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We first took our pets to Pedley Square in 1985. Back then they seemed to be more compassionate. They would send us a sympathy card after we lost a pet. They actually remembered us when we went there. It was nice because they were only a mile from our house. It was less stressful on our pets and quick when we were having an emergency. I didn't realize that there was a problem until 2006.
The problems actually began in 1999 when my Siamese cat, Reeboks, got sick. The vet diagnosed his heart problem and sent us home with a diuretic, Lasix (Furosemide). The way the vet acted, I could tell he didn't expect Reeboks to live. Well, Reeboks did live. He lived another nine years! Praise God! After having daily doses of Lasix for years I began to ask how long he had to keep taking it. After all, he had done fine for many years with his bad heart. It was only when we got a new kitten and Reeboks played so hard that his heart couldn't keep up. The vet told me to keep giving it to him. I asked if I should reduce the dose and they said not to stop it or reduce it. They NEVER told me that continued usage of Lasix could cause kidney failure. They didn't give me any warnings of any side effects. Reeboks had to be put down because his kidneys failed. When they first began to fail was when the vet told me that it was probably caused by the Lasix, which was the first time I'd been told of the side effects. Reeboks had also been eating the poisoned cat food* so, in my opinion, it could very well have been caused by either thing. However, not giving me any treatment options or warnings was WRONG!
Prior to Reebok's death we lost the cat that had been the kitten I mentioned in Reebok's sad tale. Bug, who grew out of kittenhood, developed kidney problems. He, too, had been eating the poison food*. The vet properly diagnosed the kidney problems and sent Bug home with me telling me that Bug's demise was coming soon. I had to take Bug to an emergency after-hours clinic due to another problem. The emergency clinic let me know that there was a cat food specifically made with low protein that was for cats with kidney problems. They also showed me how to administer fluids subcutaneously as kidney problems caused him to be severely dehydrated. Why didn't the Pedley Square vet tell me that I could make Bug's remaining life more comfortable? He should have! After that incident I went to Pedley Square to get my pets' medical records to transfer to another vet because I didn't feel comfortable having my pets seen there any more. I ran into a woman who had been the office manager there for many many years. I hadn't seen her for a long time. She remembered me and knew I had been going there for a long time. She introduced me to the new woman vet and we discussed my dissatisfaction with the treatment given to my cats. I wanted to get another cat after Bug and Reeboks were gone but wanted a vet that would care more about cats than what had been demonstrated to me. The new vet convinced me to stay there after I told her about my concerns and fears. She assured me that my cats would be treated well.
In May 2009 I got a female kitten and named her Princess. In September she began to be lethargic. Her previously vigorous meowing and purring quieted. I took her to Pedley Square. She had a temperature and was dehydrated so they began treating her for an infection on that Friday, 9/11/09. They took blood to test it and found nothing specific. The technician attempted to administer fluids subcutaneously. She used the biggest needle they had which was two sizes too big. It would be like poking yourself with an ice pick! (I know what I'm talking about... like I said, I administered fluids to Bug. The only good thing about a big needle is the fluids come out faster. Teh tech told me it was the only size that worked. A lie!) Then she poked it all the way through the skin (two holes), she had to back it out and insert it again (three holes), Princess squirmed and it came out and had to be reinserted two more times (five holes). Then they had to take Princess back in the back to finish the fluids (how many more GIANT holes??) On Monday I took her back in and she still had a fever and was dehydrated. So they kept her there all day with an IV and gave her more antibiotics. I took her home Monday night and she stayed at the vet all day Tuesday. Wednesday morning I took her back in. She didn't have a fever any more, but I told the vet she was still somewhat lethargic and she wasn't eating. The vet examined her and sent her home saying to bring her back if she got worse. Princess just wasn't feeling well all day. I kept checking on her and she was just taking it easy. She still wouldn't eat. Later on that night I went looking for where she was and found her under a bed. I pulled her out and gave her the evening dose of antibiotic. She acted extremely lethargic. I sent her down and she took a couple of steps and fell over. My husband and I rushed her to a 24-hour vet. On the way there she was limp in my arms. When we were almost there she scrambled to get away from me howling the awful death howl that Bug howled just before he died. That vet examined her and felt something large in her abdomen. An x-ray revealed a huge mass that was crushing all her internal organs. Her intestines were backed up and her lungs were being crushed so that she could barely breathe. We had her put to sleep to end her misery. In my estimation the Pedley Square vet should have felt that something was wrong and done an x-ray. Since she knew how I felt about the inadequacies that my previous cats had suffered I feel she should have gone above and beyond to make sure my current cats were kept healthy. Instead of one x-ray she spent two days and over $500 of my money treating Princess for an undiagnosed infection. Perhaps Princes would still be alive if an accurate diagnosis would have been made. If not, then at least she would have not had to suffer for so long. I wouldn't have gone through the extra trauma of watching her suffer and we would have not spent another $400 at the emergency clinic.
Over the years Pedley Square evolved into an entity that no longer recognized its customers. I was in there five working days in a row in September and every single time I had to identify myself. They decided to no longer accept checks. I had paid by check for over 23 years and they never had a problem cashing them. You would think they would make an exception. Nope. At first they would send out sympathy cards when we would lose a pet. They no longer do that. When I told them I was leaving after 24 years they didn't care. I went in to pick up copies of my pets' medical records and they didn't even care. They don't send out sympathy cards when they know one of your babies has died. As a matter of fact, they were the ones who euthanized poor Reeboks to put him out of his misery. A few months later I got a notice that it was time for Reeboks' shots. How thoughtful! I asked for a refund of some kind for unnecessarily spent money on my part since they charged so much for fighting her "infection" and they wouldn't give me one. Shame shame shame. Is it only about the money or is it about the animals? They didn't give me a refund even though I reminded them they hadn't given me one yet. Well, I sent them a thank you card. I thanked them for misdiagnosing Princess and allowing her to suffer, for not caring that one of their first customers left after so many years, and for not sending me a refund. I enclosed a picture of Princess. They did not respond. They are cold hearted as well as not interested in taking good care of my cats.
I have transferred care of my pets to the vet that treated Princess. I was thoroughly impressed with their skills. They were compassionate. One of the technicians that was helping with Princess was crying because everyone could tell the poor baby was dying. They sent us a sympathy card, too. They follow up with phone calls after you visit to see if everything is OK. The vet, himself, called me to tell me that a test was negative for parasites on my new kitten. How many vets will do that?? They usually only have their staff call you if something comes out positive! VCA Aacacia Animal Hospital takes the health of pets seriously, way more seriously than Pedley Square did. The information about my new vet is at the end.
One last thing: My son's girlfriend hired a plumber and that plumber told her an awful story about Pedley Square Veterinary Clinic. So, take this with a grain of salt since I heard it from my son's girlfriend who heard it from the plumber. It could be a rumor the plumber started, but it could also be true. He said he was hired by Pedley Square to clear their drain. The reason their drain was blocked was because there were little puppies in it. What the heck?
*The 2007 pet food recalls comprise the contamination and wide recall of many brands of cat and dog foods beginning in March 2007 and the ensuing developments involving the human food supply. The recalls in North America, Europe, and South Africa came in response to reports of renal failure in pets. Initially the recalls were associated with the consumption of mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company. After more than three weeks of complaints from consumers, the recall began voluntarily with the Canadian company Menu Foods on 16 March 2007, when a company test showed sickness and death in some of the test animals. Soon after, there were numerous media reports of animal deaths as a result of kidney failure. In the following weeks, several other companies who received the contaminated wheat gluten also voluntarily recalled dozens of pet food brands. One month after the initial recall, contaminated rice protein from a different source in China was also identified as being associated with kidney failure in pets in the United States. |
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VCA Aacacia Animal Hospital
~They are thorough, compassionate, and efficient.
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