I want to take a moment to publicly thank Bayside Animal Hospital and their entire team for the…read moreextraordinary care they gave my Simon this past week.
Over the course of two very long days and more than seven hours, they spent an incredible amount of time with me and my boy while he was extremely sick.
When I brought him in on Wednesday, if I had to put his condition on a scale of 1-10, where his normal is a 10, he was a zero.
By Thursday, he was maybe a 2.
Tonight, Saturday night, I would honestly say he is somewhere around an 8 1/2 or even a 9--and seeing that transformation means more to me than I can put into words.
Before choosing Bayside, I did what most people do: I read the reviews. I saw some comments about the staff supposedly not being professional over the phone, and I also saw comments suggesting that the hospital was more concerned with money than with the animals. After my experience this week, I feel compelled to share my perspective because that was absolutely not my experience.
In fact, my experience was almost the exact opposite.
The veterinarian went through every single option, every expense, every recommendation, and every consideration with me. We discussed together--with the veterinarian involved in those decisions--what was necessary, what was recommended, what could not reasonably be postponed, and what might not even be necessary at that moment. Nothing felt like it was being pushed on me. I was given information, options, and the opportunity to make informed decisions about my own cat's care.
And perhaps most importantly, my financial situation was treated with genuine consideration.
I am not made of money. I wish I were. But I'm not. And I never once felt judged for that, nor did I feel that the quality of Simon's care was being compromised because I had financial limitations. Instead, I felt that the staff understood that I was trying to make the very best decisions I possibly could with the resources I had available. That meant so much to me.
But what I appreciated just as much as their professionalism was the humanity behind it.
They made me feel like I wasn't crazy for being so worried about my cat. They understood that to me, Simon isn't "just a cat." He is family. They treated him as though his life and well-being mattered to them, too. They treated both of us with patience, compassion, kindness, and genuine care.
There is something incredibly reassuring about handing your beloved animal over to people who make you feel that they understand exactly why you are scared--and who then work alongside you rather than simply talking at you.
So, Bayside Animal Hospital, thank you. Thank you for the hours you spent with us. Thank you for listening. Thank you for explaining. Thank you for giving me choices rather than making decisions for me. Thank you for considering my finances without sacrificing the quality of Simon's care. Thank you for treating him with compassion and treating me with compassion, too.
Most of all, thank you for helping give me my boy back.
Wednesday, he was a zero.
Tonight, he's an 8 1/2-9.
And after the fear I felt when I walked through your doors, that feels nothing short of miraculous.
I am incredibly grateful. Thank you for taking care of my Simon--and for making me feel like you cared about him almost as much as I do.