Coon, Sandra, DVM - Broadway Veterinary Hospital

02/18/2008 Posted by mariechen

I have never had a more negative, frustrating, and disheartening experience with a veterinarian than with Dr. Gertinger and Dr. Cornman. My boyfriend and I had to take our very ill kitten to their clinic three times in one week, and they made it clear they that didn’t have the best interest of the animal or its owner in mind. They suggested even more excessive diagnostic tests after we had already done several different unsuccessful tests and it was clear that our kitty's chances at recovery were very slim (and only possible if the cat were hospitalized with them for at least a month with a feeding tube placed). On two occasions did they not return my phone calls for a whole day when my cat's condition was clearly critical and we needed to make decisions urgently. Lastly, only after first suggesting that we do more invasive and expenisve tests, did she admit that it might be best to have him euthanized. I later fount out that she suggested to my boyfriend that we keep our sick kitty quarantined from our other cat, for reasons I don’t understand. By this time, I had done a great amount of my own research on our kitten’s condition, and of the two possible diseases he had, neither were contagious! Did she really want him to spend his last days sick and lonely without his friend? Our cat had a seizure on the next day, and it was clear to us that we had to put him out of his misery as soon as possible. When we called to let our vet know we were going to come in for the procedure, we were told that there were NO AVAILABLE APPOINTMENTS! In the end, we had to drive him all the way across town to an Emergency Clinic. It pains me to think about how this all would have ended if we had listened to the Doctor’s suggestion and gone through with more tests. Our little kitten would then have spent his last day at a doctor’s office undergoing all kinds of invasive procedures. Or he would have been in a room, by himself, without the comfort of his friend.

Pros: None!

Cons: Don't care about their patients, impossible to contact when you need to speak to them urgently, expensive,

02/16/2008 Posted by tatsquatch

Earlier this year I had the grand misfortune of almost losing my pet to their greed and ineptitude. My older kitty was suffering some serious, but manageable (it turns out), problems requiring diligence and careful monitoring. I brought my kitty to their hospital and initially believed he was in good hands. In reality, they were not monitoring him in the fashion I had asked. When I enquired to his progress, they would tell me that his condition was not improving. Upon review of the bill (an invoice they wouldn't provide for me until AFTER the ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR bill was paid in full) I discovered that they were LYING to me. They hadn't done any of the specific, simple tests that were the ONLY way to assess his progress. They prescribed him 4 weeks of antibiotics for a one week stay (administering 1/4 of it while he was in their "care" and shafting me for the rest). They told me he was eating normally, but when I purchased the food THEY sell and brought it home he wouldn't touch it! It took me 30 minutes with a wet towel to wash the crusted antibiotics out of his fur (he's a squirmy guy) and he'd lost a considerable amount of weight. They kept my cat for an entire week (I finally decided that something was dreadfully wrong and removed him --against their wishes) in the PROCEEDURES ROOM! He was eye level with the proceedures table. He must have believed that I abandoned him to a kitty torture chamber. I took my cat home and made an appointment with Dr Boudreaux at the Capital Hill Animal Clinic (BEST VET I'VE EVER SEEN) and the cat that the vets at Broadway were telling me had 2 weeks to live has now gained ALL the weight back, his health is improving! He's my best friend and cost isn't the biggest issue (I'd do anything for him) but! It's also like 1/10 the cost! I seriously believe that all professional monitoring entities in the state should be keeping very close tabs on these people.

Pros: He didn't die

Cons: He could have