Lara S

Fourways Veterinary Hospital and Me**** prescription

We took our two dogs to this veterinary clinic the day after the December long weekend. The larger dog was biting his paw for no reason that we could detect, and the smaller dog had an ear infection because of mosquito bites. Both also had to get their annual shots which they get in December. Both are pedigreed dogs, fully house trained and socialized. The reception service was poor. I was being done a favor when they spoke to me. The we couldn't be bothered that you are here attitude. We did have booked appointments for both dogs but had to wait for almost two hours for the second dog to have its appointment because one of the receptionists said that she phoned me but there was no reply so they took in another dog instead. I was sitting right there in front of her in the reception area. I therefore conclude that they do not keep tabs on who is waiting in that area. The dogs were seen by two different vets. The smaller dog was diagnosed with an ear infection caused by water in the ear. We do not have a pool. The dogs are washed by a grooming service and we therefore concluded that that was the only way water could have gotten into its ears. The dog was put on a dose of Me**** 16mg tablets, two per day (32mg per day), and an ear wash solution. It weighs 35 kg. The other dog was also diagnosed with an ear infection and was put on a dose of Me**** 16mg tablets, four tablets per day (64mg), for its ear infection and eating the paw. It weighs 40 kg. No pamphlet or drug information was included with the medication. We blindly accepted the medicine and diagnosis. The result was that the larger dog developed severe incontinence after the first 32mg of Me**** was administered. By day two, 16 hours after starting to take the prescribed dosage, the dog was like laying in its own pee and unable to move. We Googled Me**** to see what type of medication it was and its side effects. Me**** is prescribed by vets as antibiotics are prescribed for humans. Me**** is a cortisone like medicine or steroid and is used to alleviate allergic reactions, swelling, redness and itching. It is a dangerous drug with severe side effects and once on it the user has to be gradually weaned off it. The dosage is based on body weight. Renal failure is one of its side effects. We took the larger dog back to the veterinary hospital on 23 December, fearing renal failure as the animal was by then laying in his own pee which was just flooding out of him continuously. Instead of sending the vet who treated him the first time out, her name is Dr Bianca Ambrose, a nurse came to attend to us. The norse was very professional although I pressured her on the dosage and body weight of the animal during the first visit but was clearly under instructed to minimize the reputational damage to the practice. She recommended a blood test to detect if the dog had renal failure. This would cost me an additional R1 300 plus the consultation fee of R 1085, in addition to the vet bill of R5 200 - 00 for the 16 December which did not include shots for the larger dog because the vet said it would clash with the medicine she was prescribing him. I made it clear that I am a pensioner and the cost was unacceptable. We eventually agreed to the blood test and as a result I received an Excel created document with a chart on it that evidently stated that the animal did not have renal failure. At no stage was the dog looked at by either the nurse or a vet during this second visit, except for when his blood was drawn from his front leg. After being at the veterinary clinic for over two hours a vet came to speak to me and she told me the dog has to be weaned off the Me**** because stopping Me**** usage immediately will have fatal consequences for the animal. She explained the new dosage to me and I insisted that she write it down. The dosage was immediately halved, ending in a half tablet (8mg) for up to 02 January 2025. The smaller dog's dosage was not weaned off as we gave her the prescribed dosage and its tablets finished on that dosage of two per day. The bill for the second visit was R1300. We consulted another a vet at a different facility and used his Me**** recommendation for the dosage reduction and the dog came off it on Monday30 December. In addition to the vet bills we also paid about R1 500 for diapers because of the dog's condition which had become misery for all of us, and which was caused by the Me**** over dosage prescribed by the Fourways Veterinary Hospital. From the 30 December we started to give the animal Pegasus Renal 12c and today, 02 January his incontinence is almost gone. He is still chewing his paw. At first we had a problem weaning him off the diaper but by yesterday morning he was back to his house training routine. The past days since 17 December has been sheer hell. If I could write this review without giving the Fourways Veterinary Hospital a star, I would. The sole object of the place is to exploit pet owners financially whilst providing sub standard medical care to animals. You will always have to make more than one visit to this place if you're gullible enough to take your pet there for treatment. We have now learnt to ask for the pamphlet accompanying the medicine and to be fully aware of any side effects before we agree to give it to our animals. We have also learnt that we CAN refuse to use the medicine that facilities like the Fourways Veterinary Hospital add to your bill without asking for permission to do so or of informing you of the costs in advance.