Complaint Review: Hamilton Animal Hospital - Huntington Beach California

My spouse and I highly recommend Hamilton Animal Hospital.  They have taken excellent care of Jet, our Burmese feline, for more than a decade, and Noodles, our shih tzu.  Noodles was a mess when we adopted him with skin problems requiring steroids.  Dr. Greenwood helped with a change in medications and a change in diet.  Noodles has been steroid and allergy free ever since.  Everyone at Hamilton is professional and we trust them completely.

I have been taking my dogs, cats and rabbits to Hamilton Veterinary Hospital for 4 years. My husband and I are both physicians and judge our vets to a higher standard than most. First of all, neither vets nor physicians have an obligation to provide care for free. I have $185,000 in loans for tuition, rent for medical office space of $7000 per month and a loan payment for medical equipment/office start up of $5000 per month. Malpractice is around $3000 per month. There are also office expenses. I'm sure every vet has similar expenses. We have, however, provided free exams, treatments and even performed surgeries for free for patients in need. The Hamilton vets have helped us when we were financially in need, as well. Is the car dealership a "greedy b*****d" for repossessing your car if you don't make the payments? Is Albertsons heartless if you have a cartful of groceries for your hungry kids at home but don't have the money to purchase them? No human or animal has a God-given right to free medical care. Second, if your dog needed multiple courses of antibiotics, something was wrong and he should have gone back for another visit and requesting refill after refill was inappropriate on your part. If your dog died, you let him sit at home without care for too long. You should have taken him to another vet if you weren't happy and he wasn't getting better. Third, the doctors and staff there are excellent. I have the most experience with Dr. Greenwood and she is an excellent surgeon and a fine clinician. I would not hesitate to recommend Hamilton Vet Hospital to anyone for any of their animals. Veggiedoc HB, CA

Dear Robert- I have been bringing my pets to Hamilton Animal Hospital since I found them (4 years ago). I couldn't even think of taking my dogs some place else. The staff has shown more empathy, and compassion towards me, my pets, and my family- than most individuals will receive in a lifetime. My first appointment I was informed of the payment policy as were you. I struggled and told the employee who I was talking to- I might have to cancel, due to my financial situation, but I would call back if I wasn't going to make it. And just like the other response which had been posted- I knew that the golden state humane society was another option, and would work on a sliding scale. Living alone, without any pets- is expensive, and many people struggle. Taking the responsibility to own a dog, means taking the responsibility to care for the dog... Food, shelter, friendship & love... - VET VISITS!!!! I'm sure you are well aware of all of this, but after reading your complaint, I felt that you needed to be reminded. I don't know how old your dog is, and I didn't see the infection, nor was I at the hospital to see how the staff had treated you. I am really sorry about your dog's passing, and I can only imagine how painful it is for you. I presently own 3 dogs who are my children. I don't think that there is anything I would not do for them. They are everything to me. 2 of them are Mastiffs, 140pds (female) and 152pds (male). I, myself am 5' 1" and know from experience, it is not easy getting them in and out of a vehicle. I went to Petsmart and purchased a ramp, it allows them the ability to travel more with me. I only mention this because of the situation you described once you arrived; however, because we cannot go back in time, this can be something to think about if you decide on any large pets in the future. Getting back to your complaint, when you scheduled the appointment and mentioned the need for assistance at the time of your arrival - did you tell them what type of vehicle you would be driving (color, the make, the model and the year)? Did you give them a description of what you looked like (hair color, or what specific clothing you would be wearing)?? Yes the staff may have been "standing around -watching," which makes your complaint sound more like a fairy-tale than anything; how can you place blame, if you did not go inside to check in and inform the employees at the counter that you were there, and remind them that you would need assistance? How do you expect that anyone would know of your needs at that time; Psychic Friends Network. Hamilton Animal Hospital provided a service to you, and prior to the service, you were aware of your financial reasonability - weren't you? Let me ask you this- when you go to the store for groceries, and you only have enough money to purchase 3 of the 5 items which you brought to the counter, do you pay them for the items you can afford and then take the other items because you feel that you are starving, and the employees should understand; infact if they do not- they are just greedy and evil. Or what if you worked at the Animal Hospital and your boss came to you on pay day and said " I am sorry Robert, however I cannot pay you today because we did not have enough money, we treated 4 animals out of the goodness of our hearts." If everyone had a heart of gold and a money tree in their front yard well, then yes, I would expect that Hamilton Animal Hospital is a bit greedy for insisting payment at the time of service. But now we don't live in a world such as that, and it is unfair to accuse the staff of being animal killers, because they were charging you for your visit; Nothing in this world is free, everything costs something!! Really the way I see this is that you are trying to make someone else the bad guy when you need to accept the fact that they did nothing - but their job (according to your story). And I'm sorry to say this; but - you are the guilty one, and you need to begin taking the responsability for what has happend, rather than placing it on everyone around you. When you did see the doctor,was your dog not treated correctly? Did the doctor fail to assess your dog, or did they not administer some type of treatment? I am not understanding how or why you are holding Hamilton Animal Hospital responsable for the passing of your dog. And lastly, I am not sure which doctor you did see, however the owner of the hospital is driving an older Chev. Suburban. He is not the money hungry Mercedes owner that you speak of. Basically what I am saying is this: Hamilton did nothing more than treat your dog and they should not be blamed for the passing of your dog. Sincerely Michelle B. (c/o Pervis, Paloma, & Katie)

If you paid for the office visit, you should have a receipt. If you didn't, why should this company - a business with employees and upkeep - not charge you? This is not a human being getting health care (although living in California, I don't see that too far off). I'm sorry about your dog; he shouldn't have suffered. But if you had taken him to the Humane Society, they would have taken care of him on at least a sliding scale basis.