Point Breeze Veterinary Clinic

01/16/12

No Vet could be more caring than those you find here

by Count Csaky at Citysearch

When my twelve yr old dog collapsed suddenly at 9:30 one night, I called Dr. Gerson at home and he immediately came over, carried my dog to his car and bundled us both up to the emergency clinic. I was a basket case and don't know what I would have done without him. It turned out he needed emergency surgery for removal of his spleen and through that evening and the decisions about his care afterwards, Dr Gerson was there for both of us. From the moment you become a member of this practise ( and all my dogs love all of their doctors) to the end of my oldest's dog life, you can not be in better hands. THank you to all of the doctors and ancillary personnel at Pt. Breeze.

01/09/12

PT. BREEZE VET CLINIC IN NOT GOOD FOR AGING DOGS

by H HB at Citysearch

We took our beloved dog to the Point Breeze vet clinic for 13 years, where she was primarily under the care of Dr. Gerson, but occasionally Drs. Mathias, Schroth and Berger when he wasn't available. For the first 12 years, wed give the clinic 4 stars. Despite long waits for scheduled appointments, they did well overall and the clinic is conveniently located to us.

We feel the need to write this review because the clinic fell short in the final year of our pets life when she needed high quality care the most.

At her last annual checkup in April 2011, her blood work showed elevated liver enzymes and a low thyroid level. Dr. Gerson told us that the elevated liver enzymes could possibly indicate Cushings disease, but could also merely be the result of aging. Our dog had always been quite healthy overall, so we made some follow-up calls to Dr. Gerson to clarify the findings and discuss them more, but the calls went unreturned.

Shortly after her physical, our dogs health suddenly started to deteriorate. After 3 months of trying to figure out what was going on, we more carefully read the box of the new and expensive flea drops (Vectra 3D) that Dr. Gerson had prescribed. It said, Do Not give to aging and debilitated dogs. Our dog was 13 yrs old, had the blood issues mentioned, and also arthritis. We stopped applying the drops and her condition markedly improved, so it appears that these drops were harming her. We were also giving her pain meds for the arthritis, but received conflicting advice from Pt. Breeze vets regarding the amount and frequency of dosage. One of the vets got defensive when we questioned the discrepancy in views, which wasn't helpful at a time when we were trying to stabilize our dogs condition.

In October 2011, Pt. Breeze clinic removed a large, benign growth that developed on our dogs neck. Prior to the surgery, the vet told us that she had to do a blood test and a total body X-ray to make sure she could withstand the operation. The surgery was successful, but in early December our dog had a weekend seizure and we took her to the emergency vet clinic. They used ultrasound and other techniques to diagnose a large, bleeding mass associated with the liver. Evidently it was this tumor that had been causing the blood test results we had been concerned about not age. They told us that her prognosis for surgery was poor. We wondered, how could it be that Pt. Breeze missed this large cavitated mass only a month earlier? Was the x-ray done properly? If an X-ray doesn't reliably show these masses, then why didn't they suggest getting ultrasound or other more revealing test(s)? They could at least have been presented as an option.

Sadly, not wanting to put an old dog through more trauma, pain and surgery with a poor prognosis, we had her euthanized two days later in our home, surrounded by her family.

In the end, we feel that Pt. Breeze vet clinic let us down this last year. Meds were prescribed that were contraindicated on the label, calls went unreturned, and a major health problem was evidently missed. It seems they may have too much of an "Its an old dog, so you have to expect these problems" attitude.

08/30/11

Friendly and effective

by tom thiessen at Citysearch

I take all three of my cats to this clinic, and I've always had a good experience. The reception staff and the vet techs are always friendly and interested. In addition, one of the vets, Dr. Simard, is especially good! As far as I can tell, she's the Michael Jordan of veterinary science: she's just that good. She knows her stuff, always gets the job done, and has a great demeanor that keeps the cats (and the owners) calm. Going to Point Breeze Vet Clinic is a great choice, especially if you are lucky enough to have an appointment with Dr. Simard.

05/20/11

Caring and Intelligent

by AWalston at Citysearch

Dr. Matthias is a great vet. She's looked after my dogs since 1998. I've trusted her judgement and compassion through bad times and good. Highly recommend the clinic and particularly Dr. Matthias.

01/23/10

Helping Steel City Greyhounds!

by galgo at Citysearch

The veterinarians at Point Breeze Vet Clinic have been caring my greyhounds since 1995. In recent years, they have become an integral part of examining and caring for the retired racing greyhounds that enter the Steel City Greyhounds Inc. adoption program. The veterinarians are extremely experienced and knowledgeable about the sensitivity that greyhounds have to anesthesia and the overall wellness of the retired racers. The staff is wonderful, as well, and we appreciate their constant nurturing of the greyhounds. The greyhounds cannot thank them enough!

• Pros: Greyhound Experts!