I've lived in Central Phoenix for almost four years and was still going to my vet in Mesa. I decided to try a vet closer by and really wanted Alta Vista to work out for me. They are close and have extended hours (my dogs always seem to get sick on Friday night), however I will not be going back.
My experience today started out just lackluster. The vet tech seemed totally disinterested in me and my dog. She stated since the dog wasn't vaccinated I should get her tested for parvovirus. I told her the dog came from a friend who couldn't keep her and I was told her shots were up to date and that she was spayed. I guess they assumed I was lied to? I also told her I had a dog who had parvovirus years ago and it didn't look like this. Oh well, she said until they ruled it out, they couldn't move forward. Okay, fine. No parvovirus ( at a cost of $50). Worth it so we can move forward and figure out what's wrong with Maggie.
Well, $335 dollars later ($75 of which was for subcutaneous fluids...even though I wasn't informed she was dehydrated) and still no diagnosis. I understand it can be hard to diagnose a dog who has vomited and has no appetite, but the bill still seemed extravagant to me. However, the kicker came when I was getting ready to leave. I asked if the vet could give me a certificate that shows the dog has been spayed so I can get her registered and I was told no because the vet couldn't see a scar and Maggie didn't have a tattoo so she wouldn't sign the cert. I told her she does have a (very visible) tattoo. She glanced down to check, saw it and went back to the vet to request the cert again!
I did get the certificate but no apology for being incompetent! If the vet can't see something very visible on the outside of my dog, I'm pretty sure she's not going to figure out what's going on inside of her any time soon. Back to Mesa for me.