Port City Veterinary Referral Hospital

TERRIFIC EXPERIENCE



I think Port City is absolutely first-rate. I would like to respond to some of the criticism I have read about this hospital. First of all, people, when dealing with their pets, sometimes become so involved that they can misinterpret their experiences with any veterinary hospital. Second, people are much more likely to write angry reviews when they are disappointed (fairly or unfairly) whereas people who have had a great experience tend not to write reviews.



Port City is a REFERRAL hospital. This means that animals, who have gone to see their regular vets, are REFERRED to this kind of hospital because an animal is critically ill or needs special care. A referral hospital has access to specialists, state of the art equipment and tests which a small veterinary clinic cannot hope to have. This means that when a pet is rushed to Port City, the staff is able immediately to stabilize the animal, begin tests or ultrasound to find out what exactly is wrong with the animal. In Port City's case, the doctor communicated to us what steps were being taken and suggested what the next steps might be to help the pet. Each test they took was explained to us and why the tests were given. We were always apprised of what any cost was going to be and given a sheet itemizing what was being done on a daily basis.



Is such a hospital expensive? Yes. But anyone who thinks the fees are outrageous is OUT OF TOUCH with what any first-class veterinarian hospital costs. Your bill, will of necessity, reflect the cost of having all the very best equipment and services available.



As for our experience of Port City, we felt they gave our dog, Sam, the best shot possible to live. When I took Sam to my veterinarian because the dog was suddenly very ill, I was informed by our veterinarian that Sam was in critical condition and must be taken to a referral hospital IMMEDIATELY. I raced her up to Port City and for several days our doctor and the staff worked with Sam and brought her back to some health. Sam was, however, old. It took several tests to discover what was wrong with her: she had several fatal medical complications and could not be saved.



Sam got incredibly good care. She was handled lovingly by every support member of the professional staff. The doctor, Dr. Alice Benedict, was thorough, insightful, intelligent, and she knew her stuff. She communicated with us extremely well. She was upbeat when Sam began to improve, yet she was able to gently prepare us for Sam's death in a delicate, kind, manner that made it possible for us to face the sadness of the end.



Want an example of the staff's caring attitude? Sam stopped wanting to eat. In the middle of a cold night, one of the staff members went out to a local 24 hour deli and brought back sliced turkey and got Sam to eat a little of that.



Communication? We received 3 calls a day with updates on Sam's progress. I called several times and was put straight through to Dr. Benedict.



As for us, Sam's family, the staff couldn't have been kinder. When Sam was put to sleep, I sobbed in the lobby and one of the front desk staff, Dave, came over to me and held me while I cried.



Look, this is a great hospital, and we are lucky to have it in the area.