Animal Medical Hospital of Vermont

Dec 1st, 2015

Recently I took my dog to this vet- our long time vet- because I noticed he s been having difficulty breathing while hiking and walking. I contacted my friend, who is also a vet in another state, who recommended we bring our dog in for a geriatric exam. Dr.Stevenson said that everything looked fine, except for the paleness inside of his mouth. He added that there were a number of things which could cause this: cancer,a hemorrhage, or internal bleeding. He said that this was an old dog, but that he was in pretty good shape for how old he was. He laid my options out by saying we do nothing and allow him to digress, or we look into it and see if there were a treatable cause for the shortness of breath and paleness. It seemed clear to me that the best course of action was to proceed with testing. He said that he wanted to prepare me fr the possibility that the xrays may come back showing that he was "full of cancer." I left my dog there for an hour and came back. He was very prompt to consult with me upon my return, but made me wait in the exam room while he spent a considerable amount of time discussing how he was going to stack the hay in his barn with someone else- all the while leaving me wondering what was wrong with my dog. He came back and we discussed the results of the testing for a few minutes. I lwft and went to the counter to check out and pay my bill. I was shocked to discover that the bill was over $400.00. I said to the receptionist that I was unable to pay that much all at once. Dr. Stevenson came out from around the corner and raised his voice to a tone which became hostile. He said, "I'm trying to run a business here, I don't have room for patients who can't pay!" I added that I was just saying that I was unable to pay all at once, and that I intended to have him paid off within the next to weeks. He accused me of never intending to pay. He said, "Everyone who has never paid me has said those exact words." I reminded him that we have been long term clients in good standing- a point which he didn't' seem to care for. I added that if they were able to communicate that the testing would be so expensive, we could have been able reach an agreement beforehand, and avoided the sticker shock I was experiencing. The receptionist chimed in to say "He wouldn't have done anything if he didn't think you were able to pay for it." A point which has me confused. Clearly, Dr. Stevenson provides different levels of care based on what he thinks other people can afford, and gets pissed off to the point of yelling when people ask for payment plans.I left feeling disenfranchised. I returned the next day after I realized I didn't get a receipt for my visit, detailing the work that was done. I asked for a this, and the medical records for the visit- which I did not receive. After it became clear I wasn't getting the records, I asked the tec where I would go to report them for an ethical violation. I was met with a vague answer: "Go call someone at the state. I'm not sure who, but someone there will tell you." I was not provided a number or more specific information. Later that next day, my friend- the vet- asked for a copy of my dog's records. After Dr. Stevenson learned I was going to report him, he made sure to add a SOAP note containing misinformation about our interaction, saying that I "insisted" he proceed with the testing and that I "didn't think I should have to pay for the visit," among other personal insults and false information about my visit. The only thing this will accomplish is making it difficult for my aging dog to find quality, unbiased care. My experience with David was that 1.) He uses scare tactics to run up the bill 2.) Won't tell you anything about the cost, and 3.) Is insensitive to the financial situations of people who want their pets to have the best care possible.If you want "quality and compassionate care, " go somewhere else!
Nov 8th, 2014