I am a resident of Chesterfield, VA, and I have personally experienced the tragic consequence of inadequate veterinary care from Virginia Veterinary Centers. My beloved canine companion was denied a blood transfusion and antibiotics after suffering extreme blood loss from emergency splenectomy surgery and it contributed to her sudden passing.

This story is not just mine alone; it's an unfortunate reality for pet owners across Richmond, Virginia as they entrust their pets to Virginia Veterinary Centers believing they would provide them with the care they need but do not.

The current situation in Veterinary Hospitals emphasizes the necessity of stricter regulations and enforcement to ensure adherence to the accepted standards of care.

Every living being has a right to humane and proper treatment. Yet, at Virginia Veterinary Centers, clear guidelines and enforcement are lacking and endangering animal lives.

Our pets are not just animals; they are family. They rely on us to make the right decisions for their health. Without appropriate regulatory oversight, we are left helpless in crucial times, leading to traumatic experiences like mine.

Therefore, we are calling upon the local government and animal rights organizations to conduct an intensive investigation into the practices of Virginia Veterinary Centers in Richmond Virginia. Subsequently, setting robust regulations and strict enforcement on these institutions to provide the standard of care that every living creature deserves.

By signing this petition, we can bring about change and prevent further incidences like mine from recurring. Let's stand together in ensuring that every Veterinary center and Veterinarian upholds the highest standards of care.

WILTSE STORY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/9- We took Wiltse, our 5 year old lab, to Virginia Veterinary Center off of Colony crossing due to him throwing up and being out of it. They identified an obstruction through xray and gave him sub-q fluids and said he just needed to be observed so we took him home. 

1/10- we had an appointment with our regular vet whom did a second xray and confirmed the obstruction had not moved and recommended we take him to Virginia Vetrinary Center off W Cary St. We took him there immediately and after meeting with a Dr she wanted to pump him full of fluids to see if he would pass it, without doing the ultrasound our vet wanted done asap. I went to see him around dinner time and waited an hour for them to bring him into a room and when he was brought in, he was shaking excessively, I asked for a tech and she had told me “he’s probably done this before”, we’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old, this was far from normal. She then tells me they performed his ultrasound and didn’t see anything, I asked for a Dr who then told me they hadn’t done an ultrasound at all. At this point we had paid the amount up front that they asked for so he could have surgery. 

1/11- They called us that morning to say he hadn’t passed it and they had done an ultrasound and determined he was going to have surgery. I saw him at noonish and he looked a little better. Upon arrival they said we didn’t owe anything and everything was set for him to go into surgery, within 15 minutes of me being there they walked in with a sticky note with a number on it saying “you owe this so we can start surgery” I was so confused on how that amount had changed in such a short amount of time. They performed surgery early that evening around 35ish hours after our vet said he needed surgery asap and said everything was good and his intestines were flared up due to the obstruction. 

1/12- The dr called to say he went on a walk this morning and went to the restroom but was still not eating, and anxious so they gave him medication to calm him down. As a family we went and saw him that night and he was worse off then they made it seem. He did finally eat out of my hand though. During our visit his nose was hot, clearly indicating he had a fever and the Dr said “it was normal” without even checking it. 

1/13- Around 12:45 am we get a call saying his condition had declined and we needed to come in. We got there to find him worse than ever and had to make the decision no pet owner wants to make and we had to say our goodbyes. We learned he had gone sepsis post surgery and that they did NOT give him antibiotics after surgery to prevent this. 

They have since called 3 times asking for more money. Wiltse received the worst care possible and they do nothing but rob you of when they know your back is againist the wall. On top of the subpar care he received the place, in my opinion, itself was filthy, the floors were disgusting as well as the walls. 

PRIMROSE'S STORY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday 7/30 I arrived at 3:45pm to VVC after leaving my primary veterinary office who could not preform the ultrasound needed to determine her condition but Xrays showed free fluid, efforted breathing, she was panting, pale gums and pot bellied. 

My vet tried to call several pet ER hospitals but they would not make room in advance for her to recieve critical care. 

I showed up to VVC Richmond ER registered her and then waited for 4 hours after registering her to even be triaged and have her recieve a more thorough exam-- she was even considered a Level 1 priority at check in. Upon thoracentsis that confirmed it was blood in her abdomen. They had no confirmation of the origin on the bleed and made us commit to that surgery was a path we would take before they called an after hours radiologist and internal medicine specialist. They then made us pay 80% of the high end of the estimate which included a desperately needed blood transfusion. I stayed with her up until they were ready for surgery. 

7/31 @ 1:35am I received a call from the vet surgeon that it was a spleen rupture and they removed the spleen and no evidence of other bleeds. She had over 2 liters of blood loss. I was assured she would get a transfusion and could come home once stable.

@2am I get a call from them saying when the technician went to start the transfusion the blood was expired so they couldn't give my dog (who had massive blood loss!) any blood because she is type negative and they had no more on hand. Then hung up.

@215am I called them back asking who they called and what I could do to facilitate a blood transfusion. The Doctor Said "hold please" then after a minute came back on the line and said they never had a client willing to help with phone calls or transporting but if I was willing I could go to Fredricksburg VVC and get it. Obviously I flew out of the house and began making my way to Fredricksburg only to have the night doctor call me and say they no longer would give me premission @3am and was told " they could 'technically' give her incompatible blood if it came down to it but it was risky"...end of discussion.

The next week was hell. Prim was so aenimic. She was not improving. I followed up with my vet and her blood panels showed no improvement. When my vet tried to call VVC directly and help understand why Prim did not get a transfusion their story changed and they stated the doctor on rounds that night deemed it "unnecessary" because her CBC panel hadn't dropped any further. I also asked about giving her antibiotics since she had massive surgery and they removed her spleen ( which plays a role in its immune system, blood production, and blood health) and they said she did not need any.

8/7 I'm back at my primary vet again because Prim has a massive infection and she's severely aenmic. She's vomiting and having bloody explosive diarrhea. I finally get someone to prescribe antibiotics. I have to come back 8/9 for more blood work because she's still not generating blood. Meanwhile, I have been calling the VVC pet hospital daily and asking to get an appointment for blood transfusion but they said I would need to do the whole ER song and dance again and wait and see if they deem it 'medically necessary'.

8/10 Due to extreme blood loss and her organs shutting down we have to make the decision of humane euthanasia.

Bottom line: They set her up for failure. She had remarkable blood loss and a serious surgery. Basic medicine 101 give blood and antibiotics post op. She deserved better.

LOLA'S STORY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lola was extremely neglected with this veterinary clinic on Saturday 8/24/24. They her for a total of 9 hours with little updates and did absolutely nothing for Lola who was brutally attacked by a neighbors dog on Saturday. She was referred to this vet by another vet location in Mechanicsville who saw her 20 minutes prior to going to VVC. Lola passed on Sunday due to the lack of care from that facility. I will spare you the pictures as they are horrible but she was suffering and all they did was keep her for 9 hours, send her home on 5 medication, and wrapped her neck in a purple polka dot bandage. When I uncovered the bandages on Sunday to get documentation for animal control is when I saw that they did not put one single suture in her.

These are only a FEW experiences.

How many more are there? 

How many will you let there be?

Your signature matters.

Thank you for joining the cause.