Addison Animal Hospital in Lynchburg, VA: Review

I went to Addison Animal Hospital several times as a child and then an adult. My father used to take our black lab to Addison Animal Hospital. I don't remember all the individual visits, but we went there several times between her being spayed, heart worm treatment, shots, etc. I remember how friendly the staff was every time we went there. And they enjoyed our dog's visits. I remember them telling us that they were giving her Vienna sausages as treats during an overnight stay.

As an adult, Addison Animal Hospital seemed like the best place to have my two cats spayed. When I made the appointment, I asked which vaccinations did they require the cats to have other than a rabies shot. I was informed that the cats also needed to be current on the feline booster vaccine commonly called a distemper shot.

The two cats had the shots at another veterinarian closer to me and then were taken to Addison Animal Hospital a few days later to be spayed. Upon arrival, it was clear that the friendliness that I experienced as a child had changed along with the times. All I was told was that a veterinarian, who I hadn't met, would be doing the operation. I felt very much dismissed.

The day after the cats returned home, they were both coughing so hard that they were laying their heads on the floor as they coughed. I contacted Addison Animal Hospital immediately. Their response was not one of concern for my cats, but of limiting their liability. First they questioned their shots. I responded that they got the shots that they required. It turned out that the booster was supposed to have been repeated a few weeks later, but no one had told me that. Deciding it was my fault, they sold me some over-priced (based on what other vet's charge) antibiotics.

After finishing off the medication, both cats weren't any better. So, I contacted Addison Animal Hospital again. They then decided that the cats had worms that had crawled up into their throats while they were knocked out for the procedure. In questioning several veterinarians, it turns out that was highly improbable.

My cats became ill because of their visit to Addison Animal Hospital and they never did anything to help them. They didn't even exam them to see what was going on. I ended up taking them somewhere else to have the stitches removed and to be seen for the coughing problems.

One of the cats got better within a few months, but the other cat, it took her years before she stopped laying her head on the floor coughing. The illness remains a mystery. Even though they saw another veterinarian, it was never discovered what they had. I wouldn't recommend Addison Animal Hospital to anyone even in an emergency situation.