Complaint Review: 7Anthony Oddo DBA High Desert Veterinary PC - Bend Oregon

We and our dog are extremely pleased with the prompt, profession and curtious care we get at High Desert Vet Clinic on 27th in Bend. Very user friendly!! Can't imagine how so many things went wrong for the original complaint to have been filed, but our experience has been just the opposite. We also board at Bend Pet Resort (love it) and they recommended Dr. Tony to us as well as a friend of ours who takes her several pets there. I do agree that the fees are a tad higher than what we paid before in Redmond (we switched cause we moved), maybe 10-15% on average, but we feel it is not unreasonable, plus the added convenience of locations (for us) more than makes up for it. Sincerely Linda Bend Oregon

I have been a licensed veterinary nurse for 20 years, eleven of those years working with veterinarian, Dr. Anthony Oddo, at High Desert Veterinary. In Oct/Nov of 2003, the period of time 'Mel' writes about in the derogatory complaint posted on Ripoff Report, I was part of the nursing team providing care for this patient and client. Although I did not immediately remember all the details of this time period, I was able to refresh my memory by referring directly to the chart regarding this case.

'Mel' claims her dog received poor care and no medical treatment nor medication, with excessive or unauthorized charges, during his stay at High Desert Veterinary. I can say, without question, nothing could be further from the truth. This dog was given high quality, comprehensive veterinary care, delivered and documented with competence and compassion, as is true with all our patients. That is what 'routine hospitalization' at High Desert Veterinary entails, and it renders a very good value to the client considering the level of expertise, detailed evaluation, monitoring, medication delivery, and attention to individual patient needs each animal receives. Every effort was made to correspond with 'Mel', answer questions, and comprehend or accommodate concerns, even despite considerable verbal negativity from this client. As with everyone we serve, education and explanation on the disease or injury process, future preventative measures, and specific homecare instruction, including a discussion of prescription medications, was provided and is considered a vital part of the treatment we provide. Itemized fees are competitive and a reflection of the high standard of quality. Customer service is and has been a matter of pride amongst the entire staff, and is delivered fairly and professionally with the upmost of integrity principles for the individual practice and the veterinary field in general.

I have worked in several veterinary practices in my career and feel strongly that Dr. Anthony Oddo and the practice of High Desert Veterinary represent the very best of the profession. Tony's long-standing success and position of respect in the community are a reflection of his high standards. In fact, it is not an understatement to say, now that I am a RN working at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, that much of the medical attention Dr. Tony and his staff routinely provide at High Desert Veterinary -- from doctor expertise, hands-on nursing, pharmacy, diagnostics, to emergency techniques -- meets the same diligence of care, service, and professionalism received in many human hospitals. Central Oregon is very fortunate to have a veterinarian and clinic of this caliber as a practical option for comprehensive animal health care in the region. High Desert Veterinary's large and devoted client base is a testimonial to that realization.

The compassion Doctor Oddo and his office has shown over the years to Deschutes County, has been above what has been asked of him. His practice holds a very high standard of care for all of its clients. The communication and honesty of staff and Doctor adds to the success of this practice. I regard this Doctor and practice as one of the best.

I have the read the comments from the original poster and feel that I can say emphatically that they are untrue and unfair. I have been taking my family of animals to Dr. Anthony Oddo for over 15 years. Not once during the many visits, surgeries, and emergencies did I feel anything but compassionate, professional, and fair treatment from Dr. Oddo himself, his technicians, and the front office staff. They are all kind, fair and professional individuals that I would never think twice in entrusting the care of my animals.

Further, I had the great fortune to be employed at High Desert Veterinary. I had a daily opportunity to see the skill, kindness and professionalism at High Desert Veterinary. During that time, I saw nothing but extremely happy clients walk in and out of the door.

The words written by the original poster do a huge disservice to Dr. Oddo and his competent staff. More importantly, they do a huge disservice to anyone that may have read and believed them and made a decision based on them.

Tony Oddo has been our doc for over 15 years now and I cannot imagine a more qualified, caring, generous, and competent veterinarian in the Central Oregon area. Quite probably the best in the entire NorthWest.

Tony has looked after our pets Cajus, Crash, Sierra, Lennon, and Dexter, just to name a few. He has done so with all the genuine compassion that one could ever ask from a family doctor. On more than one occasion we have telephone Tony's personal residence during the early hours of the morning and have always been given professional advice and attention for our emergency situation (many times without even a fee from Tony)

Sometimes vets and their patients just do not see eye-to-eye. Utilizing a website such as Ripoff Report to vent frustration can have long-lasting negative impacts on the veterinarian. These impacts can quite possibly be much more devastating than the original poster is aware of.

As far as I am concerned, Central Oregon is fortunate to have a vet like Tony practicing in our area. Our family (four-legged as well) looks forward to the having Doc Oddo as our vet for years to come.

Thanks for all you do Tony (including all the volunteer work at the High Desert Museum, working with abused/neglected animals, etc, etc, etc)

Ian Hodge & Family
Bend, Oregon

On 1/8/09 I learned from a client that a very derogatory posting regarding myself and my clinic staff on the Ripoff Report that came up when he did a search of my name on Google. Not remembering any details of the case, I recovered the file from our archives, including radiographs for the patient in question. The only shred of information contained in this complaint that is factual is that Mel presented a dog to our clinic for treatment. All of the claims of poor care, unauthorized treatment, and excessive and fraudulent charges are false. The matter was thoroughly investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice (Case FF13044-03) in response to a complaint filed with them 11/15/2003 by Mel. The complaint was dismissed as having no merit.

The claims made in this complaint are so outrageous that they should not be dignified with a response, but having spent the past 24 years practicing veterinary medicine in a manner that has cultivated credibility and a positive reputation, I feel obligated to defend myself, my staff and the practice we are all proud of. Please note that this complaint was posted at nearly 2 AM in the morning and makes statements regarding veterinary fees and regulation that have no basis in reality. I seriously question the state of mind of the individual posting this complaint.

Mel presented her morbidly obese (18 lbs, should have been 10 to 12 lbs) 3 year old neutered male dachshund for treatment of weakness and incoordination of his hind limbs, presumably a reoccurrance of a vertebral disc problem the dog had surgery for one year prior. In consultation with a neurosurgeon, we elected medical treatment utilizing cage rest, anti-inflammatory therapy and a medical weight loss program that employed a restricted calorie diet. All decisions regarding the dog's care were made in consultation with Mel, and I personally spoke with her on a daily basis while the dog was in our care. The dog developed digestive tract problems during the course of treatment and I recommended that we continue cage rest and observation until we could be sure that aftercare medications could be well tolerated. This was discussed and approved by Mel. Through aftercare instructions were provided to both Mel and her mother upon discharge and copies of the medical record and radiographs were provided to them. No request for records ever came to us from another clinic. A follow-up call was made by one of my nurses several days after discharge. Mel failed to show for her 10 day follow-up exam as scheduled. All charges were explained on an item by item basis on at least two occasions, and my staff accommodated every request from Mel for information until she became hostile, verbally abusive and threatening. Through this all, my staff demonstrated the utmost character and professionalism.

I obviously don't know the particulars of this situation. I am sure there is some reasonable explanation. I have been a client and friend of Anthony Oddo, DVM for about 15 years. The care Tony and his staff has give our animals (and they are many including horses, dogs, and cats) has been nothing less than exemplary.

Veterinary care in Central Oregon is not inexpensive. There are many veterinarians and many vet clinics throughout the region. During the years of our relationship with Dr Oddo, we have found his billing about normal for the area and his knowledge and expertise in every area of care we have gone to him for has been beyond reproach. We have so many animals that Dr Tony, at one time, carried a rather large balance for us and we never had a problem with the way we were billed nor the way any of the charges were handled.

Dr Tony is up front with what his animal care costs and we have never found him to charge more than he quoted...which isn't the case of other veterinarians in this area. Dr Tony is also generous with his time and more than willing to teach his clients about care and management of his animals.

This is a vote for High Desert Veterinary Clinic. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this veterinary clinic to anyone.

Larry Cerullo
Powell Butte, OR