I would give 0 stars but of course I cannot.
I took my cat for just a shave, and answered all the questions she had and told them what I wanted and didn't want. Then when I pickup my cat they threw on an extra charge for something I didn't ask for and they probably didn't do anyway. DO NOT TRUST THIS PLACE, WATCH YOUR BILL CAREFULLY. I think that's very crooked of them to do that to people just because they want extra money. I don't even think they should be trusted with anything at this point.
Our Southgate experience is one unlike any I've ever had in a service-based organization. We started bringing our dog in a couple of years ago for a routine check-up and vaccine tags. Only a couple of visits in, I could tell just how pushy and sales-driven the experience was, trying to get us to pay for overzealous treatments and preventative medications, then not-so-subtly implying we were poor dog owners for not opting in.
When our dog started experiencing itching symptoms, we took him back in, hoping to get him some relief. The vet admitted they weren't sure what the problem was, but was happy to start prescribing expensive medications left and right, acting as though those would eventually solve the problem rather than properly testing to find the root cause. With hindsight, we now know that the medication originally prescribed was actually making our dog's condition worse. As it turned out, the active ingredients in the allergy medication were a catalyst, helping the infection grow and run rampant.
Obviously this approach didn't work, and we were back a few weeks later, even more desperate. This time we had done our homework and came prepared with our own research, having little hope that the vet would answer our questions. Suffice it to say, the vet was not keen on listening to anything we had to say, refuting our evidence and suggestions with a prideful "I'm the vet, not you" mentality. Rather than listening to the people who live with the dog daily, the vet doubled down on the assumption that the problem was allergy-related, rather than what we wholeheartedly believed was a yeast infection. Another round of expensive medications and unanswered questions later, and we were no further along than when we started.
On the third visit, we had had enough and practically had to demand the vet run a test to determine whether the issue was yeast-related. After a five-minute test, it was confirmed to be a yeast infection. Why they wouldn't perform this quick and easy test on the first visit will never make sense to me, but at last we had our answer and could start treating the real problem.
Normally the story would end here, but unfortunately it does not. As if out of spite, the vet and her staff began treating us adversely as soon as our suspicion was confirmed, apparently unhappy that we had been right all along. It felt as though we were being given the cold shoulder, with the entire office staff glaring at us, and even going so far as to disrespectfully toss our receipt and pen at us when we went to pay. Despite this, and only for the sake of our dog, we reluctantly paid and were pleased to see visible improvement in him afterward.
After we used up our one-month supply of the yeast infection medication, our dog was much better but still not fully out of the woods. Not wanting to return to this vet, I went online and ordered a refill of the yeast infection medication along with heartworm, tick, and flea medication for the coming summer. All of these require a prescription, so we had to submit the orders to the vet for approval. I hoped the vet would be reasonable, seeing that we were refilling an already-prescribed medication and adding common preventatives. This was not the case.
We received a call informing us that to approve medications purchased through a third party, they would require our dog to come in for a fourth visit and charge an additional fee of approximately $50 for not purchasing through them directly. I called, frustrated, and pleaded that after several months and hundreds of dollars spent on wasted visits and incorrect medications, they might approve our refills, even agreeing to pay their fee. After ten minutes on hold, they coldly refused to approve anything without another check-up visit. I finally gave up and asked them to close our account permanently.
I write this as a cautionary warning to anyone considering this vet. You may find the same corporate greed lurking beneath the mask of caring for your pet. We have taken our dog elsewhere and encourage you to do the same.
