VCA Animal Hospitals

Below is the email I sent immediately after the issue. I sent it to the hospital manager and the medical director. I verified that I spent $5860 dollars there in just a couple of months. The end result was, they both apologized and the manager gave me sub q supplies and a bottle of b12. I feel that for the amount I spent, and the fact that I cannot verify or trust the quality of treatment my animal had there, that the gesture was insulting at best. Also, Danielle giardin is a vet assistant, not tech so my email was incorrect about that. See email below

"Dr. Cook and Crisitin,

My name is Sunny Allen and I am writing you this Sunday as my first step in filing a complaint against one of the technicians.

I called VCA on Sunday December 6, 2020 at 7:32 AM to see if I could bring my cat Lunchbox in for sub q fluids. Kelsey was the one who answered, and she put me on hold to see if they were able to or not.

Part way through being on hold, she accidentally took me off hold, and I hear someone in the background in great distress, sounding very angry. I then hear"UGH who is this for?"And Kelsey looked up my number and said,"Lunchbox"and the other person said... quite a few things. One of them was,"Why the [censored] doesn't she just take him somewhere else like she did the other day."And"Why doesn't she just do it herself [censored]ing [censored]."This was at about 7:35AM.

Now of course, I use quotations, but as you can imagine, I was in pure shock as I was hearing this, so I may not have gotten every word right, but she used the F word, and did for sure call me a [censored]. I imagine there are cameras around anyway to confirm exactly what words were said.

Kelsey picked up the phone again, and I let her know I had heard everything in the last minute or so. I asked who said that and she told me her name was"Danielle"and that she is one of the technicians.

I then told Kelsey why I don't"do it myself."I don't do them myself, because when I do, Lunchbox hides from us the entire rest of the day and is afraid to be around us. He also behaves in an entirely different manner when we try to do it - he tries to lurch and hisses, whereas at a vet he freezes quietly. On Sundays, no vet is open, so I have to go to PAETC or VCA. I always call PAETC first, because they have always been nicer to me on Sunday, but they tend to have a much longer wait - today it was 12:00. So on Sunday, I drive FORTY MINUTES one way and BUY an administration for fluids I can do myself, because I don't want to damage my relationship with my cat. My cat that I have no idea how much longer will be around. He enjoys car rides and can come out of the kennel for them, so I don't factor in car stress, when the main problem doing them at home is that he always feels like we are going to"get"him at anytime.

Either way, it is nobody's business why I spend money to have someone else do a service when they agree to do the service. Kelsey easily could have told me no, and I have been told that before and that is OK. I am aware it is emergency only on Sunday so I know I am a beggar not a chooser.

I have spent thousands of dollars there between July and now. I want to say at least 5 thousand? That is just at VCA, while I also go to Hadlock, Chimacum Valley, and Petownsend for Lunchbox. I quit my job in August for graduate school and am not making money right now, and my husband just graduated and is still figuring out work. We very quickly overextended ourselves and would do it a million more times because we care about our cat Lunchbox and believe that there might be something that we figure out that helps him stay well longer. We have other animals, other bills, and other responsibilities to tend to and we've entrusted VCA with our very finite resources, but more importantly, our family member.

To hear this come out of someone's mouth about myself and Lunchbox mortifying and as I'm writing this email almost an hour later I am still in shock.

I can't even imagine the treatment he might have received from this person in the past. Are there other bitter and hateful people there who don't like me? Do they take out their negative feelings toward me on Lunchbox? I sob thinking about the possibilities.

Lunchbox stayed the night on November 30th, and I picked him up at about 7:45 AM on Tuesday December 1st with the intention of transferring him to Pet Townsend for IV fluids. VCA was entirely aware of the plan and had known it for the whole time. I get Lunchbox, his catheter is gone, and his paw is huge. Okay, whatever. Well I get to Pet Townsend, and they ask for his fluid bag from VCA and explain that there was absolutely no reason that VCA shouldn't have sent the fluid bag with me? So I paid for an entire other bag of fluids, and another catheter insertion, because of carelessness. Accidents happen, but now that I've heard how I am spoken about when they think I am not listening, I am absolutely furious. I shouldn't be concerned if my cat is getting mistreated in the back of your building, but it's impossible not to worry knowing that people like Danielle work there. Even if he hasn't suffered from mistreatment, talking like that in front of ANY animal staying in your hospital is unacceptable and horrifying.

I also fear for my safety. This technician knows ALL of my information, which includes where I live. She spoke in such an unhinged way about me and my cat, what is stopping her from coming to my house to retaliate after I complain about her?

I am completely heartbroken and sick to my stomach as I write this and I want to clarify that Kelsey did not say anything that I could hear, and was nice to me on the phone.

As Dr. Cook is fully aware, this entire process has been so emotionally exhausting and I am already in a heightened sense of anxiety and deep sadness on a day to day basis seeing my cat go from being completely fine to suffering on and off. I have had Dr. Cook, Dr. Gould, and Dr. Strohmeyer, and Dr. Rammage all discuss the grim prognosis with me and I am under a lot of stress trying to follow my heart and keep Lunchbox the number one"guider"on how and what I need to do. This stress and sadness I feel is not even factoring the financial deficit I am in while this is occurring, and if you knew me outside of this vet, it stresses me out to deplete any meager savings for the"what if"situations. This stress and sadness isn't even factoring in my graduate work is suffering this quarter due to the situation. All of these struggles are my decisions and I have no regrets and I know things will work out in time. I am just highlighting that I am going through so much with this, all while dealing with other huge stressors. I don't need to be called a [censored] and be humiliated for my decision to pay someone to do fluids.

Danielle violated the Fear Free pledge, as it is not in Lunchbox's emotional best interest for Danielle to call his parent a [censored] and get angry when I call, and then take it out on him later when I unsuspectingly bring him in for fluids.

Danielle also violated the vet techs oath and is not practicing conscientiously or with sensitivity, and is absolutely not adhering to any Code of Ethics.

I would like to know how this proceeds and what the next step is. Do I need to file an official complaint somewhere else? What is going to happen? How do I ensure my and my family's safety and wellbeing going forward? I'd really rather not be dealing with this while I am dealing with everything else in my life, but this is important and I will not tolerate the hate and disrespect, especially after spending thousands of dollars there, assuming my animal is safe. If no action is taken, I will look into other options as to what can be done. I cannot begin to adequately express just how shocking and horrifying this experience has been for me. For starters, effective immediately, I do not want Danielle to have any access to my personal information. It is probably too late, or too impossible, to make that happen, but I have to ask. What happens from here?

Dr. Cook, your help and compassion has been invaluable and I truly believe Lunchbox is still alive today in part because of your help and concern. I know you know how much you are appreciated by me. Stephanie has always been so nice too. I know I am not the easiest person to work with because of how much I talk, especially to you Dr. Cook, but I have only ever gotten annoyed once on the phone and it was while I was talking to Stephanie, and I even clarified with her and apologized in that same conversation that it wasn't her and I was just upset/worried that Lunchbox was drugged up when I picked him up, when I didn't know he was being given Gabapentin. I have never been rude to any staff member there and am always apologetic when I ask questions or am taking too much time.

Sunny"