ComplaintsforAnimal Emergency Clinic of St Petersburg

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my cat to this clinic for an eye problem. She was given an antibiotic injection and I purchased a tube of ointment for her eyes. On two occasions I asked for help because I could not get the ointment in my cats eyes. I was told today that the vet wanted me to watch ******* videos on how to handle the cat and if necessary I should manhandle the cat to get the ointment.in her eyes. This tube of ointment cost me $64.30 probably two or three times the real purchase price. Seems to me that they should refund the cost of that very expensive very small tube of ointment. As for advising me to watch ******* videos that was about as useful as the comment about manhandling my cat.

  Business response

  09/15/2023

  On August 17th, 2023, our clinic saw patient "*****" Rye for a two-day history of coughing, lethargy, and eye discharge. After exam and consultation, we recommended treating ***** for an upper respiratory infection and conjunctivitis. An estimate was provided to the owner and signature of approval obtained and on file. "*****" was treated with an antibiotic injection and discharged home with an antibiotic ophthalmic ointment. ******* contacted us the morning of 08/18/2023 to let us know that ***** was eating again, but still having eye discharge. We explained the eye discharge may take longer to resolve than overnight, but continue the eye medication and contact us if still no improvement in one-to-two days. ******* stated that she could not apply the ointment to the cats eyes by herself and needed her friend to help her. We reiterated the importance of daily administration and *********************** up on us. ******* contacted us again on 08/19/2023 stating she simply could not administer the eye ointment. We offered a recheck visit to administer a dose for her and show her how to administer the medication. She declined bringing ***** back in. We did tell ******* that there are informative ******* videos which demonstrate how to properly administer medication with minimal stress to the animal. This upset ******* and she started asking about euthanasia costs. ******* was advised that we would not euthanize ***** over an eye infection that could be treated with ointment. ******* stated that she "cannot do this" and hung up. ******* then emailed us with the subject "You Suck!" and the contents reading: "I would have paid to get some help for my cat but instead I got told to watch videos on *******.  Is that what veterinary schools teach nowadays.  I have always managed to get good care and compassionate care from a vet.  Unfortunately I think if there was one at this place he must have been a robot."  ******* then left us a negative review on ****** emphasizing that we recommended *******. 
  
  ******* is no longer a client at our hospital and account has been marked as we are not to see her pets anymore. In our review of the medical record and communication record with *******, we have determined a refund of any fees paid is not indicated. 
  
  Sincerely, 
  St. Petersburg Animal Hospital & Urgent Care
  Management Team

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my dog Stitch in to be seen 7/26/22. I was proved with a prescription and paid in full. They came back in and gave me a refund due to not having the medication I paid for. They gave me what they had of the medicine and a prescription to order the remainder. The websites proved (1800petmeds, chewy.com, and petrx) did not offer the medication. I called back on 7/28/22 and was spoken to very rudely by the staff. She wouldn't provide her name and had no regard for my dog in that I only wanted further instruction due to his pain level. She hung up on me and when I called back she was yelling and stated that the veterinarian will not service my pet any further and I needed to contact another animal clinic and divine the call again. My poor French bulldog is shaking in pain and we didn't deserve this treatment. 😢 beware of this animal hospital. This was an extremely poor treatment experience. I only requested further instruction or a new script until my pets X-ray next week.

  Business response

  09/15/2022

  Patient was presented to our hospital on July 26th, 2022 at 5:00pm for apparent back pain. Our doctor on staff recommended x-rays, which were declined by pet owner due to the cost. A medication was recommended to control the pain symptoms. Client did pay for this medication at that time, unfortunately, after collecting payment our staff realized we did not have an adequate supply to dispense. We refunded the full cost of the medication immediately, and then dispensed a small amount at no charge to provide patient comfort through the night. We offered to have the owner come back and pick up the full course of medication once it was back in stock. The owner requested a written prescription. We provided a written prescription and explicitly advised the owner that they would need to get this medication from a compounding pharmacy and provided names or any compounding pharmacy of choice. The owner looked for this medication on other on-line pharmacies and could not find it due to the category of the medication.
  
  
  We attempted to contact the owner on 07/28/2022 at 1:00pm via phone to follow-up on the case as is our standard procedure. Owner did not answer this phone call. We left a message asking to call back to give us an update.
  
  
  The owner called back on 07/28/2022 at 7:20pm and was noticeably upset and demonstrated this verbally to our receptionists because she could not find this medication online. She made accusations to our staff of animal cruelty, demanded to speak to the doctor at once, and informed us in a verbally abusive manner that she would file an online complaint against us. Our receptionists are instructed to not take any verbal abuse from clients. Based on our behavioral expectations of clients, our receptionist told owner that she would pass the message onto the doctor, and then disconnected the phone call. After ending the conversation the owner continued to call the office repeatedly with verbally abusive dialogue towards our staff. 
  
  
  On 07/28/2022 at 8:05pm, the doctor on duty called owner and offered to fulfill the original prescription as it was now back in stock. Our doctor offered to finish the diagnostic work-up for pet in order to fulfill his obligation to the client. Owner declined any further treatment or testing and told our doctor that her pet was doing better with the few doses of medication she received on 07/27/2022. The pet owner was then advised that due to her behavior towards our staff, she was no longer welcomed as a client at our hospital. 
  
  

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