TLDR: this vet has hiked their prices substantially, they have an unprofessional staff, and I had…read moreto watch my dog choke to death in her last moments because they mishandled her euthanasia.
I have been coming to this vet for at least 4 years now. In the beginning, I really loved this vet and highly recommended them to many friends. I even continued to go here despite moving much further away and being closer to several other vet options. But things have changed in the past year or so. I have noticed that the staff has changed entirely, so I can't help but think that there has possibly been a change in ownership or management. Prices have sky rocketed and professionalism has significantly decreased. I have had my final straw this past week.
I had previously euthanized my pit bull at Friendship about 3 years ago because of a spinal injury. That experience was incredible and I was grateful for the amount of care the staff had put into our farewell to our precious dog. However, this year, I had to euthanize another elderly dog of mine, and the experience was absolutely horrible!!!!
I got to the appointment early so that I could go in and speak with the receptionist (while my partner remained in the car with our dog). My intention was to preemptively fill out all paperwork and pay in advance. There were no customers at all in the waiting room, and there were two receptionist. Both appeared to be consumed by their computers. I announced myself and explained why I was there. Initially, the receptionist was kind, but then the other receptionist reminded her that she needed to hurry up to take her lunch break. She then proceeded to rush through my check-in, hurriedly filling out my paperwork, not even asking if I wanted any additional services/products for the cremation. I had to inject myself and insist on asking for a paw print. She didn't even ask me if I wanted to see what other products they had. Then other customers started arriving in the lobby, and it appeared that her attention was redirected. She never said another word to me while I was standing at the counter, so I just walked out and went back out to my car for my final moments with my dog. We brought her in at exactly the appointment time, and had to sit in the lobby temporarily. Then we were ushered into the same exam room that we previously put my pit bull down in. It's a specific room that has its own private exit so that dog parents don't have to exit through the lobby while emotional. While in there, the vet and assistant took awhile; so we sat there soaking in our last moments with our dog while have to overhear people yelling in the lobby at their pets. It was so uncomfortable. Most vets place a sign or candle out in the lobby to signal that a pet is being put down, and requesting silence. Not this place. The vet finally came in and had more paperwork for me to sign (even though I had asked to fill out all paperwork when I came in early). The assistant said "I'm going to take her to the back now". This scared me because she didn't say why. I had to protest to ask if she [my dog] was coming back or not. She carelessly said "oh yeah, she's just getting a catheter". It felt like she didn't understand why we were on edge and emotional. When she came back with our dog and the vet, they laid her down on a blanket and injected a sedative, then they left the room to give us time to say goodbye. In the midst of our farewell, the assistant came in and quickly laid down a plate of beef and rice in front of our dog. Our dog obviously started eating it quickly, but the sedation started to hit her after about 2 bites. She was immediately paralyzed in the face and was unable to chew and swallow properly. We had to listen to our dog choke and struggle in her last moments. It was devastating to watch, and I felt completely helpless. They took that last moment from us. I was trying to be strong as I'm heavily pregnant and my partner was extremely emotional in the moment, so I restrained my anger because I just wanted to be in that moment with my dog. The vet came back in and administered the final injection. When they went to leave the room again, the assistant asked how I wanted to pay... literally seconds after my dog died in my arms. I told her I would call and pay later. She went to leave, and I had to ask if we were able to use the private exit in the room because now there were signs on the door saying "do not use". She lazily said "oh sure". And that was it. I looked down at my dog who had beef, rice, and foam pouring out of her mouth. I had to cover it up with the blanket because it broke my heart to look at. That was my last moment with my girl and they ruined it.