Furious with Vet and staff! (caution:language)

[mamaof4soon]

Ok, I went on vacation a few weeks ago. Got everything i needed to get done and ready for my dogs to go to vet(who does boarding). I got there food ready for both dogs for two weeks also just to make sure it was done right. OK simple right? Soooooooooo I bath the younger dog who is shedding, o my he smelled. I am pregnant and dont get to brush them out alot or bath them when pregnant unless absolutely nessesary. So I brushed out older one and said well vet will bath them anyway before htey get home so that will atleast be done. But i wanted younger one done because the cleaner the fur the faster he will shed. I dropped them both off at Vet's office realized it's not the same kennel guy who will be taking care of them. I laughed so hard! I am a strong women even when pregnant, i have 3 other kids and am very Alpha in my home. My two dogs are German Shepherds of West German line and are my workers and my babies as well. My older one although he likes to test me in being alpha is very protective of me when he senses someone NOT so good. But they are well behaved dogs and well trained. They get excited and like to pull and take advantage when it's not me at the end of the leash. Husband and I always make sure they know we are boss. OK so i get there and tell the girl who is going to be feeding and walking them that they are strong and she needs to make sure she walks in there like she owns the place or my dogs will litterally laugh at her. She says no problem and she looks strong. I said goodbye and was done with it. This was on a Friday. DH(dear husband) asks me about the dogs a few days later and i said i will be speaking with them soon, i know that if something was wrong they would have called us by now. So i called them i think it was Thursday of the next week. I speak with the girl and she says "O we had to use Ace Promazine(ACE) on them on Tuesday night becuase they were going nuts. I was beside myself! and Furious! The girl new I was pissed! I said why didnt we get a call!? YOu never give anything to my dogs without my permission and you all knew that!!!!? I make it very very clear about that. The only thing they are aloud to give is Metro IF they get diareah. I told them that it better not happen again. I asked why they did that? Her answer was they were very hyper and stressed out. I asked what were they doing? she said "barking". I was pissed, i yelled at her saying that all of the dogs there do that and that you dont just ACE a dog becuase You think you can shut them up. If something happens to them i will be going after the vet's office for it!!!!!....Well now also to let you know my two birds are there too. I have a Macaw and a Cockatiel. I know this forum isnt for birds but this comes in to play here with my questions. The two birds were to have their wings and nails trimmed. This isnt the first time any of them have boarded here.

Ok so i call back the following week to check on them and all is well. I confirm that i will be hopefully getting there before closing time this past SAturday. The guy says no problem we will bath them so you can get them and if you cant we'll just clean them up again on monday but not a full bath again. I said no problem.

Sat comes and we couldnt get them, told them that and they said fine. Worked out well becuase I had to go to wake on Sunday. I go to get them on yesterday(monday) and called them first and said I am coming to get them. I get there and the bill wasnt ready yet which i was fine with i was in a rush to get them in car first anyway becuase i have to get dogs first make a trip then get birds and make a trip. I walk in and they say o we just washed up older dog, his legs were covered in pee. I gritted my teeth and said no problem(what could i do, it's not there fault he peed on his legs right?), i siad ok i'll get him first. I ask about the birds and siad the nails and wings were done right? THey say "o Only the small bird was done" i was pissed again. I said well you better get someone to do it before i get back. The girl asks me well does the bird bite you? I said you all know my birds history(the macaw) and weather she bites me or not I am paying YOU to clip and cut her. If i wanted to do it I would have done it at home 3 weeks ago. what the hell!. So i get oldest dog in car put the car on and a/c and locked the doors. I go get the younger one and he is filthy, the girl says o let me get him into tub now while you're here it might be easier becuase you're here and he'll be calmer. I was like WHAT? No it wont be and i'm 36 weeks pregnant are you nuts? He has fun in the tub and that is why he acts the way he does. Well wanting to go home i stayed in the room and helped. She poors Johnson baby shampoo on him and does a half assed job and rinses him off and says done. I was fuming, i took dog and got in car and said i'll be back. Got home dropped off dogs and went to get birds.


I go to get birds, they did her nails and wings. I took both birds and put them in the car. I brought back the little birds bottom of cage becuase it was filthy and asked that it be cleaned before i left. They did. I go get the bill and they were like are you ready for it. I knew it would be high so it didnt shock me. It was about $960. But i was shocked about getting charged for all of the animals, i am usually not charged for the little bird at all. And this was the first time I asked that they do his wings and nails too. I asked where they came up with the number for both birds and they were like well it's $9 per bird per day but they only charged me $15 per day total for both. I said but i'm never charged for him, what is different this time? I was charged $20 per bird for wings and nails. And $18 per day for each dog per day. Now i know it's not cheap at all i do realize that. But for them to screw up like they did with the ACE, then not doing the bird untill i pick her up really pissed me off. I said i wanted the nails cut there when she first got there so if there was a problem they could fix it. The nails were cut so poorly, it doenst even look like them cut them at all. They werent cut short at all! The two dogs smell so badly of urine still and i also was told that they didnt have a bath on saturday when i was told they did. I said no they siad the dogs were bathed well on saturday, i found out they were short staffed and nothing was done. I walked in there and it was so damn hot, they were full full full of boarders and the smell fo feces was so horrible i almost barfed. And beleive me i have three kids poop doesnt bother me at all . We have them home now and younger dog yesterday drank a whole bowl of water, very unlike him we actually have to force him to drink water. Dh was like did they not water him? I said well i think they put a bowl of water on the floor and they spill it and that was what was going on. Also got me pissed. Now the younger one's urine smells like he has a UTI which i am so not thrilled with. He is prone to them and if they screwed up with the water I will be so angry. Here are my questions;
1. SHould i be pissed?
2. It was 11am should the cages have been that messy at that time of morning? I think they had every single cage there occupied and all of them were dirty.
3. Should I tell Vet? If i do i know he will speak with them and I dont want them on my bad side, so i dont know what to do.
4. If the dogs were in a hot place would that have made them shed now so badly? This is really there time to shed but my god i thought while htey were gone they would have blown coat by now and it seems to have gotten worse.
I am sorry this was soooo long but i needed to vent. THese are my babies and I cant beleive I paid all of this money to bring home smelly half assed washed dogs and birds that werent trimmed properly.

[Traci]

Yes, you should speak to the vet, or more appropriately, the owner of the clinic. The vet/owner knows that a dissatisfied client is a potentially lost client.

Yes, holidays can present a situation where the clinic is understaffed, but that doesn't excuse the shape your dogs and birds were in when you picked them up. Both dogs should have been freshly bathed, since the staff had your prior phone call to let them know you would be picking them up at a certain time. Don't know the routine of the clinic, but if an animal is scheduled to be picked up early in the day, the animal(s) should be bathed either that morning, or directly before the scheduled pickup. If a dog was bathed, and then somehow soiled himself, then the staff could either re-bathe entirely, or do a good touch-up job, making sure to thoroughly cleanse the soiled fur. If the soiling were severe, then of course, a full bath should have been done again. If the clinic was severely short-handed during a busy holiday, a re-bathing might not have been possible, but the touch-up should have at least been done, and explained to the owner (or they should give the owner the option of waiting until they could in fact give a full bath...or, a free bath the following day/week, whatever). It is the clinic owner's fault that they were understaffed, knowing full well they had a full house with boarders on a holiday week.

With a full house of boarders, and short on staff, the kennel cleaning could have gotten neglected to some degree. Again, the owner's fault for not scheduling more staff on a holiday. Regardless, when a client pays for boarding services, they expect their dogs to be clean and in a clean environment.

Now, having said all this, just want to interject the position of the staff-member, if she was completely alone and all of the duties fell on her without additional help, then her job was made extremely difficult. Feeding, cleaning kennels, checking dogs in and out, baths, etc, all with a full house and having owners probably coming in all day long to pick up their pets on the same day, she couldn't have possibly done it all on her own with perfect results. Again, the owner's fault for not scheduling additional help on a holiday.

As for the birds, since you dropped them off well enough in advance of the actual holiday date, their nails and wings should have been done right away, when there was a full staff available. As for the charges, you'll have to bring that up with the clinic owner, in the event there was an indescrepancy, or mistake in the charges. (if your vet or the owner has a set charge for your birds, and the staff member over-charged you, your vet or the owner would probably refund you for the over charge).

As for the administration of the Ace, you definately need to bring that up with the clinic owner. Treatments without the owner's permission can cause a great deal of problems, and you need to voice your concerns to the owner so that he is aware of the situation and aware of your dissatisfaction, in the event a staff member needs to be reprimanded. I'd also find out exactly WHO gave the Ace, and whether it was a vet, or a staff member, in which liability could be taken into account.

As for the dogs' shedding, it's hard to say. If they had been properly bathed, the shedding wouldn't seem to have been a problem. Although a bath for a boarder generally does not include brushing (without an additional fee), so keep that in mind. Most boarding fees include a free bath before pickup, but may not include brushing or grooming.

So, yes, speak directly to the clinic owner and voice your concerns directly. If there are excuses made for the clinic's mishandling of your expectations stated prior, then tell them you will be taking your business elsewhere. Given what you've said in your post, there were probably a number of other clients who were quite dissatisfied as well.

[mamaof4soon]

Traci thank you for reading what i wrote and having a clear head. I was so furious that i thought it was clouding my judegment and I was thinking well i'm pregnant and uptight. But now that i have calmed down a little I still feel the same way. I do know that it was not the vet who gave ACE it was the kennel person. She told me so herself. She said she put it in there food and they were calm that one night then hyper again the next day. That is when i siad that is why you should hvae called me becuase the ACE wouldnt have worked! DUH!

I do know they had a few people there over the holiday but the holiday was just this past weekend. The dogs were there for two weeks before this. So that angered me also. I walked in there on mOnday and they were all sitting there in the front eating lunch doing nothing. While my dogs were in their cages dirty. I will speak with Dr. (who is the owner) about this.

Again thank you. I worked for an animal hospital so i know the stress and the especially on holidays how it is. But we were always told to make sure they were atleast clean. Guess not everything is exactly perfect. . I am glad it wasnt just my hormones though.

thanx

[Traci]

Well, on a holiday, it's not entirely impossible to keep things running smoothly and ensure that the pets and clients are happy. But in order to achieve this, there must be more than one person on duty for kennel purposes, etc. When a clinic falls short on that, then everyone suffers, mainly the pets, and NO pet and owner should have to ever put up with that. You have every right to complain about a service that you have paid for, and if you have evidence that service did not fit the description or your expectation of that service, then you are entitled to speak your mind and ask for a refund on charges you suspect are wrong.

Ace is a pharmaceutical drug, and as such, the clinic may be liable for giving it without a vet's supervision or direction, etc, let alone without your express knowledge and permission. It must be dosed carefully, and each dog's health known or evaluated before the drug is even given. If the staff member simply put this into the dog's food for the sole purpose of calming a dog because he's barking, then she and the clinic both may be liable and this would be the first issue I would bring up with, with your vet. If there was no logical or medical reason the dogs should be given the drug (based on an attending vet's assessment), then the staff member, in my opinion, should be fired immediately.

And duh, with a full house of boarding dogs, there is going to be alot of barking. This was a poor excuse on her part. Having known they might have been excited or stressed, she could have taken them for a quick walk, or spent alittle bit of time calming them, etc. Had it been on the actual date of the holiday (the 4th) with fireworks, I can see where Ace may be necessary for some dogs, but regardless, that kind of decision needs to be addressed by a vet who was on the premises and could evaluate the individual dog and his/her needs.

There's no excuse for presenting a boarding dog with obvious fur or feces on the fur, no excuse whatsoever. Granted, the kennel may have gotten soiled after breakfast, for example, and the kennel wasn't cleaned directly afterward, but a bath for each dog should have been done and the dogs clean when you picked them up.

[mamaof4soon]

AGain thank you traci. I am very paticular as most animal owners are and I watch my dogs very carefully becuase tehy are my babies and they are on a "diet" that I must watch for any problems with. (you know) I know every sense of my dogs and what they are feeling and what they are thinking when teh look at someone. They ace'd them on day 4 of their arrival so since the 4th was yesterday there was no excuse. And my dogs snore through that kind of stuff because he trained them not be scared from puppy hood. Yes i agree what she was said a poor excuse.

I am going there either tomorrow or Friday to retreive my retractable leash which was not given back and it will be then that i speak to the Vet. I hate doing it because well I dont want them all to hate me(they have their own little "click") and i dont need to be seen as a witch. BUT ACE'ing my dogs when you are just a tech because dont wanna hear it! O that is a no no.

Also I have noticed that many Vet offices DONT allow clients to go into the back anymore or see where the animals are kept for boarding and treatments. The Vet I go to tried this and i told the staff that I never had a problem before and I wont come here again if I am not alloud to bring my dogs in the back myself. Is there some law now or maybe insurance reasons why this has happened? I understand if that is the case. I was asking because I will most likely be looking into another vets office and want to know what might happen if i ask to go into the back and see where the dogs and other animals are to see if its clean.

thanx

[Tambrey]

I am sorry taht you had a bad experience with the vet boarding this time...I know our vet in town has the viewing/recovery room right off of the front desk, adn there is a window and anyone can see in there...now, since his office is downtown, he does not have an outside run, and he boards in the basement, but I have been down there plenty of times and it is always kept clean...the boarding kennels are along one wall, and the other wall is a huge open area, fenced in, with a floor drain and sanitizing stuff, and toys and things to play with and the staff will take them from their kennels to the play area ech day, and do to their business...

The other vet we use also let people in to see where the critters are boarded or recovering from surgery or illness...this is more of a hospital so more going on...and they do have a fenced yard area for the dogs to go play in...

I would not leave any of my animals with a place that cared for them such as this one did...I would voice my concerns, and let the vet explain his why's as to what happened...then let him know that this is not acceptable and you are still debating if you will ever board your animals there again...however, if all reasons do seem "valid" (or as much as possible even though some reasons are not vaild, period in this instance) I would give them at least one more chance and see how it goes next time...
If possible...could you authorize a friend to pop in on occassion to play with the dogs or just check on things the next time you are gone...not sure if this is something the vet staff would allow, but if they have nothing to hide, and the animals are cared for at all times, and always have water and a clean kennel, then there should be no issues with your friend just taking a walk back to see the dogs...

[davet]

I hqave tried to post several times so rather than do all the typing again, all I can say is I don;t blame you

[Traci]

There may or may not be valid reasons you were not allowed into the kennel area. The reasons I would say valid may include:

1) after normal business hours (there is some liability here if there is not a "supervisory figure" on the premises)

2) only one staff member on duty, after hours, etc (for example, I strongly believe that if there is only one staff member on duty, he/she should be allowed to reserve the right to prohibit access to certain areas to people he/she is unfamiliar with -- also, in a kennel environment, the less number of strangers around, the better for the dogs, some dogs will still exercise their territorial traits and/or may create more stress for the other boarders, the domino effect)

3) the clinic may have a policy for safety reasons (both for pets/owners and staff). If they do, ask about it and ask them to outline their policy for you.

Non-valid reasons:

1) If the situation was a bad as you mentioned, the kennel area was probably in disarray and the staff member didn't want that known. Although if that were the case, it was probably best that you are not allowed in that area.

2) If the staff member can't explain rationally why access would be denied to you (especially the kennel where your dog(s) are at. Personally, I think with boarding, any owner should be allowed to accomodate their pet to a kennel, and visit sometime during the stay, as long as the visit doesn't interfere with the staff member's duties or the clinic's operational duties. Regardless, if a visit was wished, the owner can take the dog in another room for a visit, or outside for a walk, etc. As Tambrey mentions, having a friend check on your pets at the boarding facility when you are away on vacation is a good way to ensure they are being taken care of appropriately. (providing the clinic has prior knowledge/permission from you for your friend).

During normal business hours, it is preferrable that owners are not allowed in treatment areas for the following reasons: stress to recovering patients, ill patients, etc.; transmission of virus potential, etc; interference with staff's duties; time taken away from a staff member's duties to accomodate a client; the business owner has the right to refuse access to any area of the clinic he/she wishes. In any of these events, the clinic should strive to set up an appointment for "visitation" or "tours" usually during a time when the clinic is not overly busy. I can tell you from experience, it is sometimes difficult on the staff for an owner (or family, especially with children) to linger around the treatment room, start asking numerous questions and be curious about everything, as well as visit every single patient in the room, oftentimes creating stress for that patient...this is quite a distraction.

For procedures, exceptions can be made. For example, a fractious or nervous pet, or for a lengthy procedure where the pet will obviously benefit from the owner's presence (excluding anesthetic procedures).

[mamaof4soon]

Being someone who worked in a vet hospital before i clearly know the stress there is when a client wants to hang around. So that i can understand. But I have been to a couple of vets around this area and they are say the same thing that they dont want others in the back. I can only assume that they werent prepared for me to go back there and that is why the answer was no. Personally i dont want to have an appt to go in becuase i want to see what the place looks like when they arent on guard. I know how it is so i would understand what certain things out of place and dirtiness are when there are certain situations going on at the time. I will be asking though for a tour of the couple of places i want to visit.

My vet is in his late 70's i think and is his son is also in practice with him. I trust them but wow what i saw back there was really not accectable. I have been back there before and even commented to my husband that it was nice, no smell and bright. This was dark and dingy,humid,no a/c and smelled so bad. I would have accepted it if they were unerstaffed the entire time(been there hated it when it use to happen to us) but all of them were there when i was there and they were lingering and having a good ole time in the front bs'ing with eachother.

Tam you have a great point. IF i leave my animals again i will have htem looked at by someone. But most likely we will have a friend come to the house who is able to keep them clean and fed.

I was hopeing to get to vet today but it looks like i have to wait till tomorrow to go get my leash and speak to him. Thank you all for the info. It's been so long since i worked for a vet that i forget sometimes what is was like and the stress but also i dont want the knowledge of me wokring for a vet to cloud my judgement either. I am no longer furious just concerned at this point and will take that opinion to the vet. I will tell him what happened and let him know how i felt about it. My main concern was the ACE. My dog at last visit there in Feb was about 80lbs he has lost weight (which is normal for him although we dont like it becuase he looks to thin) But we know at certain times he looses it we are working on that, but point is, is that if she didnt lift him up to get a new reading on him for his weight then she dosed him for 80lbs and not what he truely is. Even if it is in the same dosage she still could have hurt him and the other one. I remember never giving anything to any animal without permission and the vet right next to me. Wonder if the vet will want to consult with me about gettting his practice back in order.(i do that) Well even if he doesnt i will address my concerns atleast.

They are still blowing coat so badly and have diarrhea, i have changed their food intake to put some weight on my older one and more muscle mass on him. I will be looking into calling new vets today and also about a groomer. With baby coming i wont have time and just becuase i dont have time doesnt mean it shouldnt be done. I have been taking them out every night for 15 min's and brush them out with my oldest son(11yr) i think he likes it and asked if he could do it. He might be the one i for the job, wonder how he feels about bathing that might work out well for me. And i trust him.

Again thank you for all the info.