Wyoming Animal Hospital — Local services in Wyoming

Be very careful with this place. Their lack of transparency, clear communication, empathy and professionalism is really disconcerting. A vet at their Wealthy Street satellite location found that my cat Lulu had gingivitis and some bad teeth and recommended scheduling a dental cleaning right away. I was given the strong impression that the vet would pull any bad teeth during the dental cleaning. This is what happened instead. I dropped Lulu off at Wyoming Animal Hospital for the dental appointment in the morning. At check in, they told me that if they needed to pull any teeth they would notify me while Lulu was under anesthesia. After the procedure, the vet calls and says she couldn't extract the teeth and I needed to see a specialist in Spring Lake. Obviously, this was disappointing to hear. Instead of having the real issue resolved (bad teeth extracted), I would now have to subject my anxious cat to another procedure AND a long car ride (carsickness is in Lulu's medical records, so an empathetic vet would be aware this was not ideal).

The experience got worse from there. I left work early to pickup Lulu at 3pm, the time the vet recommended. I ended up sitting there for over an hour waiting because she was too sedate and in pain from the procedure. At one point I could hear her meowing in fear/pain as they were trying to get her into her crate, and even heard an employee laughing at the situation. When they finally brought her out, Lulu was a mess with drool all over her front. Obviously, it was awful to see my pet in that state--worse than she was when she came in. There were numerous other inadequacies and attitudes I observed that made the experience terrible, but I won't detail them. Just believe me when I say the whole operation was extremely amateurish and shady.

It took my cat days to get over the procedure. She was hiding under the bed for hours, didn't have an appetite, and was pawing at her mouth. It was pretty obvious that the dental cleaning had made her finicky eating much worse. And it definitely made her teeth more painful than before.

Rather than making an appointment with the Wealthy/Wyoming vet's recommended Spring Lake specialist, I called our old vet and asked for a second opinion. Like me, they were very baffled and appalled by the whole situation. Today, they extracted Lulu's bad teeth, and the difference in professionalism and results is staggering. She is happily eating her dinner as I type this.

It's clear to me now that the Wealthy Street/Wyoming vet over tranquilized my cat during the dental cleaning. I find it very shameful that the vet would give someone the impression she could extract teeth when she didn't have the confidence and resources to do so. Why not do the extractions when the cat was already under anesthesia? If she didn't have the ability to do extractions, why not refer me to a "specialist" or another vet in the first place? Shady.

Here's the thing: At first I was mad that they screwed me out of $500 to put my cat in even more pain, but for me it's not about the money. I really don't want your pet to go through what mine did when it is NOT necessary. If someone at Wyoming Animal Hospital or one of their satellite locations wants to schedule a procedure with your pet, get a second opinion first. Don't let them beat around the bush when you ask questions--make them give you clear answers about what is within their abilities and what your options are. Trust your gut that you know what's best for your pet, because in my experience these people couldn't care less. And, if you have the ability to go to a different vet, run and...

I was a client at this veterinary office for almost 8 years. I originally chose them because I wanted a place that would love my dogs as much as I do. Over time, I noticed that the customer service felt performative—what some call “West Michigan Nice.” I expressed in a survey that I wished for more authenticity and genuine service. The office manager followed up with me, asking for examples, which I provided. Shortly after, I was told they had decided to part ways with no prior warning or explanation.

Instead of a conversation about any supposed concerns with me as a client, they sent their lawyer to inform me that my relationship was being terminated—not because of the survey, but due to a “pattern of interactions” over the years. This was the first time I had ever been told anything like that. If there were actual concerns about me as a client, why was I never given a warning in nearly 8 years? The lawyer also stated they would not refund me for my Vaccines for Life program unless I signed a non-disparagement agreement, which I refused.

Reading through my dog’s medical records after being terminated, I discovered comments about me that I had never been made aware of. It felt as though they had been secretly building a case against me while still taking my money for years. This experience has left me deeply disappointed and disheartened. I entrusted them with my beloved dogs, particularly my pup with Addison’s disease, and never expected such cold treatment from a place that claims to be compassionate.

Additionally, after my survey response, they changed their survey format to no longer ask, “What could we do to be more satisfactory?” Instead, they now only ask for rating scales—further proving that they only wanted feedback that made them feel good, not feedback that would actually help them improve.

I wanted to work this out with them because my dogs received good medical care, but at the end of the day, I realized this wasn’t the place for me or them. I don’t recommend this clinic to others for these reasons.

This review reflects my personal experiences...

Update: Atlas got fixed on 02/23/2018. They held him down to do things(rather than sedating him, he is a squirmy, energetic puppy) and then they try to get me to go to training facilities that they recommend, by insinuating that it's his fault and he's ill behaved. At 5 months old, he already sits on command, walks willingly into his crate when I tell him "It's time to go home", sometimes shakes hands on command, answers to his name (when he's not distracted) and gives hugs 80% of the time when asked. They wrapped the spot where his IV was so tightly that his right paw swelled to two-three the size of the left (blamed it on him squirming) and offered to wrap it again to help with the swollen area. He is now terrified to go in his crate, when I tell him to "go home" he sits and cries and won't move unless it's to climb into my lap. I'm not sure what they did, but we'll not be going back. For a puppy being castrated should be like having wisdom teeth removed, he shouldn't have any memory of it, just a little soreness. Previously a tech cut his nails too short and made him bleed, they tried to recommend their training facilities then because he growled at her(I would too!). Their services are outlandishly expensive, so one would expect them to treat their patients with more care. From 5 stars to 1 star, because what vet doesn't know how to deal appropriately with a puppy? Isn't that a significant portion of the job? We'll find a new vet after the $300 castration, and $200 diarrhea visit this past week, we won't be back there again. It costs more for him to go to the doctor than it does for me. Previous review: I take Atlas there for all of his veterinary care. They are very good to him. He loves the vets. Sometimes the techs get a little busy so checking out can take a while, but we almost never have to wait to be seen so it...