I originally took my cat to Hecht Veterinary Hospital, because my mother-in-law recommend it. She takes all of her dogs there and claims to have had good experiences. Four years ago, I took my cat in ... Read More
I originally took my cat to Hecht Veterinary Hospital, because my mother-in-law recommend it. She takes all of her dogs there and claims to have had good experiences. Four years ago, I took my cat in for her kitten vaccinations and the staff was polite and knowledgeable, but the place had a weird vibe. Last month, I returned to Hecht because my cat was puking multiple times a day and losing weight rapidly. Once again I felt the weird vibe, and was able to put my finger on what it was. They treat animals almost like humans, which can be nice, but I feel is unnecessary. When I was finally taken to an exam room, a technician came in to examine my cat, much like a nurse would in a hospital. Then after about 10 minutes the actual veterinarian came in to look at my cat, and after feeling around on her abdomen, he pronounced that he needed to do blood work and x-rays. I was a little overwhelmed and just wanted my dear cat to feel better, so I agreed-- and then he said they needed to keep my cat to give her a bag of IV fluids. I hate leaving her behind, the one time I had left her at a vet's office before, her attitude was so changed, it was like she was a different cat. It took me months of spoiling and pampering her to get her to behave like her normal loving self. I reluctantly left her behind, but returned as soon as possible the next day to pick her up and hear the results of the tests. A technician brought her out and explained that she had some disease in her blood, and prescribed an antibiotic, steroid, and nausea medication for my cat. I have owned cats before, but I had never had such an expensive visit to a veterinarian.
Five weeks later, I finished giving all of the two weeks worth of medicine to my cat, and she got better while on the medication, but started to puke again soon after I stopped giving it to her. Last week she started puking more often and had lost weight again, so I knew I would have to take her to the vet again, but I was hesitant to go back to Hecht, since I don't have the financial capacity to spend so much again. I looked at several places on Google and picked one with good reviews. This other place was much more understanding of my financial situation. Unlike the veterinarian at Hecht, I was offered choices for treatment. The situation was also explained more clearly to me than at Hecht, where they just stated what was wrong and gave me mediation. The new vet visit ended up costing a third of what I paid at Hecht.
Over all, I didn't have a horrible experience at Hecht, but I didn't have a good one either. I won't be returning to Hecht, since the new place I went to understands my needs better. If you have a lot of money and don't really want to know what's wrong with your pet, then Hecht is a perfect place for you to go. That just wasn't what I needed or wanted from a veterinarian.Read Less