Complaint Review: Richard L. Sopiarz D.V.M

BEWARE OF THIS VETERINARIAN

Richard L. Sopiarz at Richton Park Animal Hospital is a Horrible Vet!!!!

If you are reading this, it's because you've run a Google search looking for a vet to take Your pet to. You may want to keep looking; this is not the veterinarian you want taking care of your pet!!!!!! My wife and I have lost two great pets in the hands of this Quack!!! He calls him self a vet, he is more like a guesser. Let me explain, he had been treating our last pet for the last 4 months for a so called stomach ache. The 1st visit he
looked at the dog and said maybe he got into something and had a bad reaction we thought ok, maybe he ate something that did not sit right with him; he was back home and somewhat back to his old self. Not too long after this we had to take him back (2nd visit) with the same symptoms, he was in the vets (guessers) care for about 3 days. We get a call you can come and get you dog he's fine. The wife goes and picks up the dog but was never given an answer as to why he was back for the same problem. Pay the bill, bring the dog back home and he's ok. A few weeks later the problem is back but more severe, he's having a problem keeping down food, it's also hard for him to walk. Back to the vet (guesser) (3rd visit), this time the guesser said it's probably his food, lets put him on EN and that should take of it, so he sells the wife some expensive dog food, pay the bill and send him back home. Back home and he won't eat anything!!!!! Not this expensive food or his regular food. The wife comes up with the idea of mixing some chicken with the EN dog food, this worked OK but not for long. at this point he is having good days and bad days. A call to the Vet(guesser) they tell us he's eating too fast, give him smaller meals, and take away his water and give him ice cubes, we did and this did no good! Back to the guesser(4th visit) this time it's hard for him to walk( he moved so slow it looked like he was walking in slow motion) when my wife got to the guessers' office Every one was shocked as to why the dog was moving so slow. He's in for a few days then we get the call, he's fine come pick him up . he's ok for a while then back to being sick. He's having a hard time keeping anything down, he has to go out more often, it's hard for him to sleep in one spot, and his breathing is labored!!! He no longer meets me at the door with his ball in mouth to play!!! A few nights it was all he could do to raise his head and look at me!!!! (this truly hurt to see him like this!!) . One day I picked him up just to cuddle him and he squealed, I had no idea he was in such pain, I just put him back on the floor and he just looked at me with the saddest eyes you would ever see, and they said it just hurts!!! I know we do this all the time but it just hurts too badly!!! A dog so once full of life now just sitting around the house, and not wanting to play ball, not wanting to be picked up, some time just not wanting to be petted!! This is not the dog we once had. My wife called the guessers office and told them nothing is working they told her to go and buy some pepcid AC 10mg and give it to him, this will work all he has is gas he will be fine(this was on a Tuesday). As the week goes by, he gets worse! One day he's so bad, he lay on his side as my wife hand feeds him bits of chicken with tears in hers eyes. He just can't eat!!!!! A call to the guessers office and my wife is told( its just a stomach ache if you bring him in, we will just stick him in a cage, you may as well keep him at home!!!) this is not what you want to hear when your loving pet is sick, can barely breathe or walk. The last and final call to the guesser's office went unanswered, my wife called at 5pm and his office closes at 7pm, this tells me at this point the guessers is out of guesses and no longer wants to be troubled (this was on a Friday). Saturday we get up and rush him to a REAL vet! Her Name was Dr Sachdev at Forest south animal hospital in University Park, this lady is a great vet! After giving her all his symptoms She said, quick lets get him in the examination room and run some test!!!! With in a few hours we had the prognoses and it was not good! Little domino had cancer, he was only 4 years old!! The tumor was so large that it pushed his intestines out to his sides!!! This is why he no longer wanted to be picked up, could no longer keep down food, and had a hard time walking, and breathing.poor little guy was truly sick and the guesser was treating him for gas!!!!! Domino had to be euthanized 8/30/2008 at 2:45pm due to inoperable stomach cancer, the vet said domino was in a lot of pain and will not last he is just too sick! We could no longer stand by and watch domino suffer any more! It was a horrible weekend. A large house now seems even larger, so quiet, no dog barking.running after a ball looking up at you looking for a scrape of bread from your sandwich.wanting to go for a walk.meeting you at the door with a wagging tail that says, welcome home mommy and daddy I miss you both, I have my little foot ball lets play!!!! We confronted the guesser Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) he said well things like this happen in my 45 years as a vet(guessing) I have never seen anything like this then we find out he didn't Even run any test on little domino!... Now I ask you do you want some one like this looking after your loving pet!! Like I said at the beginning KEEP LOOKING!!!


Mike
anytown, Illinois
U.S.A.