3820 Timberline Rd.
Ft Collins, CO 80525
Hi neighbors, this is my review of Countryside Animal Hospital in Ft Collins, May 1, 2018.
Vet Review
My first vet here, Dr. Ann Vestal, was great; knowledgeable and caring and professional. But she moved away after six months.
Unaware of this, Sophie my 9 y/Malinois service dog and I were surprised by a different vet upon arriving for a muscle injury exam.
The new vet was curt, offered no personal introduction, or warmth and compassion as I’d felt from our original doc, etc. I left without even knowing her name, going instead by the name on the Rx bottle she’d given - Speight. But that’s not her name.
We sat waiting, Sophie in pain until Dr. Morgan finally came in, late. No “Sorry to keep you waiting,” not even a friendly glance or smile. This is totally contrary to any vet experience we’ve ever had.
This reflects poorly on the clinic; ours was not an emergency visit. Here, vets and patients are apparently interchangeable without notice and that’s not okay. An ongoing patient-doctor relationship is important to us.
This indifferent vet’s name is Katherine Morgan, though her name does not appear on the Rx medication bottles-another doc’s name does. I can’t even be sure she truly is a veterinarian yet but perhaps a vet school student? Can she not legally prescribe medication yet?
Meeting with her was less a positive give-and-take and more like being subjected to a condescending lecture. I had no choice but to let it slide-something this vet office was well aware of this, but did it anyway.
So when I scheduled a follow up appt I requested a different vet. But the same vet entered a second time anyway, no explanation, nothing. My girl was in pain and needed help- again there was nothing I could do. We were stuck with Dr. Morgan again though we’d specifically requested another vet.
Dr. Morgan’s inability to provide excellent and experienced care was clear. She fumbled around awkwardly with the instruments used in only partially draining my Sophie’s swollen cyst. Dr. Morgan’s inexperience at the procedure created an infection which was a possibility an experienced doctor would have known to address. Dr. Morgan did not.
Nor did Dr. Morgan suggest an alternative treatment. Sophie’s had the cyst all her life and it looked no different after the procedure-I didn’t realize Dr. Morgan had botched such an apparently simple job until it was too late.
Sophie developed an infection due to Dr. Morgan, who should have had an experienced doctor supervising her. I firmly believe my Sophie, in effect was a guinea pig.
Dr. Morgan chose not to help me avoid this a day or so later by not making a follow up call to us to ask “How’s she doing?” as her predecessor there did. But nothing. I was on my own to handle it.
I’ve had to find a new, experienced vet who knows what to do and how to do it while also communicating with me about it.
Our vet at Harmony Hospital for Pets prescribed antibiotics and Sophie’s now getting better from the infection my sweet girl got from Dr. Morgan’s work, 3 weeks earlier.
It’s been costly and, most important, very painful for Sophie. And still, no follow up call from Dr. Morgan to see how Sophie’s doing. Her silence says simply “I don’t care...”
I’m disabled and my service dog is my lifeline. In public, Sophie and I literally work together. So when I’m not physically active, neither is my Sophie. If I’m down and in pain, so is she. We’re both fighting weight issues and can do without Dr. Morgan’s smug comments like “Your dog’s nearly obese.”
My Sophie was injured doing her job for me, twisting on an icy parking lot to help me after I’d fallen.
Implying that Sophie was hurt solely because of being overweight as Dr. Morgan did was insensitive and insulting to the working relationship we’ve had for 9+ years.
Nearly all vets we’ve met elsewhere have been terrific. But this office is clearly too short on compassion to attract and to keep a friendly and qualified vet on staff for very long.
Sophie’s almost 10 and we’ve known many great vets along the way. We’re not experts but I know good care from indifferent, and this wasn’t good care.
Please avoid risking the painful and upsetting experience like Sophie and I had at Countryside Animal Hospital - Look elsewhere for compassionate care for your beloved furry friend.
Taking an animal to a veterinarian is a trust agreement that most of us don’t take lightly. It’s why we read reviews like these when making such an important decision.
If the managing administration vets at Countryside Animal Hospital were to contact me back with some sign of contrition or even acknowledgement about our poor treatment there I’d be willing to update this review.
For anyone at Countryside Animal Hospital to not to do so will reinforce my belief that what I’ve written here may help another loving animal owner avoid the pain we’ve found here.
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