AS
Asia Stokes
Jun 18, 2026
I am only giving 2 stars because the new veterinary technician who checked us in did a great job. I believe her name was Ashley. She was kind, professional, and communicative throughout the visit.
A few days after some water activities, I noticed my Belgian Malinois had developed sores under his training collar. I contacted the trainer to make sure I adjusted the collar correctly moving forward, and because the collar had been exposed to dirty water, I was advised to follow up with my veterinarian regarding wound care. Since my dog was also due for his routine wellness exam, I scheduled an 8:00 a.m. appointment through the app.
I arrived on time and was checked in promptly. By approximately 8:20 a.m., I was still waiting and let the technician know I had another commitment and could not stay indefinitely. At that point, I was advised that, without the veterinarian actually examining my dog, the recommendation was a procedure estimated at over $500 involving sedation, shaving the area, and evaluating the wound to determine whether treatment was needed.
I declined and expressed concern that the veterinarian had not examined my dog in person. The recommendation appeared to be based solely on photographs I had provided. I asked whether a more conservative approach, such as wound care and reassessment if the area failed to improve, could be attempted first. I was told that was not an option.
At approximately 8:40 a.m., the location manager, Jenn, entered the room and explained that the veterinarian was occupied with a sick patient and they did not know when the veterinarian would be available. While I understand emergencies happen, I was disappointed that I had been waiting over 40 minutes without seeing the veterinarian and was being presented with an expensive treatment plan before my dog had even been evaluated.
When I raised concerns about scheduling, I was told the issue was related to the automated scheduling system and that I should not have scheduled the appointment as a wellness visit, despite my dog being due for one. This response was frustrating, as I scheduled the appointment through the options made available to me.
As I was leaving, I was informed there would be no charge because the veterinarian never actually saw my dog. I was then advised to consider changing my dog's prong collar because it was causing the wounds. However, the sores were associated with a training collar after water exposure, not his prong collar.
Unfortunately, this experience also reinforced concerns from a previous visit. During that appointment, I was provided pre-appointment sedation medication for a future nail trim and anal gland expression. I expressed concerns at the time that the dosage did not seem effective, and I was later informed that the dosage instructions provided had been incorrect.
I understand that emergencies and scheduling challenges occur in veterinary medicine. However, recommending an expensive sedated procedure before the veterinarian has personally examined the patient, combined with the extended wait and lack of communication, left me without confidence in the care provided.