Colin Rapp (2008-01-26)
ST.FRANCIS ..... ST.FRANCIS ..... ST.FRANCIS .....
St. Francis 24 Hour Animal Hospital at 12010 NE 65th Street in Vancouver 98682 .....
So, when and if your pet is suddenly taken ill or has an unexpected accident you would expect a similar service to what you would receive in any hospital Emergency Room. RIGHT .....
Do you need to get your pet to the emergency room and not have to receive the fifth degree regarding finances by the receptionist ?????
Do you need to know what is wrong with your pet with a fast and reliable diagnosis ?????
Do you need veterinary services for a reasonable cost ?????
Would you like the vet to come out and explain the problem in an easy to understand fashion ?????
What about a vet that can show a little compassion ?????
If you, like me, would require these services NEVER EVER take your pet to ST.FRANCIS 24 HOUR ANIMAL HOSPITAL ....................
We took our Chocolate Labrador to St. Francis on Christmas Eve to be checked for some type of seizure event, acting lethargic, suffering from anemic and not eating very well. The vet drew blood to check the red cells and told us that they were looking moth eaten, therefore thinking that he may have Mountain Spotted Fever From A Tick Bite.
Our dog was scheduled for more blood and we were told that he was about the same as the original results,and that he had to be on medication. This was after repeated phone calls and visits to the hospital trying to find out what was happening and being given the classic run around, you know, the vet is busy, I'll get the vet to call you, and such like excuses. He was then scheduled in for a complete body X Ray to see if any tumors could be detected.
When we returned to the hospital for the X Ray diagnosis we were amazed at the X Ray quality. They were so over exposed it was unbelievable, they were black, literally black, and you couldn't see any detail whatsoever. And we paid over $200 for these. The vet told us that his intestine looked as if it were pushed to one side and it seemed to show a mass the size of a baseball in his abdomen. The film was then sent out to a radiologist. Remember here that the costs keep getting bigger and bigger.
After much more frustration due to not being able to speak to a vet or even receive promised phone calls from the hospital I decided to ask my wife and daughter to go the hospital and ask to see a vet. I also suggested that they not leave until a vet did see them to let us know what was going on with our dog. After a lengthy wait a vet came out , walked up to them, and said, "Your dog has cancer with the tumor the size of a grapefruit". Just like that. Very cold. No compassion. No explanation. Not even any excuses on why it took them so long let us know. During this period our dog is getting worse and we had come to decision that we were going to have him put to sleep to ease his suffering.
Two days later the phone rings. Lo and behold. It's the vet that told us about the cancer. In a matter of fact tone the vet tells us that the Radiologist is not convinced that there is a mass and suggests that we get an abdominal ultrasound. OK, we say, great, until we find out that St. Francis want over $700 for the service and can't do it for several days.
At this point we were so mad and pissed at St.Francis and the staff, remember, that we came to within an hour of putting our dog to sleep, that we decided to change to another Emergency Vet.
After visiting the new vet Barclay had his ultrasound, at a cost of $300, remember St.Francis were going to charge $700 plus, and more blood work done. And boy, were we surprised......................................
NO MASS, NO CANCER to be found in his abdomen or any of his main organs. The blood work results confirm that Barclay has Auto Immune Disease which is the reason his red blood cells are not regenerating causing the anemia, the seizure type of event and the lethargy. Barclay has started taking medication and after more blood work we found out yesterday that his red blood cell count is at 35% which is nealry normal
