I took my 9 year old Jack Russell Terrier in on Wednesday, August 17th for a teeth cleaning. I asked that while he was under anesthesia, if removing a small, moveable bump he had on his head for 7 pl... Read More
I took my 9 year old Jack Russell Terrier in on Wednesday, August 17th for a teeth cleaning. I asked that while he was under anesthesia, if removing a small, moveable bump he had on his head for 7 plus years and two skin tags would be advisable. Dr. Aaron K. Horch said that would be "no big deal", and I didn't think anymore about it. I received a phone call at 12:28 as an update from Dr. Horch, explaining that everything had gone smoothly, that no teeth needed to be extracted, and that I could pick my dog up after 4 pm. At 4, I showed up and was presented with a bill for $700.00, twice the amount I was quoted for a teeth cleaning and anesthesia for my dog. I questioned the high amount and was told that the soft tissue removals were the reason, and maybe because 2 of his teeth fell out during the procedure. I explained that Dr. Horch had not mentioned that in my update phone call, which was met with a blank stare. I paid in full. Then the receptionist carried my dog from the back out to me. I was in shock. My dog had a 3 inch incision on his head with 11 sutures and dried blood on the corner closest to his eye. I was sent home: A. Shocked at the amount of money I had just spent. B. In tears, because of the size of the incision on my dogs head. (On a side note, I work in surgery, and the incision was double the size it needed to be.) C. Without a cone to prevent him from scratching said stitches. My fiancé had to drive back to the vet to get the cone, which they wanted to charge him for. The next day I called to speak with Dr. Horch. While I explained how I felt about the situation, his multiple failures in communication, his reply was "o.k, sorry". Even when I questioned the two extracted teeth he failed to mention in the update he gave me, his only reply was "They were loose, and kinda just fell out. Sorry if I forgot to tell you"... While my dogs teeth are, in fact, clean, I had to call off two days of work to stay home and watch over him. Believe me, I would do anything for my dog. Big Creek Vet, on a whole, is a fine place to take your pet. My problem lies with Dr. Horch and his nonexistent communication skills. Since my dog can't talk, communication between myself and the vet is crucial. I will not be dealing with Dr. Horch in the future. Read Less