Dr. Alex goes above and beyond for my (sometimes spicy) cat. Not only is she incredibly patient and sweet with her, she has also gone out of her way to get back to me with any questions or concerns I have regarding my pets and their health. Despite being busy, front desk staff is also always pleasant and easy to work with.
Brought my cat here because he was vomiting and had diarrhea. After 15 mins i left with a bill for $542.00. Left feeling like weight was lifted off of me, probably my wallet. Have a 3 year old cat and was charged for a senior cat panel. Told this is the one i needed to check my cat for pancreatitis because he was vomiting a few times. Left feeling i got railroaded.
I have no idea what’s going on with Westfield Animal Hospital as of late, but it’s become a huge disappointment. My dog had been vomiting off and on but was never lethargic needing emergency care. I kept calling for an appointment but would always get voicemail where I mentioned the issue with my dog. I never received a call back to any of my calls. This has become a habit of theirs where the phone just rings into voicemail and no one returns your calls. I called again and finally got an appointment for Friday, April 24. However, at 9:36 that day, I received call from Westfield cancelling my appointment which was actually for 9:30. I never got the usual appointment reminder and thought the appointment was for 10:30. A reminder would have been appreciated but was never received. I was heartbroken because I’d waited so long but rescheduled for Monday, April 27, only to be surprised with an appointment confirmation for Monday, April 20 – the prior week! When I tried calling to correct this, no one answered the phone. As providence would have it, I ended up getting an appointment on the afternoon of April 24 with another vet in Clark through a referral. While at this vet’s office, she mentioned that she was trying to reach Westfield Animal Hospital to have my pet’s records transferred but couldn’t get through because …they didn’t answer the phone.
Also, I usually order my dog’s medication from Chewy with an Rx approval from the vet. But this time Chewy sent a message stating that the vet disapproved their refill request due to the number of tablets requested which was too low. No big deal. I just increased the number of tabs with Chewy for them to resubmit for approval, yet somehow Westfield filled the prescription instead of allowing Chewy to do it. I received a text from Westfield to pick up the meds and was charged $93.00. The medication was levothyroxine, one of the cheapest medications for pets and usually costs around $8.00. Not wanting to deny my dog his medication, I accepted it but reviewed the matter closely afterwards because I couldn’t understand what happened. In checking with Chewy’s pharmacy and Westfield, I realized that Westfield bypassed Chewy and filled the prescription on their own. Chewy never received the second Rx refill approval from Westfield Animal Hospital. I have no idea why they did this when I always have the medication refilled by Chewy. When I inquired with Westfield about returning the medication, I was denied due to their new policy of not giving medication refunds, and no reason was given as to why they didn’t allow Chewy to refill the prescription. That was the last straw. Between their lack of callbacks, no appointment confirmation, robotic and apathetic response when I missed my appointment, and putting over a 1,000% markup on an inexpensive medication, I’d had enough of Westfield. I don’t know what’s going on but they have turned away from pet care to a money grab. If someone is trying to run this business into the ground, they’re doing a fine job!
I have been bringing my pets to your facility for several years, and until recently, I have had positive experiences. However, I am writing to express my concern about a noticeable decline in service.
It has become increasingly difficult to receive proper care due to the apparent lack of available technicians. Additionally, I have encountered staff members who have been unreliable and, at times, discourteous. This is disappointing, especially given the level of professionalism and compassion I have come to expect from your facility.
I value the care my pets receive, which is why I hope this matter can be addressed promptly. I would appreciate any information regarding steps being taken to improve staffing and overall service quality.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ms. Foster
I’m not sure when it happened, but this vet practice was bought up by private equity. If you don’t already know about what private equity is, you should look into it. The goal is to maximize profits for the corporate entity that owns the business. These businesses make it almost impossible for vets to provide good, affordable care by the using following methods - reduce staff, increase benefits/ healthcare costs, incentivize unnecessary diagnostic tests, double book appointments etc.
I really feel for the people who work here because, I know they really do care deeply for animals but private equity ensures that they cannot do their jobs to the best of their abilities. We had to leave after too many poor experiences and wanted to support a local vet that is not owned by private equity.
