The only reason I am giving them two stars is because the veterinarians are very capable, caring people. The boarding staff, on the other hand, is nearly incompetent. I have a very sickly three-year-o... Read More
The only reason I am giving them two stars is because the veterinarians are very capable, caring people. The boarding staff, on the other hand, is nearly incompetent. I have a very sickly three-year-old dog. She requires daily medications, careful handling, and close monitoring of her eating (and occasional force feeding) because of her neurological disorder.I walked into Prestonwood to drop off my dog. I explained to a very unenthusiastic employee that I was here to drop off my dog for boarding. She buzzed back to boarding, and a man came out to take my dog and all of her items. The extremely cheerful (sarcasm emphasized) front desk girl had moved on to helping everyone else behind me. As I mentioned earlier, my dog has many health issues and there are very specific instructions that I have to leave for her to get the care she requires. So I waited another 15 minutes behind all the people who came in after me to leave the pertinent information with the boarding staff. I finally get back up to my favorite front desk girl, and tell her there is information she needs about my dog before I leave (shouldn't she be the one asking me for information about my dog before I leave?). I begin to rattle off her medication requirements, that the medication needs to be refrigerated, what to do if she's not eating, etc. The girl just stares back at me. I ask her if I should write this down for her. I'm told, "No that's okay." She didn't write anything down, and I walk out feeling very concerned.I leave for my vacation and am gone for 12 days. Because of an uneasy feeling in my gut, I call every other day to talk to the boarding staff. I am reassured every time that she's eating wonderfully and that she's thriving and doing great. Upon picking her up, I'm horrified:1) She had lost 1.5 lbs (weighing only 4 lbs, this is nearly half her body weight). Weird, because I was told she was eating all of her food every time I called. 2) Upon paying the bill, I realized I was paying for a vet visit. No one had called me and told me she was sick. No one mentioned it in the 4-5 times I called and asked about how she was doing. I ask why there is a vet visit. The front desk girl is like, "Oh ya! I forgot about this." and grabs some medication that I'm supposed to be giving her. ...Glad I asked about the vet visit or I wouldn't have gotten the medication she needed?3) The next day I had to take her back to the vet (she had seen the vet 3 days earlier without my knowledge for a stomach issue mentioned in #2) for an ear infection. The ear infection was pretty advanced. I am a law student, NOT a veterinarian and I could tell that it was bad just from picking up her floppy ear. How did no one catch that during her first vet exam? Checking a dog's ears seems like it should be standard protocol. When people go to the doctor, regardless of what their ailment is, doctors listen to their chest and look in their ears. It seems the same would apply when a dog is seen by a vet, but apparently not.4) She had a section of hair missing from her right back side that had clearly been cut by someone. Not a small bit, that only someone who is neurotic would notice--but a large chunk. I went back in to get an explanation, but no one at Prestonwood would own up to it. I guess my dog just cut that huge chunk of hair in her free time when she was bored hanging out in the kennel. In summary:It seems there are quite a few people who have had positive experiences. Those people also seem to be the ones who have pets that don't need much attention and are healthy/happy. If you have a pet with special needs and you're looking for somewhere to board your dog--look elsewhere.**This is not a blanket statement applicable to every Prestonwood employee. In previous times boarding her, I remember a great employee named Meghan (spelling?). I don't know where Meghan was during this horrific boarding experience, or if she's even still there, but I won't be back to find out. Read Less