marna P. A.
1/5
UPDATED REVIEW - This place is STILL evil. I completed a travel questionnaire before the visit with my itinerary (reply is lies). *** This review is for Hercules Pet Hospital and Disney Pet Hospital because my dogs have been patients at both locations under VetnCare. After taking my dogs here they almost died or were separated from us during travel due to bad paperwork and mishandling of our pets medical records by the doctors and staff. To start, on two separate occasions, two separate VetnCare clinics (this one and Disney Pet Hospital) provided us the wrong travel documents for our dogs (even though we paid close to $700 for travel consults), leading us to be stranded on vacation and costing us thousands in re-booking, travel and shipping fees just to get our dogs back home. Not to mention the fear, anxiety and panic that set in at various airports when we had to navigate being told that our pet documents were incomplete or wrong. On both occasions we faced losing our dogs (by authorities taking them) or being forced to leave them in another country on the date of our return because the doctors here (Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Orellana) got the travel documents wrong (and had the wrong information on our dog medical records).
Secondly, at Hercules Pet Hospital specifically, one of the doctors on a routine vaccination visit for my older dog told me to get rid of one of my dogs. I mentioned to her that we had recently adopted a puppy to socialize our 9 year old dog that was getting checked up that day at the visit but it was off to a bit of a rocky start so far. I asked for advice and she told me to quote, "get rid of the puppy." She then narrated a whole personal story about HER family's experience trying to adopt a puppy to socialize their older german shepherd and how it became awful for them and they just "got rid of it" (the puppy). She advised that I do the same. No medical basis, not on breeds/temperaments, just "get rid of the puppy." She was very wrong and after some of my own research my dogs are getting along really well and playing with each other like brothers.
Another bad experience I had at Hercules Pet Hospital was when I took my puppy (yes the same one) for vaccines. I was given all the standard vaccines, but when I went back for follow up I wasn't told that they have an internal (undisclosed) policy to give certain vaccines SOONER than the recommended or veterinary board approved timeline because its, quote, "good practice." When I insisted on waiting for the standard approved timeframe they drafted up a release of liability stating that I had refused the vaccine (even though my puppy already had the first shot), and tried to force me to sign it. When I refused they insisted that I get it our they would not treat us/give us the second shot. So I reluctantly agreed and paid an additional $150 or so for the visit when I hadn't planned to (financially) because the shot was not due.
Another observation is their prices at Hercules Pet Hospital. For every visit, I have been charged WAY more than I anticipated based on the original work up. Their staff will talk you up and add unnecessary procedures and add ons to the medical service that your pet doesn't need (like unnecessary anesthesia or heavy anesthesia) to charge you more. Also, I observed that elderly black clients with older dogs have bills in the thousands compared to others, and I suspect that these clients are being "handled". I think they are being taken advantage of because of their age/race (and often because their dogs are long term companions so they are more desperate to keep them living).
I submitted all this information to the VetnCare Medical Director, Dr. Andrew Moffatt, who has done nothing but gaslight and claim there's no proof of malpractice by their offices. The good thing is, I have hard copies of visit records. Dr. Moffatt has been asked to provide their malpractice provider multiple times but just keeps evading the question. That makes me think this is not the only time they have mis-treated animals or clients. Buyer beware.