Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital P.A.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/13) */
We have delivered a letter to Mrs.*** apologizing for the miscommunication that has caused her concern about the care of her pet Dash while boarding with usWe have also included a check for a FULL refund of her charges and a copy of the
medical records so that she could see that Dash was being well observed and that staff was monitoring his voiding to ensure he was healthyWE had even arranged for an ultrasound at no additional charge if Dash did not urinate by the end of the business day (he did and it was not necessary, but a Doctor made that decision)Our boarding patients have a vet assistant and a vettechnician and a Doctor assigned to them if they have any issuesWE take customer service seriously and we strive to be the best and feel by communicating that her pet did not urinate "All Day" it was perceived that he hadn't urinated in hours which was not the case, but certainly we understand how that would worry an ownerWe also feel that there was some delay and confusion in the drop off and pick up of her dog and we are very sorry about thatThose wait times also were not accurately dealt with which led Mrs*** to worry about Dash's careWe are now giving owners a print out of their medical records of the stay in our hospital if they would like so they can actually see who and when their pet was fed and taken out and if they ate and voided is recorded as wellWe will try to include that below so you can see that Dash was taken out for walks and only times did not urinateWe are hopeful that by giving these records and communicating better we will avoid future misunderstanding and give our clients and the service they deserveWe feel that by communicating better MrsDash would have been reassured that indeed there were many people caring for Dash and that he was being well taken care ofThe letter below was what was delivered by hand by DrA*** but no one was home so it was left between the front doors and a phone call was made to let the *** know it was deliveredWe sincerely hope that after years of service without incident with the *** they will understand that this was not a care issue but a communication issue and that we would like to reassure them and win back their trustWe feel that and criticism is constructive and we will definitely learn from this
Below is the letter delivered :
Dear *** ***,
I am so sorry I have not responded sooner to your complaintI feel terrible about your las experience at Inver Grove Heights Animal HospitalWe have been honored to care for your pets for over years and hope to gain back you confidence in the care we provide
I have included the boarding records for DashI have been unable to find out why Dash did not have a reservation for his stay with us and I am sorry if my staff was less than anxious to make room for himWe only board a small number of animals so that we can provide the best care possibleDash did urinate every day during his stay with usWe do exercise them several times daily outside which most boarding facilities do notReview of his records show he chose not to urinate 4/times that we exercised him outsideThis is fairly common for dogs when they are in a boarding facility for the first timeThis is not neglect, I feel he was just not accustomed to this situationIt was not his yard and you were not with him
We took the extra effort to leash him and walked him outside several times, but on of the walks he chose not to urinateWe did not see this as a medical problem, we felt it was his lack of familiarity with the boarding environmentWe did have him scheduled for a doctor to do a bladder ultrasound to rule out a medical problem, but then he voluntarily urinatedWhen my staff informed you he hadn't urinated all day, that was true, but he urinated that nightWhen he was discharged it appears he was very happy to be able to go with your brother-inlawI hope and assume his frequency of urinating resolved on its own
Please be assured we did not lose Dash in our hospitalThe discharge delay was due to a longer than lusual phone call that the receptionist took during the check out procedure, as well as our staff accumulating Dash's belongings
I am sorry for this miscommunication which led you to believe he hadn't urinated enoughWe understand that proper communication is the key and we certainly have learned and will strive to better explain events so they are interpreted correctly and arenot cause for concern
I fear my staff erred on offering information in a way that made you feel Dash wasn't properly cared for which in reality he was being monitored very closely and was being walked and observed by manyWe are happy to refund your entire boarding fee because we care that we did not meet your expectations and we have learned from our mistakesWe will also now give the boarding sheet history to our clients so they can see when their pets were taken out, exercised, given medications, what they ate and if they voidedI think this will help you and our other clients to know that their pets are being well cared for and observed closely
Thank you for bringing this to our attention We are happy to discuss this further if you would like and would appreciate the opportunity to prove to you we take caring for Dash and all pets seriously and can learn and improve
Sincerely,
Dr*** *** and the entire staff
I am trying to figure out how to include the medical records and can send them if desired
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/11/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Dr*** was very kind and went out of her way to resolve our complaint
+