Heartland Veterinary Clinic

These folks are awesome. I've been working with them for 25 years now. We are #ENGLISHMASTIFF owners and they do great with our big boys :)
Mar 16th, 2024

The staff at Heartland were super caring and compassionate in helping us through the tough process of losing our family pet of 13 years. Highly recommend them!
Mar 2nd, 2024

One of the best decisions we made for our dogs was switching to Heartland. Dr Hunt is an excellent veterinarian and her staff is remarkable! Great communication and high efficiency! Thank you for caring for our pack!
Feb 10th, 2024

TL;DR: Dr. Arneson incorrectly diagnosed my two year old dog's bladder infection as inoperable bladder cancer. Until last week, I fully entrusted my pups health and well-being to Heartland. We typically see Dr. Hunt, who we still think highly of, but our experience with Dr. Arneson last week has led us to search for a new vet clinic. When our pup began urinating blood, we scheduled an appointment expecting treatment for a UTI or bladder/prostate infection. You can imagine my heartbreak and shock when I got a phone call with a cancer diagnosis. When we dropped him off, it was apparent that they were stressed due to being down a vet that day. This is understandable, but not an excuse for what happened. Dr. Arneson called me 5 hours later and let me know that there was a large amount of blood in his urine, which we already knew and expected would prompt additional testing. He did an X-Ray and didnt find any bladder stones, which prompted an ultrasound. He stated that the ultrasound showed a large bladder tumor, which was TCC, in an inoperable location. He also stated that there was bacteria found in the urine, which he believed to have caused irritation to his tumor, thus causing the blood in the urine. He prescribed an antibiotic for the possible UTI and an anti-inflammatory for the tumor. Dr. Arneson stated that, after looking it up earlier that day, the average lifespan was about 250 days with the anti-inflammatory treatment. We felt he delivered this diagnosis in a rather cruel manner, stating there would be no emotions, and left thinking our dog wouldnt make it to his third birthday. We did not receive a referral to any other veterinarians, any images taken, or any test results. We did receive a nearly $600 bill. We spoke with two oncology clinics the next day, who reviewed his records and stated they could not confidently say that he had cancer or a tumor. Virginia Veterinary Specialists referred us to their internal medicine specialists to get additional imaging and to do diagnostic testing before agreeing to see us for a consult. During the week that we waited for the specialist visit, our dog had begun vomiting after every meal. We called Heartland on the day this started. Dr. Arneson did not speak to me, and I spent 15 minutes on hold waiting for the receptionist to get an answer from him. He decided to prescribe another medication to help the vomiting but did not recommend that we cease using the anti-inflammatory medication. Against our better judgment, we continued with his treatment plan. When we finally saw the internal medicine specialists, we got the news that our dog did not have cancer. He had a bladder and prostate infection, which was our initial suspicion. She stated the tumor that was seen on the original ultrasound was actually inflammatory cells caused by the infection. The anti-inflammatory was the culprit of the other symptoms he was having. Dr. Arneson also failed to prescribe an effective amount of antibiotics to treat his infection. Additionally, the "anti-nausea" medication he prescribed was actually to prevent GI issues caused by the anti-inflammatory, and the dosage was also incorrect. We left this visit with a recommendation of neutering after finishing an additional week of the correct dosage of antibiotics. We were also advised to increase GI protection and start a true anti-nausea medication. While we were relieved our dog would recover and did not have cancer, we were frustrated with the $1,100 spent on getting the correct diagnosis we should've received from Heartland. We were absolutely disappointed in the misdiagnosis and improper treatment, but more so in the way that Dr. Arneson treated this situation. While I won't discredit others' experiences, ours reflects a concerning pattern shared by others who previously trusted this same clinic. I share this to caution others considering this clinic. I cannot entrust them with any further care after this ordeal and I urge anyone who currently or plans to trust this vet with your animal to do your due diligence.
Mar 25th, 2024

Feb 8th, 2024