ComplaintsforCentral Hospital for Veterinary Medicine, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my pet Bunny to Central on 1/9/22 in ** ******. I was forced into using them due to this emergency situation and I'll give credit where due...they saved his life the first day. Since that time, though, I question everything that was done to him. Two days into his stay, Dr. Julia S****** recommended euthanizing him. As I considered that heartbreaking decision, I gathered more info from the staff and realized every test of his was NORMAL. Temp, vitals, labs, Xrays. The issue was that he wasn't eating but then one vet tech called to let me know she was able to feed him because she, in her words, had a "different technique that works better for him." So essentially, what this Dr told me was to KILL my otherwise healthy, 3 year old beloved pet because they didn't have the patience or expertise to feed an admittedly very feisty boy. Inexcusable, inhumane and downright negligent. I pulled him out of Central on 1/11/22 and he THRIVED under other care. He was starving when I got him and virtually inhaled a full serving of Critical Care then started eating on his own. He's fully healed and doing great now. To think, if I had followed her advice, my sweet little guy would be DEAD right now. And for these 2 days of "care," I was charged over $2,700!!! When I complained to the manager, she called me back and was shockingly rude and argumentative. Told me I clearly didn't understand what was said to me because I was too emotional. Central provided me their notes from his care which included downright FALSE statements, carefully crafted to be flattering to the staff. I am outraged at the treatment we received and at the WILDLY inflated costs, holding my hand to the fire to agree to that amount or risk my pet's life. It's wholly unethical on every level. This does NOT come down to money but it's all they can do at this point to make up for the experience they put us through.

  Business response

  01/31/2022

  Complainant presented to hospital with her rabbit for ** ******, a potentially deadly condition in which the digestive system slows down or stops completely. Bad bacteria then builds up in the intestines and releases gas into the system, causing very painful bloating and further decreasing a rabbit’s motivation to eat or drink. This compounds the problem because the rabbit will become more dehydrated and starved of essential nutrients and roughage.The contents of the digestive tract will become more compact, and the rabbit will have an even more difficult time passing it through. The bacteria can also release toxins into the system which overtax the liver and can cause the organ to ultimately fail. Treatment includes syringe feeding to ensure the rabbit continues to get essential nutrients,antibiotics to combat the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. With these treatments, time, and patience, a rabbit suffering from ** ****** can make a full recovery. Hospital staff was having trouble feeding this particular rabbit because of his disposition. This was relayed to the pet owner and she indicated that it would likely be difficult for her to syringe feed him at home as well. The doctor managing the case went over the risks and conveyed that if syringing wasn't possible it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider euthanasia. The pet owner was reluctant to euthanize and the doctor fully understood her reluctance. All treatment was done with the consent of the complainant and her interaction with our staff was collaborative and positive. Several days after the rabbit was discharged she called to let us know that she had surrendered the rabbit to a rescue organization for care since she wasn't able to care for him at home. We reached out to the rescue to confirm and were glad to hear that the rabbit doing well. Complainant was angry that euthanasia had been discussed. We explained that in light of her discussion it was fair for the veterinarian to suggest euthanasia as a potential option since ** ****** is a painful and potentially life threatening condition if left untreated. This is not an uncommon discussion in veterinary medicine. The emergency care and subsequent care provided by the hospital was approved by the pet owner and ultimately saved his life. Had placing the rabbit with someone that could provide the necessary nursing care been brought up as a potential treatment option early on, the veterinarian may not have mentioned euthanasia. It was only suggested when the pet owner indicated that she would unlikely be able to provide the necessary care to treat the ** ******. All entries in our medical records are done at the time that treatment is provided and are not carefully crafted to be flattering to staff. It is not surprising after the care we provided and the continued care that the rabbit received when he was discharged that he improved. This is the outcome we had hoped for but were concerned it would not be the case based upon the conversations that were had with the pet owner expressing her concern over being unable to provide appropriate care that he wouldn't do well. We provided a great deal of care for this pet and are unable to issue a refund. 

  Customer response

  01/31/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I did express concern over my ability to feed Bennie when the Dr told me that 2 staff members together were unable to give him even the minimum feeding while he was partially sedated.  At NO time did this Dr advise it would "not be unreasonable to consider euthanasia."  She flat out recommended it.  She said he was "too spunky" and "refractory" and that there are "not a lot of other options."  When I broke down sobbing she simply said sometimes our pets "make the decision for us."  To be clear, I did NOT surrender my bunny to a rescue.  One that had been following my story offered to assist me in learning techniques to feed him when I shared what Central had recommended.  Also an outright LIE that Central contacted the rescue.  I have confirmed they have never spoken to the hospital.  Why is it a nonprofit rescue was the one to offer me assistance and not the hospital?  Why didn't they offer me resources or education to save his life?  Because there is no PROFIT in that.  They would rather just sweep a challenging animal under the rug.  Yes, the care was approved in the moment because I wanted to save his life and I didn't have much of a choice!  It wasn't until afterwards in speaking with other professionals that I understood the gravity of the situation, the unnecessary bone catheter and the absolute egregious markup on care in comparison to industry standard.  You didn't "ultimately save his life."  You INITIALLY saved his life and then advocated to terminate it when there were numerous other ways to handle the situation.  If his recovery were the "outcome you had hoped for" then you would have given me options instead of being so quick to write him off because of a challenging temperament. Your Dr was unprofessional, at best, and in my opinion unethical and careless.

  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ********

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my cat here on a Sunday she kept sneezing I wanted them to look up her nose to make sure nothing was blocking all was good until they charged for xrays which I never consented to I refused to pay bill they had a collection agency contact me and I decided to pay the bill my husband is disabled and they caused him anxiety so I payed what the collector wanted in full I called them the next day I felt I paid so I wanted the results for the xrays they said they never did xrays I said what I just paid over 500.oo dollars cause they said they took aways I'm very upset I want my money back please help me no one will call me back I put in several messages no one returns the calls

  Business response

  11/24/2021

  The complainant brought her cat into our emergency department with her cat because she was sneezing. The doctor recommended xrays to determine the cause. A technician verbally explained that x-rays would be done and the pet owner approved.  The complainant refused to pay for the x-rays at discharge stating that she had not authorized them being done. However, two staff members heard her approve them and our policy is not to move forward with diagnostics until they are approved by the pet owner. We also recommended bloodwork that was declined so we did not proceed with that. When we were contacted regarding the charge we explained the circumstances but the pet owner continued to argue that she was not responsible for the charge and refused to pay. The account was recently sent to collections. We have not received notice from them that they have been paid.  

  Customer response

  11/29/2021

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:I contacted the hospital several times leaving voice messages and wrote a letter to them t  I o they never responded the next thing was send it directly to collections I wanted to resolve this but they didn't the  bill is paid in full  because they were upsetting me terriblywith the lies they are telling. also the cat never needed blood work or xrays because there was nothing blocking her nose the dr gave me medications only and the girl never said anything about xrays I have 4 witnesss who were there too. I called there for the xray results because I paid the bill so if they took the xrays it it my right to know the results.the man on the phone said no exrays were   ever taken. so now what? I paid the bill the agency said it would go out Dec 1 to the hospital, someone there is playing games with me and it needs to stop when they get the bill pd in full on Dec 1 I want all exrays taken that I paid for. if there were xrays taken no Dr or anyone else called me with results and further more I never gave anyone permission to take xrays I was never anything to sign I have used this hospital several times my bills were always paid and I had good service, sorry but they are in the wrong . 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ****

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