B Street Veterinary Hospital — Local services in San Diego

This place told me that my dog has congestive heart failure. On my very 1st visit they suggested that I put him down and only gave him several weeks to 2 months to live. I decided to go the medication route because I strongly disagreed. He is a 13 your old Labrador retriever who is otherwise very happy and healthy and not suffering confirmed by a second opinion at another vet. When it was time to leave the vet office I took home his rediculously overpriced 1st dose of medications. I looked at the bill and was being charged for numerous other fees that I was never advised of or agreed to for x-rays, examinations and such. On the positive note they waived most of those fees when I argued that I never was informed of the costs or provided any invoice in advance. I shopped around for medications and it seemed that the vet was not happy about having the prescriptions filled at Walgreens and had even disconnected a call with Walgreens and failed to call back. This was information I received from Walgreens. I was able to obtain most of his medications at walgreens except for one that is specifically a veterinary medication. Every time it came to a point where I needed to have the vet refill the prescriptions they wanted to have me bring my dog back in for more examinations and more cost out of my pocket. Eventually the vet told me that he was maxed out on every medication prescribed to him and that no other medication management could be done because he was at his max limits. Using this information to my advantage to avoid further examinations and x-rays I ordered the veterinary medication online as I have for the past 5 months however the vet would not approve the refill this most recent time unless my dog was brought back in for yet another examination. I took him back in and explained that I had already been told his medications were maxed out. They basically kept the RX refill hostage and charged me anyway to do yet another X-ray and then delayed providing the approval to the online veterinary medication business resulting in a 5 day lapse where my dog would be without one of his medications. I told the vet that their delays will cause my dog to be out of his Pimobenden for about 4 days. The reason he is running out of his medication is because they did not approve the request for the refill until 4 days later after they had me bring him in for another examination. During the examination they also increased 2 of his medication doses despite being told previously that he had been maxed out. The doctor said they were maxing out his max when I told her she previously told me no further increases could be done. The same vet doctor also suggested again that I put him down again stating, "You could have that 1 last good day with him then put him down". In my opinion the incrrased dosage was their way to justify further examination and X-ray and get more money. I called the vet to tell them that their delay in the approval now left my dog without medication and if they could fill the void to hold him over until my shipment came in. They told me they had his meds available for pick up. I drove 25 miles away to their office to pick up his medication to be absolutely shocked that they marked up the price approximately 450%. I explained to them that the only reason I was there was because they delayed in providing approval. The front desk person said she would discuss the matter with the doctor as this was going to be a financial hardship for me to pay over $60 for 12 pills. She came back and told me they were unwilling to change the price of the medications as they also pay a mark up. Hard to beleive when they buy in bulk. Pills are not $5 each to a vet office when i can buy them for 70 cents. It is my opinion that this place will be quick to suggest putting your dog down prematurely. My dog is as happy as can be with no suffering or probems other than the CHF. They told me that my dog had several weeks to 2 months max to live and he has been going strong and playful for...

I feel the B Street Vet Hospital botched my dog's recent care & she suffered needlessly. My concerns with their care:

My dog suffered vertigo. The Dr prescribed Baytril a"large horse pill" for my small elderly dog. Over a few days: I crushed the pill and mixed it with various types of meat; peanut butter; eggs; pill pocket. No go. With mashed chicken breast with crushed med she will eat a few bites and stop. Concerned that she needs the med, all meals during this period have the med in it;I then try to force feed the pill to her she eats it & coughs it up. not a picky eater normally.

I take her in for looking week and not eating. They keep her all day with an IV at great expense due to lack of eating. To two different Drs. on this day , I ask for a different antibiotic. I explain all of the things I have tried to get her to take the pill. I ask for a liquid, shots ( I don't know yet that it is common knowledge that some dogs simply won't eat this pill ).

Neither Dr gives me a different med nor instruction on what to do beyond keep trying to her to eat the horse pill med that is known to be completely unappealing to some dogs!!!! Note: neither prescribes anything for nausea at this time because that is not an issue.

I see a different Dr. the very next day: ask for a different med besides 'the horse pill" & describe all attempts at getting dog to eat her food with meds; that she will only eat a few bites. This Dr tells me I need to buy a force feeding device which I do but my dog coughs it up even after swallowing it, same as when I forced fed her before. I still mix crushed med in her food which she only eats a few bites of. Note: this Dr doesn't prescribe a nausea med.

The next day, a Saturday, I put the same food down without the med & she gobbles it up. I feel stupid. I google "dog wont eat Baytril" and see stories similar to mine and owners feeling like they were complicit in starving their own dogs.

I talk to support staff on the phone and this person says "Oh ya some dogs just wont eat that med." I ask for new med. A different Dr approves an antibiotic over the phone which my dog successfully used before ( not a horse pill!) I pick it up and administer it easily. I let my dog eat like a pig all day and the next.

At check up on the following Monday, where another support staff member confirms that some dogs wont eat the horse pill med, a different Dr, the fifth one chiming in & the director, says she wants to switch back to Baytril! I express my frustration face to face. She says she can give liquid form! & she prescribes nausea pills which seem unnecessary as my dog is now eating fine, walking fine, not throwing up etc. She had only puked 8 days prior with very first symptoms & She had been walking everyday.

I write a letter of complaint describing my experience, telling them that I felt unheard all week and crucial information about the "horse pill" that some dogs wont eat it was never disclosed to me; that I asked for different meds, liquid etc; there were continuity of care issues which seems evident given three different antibiotics being prescribed and different takes on whether nausea pills were needed etc and a liquid version was available the whole time !!!

The office mgr replied that there were no continuity of care issues; that the expensive all day IV treatment was still necessary due to nausea which hadn't been an issue to several Dr.s or as a visible symptom and that I should have put the original horse pill in a "meatball" which of course I had explained that I had done to every Dr I talked to. They would not be taking any corrective action.

I understand that a few cases out of many might get botched. But the ease to which my concerns were blown off given the pure facts is extremely disappointing. I felt unheard again. I felt like I was being gaslighted. They took zero ownership of any issues of failing to disclose info on the med or...

Now that my dog Luna has been put to sleep, I need to find out what happened to cause an otherwise healthy but older dog to go downhill in less than 30 days. Luna just went in for a wellness exam, potential UTI & labs, now, she is dead, gone. Was it too soon?? Could the vet have done anything differently? Why the double dose of antibiotics & yes I get the urine culture but my dog is gone??

Here is the timeline:

On May 9th, I brought Luna to B Street Vet for an annual wellness check and blood work. She had a UTI & was given antibiotics. I received a call from B Street later with the lab results & the vet told me 'Luna's bloodwork looked great' & to monitor the UTI.

One week into starting those meds, Luna was just about finished with them when I received a frantic email from B Street. saying they did a urine culture & Luna needs to now be on another antibiotic. Remember, this was day 7 into a 8-day cycle of the 1st round of antibiotics & bam, she had to start on another.

On the second day of the 2nd antibiotics, she all of a sudden did not want to eat & only drank a little water. The meds were chewable & she took them right away the 1st day, but not the 2nd. I started hiding them in some deli chicken breast slices & she gobbled the meds & chicken right up. I would have to bring her water, though, as I noticed she did not want to go to her bowl. Same with the food, I had to bring it to her.

Then this happened:

She went onto my balcony, & thankfully I was watching her as she lost her balance & came crashing down. I noticed I had to 1st put her head into my hands & just caress her, then she started to come about & I helped lift her up. This began to happen more & more. She would get excited to go out, jump of my bed & by the time, she got to the door, she collapsed & went all the way down to the ground. This also started to happen outside.

This shot is dark, but check it out, this is what happened probably 10x. Finally, on Monday & Tuesday, 6/2 & 6/3 she did not even take hardly took any water & zero food. Tuesday night, I mediated while I watched my 13 & 1/2 dog look like she was dying in front of me. Weds the 10th, I surrendered Luna to the SDHS Gaines Street Shelter & met Sgt Sierra Dockery. I shared everything & she was putting Luna through medical 1st.

Then, as you all know, I got the call, but it was not what I expected; it was kidney failure. This was causing the so-called arthritis symptoms & the root cause of her falling to the ground & stopping most water & food. That call came on 6/9. On 6/10, I rushed to see my dog. 10 minutes after leaving, she was humanely euthanized at Gaines Street.

I do not want to be one of those people who will try to find anything so they can hang onto the animal or person they lost but in this case, it is starting to be very strange. Even if she had underlying kidney disease, how did that morph into kidney failure & death in under a month?

Did the 2nd round of perhaps unnecessary antibiotics exacerbate the kidney problems & speed up Luna's demise, or does kidney disease/failure take a dog that fast??

Did B Street misdiagnose kidney disease for a UTI? Radio silence from them for fear of liability.

I've requested an necropsy and call from the shelter doctor.

UPDATE: I requested & received a digital copy of Luna's records from B Street Vet BUT they refuse to answer any questions, say one word, nada, nothing, zilch & my dog died on 6/10, ONE month after her appt!

Thanks for...