Complaint Review: Dr. Jacqueline Ruskin/Smith Ridge Veterinary Center - South Salem New York

Our beloved Siamese cat was killed by this Vet in August 2010. 

Dr. Ruskin is a 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing' and will outright lie to the Clients in order to either weasel out of any responsibility for her wrongdoing and/or she will put enormous pressure on Clients to do an invasive, risky procedure [that brings in more money] and she does not spell-out the risks to pet Guardians.

BOTH of these tactics were utilized by her on our family. 

Our Siamese cat was first seen by Dr. Ruskin in the Spring of 2010. This much-loved cat was the childhood love of a 13 year old boy. It was never explained to this boy nor to his father [nor his mother] that the invasive dental procedure she directly advised to our family to have done on our cat was of HIGH RISK and that Siamese, along with Himalayans, are more susceptible to complications from any surgery due to their sensitive immune systems and nervous systems. 

Again, the risks were never mentioned, and we were pressured to have the surgery for our cat as we were told, by Dr. Ruskin, "Your cat will stop eating" and things would get worse if we did not have the surgery.

During the initial consultation, it was made clear verbally to Dr. Ruskin that our cat had respiratory issues, and we believed she had Asthma. I ALSO included this information on the intake forms. 

On the day of the surgery, I called that morning to remind the office [and spoke to the Vet Tech in charge of her care and in charge of the Anesthesia] of the fact that our cat had respiratory issues and Asthma. I was given a bit of an attitude by the Vet Tech, and his answer to me was that he would just do some "X Rays" before giving Anesthesia.

He told me at this time that they did not have the Ultrasound machine when I asked if there was any other precautionary procedure they could take prior to the surgery. When I lightly questioned him, he sounded like he had everything under control because he assured me that our cat was on an IV and was doing 'fine' at that moment.

I was concerned, and I had a very dark, bad feeling that I could not totally understand given the fact that this Vet Center was run by a well-known Doctor: Dr. Marty Goldstein. I took some comfort at that time in believing that this office was supposed to be one of the best, and I had nothing to worry about. Everything would be fine.

Our trust in this office and certainly in Dr. Ruskin was horribly betrayed. This Doctor was in charge of the surgery, and should have taken the appropriate and necessary precautionary steps by acting professionally and making double-sure that our cat was even well enough to undergo surgery at all. 

Our cat was pronounced dead around 2 PM on the 4th of August 2010 at Smith Ridge Veterinary Center.

They had not even started the surgery. She went into serious distress from the Anesthesia! 

The next day, we discovered that the Vet Tech, under the supposed direction of the incompetent Dr. Ruskin, gave our cat Propofol intravenous Anesthesia and put her 'under' BEFORE even bothering to get an X RAY! Propofol, as I later discovered, when given too fast and too much, can cause Apnea.

Neither the Vet Tech nor Dr. Ruskin want to discuss this issue. 

The Doctor admitted to not having the opportunity to even look at the X RAYS [that were supposed to be part of the PRE-surgery precautionary measures to begin with] because our cat went into respiratory distress after the second Anesthesia was given called Isoflurane. This is an inhaled Anesthesia that is not recommended for people or animals with Asthma!

The rude awakening to the dishonesty of Dr. Ruskin came the next day, when our 13 year old boy was in tears as he held the beloved cat who was killed in his arms. Dr. Ruskin had the audacity and the pathetic NERVE to state to me and to the entire family in the examining room that WE should have known the risks of this surgery!

EXCUSE ME? We, the Clients, were supposed to know-- somehow without being told by you, the Doctor-- that our cat could die from the Anesthesia? You have got to be kidding me! This insane statement made it very clear to me what a nightmare we had trustingly walked right into simply because of marketing/PR and whatever else made this office LOOK as though they were caring and competent.

To add insult to all of this injury, we were sent a Bill in the mail for more than $900 for the debacle, tragedy, and suffering that this office had caused. They had the nerve to charge my credit card on file for the whole mess of a procedure, and then send me a little bill with a "Thank you!" written on the bill!

The uncouth and unethical behavior of the entire office, and particularly of this unqualified, inept Doctor, should be noted and remembered by everyone who reads this complaint. 

I wonder how many other beloved family pets have died at the hands of Dr. Ruskin or this office. 

The pain and suffering that this horrifying event has caused is immeasurable.