Golden Valley - Brookview Animal Hospital

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 14, 2015/08/21) */
On July 1, 2015 the client's dog [redacted] was seen at our office by Dr. [redacted]; an independent cardiologist not employed by our organization. the client was not given a written estimate prior to the treatments performed on July 1. Her claim is...

that she was quoted $500 for the cardiologist visit. The charges on that day included the consult and echocardiogram performed by the cardiologist for a total of $625. After that procedure was completed, the client opted to have additional treatments performed that [redacted] was due for (Distemper and bordetella vaccinations and senior blood panel including heartworm testing). The additional treatment totaled $227.65 bringing the total for that day's treatments to $852.55. Though there was not a written estimate for the charges, none of these services would have been performed without the client's permission.
The following day the client's other dog, [redacted], was in our office for a dental procedure. Again, no written estimate was given prior to the procedure nor is there any documentation in our records stating that an exact verbal estimate was given. Dr. [redacted] had seen [redacted] about 2 months earlier and made a note that a thorough oral exam was not possible due to [redacted] not wanting to cooperate. While this is not uncommon, it makes it difficult to speculate as to the severity of the dental disease. Even in a cooperative patient, it is not possible to accurately predict the amount of disease UNDERNEATH the gum line. This is why X-rays are often needed if "pockets" are found by probing around the teeth after cleaning and this is a critical part of the oral exam which can only be done under anesthesia. For this reason we do not give exact quotes. The notes also indicate that due to bad breath, periodontal disease was suspected. In these cases we give the client the base price for a routine dental cleaning and then inform them that depending on what we find during a thorough oral exam, the price goes up from there depending on whether x-rays and extractions are needed. During the procedure, Dr. [redacted] called the client to discuss what was being seen in [redacted]' mouth, what we recommended should be done for him, and what the costs would be for those procedures. In addition to verbally giving permission for Dr. [redacted] to perform the necessary treatments while [redacted] was under anesthesia, the client initialed and signed a document when leaving him with us that stated that she gave us permission to perform any necessary extractions and that she understood there was an additional cost associated with this. The total of the dental procedure which included the general anesthesia, dental cleaning, polishing, thorough oral exam, 10 tooth extractions (5 simple and 5 surgical), six dental x-rays and all necessary medications to help control post-operative pain and treat dental infection was $1112.64. We charge based on the number of extractions and the amount of surgery and pain management required for those extractions. Our regret is that the client's dog [redacted] had advanced periodontal disease and numerous abscessed teeth that we were not able to identify prior to the procedure. We are confident that [redacted] is healthier and in much less pain today due to the extractions we performed. We are also certain that the fees we charge for these procedures are consistent with the going rate and in fact lower than what would have been charged in a dental specialty practice.
The client was contacted by us the day after [redacted]' procedure to see how [redacted] was doing and no mention was made about the bill. She subsequently left two online reviews regarding this situation on July 5, 2015 that we responded to on July 17, 2015 and asked her to contact us to discuss the situation which she did not do. This complaint would have been responded to more quickly, however the complaint was not received by our office until August 18, 2015. We feel that we did our best to inform the client of her options and the cost associated with those treatments and do not feel that a refund is due.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 21, 2015/09/01) */
I had less than 10 days to reply. No one contacted me to discuss the billing.
This vet office always quotes less than the bill. I do not recommend this vet.
Also, the front desk employees are rude and have poor customer service skills. They act as if they are doing you a favor to speak with you. One time when I walked up to the desk, the person made a face and shrugged at me vs asking how she could help me.
Look at the floors at Greenbriar and Golden Valley, they are filthy.
I have changed vets and my new vet has low turnover at the front desk and very friendly employees. Also, they do not charge exorbitant prices.
Thus, while I am NOT satisfied with the response, I do not want to have anything to do with Golden Valley or Greenbriar.