Complaint Review: South Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic - Palo Alto California

I am disabled and am on very limited funds. My dog had a very bad infestation of maggots, which must have come on very quickly, because I had bathed him a few days before I noticed the problem and saw no sign of an infestation at that time.When my dog began whimpering I thought it was due to his arthritis. Anyway, when I did see the maggots, I bathed him, and called a vet.I was told by this vet that I should use one part water with three parts hydrogen peroxide and it would kill the maggots. I also told her that I had discovered thay had burrowed into his body and even made a hole. She was unfazed and just said to cut the fur and use the peroxide mixture. I asked if there was a problem with them getting into his blood stream and she said no (don't believe it!). Anyway, my dog was feeling worse and worse, and was getting lethargic, and I realised he was in grave danger. I had called all all around for a low cost clinic and found none. I called the Humane Society to find out what they offered and they said they said they did not euthanize (if that became necessary) animals under my circumstances and referred me to call a vet's office, who gave the above advice about the peroxide. I called a friend and she said, "if your dog is howling like that, you have to get him to the emergency clinic NOW!" She told me there was an emergency vet clinic in Palo Alto, named South Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic. I called them and told them I was coming in. I had to; my dog was in extreme pain. When I got there I told them I had no money right now, but they went out and got my dog and brought him in. When I saw the sign on the wall that said they did not bill and payment was due after treatment, my blood ran cold. It wasn't my idea to be low-income and disabled. I already had lost my husband to drowning, and my house to near foreclosure and live as best as possible from check to check with no extra left. My dog was a precious friend and a part of my family. I had brought a ring that I still had from better days hoping to use it as collateral, if necessary. My dog was on the examination table and the money talk began. How was I going to pay the bill, they asked? I said I had around $17.00 left, but that I had a $1,500 ring my husband had given to me that they could either have, or hold until I paid the bill. The assistant took it to ask the doctor, but came back and said no. Then she said that there was a company that would extend credit and if I wanted to apply for that I could pay that company back. As you can imagine, I was devastated by the whole ordeal and I was out of my mind knowing my dog was lying there on the table suffering. They called the loan people and my credit was denied. I said there was nothing I could do.They continued to interrogate me while my dog cried: "Do you have anyone you could call to get money?" (at midnight?) on and on. Finally, they said they would bill me, but they would only wait until my next disability check arrived and they were going to add a charge for having to bill. (the next day when I looked at the paperwork they gave me, I realised they also charged me $45.00 to process that loan application that failed) I was so relieved that they would finally help my suffering dog; I had been afraind that they were going to hand him back to me and say leave. It just says something bad to me when they know an animal is in terrible pain, yet will leave him suffering until they get the money stiuation worked out! St. Francis must be turning somersaults in his grave! What is a low income person supposed to do inthis situation? They allowed a dog to suffer because I didn't have money!! How compassionate it that? I cannot believe they really care about animals! They care about money FIRST!!(Plus, they had to stick my dog a few times to get the medicine in!) DON'T GO THERE!

I am very sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is traumatic for everyone, even those who believe strongly that cats should not be outside off-leash. I want to respond to the person who suggested letting the pet die at home instead. Yes, that is your option. If you want, you could arrange to have a vet come to your home and take care of it there. HOWEVER, I would not recommend letting the pet die at home because I think it's more humane to do it in a veterinary hospital. Here are some things you should think about: First: What will you do with your pet after euthanasia? Second: Will your pet require restraint so that the needle can be carefully placed into a vein? In the animal hospital, the staff is trained in gentle restraint procedures which allows for proper administration of the euthanasia solution. It's different in a home. Third: A veterinarian would most likely have to schedule the home visit after regular office hours. Are you willing to pay for an after-hours, in-home visit? Fourth: If you are not going to use a vet, do you understand that your animal's pain might not be managed as well before death? Fifth: Do you understand that often, as the pet is euthanized, there will be an emptying of the bowels and bladder? In an animal hospital setting this is not a problem. Sixth: Understand that in the animal hospital most animals are willing to accept that they are not in their own territory and they become less defensive than they would be in their own home. This realization by the pet actually allows for EASIER handling of the pet in the hospital than the same handling as taking place in the pet's home. Seventh: Are you willing to have your pet sedated prior to attempts to place the needle for euthanasia? Sometimes the process goes much more smoothly if sedation is given prior to the visit. Sedation is a good topic to discuss with your veterinarian to lessen any stress on your pet prior to an in-hospital or in-home procedure.

I don't see how this animal's PREVENTABLE injuries and susequent death is the vet's fault. It honestly sounds like the cat was hit by a car, and the animal owner is to blame for that. Responsible pet owners should CLOSELY monitor their pets, no matter how well-behaved they think they are. I think this poor cat was let outside and was hit by a car. Period. I'm sorry for the loss, but, by your own admission, you found the cat close to a road with all kinds of internal injuries. If you loved your cat so much, you would've kept closer tabs on her, and, if you had done that, you never would've had to deal with Dr. Haine... I have 2 dogs, both obedience trained, but I watch 'em like a hawk 24/7...they are, after all, animals. I love them, and feel it is my responsibility to keep them safe and away from danger.

As an animal lover I too feel for the loss of your cat ChiChi. I do however wonder why your biggest complaint was, they did not tell me she may die because you would have taken your pet home to die. I feel all veterinarians should be honest and upfront with realistic outcomes for their patients. I myself would have asked, if the veterinarian told me my pet had massive internal damage and different cuts and contusions around her lower extremities. This however is not my true issuemy issue is with the statement: **If you do ever find your beloved pet in dire straights and decide to go to that emergency clinic, then ask that point blank question straight to the vet's face, "Is there a chance my pet will die?" If yes, then take your pet home; it is better that your pet spend her last few precious moments in a familiar place with her loved ones than torturous hour after hour with strangers in a strange place.** Let me understand, it is better to take your pet home and let him suffer to death in your hands, as opposed to being on medication that controls the pain. If you do not want to pay or feel there is no hope, how about putting the pet to sleep, you can be there holding it in your arms and it can die a peaceful death, not a painful, slow death in your home. And if there is a chance your pet might die, there is also a chance your pet might live. I understand how hard it must be to think you were not there with you pet when it died, however it could have lived. I would rather take the chance on life, then chose death, Yes, you should have been told (or asked) what the realistic expectations are and then you can choose where to go from therehopefully it would not be to take a pet home to die in pain. I have taken my pet the emergency vet. a few times because of seizures before we got them under control with medicine and I was always able to stay and be with my pet if I choose toeven if I had to wait in the waiting room. I, in fact, spent a lot of time in waiting rooms with periodic visits to the back to monitor my petnot because I did not trust the vet, but because I wanted to be there if things took a turn for the worse.

I am shocked that animal lovers could possibly write such things as Marsha did. How dare you blame Randolph for the death of his beloved pet. Does someone really need to tell you that he was in a really stressful situation at the time and would have done anything to save his baby? Vets often will play on the emotions of the pet owners and rack up serious fees by recommending expensive treatments even if there is no hope for the animal. Being a pet owner all of my life I have encountered several vets and I have come to find that there are two types. The first type are the ones who treat you like a cash cow and insist on wildly expensive treatments playing on your vulnerability and not even considering if you are able to afford care. The other type of vet will give you options and allow you to make a decision based on facts. I prefer the later. If I did what was recomended by the first type of vet every time I would be in some serious debt and have a house full of suffering animals. If your animal has no hope and is suffering it is better to let them die comfortably rather than making them suffer. I think Marsha and others like her shouldn't be allowed to own animals as she is obviously mean spirited. Heck, may be animals are the only living creatures that are willing to accept her. Randolph, I am sorry for your loss and hope that there aren't too many Marshas in your life.

Not sure why people seem to be ganging up on Randolph (and I don't know him, nor anyone else in here) but I know for me personally, not having kids or much of anything else for that matter, my pets are like my kids and I love them dearly. I say to each their own.

My cat had gotten hit by a car and suffered some very serious head trauma but was still hanging on. Long story short I took him to South Peninsula where they began giving him oxygen, etc. They told me I would have to transfer him to another vet (The Animal Doctors) in the morning, which i continued doing for the next few days until I just couldn't scrape enough money together to continue. Nuisance (my cat) hung on, albeit nearly comatose, having to be fed via syringe. The final time that I brought him into South Peninsula, Dr. Hane (or however it's spelled) nearly got her arm snapped off at the wrist when she began petting Nuisance on his head....not a gentle stroke like you would give a normal cat, much less a head trauma patient, but a series of rough strokes that made my girlfriend and I glance at each other in shock. My girlfriend saw how pissed I was and had to intervene as I brushed Doc's hands away and took my cat back. I concur with whoever mentioned she always had red eyes, she always looked like she was coming off a bender. Nuisance hung on for a couple more months, making amazing progress, recovering all his motor skills, eating, drinking, running, being his old playful self, then in November he contracted feline leukemia and we lost him on the 15th of November, he was a year and a half old.

There are alternative types of medicine that can be used in conjunction with conventional medicine or alone when conventional medicine can do nothing. There are alternative cancer treatments that involve magnets. When our 10 year old female Doberman developed untreatable cancer, we took her to an alternative med vet. He is a licensed vet, went to a local school, but also practices acupuncture, chiropractic, and herbal (Chinese) medicine. She lived much longer than her medical reports indicated she would and showed no sign of illness until the day before she died. If I had to do it over again, you bet I would. And, no, I didn't close my eyes and point to a name in the phone book. I found the vet through the recommendations of others who had used his services.

Read Randolph's missives carefully. He refers to this cat as his "daughter". He talks about healing the cat with magnets and aroma therapy among other goofball nonsense. This man is allowed to vote! HOLY MOLY!

All vets have should have a keen sense of responsibility to their clients. I have NEVER had a good vet NOT tell me what the chances and the risks are when I have a companion animal who is ill. Notice I said GOOD vet. If you get someone like Marsha caring for your companion animal, my advice to you is to find another place and fast. If you have not written a letter of complaint to the head honchos of this clinic, do so. Outline every negative thing you experienced. They won't know if you don't tell them. Write it down. And yes, Marsha, I am a pompous a*s (amazing how you managed to spell THAT correctly!) when it comes to the care of my companion animals. I am very active in rescue. What vets don't realize is how many people ask me on a weekly basis who I recommend as a qualified vet. I steer people away from those vets that I feel are not efficient, are not caring, and where a clinic's staff treats you poorly. And I don't mind telling a vet or their clinic personnel when I feel they have been incompetent in person AND in writing.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet. However, over the many years that I lived near the SPVEC, they took care of some of my pets who had emergencies arising from chronic illnesses, etc. I always found them to be very capable and very caring vets. They work outside of normal vet offices' office hours, so several vets are on duty from Friday evening to Monday morning, for example. If many emergencies come in, the vets work long shifts. in between emergencies, they try to get some sleep. This explains why a vet may look tired, or may not be visibly around when you happened to stop by. The vet techs would not have woken a vet if an animal did not need care. I'm sorry, but from your description of your pet's condition, it should have been obvious to you that the pet might not survive. I believe the vet was expressing an honest opinion in that there might be a chance of survival. They pulled one of my cats thru an episode of acute pancreatitis, which many cats do not survive. On the other hand, when I brought in another cat, they told me that he had no chance of survival, and my regular vet confirmed that the next day after an autopsy. As to the circumstances of your pet's death, it is entirely possible that ChiChi was hit by a car and dragged herself into the yard, only to become paralyzed as her condition worsened. I understand your grief, but attacking honest, capable, caring vets does a disservice to these good people. I also know that these people have an excellent reputation among local vets.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet. However, over the many years that I lived near the SPVEC, they took care of some of my pets who had emergencies arising from chronic illnesses, etc. I always found them to be very capable and very caring vets. They work outside of normal vet offices' office hours, so several vets are on duty from Friday evening to Monday morning, for example. If many emergencies come in, the vets work long shifts. in between emergencies, they try to get some sleep. This explains why a vet may look tired, or may not be visibly around when you happened to stop by. The vet techs would not have woken a vet if an animal did not need care. I'm sorry, but from your description of your pet's condition, it should have been obvious to you that the pet might not survive. I believe the vet was expressing an honest opinion in that there might be a chance of survival. They pulled one of my cats thru an episode of acute pancreatitis, which many cats do not survive. On the other hand, when I brought in another cat, they told me that he had no chance of survival, and my regular vet confirmed that the next day after an autopsy. As to the circumstances of your pet's death, it is entirely possible that ChiChi was hit by a car and dragged herself into the yard, only to become paralyzed as her condition worsened. I understand your grief, but attacking honest, capable, caring vets does a disservice to these good people. I also know that these people have an excellent reputation among local vets.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet. However, over the many years that I lived near the SPVEC, they took care of some of my pets who had emergencies arising from chronic illnesses, etc. I always found them to be very capable and very caring vets. They work outside of normal vet offices' office hours, so several vets are on duty from Friday evening to Monday morning, for example. If many emergencies come in, the vets work long shifts. in between emergencies, they try to get some sleep. This explains why a vet may look tired, or may not be visibly around when you happened to stop by. The vet techs would not have woken a vet if an animal did not need care. I'm sorry, but from your description of your pet's condition, it should have been obvious to you that the pet might not survive. I believe the vet was expressing an honest opinion in that there might be a chance of survival. They pulled one of my cats thru an episode of acute pancreatitis, which many cats do not survive. On the other hand, when I brought in another cat, they told me that he had no chance of survival, and my regular vet confirmed that the next day after an autopsy. As to the circumstances of your pet's death, it is entirely possible that ChiChi was hit by a car and dragged herself into the yard, only to become paralyzed as her condition worsened. I understand your grief, but attacking honest, capable, caring vets does a disservice to these good people. I also know that these people have an excellent reputation among local vets.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet. However, over the many years that I lived near the SPVEC, they took care of some of my pets who had emergencies arising from chronic illnesses, etc. I always found them to be very capable and very caring vets. They work outside of normal vet offices' office hours, so several vets are on duty from Friday evening to Monday morning, for example. If many emergencies come in, the vets work long shifts. in between emergencies, they try to get some sleep. This explains why a vet may look tired, or may not be visibly around when you happened to stop by. The vet techs would not have woken a vet if an animal did not need care. I'm sorry, but from your description of your pet's condition, it should have been obvious to you that the pet might not survive. I believe the vet was expressing an honest opinion in that there might be a chance of survival. They pulled one of my cats thru an episode of acute pancreatitis, which many cats do not survive. On the other hand, when I brought in another cat, they told me that he had no chance of survival, and my regular vet confirmed that the next day after an autopsy. As to the circumstances of your pet's death, it is entirely possible that ChiChi was hit by a car and dragged herself into the yard, only to become paralyzed as her condition worsened. I understand your grief, but attacking honest, capable, caring vets does a disservice to these good people. I also know that these people have an excellent reputation among local vets.

Dear S.n. - Bucyrus, Kansas- Sorry if I spelled one word incorrectly you pompous a*s, I'm dyslexic. Fortunately spelling is the only way it effects me. I do work with animals and have saved thousands of animal's lives. Out of those thousands I have only lost 10. I remember each and every time I lost an animal on the table (I'm an RVT). I know all of their names, and no matter how little I knew them I still cry about the loss of their lives. However, I know that I and all the other members of the staff tried very hard to save their lives. I know there are terrible hospitals out there, but please do your research before an accident or emergency. Find the good hospitals in your area and even if it is 15 minutes further take the drive and find the best possible care for your pet. Also, make certain the Veterinarian graduated from a school in the United States, or Europe. Not from Mexico, Egypt, or anywhere in the Middle East, or Asia.

If everyone will notice, I DID begin this report by blaming myself for what happened. In fact, I was asking my trusted sources as to what could have possibly happened considering that ChiChi had such massive trauma, yet I found her behind a closed gate which is far away from traffic. ChiChi had amazing intelligence - more intelligent than any animal I've known - even more intelligent than my 18 year old persian whom she loved dearly. I only had to train her or show her anything once and she immediately learned it; there were times I could swear she would read my mind. She also had amazing agility and speed; she would run what seemed like 50 miles per hour across the yard, then up a tree at the same speed and leap to another tree like a monkey. Most importantly she was always smart enough to stay on the property even when she was feral. She was free to go inside/outside because I completely trusted her wisdom. Whatever/Whoever hit ChiChi would have had to traumatize her in the same spot where I found her because she was paralyzed. A little more than a month ago a received a message from a trusted source at stewartswerdlow.com that the damage done to ChiChi was more likely a message to me because I dropped my support of "Dove of Oneness" and the fake "NESARA" campaign months earlier. I considered the synchronicity of when I started my support of "NESARA" and when I first saw ChiChi in my backyard; it was too much of a coincidence expecially in these "Dove Reports" when everyday they would speak of world affairs - then suddenly change themes one day to speak of adopting feral cats. Orange, female tabby cats are a rarity, but ChiChi was even rarer than that: She was a gift from the illuminati. They wanted to demonstrate their generosity for their supporters. Then they demonstrated their black hearts when I dropped my support. It could just as easily haved happened if ChiChi was inside the house; they just happened to choose that day. They wanted to demonstrate to me how easy it is for them to take out a loved one if they are betrayed. When I gave my name and address to these people I never would have suspected that it would lead to this. I have observed suspicious activity around my house before - like helicopters hovering over my house sometimes and strangers looking over the fence, but I didn't pay attention to it until now...

I do believe that you should not allow any companion animal outside without supervision. A fenced yard will not work for a cat because they have the ability to leap over them. That being said, when anyone has a companion animal, they need to understand that an emergency can happen at any time. Find emergency clinics close to your home and get references from people who have used them. When you get to any emergency clinic make sure the vet explains everything to you and do not leave until you are satisfied with the explanation. I know that most people are panicked during this type of situation, but this is your baby who is being treated and you have a right to know about the treatment and what the chances for survival might be. As for Marsha (I certainly hope YOU aren't involved in veterinary care of any type) - before you decide name calling is in order LEARN TO SPELL! If Rip Off Report has a page of Stupid Responses, your would make the top 10.

The truth is Rudolph that animals die, they have accidents and they never recover no matter what. Blaming someone may help you feel better, but what does it do for Chi- Chi ? Nothing! I am an animal behaviorist and I have seen quite a few Veterinary hospitals that were "stuck in the past." However, the fact that you were not notified that your pet "may die" is irrelevent. Clinic staff and Veterinarians are trained to save animals and to have that sense of hope that the animal will live. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself. What in the world was your cat doing outside? You're the moran start at the root of the problem. I hope you don't have any more animals. My cats only go outside on leashes, I guess that's why my cats are alive and yours are dead.

I realized there are certain details that I left out of my report that everyone should know. I found it disturbing that this vet, "Dr. Hane," was always mistaking the gender of my cat. Especially disturbing was that her eyes were always red and teary as if she was intoxicated or sleep deprived. When I picked up my cat's body the vet did not bother seeing me in person to offer her condolences. The place seemed to be cleared of staff and any other activity except for the one vet assistant at the desk. The clinic was uncharacteristically quiet, but I did get the sense that there were other staff members around - as if someone was waiting for me to react violently to the situation. I realized what greedy cowards the vet and the rest of the staff were by sending me this pitiful condolence card a week later. Noone from this clinic ever bothered apologizing in person or calling to offer condolences; it is obvious that they choose to ignore their failures since they take great pride in posting customer testimonials to their "great" service in their clinic for everyone to see. I testify that mainstream veterinary science is nothing more than a "paint by numbers" corporate farce wherein the practitioners follow a regular, established (outmoded) procedure that has been around for decades and parade any of their work where the animal survives as a rousing success while ignoring and hiding their failures. Mainstream veterinary science CANNOT be trusted.

I realized there are certain details that I left out of my report that everyone should know. I found it disturbing that this vet, "Dr. Hane," was always mistaking the gender of my cat. Especially disturbing was that her eyes were always red and teary as if she was intoxicated or sleep deprived. When I picked up my cat's body the vet did not bother seeing me in person to offer her condolences. The place seemed to be cleared of staff and any other activity except for the one vet assistant at the desk. The clinic was uncharacteristically quiet, but I did get the sense that there were other staff members around - as if someone was waiting for me to react violently to the situation. I realized what greedy cowards the vet and the rest of the staff were by sending me this pitiful condolence card a week later. Noone from this clinic ever bothered apologizing in person or calling to offer condolences; it is obvious that they choose to ignore their failures since they take great pride in posting customer testimonials to their "great" service in their clinic for everyone to see. I testify that mainstream veterinary science is nothing more than a "paint by numbers" corporate farce wherein the practitioners follow a regular, established (outmoded) procedure that has been around for decades and parade any of their work where the animal survives as a rousing success while ignoring and hiding their failures. Mainstream veterinary science CANNOT be trusted.

I realized there are certain details that I left out of my report that everyone should know. I found it disturbing that this vet, "Dr. Hane," was always mistaking the gender of my cat. Especially disturbing was that her eyes were always red and teary as if she was intoxicated or sleep deprived. When I picked up my cat's body the vet did not bother seeing me in person to offer her condolences. The place seemed to be cleared of staff and any other activity except for the one vet assistant at the desk. The clinic was uncharacteristically quiet, but I did get the sense that there were other staff members around - as if someone was waiting for me to react violently to the situation. I realized what greedy cowards the vet and the rest of the staff were by sending me this pitiful condolence card a week later. Noone from this clinic ever bothered apologizing in person or calling to offer condolences; it is obvious that they choose to ignore their failures since they take great pride in posting customer testimonials to their "great" service in their clinic for everyone to see. I testify that mainstream veterinary science is nothing more than a "paint by numbers" corporate farce wherein the practitioners follow a regular, established (outmoded) procedure that has been around for decades and parade any of their work where the animal survives as a rousing success while ignoring and hiding their failures. Mainstream veterinary science CANNOT be trusted.

I obviously forgot to publish a few photos of my ChiChi when I submitted this report. Please copy and paste this link to see all kinds of pictures of my little lady and her boyfriend: http://community.webshots.com/album/86496335YTDqJj I also have a stress management article for those of you undergoing stress due to loss or other reasons. Please copy and paste this one too: http://777-health.members.easyspace.com/stress-positive-thinking.html. Would've, could've, should've but didn't. If ChiChi was an animal I didn't know, then I would not have panicked. I probably would have tried saving her on my own. I would've started by giving her a raw pseudo-ginseng extract trauma pill (yunnan baiyao pinyin Chinese Pharmaceutical). Then I would've used a Rife Plasma wave (scalar frequencies applied simular to nuclear magnetic resonance) for healing trauma, internal hemorraging and pain. I also would've applied light tuina massage for hemorrages and edema. These are among the things I should have done. See that info above? I know healing techniques. If I had not panicked, she might be alive today. By taking her to that "emergency" clinic I condemned her to a torturous death. Do your loved ones a favor. Do yourself a favor. Don't panic. Remain impartial. It could save lives.

I'm very sorry for the loss of your pet. There's been nothing harder for me to bear than when they go, or when I've had to decide to help them on their way. Please review the whole thread of this ripoff: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff82916.htm I could use your vantage point over there! Again, my condolences.