Creature Comforts Veterinary Service

"It has been 11 years (2009) since you were here and left a balance which you never paid, for services you said that you were happy with. However, we know thaat you were upset that we could no longer help you because of the long (11 years) overdue payment."

"The last time that you were at our office was in July, 2013. At that time, the total of all of your invoices was $572.85. A blood test indicated that there was a high level of inflammatory markers consistent with either inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma - and you were told that biopsies would be necessary to determine the course of action. You were also told that if it turned out to be intestinal lymphoma that there have been successful treatment protocols. As a matter of fact, since that time, a very clear connection has been made between chronic inflammatory bowel disease and eventual morphing into cancer. The three drugs your cat was given were Convenia, a long acting antibiotic approved for cats; Adequan, a glycosaminoglycan commonly used for cats with bladder issues; and Rimadyl (carprofen) which has been successfully used in cats for over 10 years. It is an extra-label use in the United States, but has been approved for use in cats in other countries. Besides listing your service dates and total bill inaccurately, you have also used our address for your own. Kindly correct the falsehoods."

"Thank you! We appreciate your comment and yes, we do feel like your pets are our family."

"The real sadness in this case was that the member's dog was diagnosed with severe and fulminating disease of the pancreas and liver. All of the doctors spoke to her and her sister repeatedly recommending euthanasia. The dog had intractable vomiting and suffered. We continually told them that their little sweet dog did not deserve to live in this condition. Dr. Michael Wenninger examined the dog on the first day it came in and recommended hospitalization - WHICH WAS REFUSED! Then, the next day when the dog became even more ill, it was finally returned to the hospital. It was recommended that the dog have an exploratory surgery. During that procedure, it was noted that there were huge lesions on the liver, gall bladder and pancreas. Dr. Mike believed that such a lesion could only be caused by a neoplasia (cancer). Euthanasia was recommended at the time of surgery. The owner chose to have treatment continued. The samples were sent to the pathologist and the dog was hospitalized. We maintain nursing care in our ICU 24 hours a day and use paraprofessionals to do this, just as a human hospital would. It is not always possible to have a doctor available to the clients for communication, but this particular client had a doctor speak with her every day. In addition, when the dog continued to suffer and I was on duty, I spoke to the owner and offered that the dog should be referred for care at another facility. This occurred on a Saturday and the dog continued to vomit, even with our strongest anti-vomiting therapies. This little dog was vomiting at least 20 to 30 times a day and felt wretched. I felt that there was nothing more that we were able to do. It is absolutely ethical for a veterinarian to suggest that care be continued elsewhere if it is in the best interest of the dog. When we finally sent Ridley home, it was well hydrated and sent with medications. We thought that hospice was the only option that would make the dog a little more comfortable. WE NEVER DISCONTINUED THERAPY. The pathology report showed a severe necrotic pancreatitis with a very poor prognosis. There were not neoplastic lesions in the submitted tissue, but the pathologist felt that there was probably an underlying disease which caused this terrible problem. The pancreatic lesion had eaten through the intestine. Then, when Ridley continued to suffer at home, the owners finally decided to return. Dr. Mike tried to re-enter the abdomen and found extensive peritonitis and huge areas of continuing degradation. They finally allowed this little dog to be put to rest. While this entire case was going on, the members were allowed to visit Ridley and during their visits they would speak, at length, to anyone on the staff. We request that visits be limited to 15 minutes because of space and time constraints, but these visits sometimes took hours. Kathy Ruwedel is my communications technician and it has been her job to communicate to clients for years. I will absolutely agree that she can be opinionated, but she is VERY empathetic with the patients and it is very hard to watch a patient suffer. All of the doctors at the practice agreed that Ridley was very sick and should be put to rest. As for the member's request for a refund, we performed the services she requested. We just could not give her the outcome she wanted. It simply was not possible. Dr. Mike did his level best to help this little dog. We are looking forward to the investigation by the Board of Veterinary Examiners and maintain a complete file on this case at the office. We have absolutely nothing to hide or to fear. This particular individual needs to blame someone for her dog's death and needs to feel better about their decision to extend its life despite all recommendations to the contrary. I feel that she needs to seek help to deal with her grief. She has not been able to pass the stage of denial. RIP Ridley - you were a great little dog."