that it was an emergency, she told us "Get in the car and get here as quickly as you can", starting our intake as we drove to their office. THIS WAS A BRAND NEW OFFICE TO US, brand new patients at this clinic we just Googled, and they were able to take us immediately and treated the situation with urgency and professionalism. We walked into their office and our cat was seen within minutes, diagnosed within moments, and given life-saving medication. This quick response saved her life as she suffered a feline aortic thrombolytic, that claims the lives of the majority of felines who experience it.I did write an email to New England Veterinary Clinic following this experience and did receive a prompt response from someone in patient services apologizing for this experience. This, however, solidified my horror even more as I was told by their patient service rep that their clinic was open until 8pm the night I called, not 6pm, meaning the receptionist completely lied to us on the phone and they were open for another 2.5 hours when we called. I work in the medical community and completely understand the constraints of a clinic in terms of scheduling and accommodating, but to LIE about your hours to your customers during an emergency? And not offer any alternative referrals? Completely unacceptable, unprofessional, and most importantly DANGEROUS.I am grateful that my cat is alive today 2 weeks post-embolism, thanks to another Vet that saved her life. Had we left it up to New England Veterinary Clinic our cat would no longer be with us today. Read Less