I never write negative reviews, but I am extremely disappointed with this place…read more
We have been bringing our dog here for two years, and our experiences with the other doctors have been good. Unfortunately, this was our first time seeing Dr. House.
Our 2-year-old dog developed a serious eye problem. Dr. House stained his eye, said she didn't see anything concerning, and prescribed an antibiotic and steroid drops. His eye got worse, so we brought him back. She prescribed another antibiotic and put him in a cone, telling us not to take it off.
When he still wasn't improving, we brought him back for a third visit. She switched him to a different antibiotic, which seemed like it should have been the first option. Because he wasn't acting like himself, Dr. House then told us we could remove the cone. We followed her instructions and threw it away, assuming he no longer needed it. I had no idea how expensive replacement cones were.
Since there had been no improvement, I called my sister-in-law, who is a veterinarian and graduated from Cornell, one of the top veterinary schools in the country. She was very concerned that steroid eye drops had been prescribed before the underlying cause of the eye problem had been identified, and she was equally surprised that the cone had been discontinued. She explained how important it is to keep a cone on until an eye injury has fully healed and told me to get another one immediately.
When I returned to the clinic to get a replacement cone, they wanted to charge me $54. Given that we had thrown the original one away based on the doctor's instructions, I felt they should have provided another one as a courtesy. If I had known he still needed it, I never would have thrown it away.
I would have been willing to continue bringing my dog here if Dr. House had shown some understanding and empathy. Instead, I felt she became defensive, as though I was accusing her of doing something wrong. That was never my intention. My concern has always been about my dog's care. Based on everything that happened, I don't believe he was started on the right treatment, which may have contributed to his condition worsening. I also believe advising us to remove the cone was a serious mistake. As the treating veterinarian, she should have known how important it was to keep the cone on until the eye had fully healed and should have emphasized that it should remain on regardless.
His eye is now in very bad condition, and we are seeing a veterinary ophthalmologist tomorrow.
I understand that not every treatment works and that medicine isn't always straightforward. However, after three visits with no improvement, conflicting instructions, and being charged for a replacement cone after following the doctor's advice, I have lost confidence in this clinic. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.
