We went to Long Animal Hospital for a couple of years and had to stop going over a series of really bad encounters and mishaps. They are a well-established clinic in a good location; however, it is a bit run-down and you'll definitely see rusting, paint chipping and questionable cleanliness if you go often enough. We haven't been there in a few years, however, Dr. Killough, Sr stands out as a vet we would never go to again after the very rough handling we experienced with our older, very sweet and gentle, greyhound. He treated her like she was a truck on an assembly line and after that visit alone, she started getting panic attacks everytime we would go thereafter (it was her first time seeing Dr. Killough, Sr after going to the practice for over 3 years). Second, they "forgot" to give her a Bordatella vaccination (for over 3 years) even though we saw them regularly, we had her original paperwork/vaccination schedule sent when we first got her and they did her vaccinations each year. We were going on a weekend trip and keeping her at a boarding facility, had their vaccinations sent over and the facility promptly called us to tell us she didn't have her Bordatella - kind of important. Third, they prescribed incorrect dosages to our 2nd greyhound who had heart issues. In fact, they diagnosed him with all his heart issues and kept putting him on different meds - each time we would go in, their diagnosis would change (his heart murmur went from a grade 2 to a grade 6, then to a 5) - he had high blood pressure, then he didn't, then he did again. He had an enlarged heart, then it was normal (ex-racers are naturally larger) and then it was again. Get the picture? We took him to NCSU vet school and they said it was around a grade 4 and that his medication strengths were all off. They sent all the results and paperwork back to Long's. I am guessing they didn't read it, because our next visit to Long's, they re-upped his medications (he was on 3 different medications). He started having kidney issues (and what dog wouldn't on all those meds?) and the prescription bottle dosage changed *again* -- I called them and they had no idea what dosage he was on, or what he should be on or why this bottle was different than the last. I asked them to review what NCSU sent over, which they did, and I had to go back, again, to get his "true" medications and dosages. What a mess. We later took him to a canine cardiologist in Charlotte (she had just started practicing here) and she was appalled at all the changes in his diagnoses, medications and dosages. His health definitely suffered as a result of inadequate care and he died, of heart failure, when he was barely 8 years old. Long's just wasn't capable of treating his condition. By the time we were forced to leave, both our dogs were having panic attacks when going there (something they didn't have at first, and didn't have at the next vet clinic we went to). We didn't have a regular vet, we saw all of them there and perhaps that is why they never seemed to know what the heck had gone on with our dogs before that visit (we ended up having to tell them our dogs' histories, which sucks, since THEY had their records). Maybe they were too busy to read charts, maybe we got them on bad days, I don't know - but I believe a vet should at least skim an animal's record before walking in and seeing them again. Why should I have to tell you what meds my dog is on? Why should I have to tell them what they diagnosed last time? Finally, we never used them for boarding, but the boarding conditions are insanely bad. They are outdoor cages attached to the main clinic building. Dogs were completely exposed to the elements AND to anyone walking to the backside of the clinic. Perhaps they've upgraded in the last couple years, but even if they have, I find it pretty bothersome that dogs would sit in a cage in winter, the dead of summer, through rainstorms and potentially have some random person do something to them because they are in outdoor cages. I could never understand how anyone could leave their dog in those conditions. We didn't try them one time, have one bad experience, and leave - we went there for over three years and it was one headache after another. I will say that the front office staff were all incredibly nice. They knew our dogs by name within a visit or two and were very welcoming when we came. We also had some good experiences with the vets there, which is why we went there for so long -- but the bad experiences, in the end, outweighed the good and we left. We aren't looking for anything fancy-schmancy (as another reviewer mentioned) - but we expect them to know what's going on with our dogs, diagnose them correctly, give them correct meds with correct doses, have a clean practice and humane boarding conditions -- oh, and maybe be gentle with the animals when necessary. Is that too much to ask?
How would this review be described in terms of sentiment?
negative