VCA Animal Hospitals review: negligent veterinary care for our beloved pet

We had a very bad experience at VCA The Woodlands Hospital in Spring Texas. On March 27, 2015, we took our beloved boxer Charlie to VCA The Woodlands because he was refusing to eat, appeared to be in pain, and had vomiting and diarrhea. Dr. Wilkins did blood tests and an X-ray, suspecting pancreatitis. The blood tests were normal and Dr. Wilkins said the X-ray showed Charlie's abdomen to be "full of gas." He said we could treat Charlie at home with special food and Cerenia and Famotidine tablets. During the following 7 days, Charlie's condition declined rapidly. He refused to eat, drink or take his pills. Dr. Wilkins prescribed more medications that Charlie refused to take and talked about an ultrasound. On Friday, April 3 we became desperate and took him back to VCA because he was extremely weak and barely able to walk. The staff had a negative attitude toward us that day; a vet tech said Charlie looked "pitiful" and Dr. Nicolosi appeared not to want us there. He did more blood work, checked Charlie's lymph nodes and told us Charlie probably had cancer. Charlie declined even more rapidly over the weekend and on Monday morning, April 6 we took him to another veterinarian who reviewed the VCA lab results, confirmed the cancer diagnosis and said he would probably not recover; we had him euthanized to release him from his suffering. We do not understand how Dr. Wilkins could diagnose an abdomen full of gas one week and Dr. Nicolosi diagnose cancer a week later! We do not understand how the staff could charge us $1, 800.00 and then turn their backs on us when Charlie's condition worsened! We believe that Dr. Wilkins misdiagnosed and mismanaged Charlie's condition and caused us to lose valuable time in treating him for a devastating illness. We believe that VCA The Woodlands is not an "animal hospital" at all but merely a "wellness clinic." We urge everyone who reads our comments to find professional, intelligent and compassionate care for their beloved pets elsewhere. Stay away from VCA The Woodlands Animal Hospital! Elvita, Elvis and David