My Maltese was a patient here for 6 years. In all ...

My Maltese was a patient here for 6 years. In all of that time, we were never told that she had a heart murmur. Presumably that's because they missed it.......for 6 years they missed it. I took her in on Friday, June 14th for her annual vaccinations. Dr. Flanders didn't listen to her heart or lungs, only came in with her shots. He then asked me if there was anything going on with her. I told him that she was drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot as a result. I had mentioned this to him the last time she had been in and his response was if she was peeing a lot to not give her water during the night.....so basically I was blown off. So I said something about it on Friday. He said if I wanted he could check her urine and I said absolutely because I want to know what's going on. He came back and told me she had a bladder infection so he gave her an antibiotic injection and I got additional meds to give her starting in Saturday. I gave her the prescribed meds as directed on Saturday. Sunday morning at 5:15 am she was showing very labored breathing and had a choking spit up episode. We kept an eye on her and she wasn't getting any better. Our first thought was that it might be a reaction to her meds. My husband ended up taking her to an emergency vet by 8:30 am. By the time he got her there her tongue was purple due to the lack of oxygen. The emergency vet (NOT VIP), rushed her to the back and intubated her and started oxygen. They immediately detected the heart murmur that we were never told about in the 6 years she saw Dr. Flanders. She was having heart failure that morning and had fluid in her lungs. They couldn't get her oxygen any higher than 88% and the normal is 95-100%. Because of how bad the heart failure was by that point, my husband chose to have her euthanized instead of allowing her to continue in that state with a poor quality of life. My biggest regret is that her heart and lungs weren't even checked as part of her annual shots appointment and that Dr. Flanders wasn't able to detect a heart murmur in 6 years of treating her. I feel that if we had known that then that awareness would have played into her treatment and care and her life wouldn't have ended at 8 years old. The emergency vet told us that they felt that the stress of going to the vet on Friday as well as the bladder infection was just so stressful for her that her heart couldn't take it. But again, to have her at VIP for 6 years and them not seeing that and being more thorough in their exams and care is why I'm angry. I feel that this was a preventable situation. I've pulled the records for my other dog and 3 cats and am now going to All Star Veterinary Clinic in Westfield. (And they are wonderful)My surviving dog had a wellness exam today because I wanted to make sure that nothing was missed in his health situation also. They may be more expensive than VIP but my dog's life and well being is worth the extra cost. If you choose to take your pets to VIP just make sure you insist on a thorough examination at each annual appointment. A minimum of listening to the heart and lungs should be expected. Perhaps you'll have better success with your pet's health than I did....if you're willing to take that chance.