Whispering Pines Pet Clinic

"The member requested the urinalysis and recheck examination (it is actually our policy to charge for a full exam when a patient presents with a new problem but we gave this client a break and only charged half price) and signed an estimate stating the full costs involved before anything was done. Furthermore, our receptionist discussed all of the charges on the estimate prior to the member signing it, including the recheck exam. During the phone call with Rich referenced by the member, the member threatened to write a bad review online if she was not credited the recheck exam fee, which she obviously did. And for the record, the puppy classes are held not only in our wooded and shady parking lot, but also behind the clinic where we have 8 fenced in wooded acres, but the member wouldn't know this because she only attended one class and apparently complained so much that another classmate had to tell her to be quiet."

"Fortunately, Angie's List allows medical providers to respond to false accusations like these. However, I do not believe this is the correct forum for The Member's post; if The Member thinks we did something wrong I invite her to complain to the California Veterinary Medical Board and they can make a decision after reviewing her medical records. Making false claims in a public forum such as this is spiteful and potentially libelous, as people reading it do not have all of the facts and may make incorrect assumptions about our practice. Unfortunately, I am limited as to the specifics of The Member's case under the privacy laws, so I will attempt to explain as much as I can in generalizations, and note that I am only responding to the Member's comments in defense of her accusations directed against me and my practice. First, The Member has incorrectly stated the standard procedure for initial diabetes treatment. The standard procedure for initial diabetes treatment, according to the main veterinary endocrinology textbook (Feldman and Nelson, Canine and Feline Endocrinology and Reproduction, 2nd. Ed., P. 363) is "...newly diagnosed dogs and cats are typically hospitalized for no more than 24-48 hours...to begin insulin therapy" and "the objective during this first visit is NOT to establish perfect glycemic control...." Second, The Member misstates the amount of insulin recommended; it was not 5cc as that would probably be a fatal dose. Typical doses are more along the lines of 0.05cc. Third, The Member's assertion that the cat developed stomatitis after the diabetes is incorrect by approximately 4 years, as evidenced by the medical records. Fourth, we typically recommend oral prednisone for stomatitis because injections of long-acting steroids could lead to diabetes. This point was discussed at length with The Member, as it is with every cat owner who wants injectible steroids, so as to ensure the owner's understanding of this point before we give the injection. Further, whenever there are concurrent diseases in a diabetic cat, we discuss the fact that steroids adversely affect glucose regulation repeatedly with the owners and always recommended other options for treating diseases such as stomatitis. Finally, with regard to the accusation that our office values money more than proper procedure or practice, this statement is completely false. I am an American Board of Veterinary Practitioners double Board Certified Specialist in Canine and Feline Practice and Avian Practice. I, along with each member of my staff, strive to give the utmost care to our clients' pets. My recommendations usually do not only meet “standard, proper procedure,” it almost always exceeds the current standard of care for veterinary medicine. Every time we recommend diagnostics or a course of treatment to a client, we provide a detailed estimate of costs first. Clients with complex cases can therefore get quite a few estimates over the course of treatment. If the client declines any portion of the recommended work, they are required to acknowledge this in writing, as was the case with The Member here. We focus on giving a higher standard of care for our clients' animals, and are strong believers in clients getting an accurate estimate of the recommended work."