IronHorse VetCare — Attraction in Dublin

I was referred here by the Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) after receiving some hopeful news following a terrifying night of rushing my beloved 10-year-old female corgi from one emergency hospital to another. Late Saturday evening, she began showing alarming symptoms which included lethargy, pale gums, and shaking. An ultrasound performed by VEG had revealed a localized mass on her liver, with no evidence of metastasizing. Additional radiographs confirmed there had been no signs of spread to her lungs. Based on these findings, VEG determined the mass appeared operable.

We arrived at 7 AM on a Monday, hoping that Gracie could undergo surgery that same day. We were informed she would first need to be evaluated through their emergency department for a surgical consultation. Compared to VEG, the team was more cautious in their optimism, explaining that even with a successful surgery, Gracie might only have a few additional months. The outcome would ultimately depend on the biopsy results. During this discussion, they recorded the conversation, likely for liability purposes. They recommended one more ultrasound, this time performed by a board-certified veterinarian, which confirmed that the mass was in fact localized and appeared operable. We decided to move forward with the procedure, and they were able to admit her and perform a liver lobectomy later that same day at 4 PM.

We didn’t have much direct communication with the veterinarian, but the lobby staff and the vet technician who assisted us were kind and attentive to Gracie’s care and comfort. Around 5:30 PM, we received a call informing us that the surgical team wanted to perform an additional gastropexy while she was under anesthesia. We gave our consent and took this as a hopeful sign that they were considering her long-term health.

We received regular updates after Gracie’s surgery. It was reassuring to hear that she was doing great and that her vitals were stabilizing well. Knowing she was under round-the-clock monitoring and that her pain was being closely managed brought us a lot of comfort. Just 24 hours after surgery, we were able to bring her home. She was discharged with pain medications and a sedative and came bouncing out into the lobby wearing an adorable rainbow bandana and a pink slip lead, looking like a brand-new dog.

Although I don’t know who performed the surgery, I have never seen a cleaner, more expertly closed suture on a dog. Her recovery has been smooth and uneventful, and we’ll be returning on Sunday to have her staples removed.

Since then, we’ve received the incredible news that Gracie’s biopsy came back benign, and she’s expected to make a full recovery. I’m beyond grateful to the staff at IronHorse Vet Care for the fantastic care they provided throughout this entire experience. I would absolutely trust their team with any specialized treatments or surgeries...

Absolutely OUTSTANDING. Our 12 year old sweet Lucy, a miniature Australian Shepherd had been experiencing equilibrium problems during the past week and our regular vet thought it could be from an allergy medication she was taking. We stopped giving this but her equilibrium did not improve. A blood workup was done which showed she had an elevated white blood cell count. X-rays were also taken to see if she had an enlarged heart which came back negative. An antibiotic was prescribed; and after a couple of days, her equilibrium still did not improve. She would take a few steps and then fall down. Most of the time she would just sleep. Lucy slept in our bedroom with us and at 1:30am on February 14, 2020 she awoke me because she was crying and could not stand at all. Due to the early morning time, we reached out to IRONHORSE EMERGENCY VETCARE in Dublin and brought her in for consultation. They kept her overnight to keep her as comfortable as possible before we considered another path forward. The veterinarian in charge was Dr Andy Nanda who my wife and I were duly impressed with due to his caring manner of concern and providing a thorough explanation as to what could possibly be contributing to Lucy's condition. At 8am on February 14th, he called to advise that Lucy's condition had not improved and that she had labored breathing and also had a seizure. Due to her age and apparent physical anomalies that were the possible causes of her condition, my wife and I decided to euthanize our sweet Lucy which we did at 10 am on February 14th. It was very difficult to see her when we arrived because it was apparent she was not going to survive because she was unresponsive. Dr Olivia Winson was the veterinarian in charge overseeing Lucy because Dr Nanda's shift was over. Dr Winson showed much appreciated empathy for Lucy and our sadness before and after the procedure was completed. Dr Nanda and Dr Winson were our rocks during this ordeal. Even the administrative staff were supportive. Having to euthanize your pet is always a very sad experience but IRONHORSE VETCARE'S professional care and concern for Lucy and us will always be appreciated and remembered. It's difficult for us losing Lucy because she was always our sweet little baby girl and many tears have been shed by us. She was daddy's little girl and my wife's shadow. Thank-you IRONHORSE...

Took my boy in for surgery on March 24th. He had surgery the next day which went excellent, my little kitty boy is back on his feet after his FHO surgery. The front desk staff was good as well, although my interaction was very minimal with them because they don't allow anyone to spend much time in the lobby, just saw them when I dropped off my boy and every interaction after that was entirely inside my car in the parking lot with the masks on. All the interaction was over the phone with all the doctors and they were all very polite and informative. At times when I would get worried and needed to hear how he was doing, I 'd call and they always gave me an update on him - no matter what time of the day it was. There was only one tech that I talked to that sort of gave me the impression that she could care less if I lived 3.5hrs away, when I had called for them to refill a prescription for pain medication that had run out a week after the surgery, she said that I'd have to come in to the clinic to pick up refills because the medication was a controlled substance. Although throughout the entire process, every person that I had spoken to from the IronHorse facility had told me that I can take care of all that with my primary care vet nearby. When I had mentioned that to her, she said okay, I can try to call them but I don't know how they'd feel about that (as in refiling a prescription for a narcotic). Mind you, hers was a valid concern, she just seemed to not be informed that in our situation, the doctors at IronHorse and my primary care facility had an agreement to deliver all follow up care nearby due to my scenario with locality. In any case, she respected my request and she had called them and my local vet was able to fill the prescription without any concerns. I took my boy in for a follow up two weeks later and his primary care vet was very impressed with how well his recovery was going. All I can say is that this little guy is our youngest child, we love him and would do anything to help him and we would not have been able to get him to where he is today if it wasn't for the outstanding work that the veterinary staff at IronHorse did in the care and treatment that they delivered...