VCA Animal Hospitals
reviews and complaints

I brought my dog Skyler to VCA Veterinary Care Animal Hospital and Referral Center, 9901 Montgomery Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87111 on 4/30/21 for treatment for cutaneous lymphoma by Barbara Kitchell DVM. I am attaching the documents I submitted in a complaint to the New Mexico veterinary licensing board rather than retyping everything. My dog Skyler's creatinine was already rising dramatically when she was admitted and she was producing only scant urine. She was placed on a fluid IV and gained about 10 lbs in fluids from 4/30/21 to 5/1/21. At no point was I advised that the only way she'd survive the immediate crisis was dialysis, a service VCA doesn't provide. I suggested dialysis the night of 5/1/21 and they finally said her only chance was dialysis on 5/2/21, at which point I had found a dialysis clinic at University of California Davis San Diego emergency. They removed the water added in 2 dialysis sessions and she died during the 3rd, from a cerebral clot.
Fluid IV when a dog is anuric is malpractice. Don't know if Skyler would have made it had she not been maltreated and released earlier and I'll never know. Being kept in a cage and connected to a bunch of tubes in Albuquerque took a lot of her strength. Multiple documents attached including Skyler's status from her stay at VCA Mesa the night of 5/2/21 on our way to San Diego and the records from UC SD. Not including everything since I assume you have access to all of the Albuquerque records.
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James Stronach - owner
1270 N. Niels Hansen Ln, Apt 3
Lakeside AZ, 85929

Skyler's illness narrative
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Summary of complaints:

Skyler arrived at VCA Albuquerque on 4/30/21 and lab tests showed her kidneys were already barely functioning, she was producing only scant urine, and she was experiencing intense inflammation. She was treated with everything other than what would get her kidneys better near term so she could continue with an oncologist, including being placed on IV fluids that just swelled her up since she was basically anuric the whole time. What she needed was dialysis which VCA doesn't offer it (I suggested it finally on 5/1) so they should have told me as much and released her. I found the nephrology department at UC Davis - San Diego, it wasn't that difficult. Instead they bombed her with drugs and kept her in a cage. I know that Skyler was going to die fairly soon with all of her problems but I had seen things about dogs with cutaneous lymphoma surviving for months and I wanted her to have some good times before she died.

When I was allowed to see Skyler she was always thirsty and when I gave her water with permission, she drank some since her mouth was dry. It was just ounces to wet her mouth, not enough to over hydrate her. The fluid IV is where the overload came from. I have video of her in their cage distressed.

Skyler's weight upon intake on 4-30-21 at 13:09 was 26.0 kg
Skyler's weight on 5-1-21 at 14:28 after a day at VCA ABQ was 29.2 kg, despite not eating

Skyler's creatinine upon intake was 3.6 mg/dl on 4-30-21 at 14:28, up from 1.7 mg/dl the previous day taken at her local vet.
Skyler's creatinine was 4.9 mg/dl on 5-1-21 at 2:41 AM
Skyler's creatinine was 5.3 mg/dl on 5-1-21 at 8:37 AM
Skyler's creatinine was 6.1 on 5-1-21 mg/dl at 16:38
Skyler's creatinine was 7.7 mg/dl 5-2-21 at 11 AM

*gain of almost 7 lbs despite not eating.

Source is the VCA medical history document, sent separately.
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5-2-21. Took Skyler to VCA Mesa Emergency that night since I could not drive straight through to San Diego. They had access to her records so it was the easiest thing to do to have her watched overnight. Her weight was recorded as 29.4 kg, up slightly from the 29.2 kg at discharge from VCA ABQ.

Some of VCA Mesa's night of 5-2-21 comments:

"Hydration: Overhydration presumed"

"Acute Kidney Injury

Progressive azotemia, profound oliguria/anuria, weight gain during hospitalization at VetCare"

VCA Mesa did not put her back on a fluid IV the night of 5/2/21.

I will provide the records if necessary.
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The trend in Skyler's kidney deterioration was obvious by early morning 5-1-21 if not sooner.

Where she ended up: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA VETERINARY MEDICAL CENTER - SAN DIEGO

10435 Sorrento Valley Rd Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92121 | http://www.ucvmc-sd.vetmed.ucdavis.edu | [protected] |

She did well at UC SD for almost 3 days on dialysis until she succumbed to a cerebral clot. Some extra lead time might have mattered in the outcome, I'll never know. The fluid IV they had her on at VCA Albuquerque filled her full of fluids as she was producing just drops of, and by 5/2/21, no urine. The first 2 dialysis treatments at UC SD removed almost 10 lbs of water from a 64 lb dog.
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You provide no way to attach documents. If you do, please tell me how.

I paid for a domestic health cert and then I was was told (after) I paid that a health certificate was not longer required> $171.14 unethical business practice because I told them I need the international form

I told them when scheduling I was traveling by car to mexico... They should of told me it was not neccessary.! After I paid and received a demestic certificate good in the us only!

I was told to put my dog down. I refused and told them I'd be taking him home. After 2 long weeks of every possible homeopathic treatment for black spots in his lungs, lung cancer or lung fungus, I turned it around and brought my dog back to life. He had quit eating and quit drinking. Then after a couple of treatments I gave him, he made a 100% recovery. It wasn't easy but it worked. VCA was only after money. $800 dollars for an exam and 1 x-ray. Told me to euthanize him and in the same sentence told me about all the add ons of cremating my dog, placards, etc etc, just a bunch of BS to make more money. I still hadn't processed the euthanizing part. It was really a gross display of greed and insensitivity. If I had listened to that vet, I would of put my dog down and paid for it. Thank God he gave us out instincts to trust.

Years ago I left my veterinarian clinic when they sold to VCA. Why? Because the fees were drastically increased. Then I found a veterinarian I really liked. That veterinarian moved t the VCA clinic I had left. I think I get the best care possible from this veterinarian.

A few years ago I started getting notices for a semi-annual physical examination. Yes, SEMI-annual. I don't do that for myself.

Recently I got a quote for teeth cleaning (with blood tests) for around $1, 000. That's more than $200 than last year.

Sorry, but as much as I really like my veterinarian, the fees are something I think is too much.

My son recently took his pet to vca animal hospital in lakeland, ca. It was the worst thing he could have done. The staff is horrible. Would not explain what was wrong or course of treatment, when asked to speak to a licensed vet, no response. Refused to provide information on who treated his dog. Initially quoted $400, billed over $7k. They refused to allow him to take his dog somewhere else, when he told them he was on his way to pick up his dog, they told him his dog suffered seizures and had to be resuscitated but would have to be euthanized. Horrible! My daughter and her husband had to intervene. Our family is talking with a number of law firms to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of all pet owners who have had their pets treated at any vca animal hospital. If you have a horror story to share about your experience with vca animal hospital, please contact me asap at [protected]@gmail.com

I took my dog in for emergency care at the VCA Regional Institute for Veterinary Emergencies and Referrals on 09/19/2020. I was required to pay $5700 upfront for services needed including emergency surgery which I paid in cash. I picked up my dog on 09/21/2020 and was told that they owed me a refund for $1126.43 and that since I paid in cash that I would be mailed a check. That was over 2 weeks ago and I have not received my refund. I talked to the office manager at that location and she told me that apparently it has to go through their corporate office in California (my location is Chattanooga, TN). I was never told this when I picked up my pet. She called the corporate office to look into my refund status. According to her not only has my check not been mailed, it hasn't even been signed yet! I also tried calling the corporate office myself and kept being transferred to leave a voice message which I did not want to do but eventually left a message. I have not heard back from that yet.

This is completely unacceptable. I was required to pay $5700 on the spot before my pet would be treated so why shouldn't they be able to give me my refund on the spot?! This complaint is not about the veterinary care that my pet received. His care was exceptional and I have no complaints about that or the cost. My problem is with how business was conducted. I want what they owe me now!

We originally brought our dog in to address issues with her coordination on July 8th, 2019. The attending neurologist was Dr. Casey Berkel and nurse Denise Young. The recommendation was an MRI and a Spinal Fluid sample would be taken to determine the cause of her health issues. After examining the MRI, Dr. Berkel believed the issue was an autoimmune disease affecting the right side of her brain, but the spinal fluid sample would determine 100%. We took her home after a long day and waited to hear back regarding the sample.

When the call came, the Doctor informed us they had misplaced her spinal fluid sample stating that they were very sorry and gave us a refund. Obviously an MRI and Spinal Fluid extraction is very taxing and not something we can just go back and get done again. She assured us from the MRI that it was indeed an autoimmune disease, but we never got the peace of mind that we would've received from the sample. We don't care about the money, we care about her getting the proper diagnosis and treatment that she needs, and this is unacceptable, but we continued with treatment.

As the steroid dosage started to taper off, we noticed changes in her condition, she was suddenly unable to jump on the couch.

September 26th - We scheduled an appointment with Dr. Berkel who did a neuro exam and advised us not to change the steriod dosage as she did fine during the exam. She failed to mention the chances of relapse/warning signs to look out for and prescribed Gabapentin for the pain.

September 28th - Her condition did not improve. We called to see if we could bring Bella in for an emergency appointment, and we were told she could only be seen by an ER doctor.

October 1st - Her condition was worsening. She stayed up all night panting and shaking. We called again and the Nurse told us to increase the dosage of pain medication (Gabapentin).

October 2nd - Her condition continued to get worse. We called AGAIN and got the same answer to increase the dosage of Gabapentin. When we argued with the nurse, asking her to address the REASON this is happening and not to only focus on managing the pain is when she contacted Dr. Berkel and advised us we could slowly increase her steroid dosage.

As her condition worsened, she yelped in pain any time anyone came close to her. We fed her water with a spoon and food by hand. We held her while she peed/pooped outside and she stopped eating. We sat up all night with her while she was panting, shaking, and clearly in discomfort from pain. All of these symptoms were addressed during our calls and we were advised to give Gabapentin every time. We even took her to our vet twice, and we took her to a Animal Chiropractor throughout this whole mess and they would redirect us to the Neuro who clearly did not help.

We rushed her to a different ER at 4 AM on October 3rd, and they contacted the neurologist. At that point, she could no longer stand. She is now on a more aggressive dosage of steroids and additional meds due to her relapse. The neurologist there advised us what to look out for (i.e. small signs such as not being able to jump on the couch).

It goes without saying that we will NEVER be returning to VCA. Even when we called on October 2nd, not once did Dr. Berkel ask us to come in for a follow up examination, and we have not heard anything from them since. It was so hard to watch Bella get worse day by day, and no one wanted to help or felt the need to ask us to bring her in. We still have not heard anything from her doctors since.

The workers ken and Aaron at the vca sawmill animal hospital location in Ohio treat animals with poor respect. They yell at animals and are sometimes physically abusive. They punch cages and scream at their coworkers and provide a harmful and toxic environment. Animals will become terrified to be in our kennel and the other kennel workers are terrified to work with Aaron. Aaron will yell at his supervisor violently. Ken and Aaron will both yell at animals unnecessarily man many times. Ken has hit and thrown animals in many many situations and I think that is not what an animal hospital should represent.