Vca Laurelhurst Animal Hospital

A big shout out to Amanda and those who helped me over the phone when I had an emergency with my son's dog that I'm petsitting for the summer. I'm so glad that he takes her to Laurelhurst! The level of caring surprised me and I am most grateful. Read Less

Laurelhurst should be called a clinic not a hospital. I took my dog here for 9 years. She was a strong and energetic dog to the end. Unfortunately, she met her end before she needed to. For 9 years she came here and was treated kindly. However, we rarely saw the same vet twice. I don't know if it was due to turnover or a lack of a consistent care plan. She was always healthy so I had no cause to know of any deficiency in the services they provide. However, my most recent experiences have been heartbreaking. We had asked about some concerning tumors at her last check up. The vet tried and failed to biopsy them and then dismissed them as likely benign. Now six months later I made the mistake of attributing a one-time vomit, two skipped meals in a week, and lethargy to a combination of her age and eating something at the park. I was worried about her, but we were leaving for a weekend trip so I was planning to take her into the vet upon our return if she was still lethargic. My mistake. While I was out of state, she skipped dinner on Saturday night for the 3rd time in the week and then tried and failed to stand in the morning after breakfast on Sunday. My parents took her to Laurelhurst at my request. The doctor gave CPR when she arrived because her heart rate and respiration had nearly stopped. After her heart rate and breathing had resumed the doctor determined through a sonogram that she had been bleeding from a tumor on her spleen. The doctor was well meaning but lacked the capability, skills, and/or experience to give me a full picture of her condition and said that any treatment would likely prolong her life only for days or weeks. The only suggestion he made was euthanasia and was gravely pessimistic about any options for successful treatment or recovery. I wasn't there, and it was difficult for me to understand to situation. Ultimately, with the strong suggestion by the doctor, I felt compelled to end her life. Since then I have read of many emergency splenectomy surgeries for dogs with similar conditions. Many of these tales end years later after a strong recovery. I have never regretted anything more in my life than not transferring her to veterinary that could have given her a chance. When I am ready to adopt another dog I will research veterinaries thoroughly and choose a veterinary that has the skills, experience, and capability to provide meaningful options for helping animals recover from illnesses especially in an emergency when emotions and time inhibit research. I will also pay much closer attention to symptoms of lethargy and loss of apatite so a condition does not become emergent. I made several mistakes in assuming her symptoms were less severe than they were and that she would be fine until after our trip. But, I feel Laurelhurst made the mistake of telling me that her condition was worse than it may have been -- that is a mistake she can't recover from. The people at this vet are kind and love animals but when you call yourself a hospital that isn't enough. I miss my girl terribly and I'm so sad I didn't know enough, or take her to a vet that knew enough, to give her a chance to live joyfully for another 5 or more years. Read Less