Sally Dehm

Review of I-20 Animal Medical Center

About a month ago our sweet 12 year old chocolate ...

About a month ago our sweet 12 year old chocolate lab/vizsla mix really started going downhill. Our normal vet had been giving us Rimadyl for her to take every day to help with her hip dysplasia but it had started causing problems with her liver and didn't really seem to make her feel any better. When she totally lost control of her bodily functions we knew we had to do something. We called and called to speak with our regular vet about what we should do and she never called us back. We spent the whole weekend with our dog, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. By Monday I was tired of waiting for them and called I-20 Animal Medical Center. I could not stand to see her in pain any longer.

From the moment they picked up the phone they were sympathetic and caring. I was so upset just having to call them and ask about having our sweet dog put to sleep but the person who I spoke with was very kind, very matter of fact, and even said we did not need to have an appointment. She answered all of my questions and was exceedingly polite and and understanding.

When we took our girl in we were already so upset and I think the stress and illness must have gotten to her as well because she vomited all over the lobby. They took us back to a room that they have reserved for families that are having to put their pet to sleep. It was set away from the other rooms.

The nurse was so kind and kept apologizing. I was worried that this whole process would be made worse because they see this sort of thing every day. I thought that they might be desensitized by having to put so many animals to sleep. That could not have been further from what we experienced at I-20. They let us pay for the procedure in the room we were in so we would not have to stand out there in front of everyone. I like that they did this when our dog was in the back having the IV put in. It made it less weird. For those that say they are expensive, we took our pet in during regular hours, and it was the same price as the other places we called. Emergency vets are like ER doctors. You will pay a lot more if you have to go outside of business hours. Much like ER doctors and nurses they do deserve to be compensated for working the hours no one else wants to work and dealing with the stress of constantly being in emergency situations.

Dr. Chapman was our vet for this procedure and he was so kind to us. He said that we did everything we could and that her longevity was a testament to the life we gave her. I really think that if the staff had not been so sweet this would have been so much harder on us. It is not easy to make that call and the last thing you want is to feel like the people doing it don't even care. You just want some reassurance that there really isn't anything else you can do. Our other vet kept suggesting surgeries and treatments--none of them worked and she just kept slipping. At some point you have to do the humane thing for your pet and end their suffering. The folks at I-20 helped us do that and gave us some peace and comfort that we did the right thing.

After it was done they sent us a really nice card. Dr. Chapman wrote a note in it and said he was really sorry. I don't think I've ever gotten a handwritten note from a human doctor let alone a vet.

No one wants to think about putting their pet to sleep but when the times comes you can be assured that you and pet will be treated with dignity and that the staff understands the gravity of the situation.