We encountered a few frustrations leading up to and on the day of my puppy’s spay…particularly around the communication from EAH's front desk staff, which felt a bit lacking during an already stressful day as a new dog mom.
The GOOD:
- The Doctor who performed my puppy’s spay was professional and kind.
- My puppy seems to be recovering well.
- I'd like to give kudos to Ellie (a vet tech, I believe) who was incredibly patient and helpful. She carried my puppy out to the car and told me what to watch for and how to keep her comfortable. Christina, at the front desk was also incredibly kind and helpful!
The BAD:
Communication:
- EAH staff only mentioned once (when we called to schedule the surgery) that we should not feed her or give her water after midnight. Is there a way to ensure reminders for dog parents ahead of surgery day? Text? Call? No one checked with us regarding this when we arrived the morning of her surgery.
- We’re 2 days out from surgery and no one from the office has called to check in. While it may not be required, it’s the kind and right thing to do. (I understand how busy offices can be but this is a special extra touch that separates the good from the great).
- While I understand the hospital cannot provide a guaranteed schedule or our dog’s "place in line" for surgeries, of the 3 times I called (11am, 2:45, 3:45), I was told she was not in surgery and that they could not share when it would happen.
At 4:45, the Doctor called and told us an emergency surgery pushed his schedule back. (Could this have been shared the 3 times i called?)
He offered 2 options: Proceed with her spay late and board her overnight (who would monitor her while she came down off the medication???) or wait until Thursday.
After a day of anxious waiting, I opted to proceed with the surgery and brought her home with me.
- It was a rough night (likely because she was brought home so soon after surgery and that's on me), but no warnings were given about how she'd act/etc. (she was limp, whining, crying, shivering, panting, etc).
I would’ve been terrified but another family told me what to expect. But what if they hadn’t?? We’d be at the emergency vet for sure.
Cost: We spent an additional $393 on "extras" that, in my opinion, were absolutely necessary to ensure a smooth procedure and recovery. (blood tests, IV, laser treatment to ensure healing, etc). It would be helpful if the staff shared this when we scheduled her surgery.
*As a single income household, this cost was a shock to me. Luckily, another family told me about this before the procedure.
I believe it would be helpful for EAH to improve its communication across the board. This will help ease anxieties and ensure everyone feels fully supported from routine check ups to major surgeries.
***We’ve switched vets and our brief intro phone call with them was already WORLDS better than the months we’ve spent at EAH.
The front desk has by far the worst customer service and attitude I have ever experienced. This isn't based off of one visit either. We have given them multiple opportunities each time we go, and they fail miserably every time. We rescued a dog from Cincinnati Lab Rescue which is affiliated with Eastgate Animal Hospital. The dog we rescued was positive for heart worm. It wasn't ideal but they said they would cover the cost to get Cooper back to health. Unfortunately after the 3 months he still tested positive back to back months. So we are now in for a total of 5 months of trying to get this heart worm out of his system. I understand, nothing we or the vet can do about it other than give Cooper more medicine and wait. Within the last couple months Cooper has had some serious skin issues where his neck has a complete bald spot, he is itching a lot, and shedding like no other! Dr. Good said each time we bring him in for his blood draw, that she can take a quick look at his skin to see if any of the medication she is prescribing is working. She understood that we live over an hour away, our whole work schedule has to be modified to make these visits work. Both times we have driven to get his blood test done, we are met with horrible attitudes and the front desk saying there is nothing they can do. That the doctors don't have time to look at Cooper and that we will need to schedule another appointment. It doesn't matter that we told them Dr. Good said she would look at him, they offer zero help. And to go along with being no help, they have bad attitudes. Dr. Good was very apologetic the first time this happened and she told us to skip the front desk when we call and ask for Tiffany. That worked the first time. Tiffany has been helpful but when we walk in for an appointment and only have the option of speaking with the front desk, it is a complete waste of time. I know finding good workers can be hard, but outside of Dr. Good and Tiffany, the front desk is useless. We will absolutely not be coming back and will tell everyone we know with animals to avoid this location.
Kind staff! I found an abandoned cat that I wanted to get checked out and they were very helpful.
I've been going to Eastgate Animal Hospital for forty years. Even though the original vets have retired, the new ones are continuing the tradition of excellence and caring. Dr Gretchen Goode is the best.
First time here and I can say this place is wonderful. They answered all my questions. Listened to all my concerns and went over everything with me.
