ComplaintsforAnimal Rescue Coalition, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my dog Lyla to Animal Rescue Coalition on 1/7/22 for a routine spay. The clinic's procedure is to drop off pets at 8am and to pick up at 4pm. When I came to pick up Lyla she was pale and had labored breathing and was extremely weak so much that she collapsed on her way to my car. Lyla was brought back in to an exam room. 15 minutes later, Dr.E******* and the clinic's director took me in an office to inform me that Lyla was bleeding internally and needed to be transported to an emergency animal hospital for immediate surgery. Shocked and confused I asked why they couldn't manage the situation at the clinic. I was told they do not have blood products or transfuse blood at the clinic. Had Lyla been observed in the post-operative period, Lyla's bleeding could have been diagnosed and addressed quickly. Instead, I was forced to take my dying dog 30 minutes across town in rush hour traffic to have another surgery to save her life. When I arrived to Suncoast Veterinary Hospital, the staff was not provided any forewarning that we were coming. ARC did not call ahead to prepare them and provide the details of Lyla's condition (as they said they would). Treatment was therefore delayed in order to call in a surgeon to evaluate and reopen Lyla. After stabilizing Lyla with blood transfusions, the surgeon, Dr. Y**** performed a second surgery on Lyla to locate and stop the source of the bleeding. According to Dr. Y****, the artery at the ovarian pedicle was not tied completely and Lyla was most likely bleeding from the time she came of the surgical table at ARC. Lyla spent the night in the ICU for continuous monitoring and additional blood transfusions. I expect ARC and DR. E******* to accept responsibility for what happened to Lyla as well as reimburse the $6316.95 I incurred for the additional treatment required to save Lyla's life. Please see attached documents.

  Business response

  04/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2022/04/07) */ Please see attached pdf file which provides ARC's response and supporting documentation. Consumer Response /* (3000, 18, 2022/05/12) */ April 14, 2022 Re: BBB case #XXXXXXXX Dear Ms. Y*********, This complaint submission to the BBB is not specifically about competence but more importantly relates to the customer service I received as a consumer of The Animal Rescue Coalition. My concern about this business is valid and should be shared with any future potential consumers of this business. First, I was not offered the courtesy to speak to the operating veterinarian prior to Lyla's surgery and was unaware of his concern regarding her prior surgeries, weight, or breed. If Lyla's risks were beyond the skill level of the operating surgeon or greater than the clinics ability to perform the procedure safely, both Dr. E******* and/or the facility should have informed me of such and declined to perform the routine spay. I signed two consent forms, one in advance when surgery was scheduled and the second consent (High risk waiver) I was offered on arrival by the reception staff with the explanation that this consent was authorizing the initiation of an IV for Lyla as a precautionary measure because of her breed. (If you notice on the form nothing is checked, please see attached) I was never told that Lyla was "high risk" at that time or that the facility was unable to safely do her surgery. I never had any conversation especially not one regarding risk with Dr. E******* prior to Lyla's surgery Secondly, upon my return to pick up Lyla at 4:30, it was apparent that she had not been observed during her recovery phase as she was in a state of physiological shock and literally collapsed in front of my eyes. According to the surgical record her procedure began at 1043 (surgical end time is NOT recorded, please see attached surgical record). This equates to several hours wherein Lyla was actively bleeding, and it was not recognized or treated by the staff. In the documents provided by ARC in this correspondence the recovery room documentation stating Lyla's vital signs or condition during this phase of her surgery is not present. Is this an oversight or is there No written documentation stating she was being monitored during this phase? Also, important to note, from the post operative summary, Dr. E******* did not state that he encountered any complications regarding Lyla's prior mentioned "risks". Her "risks" were NOT a factor associated with her surgical outcome but rather the direct result of having bled close to a liter of blood into her abdomen due to incomplete ligation of the uterine pedicle. (See attached document from Suncoast, "the ligation suture was present but was not completely restricting blood flow." and only a single suture is noted not double like written in Dr E*******'s note) As stated in ARC's letter they perform up to 30 spay/neuters per day. The questions become, how can they safely operate on, and subsequently assess, monitor that many animals and intervene and treat emergencies as they arise in a timely, efficient manner and more importantly what is their protocol when emergencies arise? Next, when the staff took Lyla back to be evaluated by Dr. E******* and she was noted to be in a critical state, I was told by both the surgeon and the clinic's director that the clinic did not have the equipment, supplies, staff, or skill to handle such an emergency and I needed to take her to another clinic. They refused to treat the exact problem they created. In addition, they had No protocol or procedure in place to address emergent transfers to other facilities. I had to take my dying dog 30 minutes across down to an emergency animal hospital. I was dismissed to handle this myself. In addition, the Animal Rescue Coalition staff failed to alert the receiving clinic of Lyla's arrival and condition, and this is in turn led to a delay in her surgery upon my arrival to Suncoast Animal Clinic. They verbally stated to me that ARC did not call to let them know I was coming. Surgery (the only life-saving treatment for Lyla's condition) was further delayed to call in the surgeon. It was only after the arrival and evaluation of Lyla to Suncoast did the director of ARC or Dr E******* reach out to Suncoast for an update on Lyla's condition. (See attached notes from Suncoast). Finally, I incurred a very unexpected additional cost ($6316.95) for Lyla's routine spay that should never occurred. Neither ARC nor Dr E******* accepted responsibility for what happened to Lyla or offered any compensation for the enormous cost of the emergency surgery. ( Attached receipt from Suncoast) In summary, because of the above stated reasons, consumers should be made aware of my experience so they can make an informed decision regarding seeking services at this facility. I respectfully request that the complaint remain as well as the additional expense incurred for the emergency surgery at Suncoast be reimbursed by ARC and/or its Designated operating veterinarian, Dr E*******. Kindly, ******* ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩