California Veterinary Specialists, Inc.

This place is a ripoff. Great Dane went in for a GDV Gastric Dilitation Volvulus emergency treatment costing $5,500 which is on the high side of cost in the first place. 2 days after the surgery she ended up with Sepsis and the Vet then said it would cost another $7,000 to $10,000 to treat the Sepsis. So she went in for one issue and ended up being euthanized for Sepsis, which I believe was caused by unsanitary conditions in the first place that can only be the VCA CVS of Ontario's fault. On top of that, after the $5,500 bill, I still had to pay another $225.00 for the cremation.
This place has no heart. They are only interested in the money.
Never, never will use them again. Staff is totally uncaring.

Dear Ms***,I am sorry that your experience with California Veterinary Specialists was not as anticipatedWe try our best to provide exceptional care to each and every client that comes in our doorsI note that we saw your baby, ***, last month on an emergency visitAll of our emergency
visits have a consultation fee of $95, which is what you were chargedThis charge is for the doctor to examine the patient as well as give you recommendations for treatmentWe recommended a series of different diagnostic testing as *** was very sick Because you had declined all recommendations provided, Dr*** discharged *** against medical advise as he was very ill and he felt *** would continue to get worse overnight without appropriate medical careYou were provided an estimate for care Dr*** was recommending as *** would need to be in our hospital for at least daysOnce this medical care was declined, you were only charged the $consultation fee as all our clients are charged when coming to our practice for the first time. I am very sorry for any confusion and if you were not explained about this fee at the time of check in I hope *** is doing well at homeI welcome further discussion by phone should you wish. Regards,*** ***, CVPMCalifornia Veterinary SpecialistsPractice Manager***

I am rejecting this response because: The response is canned & insultingIt sounds like every other response to negative feedback they've gotten on many review sites. This is as much about CVS's business practice of not disclosing costs until you have already paid them; their practice of not itemizing charges, of charging to times as much for drugs & supplies as any other veterinary service, & not making the customer aware of any of this until the bill is already paid, which is all despicable$for one fentanyl patch?? Which costs $at any pharmacy? Really?? And that's only the beginning. It also has to do with the rude, arrogant, cocky behavior of the veterinarian, Bissonnette, who rudely & insultingly informed me of how good the procedure is "for his bank account," when I had to perform financial gymnastics in order to be able to get the surgery for my dogAnd DO NOT tell me, "he was joking." You do NOT get to joke about my dog's life or the money you are having so much "fun" making while my dog was under your careReprehensible, unfeeling, arrogant behavior I would never expect of someone who purports to be a caring medical professional. Shameful & distasteful. There are no words to describe Bissonnette's (I'm reluctant to call such a person a doctor) behavior. And don't hide behind "you knew there were risks," because YOU also knew there were risks but managed to avoid telling me what type of rehabilitation I should be doing, or for that matter any postop care other than wound careStop blaming the victims of your rapacious business practicesI was told, and I quote, "they lose [muscle mass] quickly, but they gain it quickly too." That was the entire education I got on what to look out for postoperatively, and it was wholly inadequate. Your response is a non-response and believe me when I tell you that I'm going to add it to all my reviews of CVS everywhere on the internet.*** ** ***

I am rejecting this response because: The response is canned & insultingIt sounds like every other response to negative feedback they've gotten on many review sites. This is as much about CVS's business practice of not disclosing costs until you have already paid them; their practice of not itemizing charges, of charging to times as much for drugs & supplies as any other veterinary service, & not making the customer aware of any of this until the bill is already paid, which is all despicable$for one fentanyl patch?? Which costs $at any pharmacy? Really?? And that's only the beginning. It also has to do with the rude, arrogant, cocky behavior of the veterinarian, Bissonnette, who rudely & insultingly informed me of how good the procedure is "for his bank account," when I had to perform financial gymnastics in order to be able to get the surgery for my dogAnd DO NOT tell me, "he was joking." You do NOT get to joke about my dog's life or the money you are having so much "fun" making while my dog was under your careReprehensible, unfeeling, arrogant behavior I would never expect of someone who purports to be a caring medical professional. Shameful & distasteful. There are no words to describe Bissonnette's (I'm reluctant to call such a person a doctor) behavior. And don't hide behind "you knew there were risks," because YOU also knew there were risks but managed to avoid telling me what type of rehabilitation I should be doing, or for that matter any postop care other than wound careStop blaming the victims of your rapacious business practicesI was told, and I quote, "they lose [muscle mass] quickly, but they gain it quickly too." That was the entire education I got on what to look out for postoperatively, and it was wholly inadequate. Your response is a non-response and believe me when I tell you that I'm going to add it to all my reviews of CVS everywhere on the internet.*** ** ***

Dear Ms***,I am sorry that your experience with California Veterinary Specialists was not as anticipatedWe try our best to provide exceptional care to each and every client that comes in our doorsI note that we saw your baby, ***, last month on an emergency visitAll of our emergency
visits have a consultation fee of $95, which is what you were chargedThis charge is for the doctor to examine the patient as well as give you recommendations for treatmentWe recommended a series of different diagnostic testing as *** was very sick Because you had declined all recommendations provided, Dr*** discharged *** against medical advise as he was very ill and he felt *** would continue to get worse overnight without appropriate medical careYou were provided an estimate for care Dr*** was recommending as *** would need to be in our hospital for at least daysOnce this medical care was declined, you were only charged the $consultation fee as all our clients are charged when coming to our practice for the first time. I am very sorry for any confusion and if you were not explained about this fee at the time of check in I hope *** is doing well at homeI welcome further discussion by phone should you wish. Regards,*** ***, CVPMCalifornia Veterinary SpecialistsPractice Manager***

Dear ***, We are so sorry your experience at our hospital was not to your expectationsIt is our priority with every patient to make sure they have the best experience possible. As explained to you, there are complications with every surgery and even though this is a surgery we perform
often with good results, nothing is guaranteed. I would be happy to discuss this further with you at your convenienceMy phone number is ###-###-#### Regards, *** ***, CVPM VCA California Veterinary Specialists #Practice Manager *** ** *** *** *** * Ontario, CA Phone: ###-###-#### Fax: ###-###-#### www.calvetspec.com

Dear [redacted], We are so sorry your experience at our hospital was not to your expectations. It is our priority with every patient to make sure they have the best experience possible.  As explained to you, there are complications with every surgery and even though this is a surgery we perform...

often with good results, nothing is guaranteed.  I would be happy to discuss this further with you at your convenience. My phone number is ###-###-####.           Regards,   [redacted], CVPM VCA California Veterinary Specialists #1144 Practice Manager [redacted] Ontario, CA 91761 Phone: ###-###-#### Fax: ###-###-#### www.calvetspec.com