Customer ReviewsforCentral Hospital for Veterinary Medicine, Inc.

I made two trips. As per the doctor, her blood work came back excellent, and she was prescribed a five-day course of antibiotics to take home. I returned 12 hours later at 4 a.m. because my dog appeared to be very ill. According to the doctor who treated me at that second time her blood work from the day before was showing bad results, and she needed to be hospitalized for a full day to receive fluids and antibiotics because she was dehydrated. At 9 am I received a call from the doctor asking me to come get her. because she was going to be sent home with oral antibiotics. I was informed that I would receive a partial refund since my dog was not hospitalized. When I arrived at the Hospital. was led into a room by a young woman who appeared to be either the supervisor or the office manager. She informed me that my dog had a kidney infection and that I would be receiving antibiotics for it. That was never mentioned the day before, so I was perplexed. She added that since they didn't offer complete care, I would receive a refund for some of it. as mentioned earlier. When I asked about the costs of the medications they gave me a different price than the one shown later in the invoice. The invoice shows items that were never quoted and some services that were performed or not shown to me. Someone else in that office called me in the afternoon of that same day to let me know that my dog was not sick with a kidney infection. I became extremely frustrated because I could not understand anything anymore, so I asked for clarification as to why each time they told me a different story. she was very rude to me and said, "I was never told my dog had a kidney infection." If they hadn't mentioned that she had a kidney infection, then why was she calling me to let me know that? That defies logic in any way. Ultimately, am I fabricating the claim that she has a kidney infection? I paid more than $2000 and left with an inconclusive diagnosis. I had to go to my vet to get help

I understand that in emergency situations communication can be muddied especially when multiple people become involved, To prevent miscommunication we provide detailed printed discharge instructions so the pet owner can review them in a less stressful environment. This is verbatim the information that was provided to reviewer by the veterinarian that treated her dog on Day 2 which is December 1, 2023 09:13 Lia initially presented to Central Hospital on 11/30 for vaginal discharge. Bloodwork was largely unremarkable (mildly elevated WBC count, low phosphorus secondary to panting). She was treated as an outpatient with a prescription for antibiotics. When she went home, Lia was lethargic and refused food. She returned to Central for hospitalization with intravenous fluids and IV antibiotics. This morning, Lia had an ultrasound performed which did not reveal obvious fluid dilation of her uterus (see report below). It did reveal chronic changes to her kidneys and small adrenal nodules (likely benign). Despite this, we are treating her aggressively to prevent a full pyometra from occurring with antibiotics. We continue to recommend spaying Lia to prevent further uterine infections and cancerous processes from developing. As discussed, Lia will continue to have infections in her uterus after heat cycles since she is not a breeding dog. Diagnostics: Abdominal ultrasound report: The renal changes suggest chronic renal parenchymal disease, but are not specific as to disease type or severity of renal dysfunction. Bilateral adrenal gland nodules. No evidence of uterine fluid accumulation. The appearance of the uterine walls may indicate cystic endometrial hyperplasia. Metritis is also possible. Medications: ITEM DESCRIPTION QUANTITY DIRECTIONS Baytril (Enrofloxacin) 68mg tablets 7 Tablets Give 1 tablet by mouth every 24 hours (once daily) for the next 7 days. This is an antibiotic, please give with food to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Next dose due: Tomorrow (12/2) in the morning Clavamox Suspension 62.5mg/ml 1 Bottle Give 1.2ml by mouth every 12 hours (twice daily) for the next 5 days or until finished. This is an antibiotic, please give with food to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Next dose due: Tonight, with food (6pm) Gabapentin 50mg tablets 6 Tablets Give 1 tablet by mouth every 8-12 hours as needed for discomfort. This is a neuropathic pain medication to help with discomfort. This medication may cause sedation. Next dose due: Today, mid-day (2pm) Follow up: If Lia goes home and does not do well (inappetence, lethargy, fever), she must be spayed sooner than your trip to Spain on 12/10. Please do not hesitate to contact your primary care veterinarian or our ER department if there is not improvement, there is decline, or you are concerned in any way. In regards to the financial aspect of the case. Reviewer was given a treatment plan with associated predicted charges. There is language included on the estimate provided that states it is an approximation of cost and everything on it may not be exactly reflected in the final invoice. However, the final amount was within the estimate that was provided and treatment did not exceed the amount that .pet owner was told.

As a medical professional I can attest to the cold, un-professional , un-caring experience we experienced at this facility! It has all the charm of a FACTORY FARM! We left and warn all to stay away if you love your animal as we do!

Client came to the ******* location of Central Hospital. We are doing construction and have limited space. When owner was informed that we were doing curbside service due to space limitations she opted not to have her pet see. We hacve no other experience with her.

I took my 4 year old Rottweiler there horrible vomiting ! I dropped her off at 3:00 am on my way to work !! They did nothing for her for over 12 hours ! They kept telling me when I called “ she’s hasn’t vomited here !” As if to say I didn’t know what I was talking about ! They did not think she needed to be kept at all and when a large breed dog has vomited as much as mine did they should have kept her ! The male vet said to me “ she could have gone another day or two without getting dehydrated “ . So they sent her home with meds to settle her belly . Saying she felt sorry for herself ( why she wouldn’t eat ) and that she had pancreatitis and would be fine ! On Monday night at 11:30 pm on July 31st 2023 I woke to my Nala dying in bed along side me , she passed away . The vet who was working that night ( only went back there as Nala would not have made it to Middletown ) did an X-ray and lab work , well her belly had filled with fluid and she found a mass that had been missed , that had caused her to be septic !! Kathy ! Ive seen other reviews where y’all are responsible for the deaths of other animals and I’m appalled your still in business! Perhaps you should close and find another job where you can’t murder anything ! I will make sure your investigated !

The first time you presented to our hospital with Nala for vomiting was May 9, 2023. The doctor examined dog and informed you that we would need to do a work up in order to determine why she was vomiting. You declined the work up and opted for outpatient care. When you returned the following day because her vomiting persisted we did a full work up including bloodwork and an x-ray of her abdomen none of which showed a clear reason for her symptoms. The doctor provided you with care and clear cut instructions to return if she did not improve. We signed you up for a payment arrangement through our billing system when you indicated you had limited resources to pay for the diagnostics necessary. This was a courtesy we make available to a limited number of pet owners with approval from management. The next time we heard from you was on August 1, 2023 when you called to say that Nala had not been feeling well for the past two days and you thought that she needed to be euthanized. We know that is an agonizing decision to make. Your review is misleading. We do our best to treat our patients. Your comments are completely unfair. I understand that you are grieving. But I can't stand by and not reply. Nala had a mass in her abdomen. Imaging is limited. We can't always see the cause of clinical signs right away and rely on pet owners to follow up with us or their family veterinarian to pursue further care in the abscence of improvement. Unfortunately, too much time passed between your initial visit and July 31 for any intervention.

No treatment plan nothing in writing shoot from the hip $3,000 payed upfront! Instead of just being honest and say they don't know what's wrong. experiment three days no reason for the dog to suffer. Had to finally put him to sleep Very next day calling looking for there money and would not release ashes ! Oh yea the bill $7,349.00 in addition to the $3,000 they had! Grand Total $10,349 ! Run don't walk from this place !

Mr. ****** was provided an estimate for the care of his dog. It is customary practice at veterinary hospitals, not just Central Hospital, to request a deposit for care we will provide. In this case the low end of the estimate was $2830, that is the amount that was left as a deposit after a treatment plan was discussed. The high end of the estimated treatment plan provided was $6000. This dog was very sick and had a poor prognosis, this was discussed in length with the family as well as the financial impact of continuing to care for such a critically ill patient. He elected to proceed. Sadly, the dog passed and the remaining balance was never paid. Ultimately, the account was turned over to our collection agency. The collection agency reports to the credit bureau. When Mr. ****** learned that this had been done he took to the internet posting bad reviews as retaliation, including this review. We provided extensive care to his dog and communicated with him the entire time, he elected to move forward with treatment then defaulted on paying his bill,

I offered to pay an additional $3000 in addition to the $3000 deposit and no way did I agree to spend $10,349 for care for my dog. We are family and cannot afford that and no way was that conveyed or in writing.

We had a very sick cat. He had been seen by his own vet and my vet suggested Central. We called them and told them we were on our way. They took him right in and evaluated him. We were informed of the cost, the suggested treatment and that they would call us in a little while to tell us the prognosis. When they called, they told us he should stay overnight for treatment. They even called us that night to give us an update. They were very caring and very professional. We went and picked him up the next day and given Instructions on his care and an appointment for a followup. I cant say enough good things about them. They were kind, helpful, caring and calm. Its difficult when your very loved pet is in distress and they made it easier to deal with. I think they're wonderful!

Glad we could help ******

This is regarding the Guilford, CT office ONLY. I am not familiar with the ***** ***** facility. I took my S’mores into CHFVM for a wound that wound up being cancer. Carol Hi****, DVM gave me the news. She was cold, callous and very apathetic. I asked her how much time we had. She said “U can put her down today. THIS IS TERMINAL. It all depends on how badly u want her to suffer.” I took S’mores home and had almost 2 full months (with the help of ********* ****** **** ** *******) together to say goodbye w/o major issues. On 03/25/23 S’mores was having difficulty breathing so, due to it being a Sat morning & calling to confirm that Carol H***** was not in, I took her back to CHFVM. I had to wait in the car while they ran tests. I was told over the phone that I would need to euthanize my pet. Christopher G******* administered the euthanasia. When S’mores had passed, he said “Aaaand S’mores is gone”. Not “Ur pet is no longer suffering” or “She’s just passed over the rainbow bridge”. I heard “Aaaand S’mores is gone” as I held my beloved pet of 14 yrs. If u’re looking for empathy and comfort, u won’t find it here. This was the worst experience of my life and they made it a thousand times worse.

Reviewer presented to Central Hospital with her 14 year old cat on February 7, 2023 for a wound on her abdomen that turned out to be a mammary tumor. Thoracic radiographs were taken and showed that the tumor had metastasized to the lungs. Evidence of metastasis usually means a poor/guarded prognosis with limited survival rates. This would have been communicated to the owner. The notes in the record show that the veterinarian spoke with the reviewer about palliative care at home. There is no mention in the medical record about euthanasia, although based on the diagnosis it makes sense that it would be part of the conversation. Pain medication was prescribed for home use. It is nearly impossible to determine how an individual animal will respond to cancer treatment. Some beat the odds and outlive the expected timeframe that is initially predicted and others live for less time. Not every person has the capacity to wait and see how their pet will respond and many choose euthansia when faced with a terminal diagnosis instead of waiting for their pet to get more sick. In regards to the interaction with the second veterinarian, veterinarians have a lot of experience discussing options and explaining euthanasia. Because of the level of work we do, emergency and specialty care, we sadly euthanize a considerable number of pets, all of our veterinarians have performed the procedure countless times and are sensitive to the emotional toll it takes on pet owners. I am sure that the doctor that euthanized this cat meant no harm with his words, he's likely said that many times to grieving families. We have gotten no other complaints about these two veterinarians. I am sorry that the reviewer did not have a good experience. We do our best to meet the needs of everyone that uses our services, especially those needing to euthanize a pet. It is an emotional time and difficult to predict what works for each pet owner.