Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My bunny needed emergency care and I took her to Feather and Fur on Thursday, 2/16/2024 at 6:30pm. They took her in but didn't examine her or even look at her symptoms until 11:00pm that night. By then, she was barely able to move. She was then diagnosed with GI stasis and put on fluids almost 5 hours after we went in for help. She survived the night and the next night, undergoing two emergency operations to get a tube down her throat to remove the fluids. I stayed at the animal hospital ***** hours for each day she was there. The vet had ultrasounded her to see that she had fluid in her lungs from the operation and he gave her diuretics to remove the fluid. The treatment worked and she was able to breath and then eat. The last day on Sunday 2/18/2024, the doctor who treated her, ************, refused to let me see her the entire day. I was able to see her in the morning around 8am, they brought my bunny to me. She was breathing hard and i asked for her to return to the oxygen chamber she had been in for two days. Prior, i was able to visit her in the oxygen chamber. This vet did not let me visit her all day. I asked to see her at 4pm and they told me to wait until visiting hours at 5pm. My bunny passed away at 4:30pm and the vet came looking for me while they were trying to revive her. While i was back there, the tech told me they didn't let me visit on that day because the staff from the day. before said I was in their space too much and that i was being a lot. Nobody confronted me the day before and it was the doctor who let me visit my bunny in the oxygen chamber multiple times. Instead they were arguing with me while my bunny was dying. i asked the vet if she ultrasounded my bunny after she was breathing hard to check the fluid in her lungs. She said no, that they thought she would be ok. I then asked how did they know then how much diuretic to give her. She didn't answer my question. The staff did not give my bunny proper care and she subsequently died.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/26/2024

  I apologize for not responding to this complaint.  I only recently received the original letters sent by mail and I received the final letter dated March 18, 2024 just this afternoon (3/25/24).  The person the letters were addressed to, Dr. ********************** is currently out of town for several weeks, so I am answering in his absence.   Our records indicate that ****** brought the bunny in to us at 7:30pm.  It was examined by a doctor by 9:30pm.  Because we are an emergency hospital, patients are triaged by the severity of their symptoms.  Our doctor examined the rabbit as soon as he was able to.  The rabbit had severe gastrointestinal stasis where intestinal movement slows or stops completely causing bloating, pain, a lack of appetite and poor bowel movements.  This can be a life-threatening condition in many rabbits and many rabbits will die even with treatment. We treated the rabbit, ******, aggressively by hospitalizing her on IV fluids, pain medications and gi medications. Because of the severe bloating, ****** did have a tube placed in her stomach to try to alleviate fluid and gas build up. She then developed respiratory issues possibly due to pneumonia or an underlying heart condition.  She was treated for that with continuous supplemental oxygen and diuretic therapy.  

      Our visiting hours of 8:30a-10a and 5p-9p were clearly stated to the owner on the first day of hospitalization.  Typically owners are allowed brief ***** minute visits with their pet.  In ******** case, because she was receiving intensive care, prolonged visits are not recommended.  **************** called frequently for updates (up to every 2 hours) on her pet and insisted on staying in the hospital all day in order to visit with her pet as frequently as possible.  At one point, we were updating her hourly on the condition of ****** and taking ***** to visit with her every 4 hours for 10 minutes at a time.  We understand that **************** was very attached to her rabbit and worried about her, but the constant communication that she demanded was wearing to our doctors and staff who were also caring for many other patients at the same time.  In addition, it wasn't in ******** best interest to be removed from her therapies every 4 hours in order to be taken into a separate area for an owner visitation.  This was simply not in the best interest of this patient.

    By the final day of ******** hospitalization, she had labored breathing and required oxygen continuous oxygen therapy to help her to breathe.  ******************* frequent and prolonged visits to the hospital area were very disruptive to our other patients and to the staff working on significantly sick patients.  By that day, it was in both ****** and our staff's best interest that **************** not be allowed to visit so frequently and we needed for her to follow our visiting hours protocol.  It is sad for her and unfortunate that ****** went into arrest 30 minutes before visiting hours were to begin, but we cannot predict when a patient will go into arrest.  

    I hope this clearly states that we did make efforts to allow **************** to visit with her pet, however, the duration and frequency that she requested were out of the norm and very disruptive to our hospital operations in addition to being detrimental to the care of her rabbit.

  I also apologize for the delay in replying to this complaint.  As I said, I only received the original two letters within the past few days and this final letter today.  

  Sincerly,

  ************, DVM

  Hospital Directot

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21361513
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This "business" did not care for my bunny.

  The previous doctor let me visit ****** for two days and he was the one who let me in the back to see ******. I, in no way, pushed my way back there to be disruptive. Further, nobody mentioned in any way that I was being disruptive for two whole days. I was simply petting ****** through the keyhole of the oxygen machine. The doctor who let me visit told me that they relax the visiting hours when the patient is critical. They also had a room for me so that I could see her. Never was it discussed in the first two days of her treatment that I would have to wait for visiting hours. That was the reason why they had a separate room from me away from the reception area so that I could visit.

  if anything, the doctor asked me to go back to see her every hour. If the staff had a problem with their own doctor doing that, they should have told him to stop letting me see her. It is extremely unprofessional to take out their disgust with me for wanting to see my bunny on me and on the last day of her life. I had never seen the new staff that came in that day and they were rude and almost ready to fight me, while I was in the most pain. They should be ashamed of themselves. This treatment is unprofessional and unbelievably hateful. They failed their care and their behavior is not up to the standards of common decency. 

  Also, the doctor did not do an ultrasound to check the fluids in ******** lungs and heart on that last day. There was no way for her to know how much diuretics to give her. This is malpractice and fraud on their part. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/26/2024

  The doctor that let me visit my bunny for the first two days had me and my family, mother and sister, in a private room next to where ****** was kept in the oxygen tank. He brought us cookies on the second day, left by another patient for the vets. Their lie about me being disruptive is proven by the fact that he brought us cookies, why would he do that and let me see her constantly, if we were being difficult. He never said to me that I was being disruptive because it is simply IS NOT true.

  The staff on the third day was very rude because they made up a story about me in their minds, which is very unprofessional and just plain mean. The vet tech in particular, heavy set girl, yelled at me when I told her that my bunny needed to go back in the oxygen tank after she brought her out to my on morning on the third day. ****** was gasping for air and they still brought her out to the room they had me in. That is malpractice and this hospital should be penalized for the unprofessional and careless behavior to the pets in their care. The doctor on the third day was unequally rude and for no reason, I had just met her on the morning of the third day. I stayed at the hospital all day on the third day and never said a word until finally at 4pm when I asked to see her. The tech vet told me ******* afterwards that she would be back at work the next day after I said how rude she was in the morning. Shameful behavior for staff.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/26/2024

  Dr. ********************* is the vet who let me see ****** for two days in a row outside of visiting hours. He is the other director of this hospital, along with the one who responded to my complaint, and who cannot even spell Director correctly after her name.

  It appears the two Directors have differing views on letting pets be visited. The night doctor also let me in the back to see ****** while she was in the oxygen tank. 
  

  No wonder the staff did not tell ************* to stop letting me visit although they were displeased after the fact. He is their boss! Their behavior on the last day should not be placated. They have no evidence of my disruption. They should ask ************** why he said they make exceptions to the visiting Joans why he gave us cookies. 
  

  Disgraceful. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/26/2024

  Please forward my new messages to the place. ******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2024

  Aloha,

  We seem to get the BBB notices in the mail after the time has already lapsed for responding.  We are sad that ****** did not make it.  As was explained to them, she was in critical condition for 3 days and told frequently that there was a good chance she wouldn't make it but we would do everything possible.  We did do everything possible and she did start to stabilize but on the last day she abruptly arrested and passed which unfortunately is common in critical rabbits.  We do warn owners when we think a patient is about to arrest and did advise them that she was in a state where she could arrest without warning.  She was also showing improvement so I get why it is hard for owners to understand, but unfortunately that is how medicine goes sometimes, especially with rabbits.

  Although I did allow them to visit well beyond the normal visiting hours for the first 2 days, it was very disruptive.  They stayed all day and were requesting updates every hour.  I got complaints from my technician team and from my costumer service representatives about them constantly being interrupting them to allow them to visit and get updates.  They delayed me as well from getting to other patients on time on those days.  That disruption is why I specifically told them the day before that they would only be allowed to visit during the normal hours and that the Sunday team could not be as accommodating.  There are no veterinary practices in ****** that area going to allow someone to stay there all day every day and keep updating them every hour.  It is not a sustainable way to practice.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21361513
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was never told that I would not be able to visit on Sunday, February 18th, during the day. This was not communicated with me. Also, the vet on Sunday did not ultrasound ****** and so was negligent in her care. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************