Van Aken Pet Hospital

Our policy not to euthanize for convinces is one we take very seriouslyWe do tell all clients when we make appointments we will do an exam first, than if no other path is warranted ( treatment, surgery, medication) we will help with end of lifeThe owner said her dog was diagnosed with cancer last year, we called the other animal hospital she told us she went to, they have no records of an exam that was doneWe offered pain management & advise her surgery would help the dog feel better & have a better quality of lifeShe refused all services and just wanted to euthanizedOur Doctor, declined per our policy, she was charged the exam fee of $dollars and left the clinicWe did advise her if she only wanted to euthanize & not treat then possibly the Human Society or Animal care & control would be her best choice

It is and has been out policy that we do not euthanize pets unless it is medically indicatedThis is explained to all clientsIt is explained when they call to set up appointmentsChris, one of our receptionists, remembers when she received the call for the appointment for DiamondShe distinctly remembers that she told the owner that we would do an exam and it would cost $and then the veterinarian would decide what to do, Chris explained that we would not euthanize a pet for convince or if it was not medically neededWhen I went into the exam room I was met by a very friendly dogShe got up easily from a sitting position and came over to great meThis shows that there is not an arthritis problem, and not a pain issueOn exam there were a few masses in the mammary glands, these tumors are not necessarily malignant and can be easily cured with lumpectomy and ovariohysterectomy (spay)It is a fact that nonspayed female dogs are at significantly higher risk for mammary tumors (Disease Mechanisms in Small Animal Surgery page 84, see also the enclosed handout)Her other dog that had cancer is no proof of anything because there are many types of cancer and she has no information as to what kind of cancer her other dog hadThe owner was never told that there would be a high probability of her dog dying on the tableIn fact she was told the opposite, we would do blood work to the lab so we can make good anesthetic choices, if the lab showed organ malfunction then we would do other optionsThe owner was offered estimates for the lab work and the surgery she declined any attempt to give her an estimateShe declined to have any information as to the procedures we would plan for her dogHer response is full of invalid assumptions as to the extent of the surgeries that would be performed on her petThe owner only wanted me to kill her dogHer dog was not in, my opinion, terminally ill.I tried to get medical records from the veterinarian she said saw her dog and they had never seen her or the dog.Age is not a factor in treatment of a petYou can not equate the age of a dog to a humanMany dogs live to be up towards 19-years old and others don't live as long"age is not a disease"All pets are given the best for pain control for surgical procedures so the recovery is not painful or traumatizingAgain the owner did not want any information on this, I did in fact recommend that she try pain medications at home before her pets surgery but she declined any pain medications for her petI suggested that I did not feel comfortable euthanizing her pet at this point and suggested that if she only wanted euthanasia the humane society or Maricopa Animal Control might be a better place for her to goI performed the Physical exam so that is all she paid forThere is no refund warranted

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The policy to not euthanize was not explained over the phone when my appointment was made. The Doctor at Van Aken confirmed a diagnosis or breast cancer when she examined my dog, even stating it was my fault she had cancer because she had never been spayed (a completely unfounded statement since I had another pitbull get cancer and pass at 10 years old who was spayed). I have another Adult witness and my 12 year old son that will testify to this. The veteranarian recommended an two invasive and extremely painful surgeries ( a spay and removal of her 12 breasts and tumors) on a 13 year old dog (this is comparable to a 91 year old human!) who was already suffering and having black outs. The vet even acknowledged there was a high probability my dog may die on the operating table and there was a good chance the surgeries would not alleviate her pain nor cure her cancer and blackouts. I declined to have my dog suffer through painful and traumatizing procedures. I demand a complete refund of the $42 paid due to the staff not advising me that there was a probability/policy the Vet would not put down my terminally ill, elderly dog, and there being no posted policy of this. Not to mention this was severely traumatizing to our family as Diamond began defecating on herself a 3 days after and passed away in a violent seizure 10 days later.
Regards,
[redacted]

Our policy not to euthanize for convinces is one we take very seriously. We do tell all clients when we make appointments we will do an exam first, than if no other path is warranted ( treatment, surgery, medication) we will help with end of life. The owner said her dog was diagnosed with...

cancer last year, we called the other animal hospital she told us she went to, they have no records of an exam that was done. We offered pain management & advise her surgery would help the dog feel better & have a better quality of life. She refused all services and just wanted to euthanized. Our Doctor, declined per our policy, she was charged the exam fee of $42.00 dollars and left the clinic. We did advise her if she only wanted to euthanize & not treat then possibly the Human Society or Animal care & control would be her best choice.

Our policy not to euthanize for convinces is one we take very seriously. We do tell all clients when we make appointments we will do an exam first, than if no other path is warranted ( treatment, surgery, medication) we will help with end of life. The owner said her dog was diagnosed with...

cancer last year, we called the other animal hospital she told us she went to, they have no records of an exam that was done. We offered pain management & advise her surgery would help the dog feel better & have a better quality of life. She refused all services and just wanted to euthanized. Our Doctor, declined per our policy, she was charged the exam fee of $42.00 dollars and left the clinic. We did advise her if she only wanted to euthanize & not treat then possibly the Human Society or Animal care & control would be her best choice.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The policy to not euthanize was not explained over the phone when my appointment was made. The Doctor at Van Aken confirmed a diagnosis or breast cancer when she examined my dog, even stating it was my fault she had cancer because she had never been spayed (a completely unfounded statement since I had another pitbull get cancer and pass at 10 years old who was spayed). I have another Adult witness and my 12 year old son that will testify to this. The veteranarian recommended an two invasive and extremely painful surgeries ( a spay and removal of her 12 breasts and tumors) on a 13 year old dog (this is comparable to a 91 year old human!) who was already suffering and having black outs. The vet even acknowledged there was a high probability my dog may die on the operating table and there was a good chance the surgeries would not alleviate her pain nor cure her cancer and blackouts. I declined to have my dog suffer through painful and traumatizing procedures. I demand a complete refund of the $42 paid due to the staff not advising me that there was a probability/policy the Vet would not put down my terminally ill, elderly dog, and there being no posted policy of this. Not to mention this was severely traumatizing to our family as Diamond began defecating on herself a 3 days after and passed away in a violent seizure 10 days later.

Regards,

It is and has been out policy that we do not euthanize pets unless it is medically indicated. This is explained to all clients. It is explained when they call to set up appointments. Chris, one of our receptionists, remembers when she received the call for the appointment for Diamond. She distinctly remembers that she told the owner that we would do an exam and it would cost $42 and then the veterinarian would decide what to do, Chris explained that we would not euthanize a pet for convince or if it was not medically needed. When I went into the exam room I was met by a very friendly dog. She got up easily from a sitting position and came over to great me. This shows that there is not an arthritis problem, and not a pain issue. On exam there were a few masses in the mammary glands, these tumors are not necessarily malignant and can be easily cured with lumpectomy and ovariohysterectomy (spay). It is a fact that nonspayed female dogs are at significantly higher risk for mammary tumors (Disease Mechanisms in Small Animal Surgery page 84, see also the enclosed handout). Her other dog that had cancer is no proof of anything because there are many types of cancer and she has no information as to what kind of cancer her other dog had. The owner was never told that there would be a high probability of her dog dying on the table. In fact she was told the opposite, we would do blood work to the lab so we can make good anesthetic choices, if the lab showed organ malfunction then we would do other options. The owner was offered estimates for the lab work and the surgery she declined any attempt to give her an estimate. She declined to have any information as to the procedures we would plan for her dog. Her response is full of invalid assumptions as to the extent of the surgeries that would be performed on her pet. The owner only wanted me to kill her dog. Her dog was not in, my opinion, terminally ill.I tried to get medical records from the veterinarian she said saw her dog and they had never seen her or the dog.Age is not a factor in treatment of a pet. You can not equate the age of a dog to a human. Many dogs live to be up towards 19-20 years old and others don't live as long. "age is not a disease". All pets are given the best for pain control for surgical procedures so the recovery is not painful or traumatizing. Again the owner did not want any information on this, I did in fact recommend that she try pain medications at home before her pets surgery but she declined any pain medications for her pet. I suggested that I did not feel comfortable euthanizing her pet at this point and suggested that if she only wanted euthanasia the humane society or Maricopa Animal Control might be a better place for her to go. I performed the Physical exam so that is all she paid for. There is no refund warranted.

We have been going to Van Akin Pet Hospital for close to 20 years. Dr J[redacted] has a true love of animals. I understand that she has almost 1 of everything at her home. We have taken our ferrets, multiple cats, and a dog to her over the 20 year span. She has had a gentle touch with everyone of them. She has comforted us when the time comes to put our pets to rest. She really is the bomb! We have recommended her to all our friends.

Review: My 12 year old beagle/pitbull mix was diagnosed with cancer last year and over the last couple months has gone down hill, she lost over 20 lbs of muscle and is in pain from arthritis, she also seems to blank out and not even know we are there then snap if we try to pet her when she is in this state (other times when she is lucid she does not do this). We decided it was time to put her down. When I scheduled the appointment they advised me that they would do the exam and then go ahead and put her to sleep. The Dr. came in felt the tumors then told me that it was my fault my dog had breast cancer because she was not spayed. She stated she recommended surgery to remove the numerous tumors, spay her, put her on pain med and hormones on a 12 YEAR OLD DOG. They would need blood work before this that would take two weeks plus x-rays. My dog is miserable and a risk with her snapping (especially since I have children in the house which I clearly expressed this serious risk and concern to both the Vet and Support staff), I asked the Dr what we could do in the mean time and she said just pain meds and hope she would feel better. I asked her what if I did all this and none work and she stated we would cross that bridge when we got there. I asked what if she bites someone and the Dr shrugged her shoulders and stated she would not put down a healthy dog! How is a dog with seriously progressed cancer and having black outs healthy! She refused to put her down unless I paid thousands of dollars in unnecessary and invasive procedures. They just want money and do not care in the least. The Dr charged me for the visit and told me to go to the Human Society.Desired Settlement: I would like am immediate refund of the monies I paid for the Vet Exam. It was never explained to me when I called and made the appointment that there was potential the vet would not euthanize or I would have never gone there. They did not render the promised service

Business

Response:

Our policy not to euthanize for convinces is one we take very seriously. We do tell all clients when we make appointments we will do an exam first, than if no other path is warranted ( treatment, surgery, medication) we will help with end of life. The owner said her dog was diagnosed with cancer last year, we called the other animal hospital she told us she went to, they have no records of an exam that was done. We offered pain management & advise her surgery would help the dog feel better & have a better quality of life. She refused all services and just wanted to euthanized. Our Doctor, declined per our policy, she was charged the exam fee of $42.00 dollars and left the clinic. We did advise her if she only wanted to euthanize & not treat then possibly the Human Society or Animal care & control would be her best choice.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The policy to not euthanize was not explained over the phone when my appointment was made. The Doctor at Van Aken confirmed a diagnosis or breast cancer when she examined my dog, even stating it was my fault she had cancer because she had never been spayed (a completely unfounded statement since I had another pitbull get cancer and pass at 10 years old who was spayed). I have another Adult witness and my 12 year old son that will testify to this. The veteranarian recommended an two invasive and extremely painful surgeries ( a spay and removal of her 12 breasts and tumors) on a 13 year old dog (this is comparable to a 91 year old human!) who was already suffering and having black outs. The vet even acknowledged there was a high probability my dog may die on the operating table and there was a good chance the surgeries would not alleviate her pain nor cure her cancer and blackouts. I declined to have my dog suffer through painful and traumatizing procedures. I demand a complete refund of the $42 paid due to the staff not advising me that there was a probability/policy the Vet would not put down my terminally ill, elderly dog, and there being no posted policy of this. Not to mention this was severely traumatizing to our family as Diamond began defecating on herself a 3 days after and passed away in a violent seizure 10 days later.

Regards,

Business

Response:

It is and has been out policy that we do not euthanize pets unless it is medically indicated. This is explained to all clients. It is explained when they call to set up appointments. Chris, one of our receptionists, remembers when she received the call for the appointment for Diamond. She distinctly remembers that she told the owner that we would do an exam and it would cost $42 and then the veterinarian would decide what to do, Chris explained that we would not euthanize a pet for convince or if it was not medically needed. When I went into the exam room I was met by a very friendly dog. She got up easily from a sitting position and came over to great me. This shows that there is not an arthritis problem, and not a pain issue. On exam there were a few masses in the mammary glands, these tumors are not necessarily malignant and can be easily cured with lumpectomy and ovariohysterectomy (spay). It is a fact that nonspayed female dogs are at significantly higher risk for mammary tumors (Disease Mechanisms in Small Animal Surgery page 84, see also the enclosed handout). Her other dog that had cancer is no proof of anything because there are many types of cancer and she has no information as to what kind of cancer her other dog had. The owner was never told that there would be a high probability of her dog dying on the table. In fact she was told the opposite, we would do blood work to the lab so we can make good anesthetic choices, if the lab showed organ malfunction then we would do other options. The owner was offered estimates for the lab work and the surgery she declined any attempt to give her an estimate. She declined to have any information as to the procedures we would plan for her dog. Her response is full of invalid assumptions as to the extent of the surgeries that would be performed on her pet. The owner only wanted me to kill her dog. Her dog was not in, my opinion, terminally ill.I tried to get medical records from the veterinarian she said saw her dog and they had never seen her or the dog.Age is not a factor in treatment of a pet. You can not equate the age of a dog to a human. Many dogs live to be up towards 19-20 years old and others don't live as long. "age is not a disease". All pets are given the best for pain control for surgical procedures so the recovery is not painful or traumatizing. Again the owner did not want any information on this, I did in fact recommend that she try pain medications at home before her pets surgery but she declined any pain medications for her pet. I suggested that I did not feel comfortable euthanizing her pet at this point and suggested that if she only wanted euthanasia the humane society or Maricopa Animal Control might be a better place for her to go. I performed the Physical exam so that is all she paid for. There is no refund warranted.

Dr J has always been great with the many animals I have brought to her over the past 20 yrs. She's compassionate & honest with the "parents" & our furry babies. I lost 3 of my babies within a yr & a half time frame. They were all very ill for different reasons. You can imagine the amount of debt I aquaried. Dr J & Tony understood my financial issue as well as the pain I was going through. They allowed me to make payments which they normally can't do since they are a low cost vet. Dr J tried everything to save them (with my permission). Even though I owed them money, they never turned me away when I brought in another pet. I highly recommend them. So do my 2 sisters.