Western Trails Veterinary Hospital

It did not go well. We received conflicting advise from the two vets we received advise from. One from the vet that saw him and another opinion, which was vastly different, from the on-call vet the following day when we called after hours. This left us confused and upset. There were life or death decisions being made and who to trust? There was no meeting of the minds to determine what was best but instead they pushed a half dozen meds and an over-dose ultimately killed our pet despite several distress cries that were ignored detailing specific conditions know to be caused by too high a dose of this specific medication. This was confirmed on his death bed following a blood test and explained to us by the third vet we dealt with who suggested that he might have need a much smaller dose.. Blood levels that should have taken weeks to normalize, were normal in a few days, or just a single day due to the doseage. The high dose caused him to become completely immobile, unable to eat or even able to recognize his water bowl or have the energy to lift his head to drink. Consequently, we lost our pet. This place may be good for shots and simple medical care situations but taking our pet here was a mistake we will never forgive ourselves for.

Our cat was diagnosed with a hyperthyroid condition on a Monday and given a good prognosis. On Tuesday evening we called the on-call vet in distress as he was still not eating despite being on two meds to induce hunger. The on-call vet suggested a feeding-tube as it was dangerous to allow a cat to not eat for more than a few days. We followed her advise and took him back in on Wednesday to see the vet and discuss his not eating. We were told that he would be fine and that cats could go weeks without eating. To make us feel comfortable they gave him about a quarter teaspoon of food mixed with water (and told us to do the same several times a day). While there we questioned one of the doses for a med he took (and threw up afterwards that our pharmacist though was too high a dose) and were told, with a defensive attitude for having even questioned, that it was an appropriate amount. We continued with the med as advised. As it turned out, he was given a very high dose of another med, a hyperthyroid med, which killed at high does caused abdominal distress (how was he going to want to eat?). Did we dare question? No. In hindsight, we should have taken him to the feline vet practice in Albuquerque or to an emergency hospital but we held our trust that they knew what they were doing. They were over-medicated our beloved cat and despite taking him in with the symptoms of being over-medicated (listless and out of it to the point where he didn't recognize us) he was sent home with a positive prognoses. This med was supposed to take a few weeks to get his levels back to normal (as explained to us by the on-call vet) but within a day or two he had already been over-dosed (the levels were normal when tested the day he died). A few days later when he was so obviously out of it and could not even recognize his water fountain or bowl, we took him back for a third visit (within one week) and were told by the attending vet that he was given too high a dose of the hyperthyroid medication (he was hyper and the meds "caused him to go in the other direction" - a direct quote) and had but five days to live as he was in renal failure. We could take him home and watch him suffer or return within the five days to put him down. We made the decision to not allow him to experience any more pain. Upon relaying our decision we were told that we had to immediately decide on an urn for his ashes (while we were in shock and heartbroken). The vet suggested that we bury our boy at home as time was running out and they were closing. I watched my husband bury our fur baby in the hot sun with tears streaming down his face because they were too callous to allow us a moment to gather our thoughts once informed that he was dying and there was nothing they could do. We are now taking his sibling to a feline only practice in Albuquerque and using a holistic vet in Tijeras for dietary recommendations. As our vet of 15 years died a few a years ago we were at a loss for a local vet) and unfortunately didn't look up the qualifications of the the vets here (not the best resumes for feline care) prior to taking him as we had an emergency situation and time was of the essence. Never let any time lapse when your vet moves or unfortunately dies as it can cost you the life of your beloved family member. A very hard lesson learned for us. As though we were not in enough distress, the last words my dear sweet Stormy heard, were "I am sorry Shadow" as the vet failed to even make herself aware of his name. I must mention that the vet that saw him on the two previous visits was very sweet and caring and did call us prior to leaving to inform us that everyone knew about Storm should there be need to bring him in while she was away. The attending vet knew nothing of his case and asked us if he was a "barn cat" not knowing that he was an indoor kitty that was the heart of our home and the love of our lives. This horror has caused us so much distress and now, weeks later we live with the pain of the poor decisions we made in not having found a reliable vet once our vet died, and in trusting the unknown. Please learn from our mistakes. A few days following his death we received a card signed by every member of their team, not a condolence card, or an apology, but a thank you card for making them our new vets. How someone could be so callous and careless is beyond me. We did, three weeks later, receive a condolence card less the signatures of the vets that saw him but at least, weeks in hindsight someone had the decency to think of us and to whomever that was, we do thank you.

Not well. Ordered and paid for blood tests upfront as well as pain medication only to have to -fight- to get them to help my horse. They held the blood results hostage and I never recieved a receipt for what I know I paid. Unfortunately, the next Saturday I lost a very good horse and in some ways she was my best friend. Had I gitten the blood results I paid for I might have been able to help her. I would -never- use any of the vets at this establishment. They don't care for an animal's best interest and seem to care about money more than anything. Do. Not. Use!

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My cat needed his teeth cleaned and during the cleaning it was found that he needed 2 teeth removed. The teeth were removed and he sent home with easy to understand recovery instructions. Dr Thornton did the cleaning and she has done the majority of my pets care. The care my pets receive from Dr Thornton is always outstanding and professional. The rest of the personnel are professional & compassionate. I would recommend them to anyone.

I was stuck in a room with my three dogs for quite a while before the technician came in which stressed out my dogs.She did not give me all the info necessary for me to choose the right test for my dogs for heart worm meds.,thus costing me twice what it should have.
This was also a follow up visit for one of my dogs who had an ear infection.The new vet's poor judgement for the first visit,in which she advised I only treat one ear, resulted in my dog having to take a second round of medication(also doubling the expense, stress on my dog and recovery time) as the infection spread to the other ear.By the way,it was 45 minutes before i actually saw her.Previous vets had quite rightly told me to treat both ears as infections often spread.believing her to know her business I followed her instructions.
I also found the vets treatment of my dogs to be very impersonal and without affection.Not required,i know,but always appreciated.
I will not be back!

We came in with a scary emergency, and left feeling that Sampson, our St. Bernard, had the best care possible.  Dr. Thornton's receptionist didn't hesitate at all to say "bring him in" when we called, and never hinted at all that they wouldn't  have time to see him.  Dr. Thornton kept us informed the whole visit, and we were pleasantly surprised with the final bill (especially due to the emergency visit)...very affordable.  We left feeling at ease, and the following week, we received two follow-up phone calls from Dr. Thornton personally (including a get-well card for Sampson).  Many thanks to her and her entire staff, everyone there is great!!  We have officially made her our vet for our 3 dogs.