PHOENIXVILLE ANIMAL HOSPITAL

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Update as of 7/12/2013: I got a call from the current owner today, Dr. Gallagher. She was very intelligent and apologetic about the situation. She took an incredible amount of time to discuss the situation with me in an academic and emotional way. I was pleased with the discussion but wished it had happened immediately after the diagnosis was made. She listened to me very intently and was amenable to suggestions I posed, such as having some sort of scheduled (weekly. monthly) discussions to go over lessons learned over cases such as this. My satisfaction level improved with Dr. Gallagher taking the time to talk at length with me today. I'm adjusting my overall evaluation slightly and giving an A for professionalism specific to this conversation had today with Dr. Gallagher.

We moved back to this area about 4 years ago and took our pets to the Phoenixville Animal Hospital as the default since that was our closest vet and we want to try and support the local business. I have never been impressed with the interior - it needs some serious updating. 3 years ago when I brought my ailing cat in, the then-owner at the time, also a vet, came in and looked very disparagingly at her and said and quot;Oh she doesn't look goodand quot;, or something to that effect.. there was little compassion in the route he was taking in his diagnosis. That should have been my first red flag.
The bigger problem came 2 weeks ago. We took my elderly dog, 13 years old, a half black lab, half doberman, in because he was acting a bit weird the night before, he was throwing up clear foamy liquid and in the morning he was drinking excessive amounts of water.. like 3 bowls at a time. When we took him into the Phoenixville Animal Hospital, who had been seeing him for the last 3 years, not 1, but 2 of the vets there automatically jumped to the idea that it was a tumor in his belly and that one of the possible courses of action was to put our dog down. Yes he is old and if it were a tumor the surgery to remove it may have been too much. But I forced the issue and we took our dog over to Metropolitan in Audubon for a 2nd diagnosis. They knew even before we arrived with my dog that it could possibly be something else entirely - bloat. Bloat in a dog is when their stomach gets twisted 180 degrees. It is a time critical situation that needs to be addressed asap. Granted the Phoenixville Animal Hospital doesn't seem to have radiology equipment there to get a full diagnosis, but there apparently are other ways to determine if a dog has bloat that don't require xrays. They didn't even think about this as a possibility and jumped right to tumor. TUMOR. Of course everyone is deathly afraid of that word and you don't want to put your beloved pet through unnecessary pain and misery.. but c'mon.
We presented the Phoenixville Animal Hospital with the symptoms detailed in Phase 1 and 2 of this chart I was able to find with a Google search:

http://showdogreporter.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/bloat-chart.jpg
Metropolitan successfully operated on our dog and he was rolling in the grass on his back a week later.
I'm not sure what vet to go to now as my faith in this particular facility has seriously been harmed. They never called to apologize for the misdiagnosis. They did call to say they were happy we went to Metropolitan for the diagnosis, but never an apology acknowledging that 2 different vets miscalled it.

Billy was 15and frac12; years old when he passed. He was under the care of Phoenixville Animal Hospital (PAH) for his last seven years. During those seven years we saw PAH at least annually. He died from cancer. At his age, we did not want to subject him to traumatic measures (surgery) that would only add a short additional time. However, the vets at PAH helped us to have an additional six months with Billy after he lost 50% of his weight from July 2010 through his last Christmas. At that point he was hardly eating. The vets used medication to reduce his discomfort and induce appetite. He actually restored several pounds of weight under their care in 2012. When the time for his rest became inevitable the procedure was kindly inclusive and allowed us some closure knowing that he just went to sleep peacefully.
The vets and support staff are extremely professional (and often beyond in their concern). My wife (experienced RN) was impressed with their hospice process with Billy. Together we would recommend this facility to anyone with a pet. We never had the impression that services were recommended unless dictated by age or specific circumstances. Their care was reasonable and accompanied by explanation that was often volunteered, but always when requested. As the end approached, we had many open discussions about the options so that we clearly understood Billy's consequences. They were also did not hesitate to recommend specialized services when necessary from other facilities.
The B rather than A regarding punctuality was a result of a wait that was typically 15-20 minutes and infrequently longer. However, when Billy became a hospice patient, he was obviously given a priority in all visits without our request. In fairness, we never had a problem with the wait as we understood the nature of providing care to as many animals as possible in the community with a staff of three vets.
I have had pets most of my six plus decades and this vendor was definitely in the top rank of those visited.

We found the exam to be very thorough; however, the vet often got off topic, and so it took some pressing to get answers to some questions we had. Very friendly and offered much information that we were unaware of. The interior of the building could definitely use some updating, but they give good service and we would go back.

I would always go to them. I've been going to them since the 80s. I have confidence in them, they always take care of the problem, they take good care of my dog and they are easy to communicate with. I like them.

I love them. I have used them for years. The price I paid was because it was a special need. My dog had to go to a referral center to get it removed. I didn't question the price. I never have problems with their prices. I am satisfied with them. I have used them since 1982. In the end it was not cancerous. They referred me to the center for his surgery because they were worried about where the tumor was. It was under his arm so it disturbs the muscle. They referred me to a surgeon at the center who was a phenomenal surgeon. It ended up being a fatty tumor. They are considerate of the owner. They are considerate of the patient. They are very efficient and very caring. I can't really say anything bad about them. I never really bothered to check prices with anyone else. I just accept their price.

I had a border collie as my pet for the past ten years but she has now passed away. It was a very traumatic moment. It cost $250 including the cremation. It was a rescue dog and she was five years old when I got her. She was there with me for ten years. She developed an enlargement in her stomach after I got her. I was not sure if it was cancer as it was only a couple of months. They recommended taking her down to Philadelphia and have her operated on that would cost around $1800. I did not want to do that. They said that they had never done the operation in their facility or practice and they undertook the operation in their facility. I paid them $850. I was very delighted and they were very particular. She had only one kidney after that though

Overall the vets and techs have been great, while the front office staff was a little rocky a few years ago, but have been more responsive and professional the last number of years. My older cat has gotten to be a terror over the years at the vet, and they have been very good at dealing with her. The one thing I would like to see though is more communication from them about their practice. They are very good at sending out reminder cards, etc., but I had no idea Dr. High had passed away (which almost caused an embarrassing moment when I saw a new vet, but luckily I didn't say anything and later saw a memorial pic behind the desk). And I've seen two different vets the last two times I've been there, but really got no official introduction. I couldn't begin to say how many vets work at the practice and who they are. I guess a website would help. But in the end the most important thing is the care they give to my pets, and they have been excellent at that.

We really haven't had a lot of experience with this vet so far. I will say that our visit was not cheap. A few hundred bucks for an initial visit seemed a little high to me. We're new to this area though so the price we were charged may just be the going rate here. I did feel my dog received a through exam. The doctor who saw him seemed to have a good bedside manner and I would guess we will be using them in the future for our veterinary needs.