Turquoise Animal Hospital — Attraction in San Diego

Feedback for Turquoise Veterinary Office

I’ve always had wonderful experiences every time I’ve brought Pluto in, with one exception — what happened during our most recent visits.

Three days ago, Pluto was seen by Dr. Brecht because Dr. Reed, who I consider Pluto’s primary doctor, was out that day. The visit itself went smoothly, but when Pluto had blood work done, I left feeling uncertain. There was very little clarity or direction on what I could do to help improve his kidney and liver values, other than being told he should come in for fluids the next three days.

The following day, I came back with Pluto for fluids and asked if I could speak with Dr. Reed to go over some follow-up questions about that blood work. The staff told me I couldn’t, and instead asked me to send an email with my questions. I did so, but unfortunately, I received no reply that day.

On the third day, when I brought Pluto back for fluids, I again asked if Dr. Reed could spare five minutes — even over the phone — to discuss the blood work results. I was told she was too busy, and even if she had time, she wouldn’t be the one to answer my questions since she hadn’t been the doctor who saw Pluto the day the blood work was done. I found this very frustrating, especially considering that Dr. Reed has seen Pluto every other time and is the doctor I trust most with his care.

What was most upsetting was being told that if I wanted to speak with Dr. Reed about this blood work, I would have to schedule another appointment and pay again. That doesn’t feel fair. I had already paid for the blood work and the consultation, and my follow-up questions were directly related to that same visit and those same results. I believe it’s reasonable to expect that Pluto’s primary doctor could review the results from her own office and help provide some guidance.

To be clear, my trust in Dr. Reed remains the reason I will continue bringing Pluto here. But the way the staff handled my requests left me very disappointed. I felt dismissed, unheard, and placed in a position where I was being asked to pay again just to get basic clarity on results I’d already paid for.

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Turqoise Animal Hospital killed my pet mouse Pumpkin in 2021. It is difficult to find "exotic" vet services (and mice are considered as such), so I was happy when Turqoise said they would be able to remove small tumor from my mouse's armpit. She was a young and robust mouse, less than a year old, and was not even yet showing discomfort at the tumor that was very small at the time and I was told would be simple to remove. Removal was to be preventative surgery and the doctor showed no concern at any potential surgery risks. I was given explicit written direction to NOT feed her in the hours before surgery, so I removed her from her pack (as female mice are social creatures and live in groups) and kept her isolated in the hours before surgery to ensure she did not eat, as directed. When she was returned to me after surgery, she had massive staples in her arm, was cold, and had labored breathing. I knew something was wrong immediately and should have listened to my gut, but instead I opted to believe the doctor and staff who told me all was fine. Pumpkin died, in pain, scared, and confused, mere hours after I took her home. When I called Turqoise to discuss what happened, I discovered that I was given INCORRECT pre-surgery information and that she could have been eating and stayed with her friends. I have lived with the guilt that their incorrect information and questionable surgery sutures caused my mouse to die young, hungry, scared, and alone. Given that they offered no recompense for my pet that they killed, I'm sure they cared little at the time and have...

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