Animal Medical Center Mid-America Maryland Heights

Dominique Riley

I had 2 kittens that were initially scheduled for stay procedures on 7/8 but unfortunately had gotten pregnant. I spoke with the call center about it who told me they had to have the kittens first and after they were done nursing reschedule for the procedures. Ok…fine. 7/9 they were scheduled for their fvrcp booster so we show up and I inform them my conversation with the call center people. The vet asst that comes in first to confirm everything that’s being done at the appt was so nice. I explained how I had set up birthing boxes for the delivery and once the kittens were done nursing I would start looking to re-home them. Once she goes to relay to the veterinarian the vet comes in rambling that my cats can still get the spay procedure and she would just term the pregnancy because I didn’t want to go through having to deal with all that and that it happens all the time. Part of me was a bit relieved because I had no idea if they would have safe deliveries and how my schedule would allow me to keep an eye on them but I’m also an animal lover and didn’t want to take my cats babies from them but thought that may be the better decision because we would be giving them away anyway and wasn’t a guarantee all the kittens would be placed with good owners. Plus I figured this way I’ll be able to bring my 2 cats home and they could go on with their lives. The vet asst comes back in after that and asked if I was sure and to sit on that decision and was very compassionate. Shortly after that the vet comes back in very rushed and pressuring for me to bring the cats back the next day for everything to be done. Next day arrives, drop my cats off at 7am. Pick them up at 12:30 because they’re having hvac system issues. Get a call from my daughter around 3 that one of our cats were leaking blood from her incision. Rush home to see our cat was so lifeless and struggling to breath. Get her back to the vet around 3:30/4 they took her to the back and put us in a waiting room. Was there for about an hour total and was told after they had her on oxygen for some time and did an ultrasound they couldn’t see anything that would have caused her body to react the way it did. Last option was to go back in her incision to see if there was internal bleeding. The vet that day that was working on our cat, which was a different lady than the one that strongly suggested the spay, was so caring and as I teared up she seemed to hold hers in. She basically said they could find the root cause of why her procedure didn’t go well and if I took her home she would be alive the next day. I asked if I could see her before we left and was told she had tubes down her throat so not sure if she had been opened back up and left the way but I was not okay with the fact I couldn’t see her before leaving. My daughters and I were heartbroken. I speak with the vet the next day, 7/11, to see if there’s a way to find out why one cat didn’t make it and the other was fine. I was told labs would be sent to Wash U for testing and have not heard anything since. My animals are like my children so to tell me anything and think I’m going to go on about my life is not okay. Fast forward to 7/18, it was past 7 days post op and the come was to come off but our other cat’s incision didn’t look healed enough to me so I went to purchase a recovery suit from the center so she could get out the cone and have some freedom. I asked for a S and was brought out an XS stating the small looked huge. Ok, took the XS suit home and turns out it was not the right size. I go back to the center and ask for a SMALL. After a few minutes I was brought out an open recovery suit that she said was on another animal but was all they had left. Ok, fine although it has a few spots on it, I just wanted to get my cat out the cone. I check the tag before walking out and it was a M/L. I go back up the desk to let them know and the girl finally says they don’t have small. Why would you take my money from the get go knowing you NEVER had the size I asked for?!! This past week has been a nightmare.

Jul 19, 2024

Hannah Bowman

We brought our boy in with a fast-growing bump that we were hoping was nothing. Dr. Belter was so great in taking our concerns seriously, and after a week of no improvement, she recommended a biopsy & full removal at the same time just to be safe. She is the one who performed the surgery as well. Unfortunately for us, the biopsy came back as lymphoma a few weeks later, but we would have lost valuable time if she hadn’t recommended surgical removal right away. I’m so thankful she listened to our concerns and encouraged us to exercise caution with this. She was very informative and caring while delivering the diagnosis, and helped us get in to see an oncologist as soon as possible. The whole office has been extremely helpful as well in supporting us and our pup as we navigate this.

Aug 28, 2024

Samantha macdonald

A few months back an illness rampaged through our 4 dogs starting with the smallest (Yorkie/Chihuahua mix). They got her in right away and assured us that it was not anything out of the norm.. we just had to wait it out (and clean the messes🤦). They were all awesome to us and to Stella, also I believe they had a student in with us who was doing an amazing job! We will be making them our go-to for all our fur kids!♥️

Dec 7, 2023

Elle D

Two Extremely frustrating experiences resulting in lost money without consent or reason. We adopted our puppy from the Humane Society next door and figured why not use the vet too. When we got her she ended up having tape worm which I know is common for shelter dogs. But their policy is if your dog has worms you have to pay 50% for any non-obvious illnesses. But it WAS obvious because *long* worms were coming right out of her and she was dropping eggs non-stop. It only took us an half hour to notice after bringing her home. During the meet and greet we even asked if she had any health issues and they said not at all. We want back the next day and they gave us a slight discount but it seemed ridiculous to have to pay when we just did the day before to get her and again, it was very, very noticeable. They gave us a slight discount but we still had to pay $70. The day we got her treated for the worms, we were told she needed a booster. I explicitly asked how much it would cost. They said $35 dollars. I said great. Last week we took her back. We expected to get the shot then be in and out. When the vet came she said, "Let me just take a look real quick while you're here." Did a two minute inspection. The puppy was given the shot. Then at the end we were charged $90. I asked why when I was told the shot was only supposed to be $35, but they said I had to pay for an exam as well. Saying, "Let me take a quick look while you're here," is NOT the same as performing an exam. She didn't even wait for me to consent to that. Our permission was never asked. They never told us they would do that. They just...did it and charged us. We live on a very strict budget so the extra $50 is devastating when we didn't plan for it. I said this wasn't okay and the tech reduced it to $61 but it's still more money than we planned and our consent was never given. I then asked when we came for the next shot if the same thing would happen and he said yes. I at least appreciate the tech's honesty because now I know I need to go somewhere else. The predatory behavior is unacceptable and I'm still very upset, but there's little I can do besides find a new vet. This is now the second time they've tried to get as much money as possible, without consent or warning. I also feel like they are very much doing it intentionally because both times i fought back and would get a "Discount" but they still end up with more money. Again, it's just predatory. I will not be returning.

Aug 5, 2024

Marissa Klenske

We had one of our cats spayed here through the SNIP program and it went incredibly well. SNIP is a discounted spay and neuter program. It’s awesome! Due to how easy it was to schedule and how kind the staff was, our cat is now spayed. Help end overcrowding and overpopulation and get your pet fixed too!

Feb 21, 2024