Companion Animal Hospital they killed my beloved Felix, Springfield, Virginia
The veterinarian Dr. Villar got permission to euthanize my cat from someone other than the cat's owner. All forms and documents relating to my cat at Companion Animal Hospital clearly list me, Cecilia S. as the owner. Dr. Villar euthanized my cat at the direction of my mother (Vonnie S.), who is not on paper anywhere as being the cat's owner.
Now it is possible that when she spoke to my mom she thought she was speaking to me because we both go by Ms. S., but again that shows great carelessness on her part for not making sure she had the correct "Ms. S.". Because of Dr. Villar's carelessness my beloved cat is dead. Not only that but even after they made this horrific mistake they are making me pay them $600. I am beyond outraged.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Dr. Marilyn Thompson, Owner
Springfield,Virginia,
United States of America
Dr. Marilyn Thompson, Owner
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Wed, January 30, 2013
My heart goes out to this young girl who has lost her beloved Felix this week. We understand how bonded we get with cats and dogs and how painful it is to lose such a close friend. I want her and everyone who reads this to understand that we had no way of knowing that her mother who gave permission to euthanize Felix was not the daughter (the actual owner). Having said that, the mother was specifically asked if she was the owner of the cat and she said yes.
This relatively young kitty came in drooling. Dr. Villar sedated Felix to check for possible infection but what she found was a large cancerous mass under the tongue. She photographed the lesion and e-mailed it to me at home for my opinion. Any vet will tell you that oral cancers in cats are usually fatal and untreatable.
To "cure" this cat probably would have required the removal of the entire lower jaw by a board certified veterinary surgeon and at great expense. The surgery often renders the cat helpless to feed itself, must be protected against infection and injury to the open tissue and on pain medication for the rest of its life. I do not recommend this procedure for these reasons. The humane treatment was to perform humane euthanasia before allowing the cat to even awaken from sedation. The $600 she claims was a rip off, included her doctor's fee, anesthesia and sedation, testing of the tumor, euthanasia and private cremation.
Yes, it was the mother who gave permission for euthanasia. She also said she was the owner of the cat.
Dr. Villar performed her duties with the best interest of the kitty to not allow further suffering, she verified that the person calling was the owner, when in fact she was not, however, I feel that the cat was properly treated and cared for at all time and that the mother stepping in for her daughter was most likely the mother trying to protect her daughter from having to make that difficult decision. I don't know how we could have taken care of Felix any better than Dr. Villar did.
Perhaps when some time has passed, this young lady will consider removing her defamatory remarks about Companion Animal Hospital . We are a family practice, not a corporate one and our clients feel like family to us. If the family would like to discuss this with us further, I would be most happy to do so.