When your pet is sick and you don’t know why, you feel an unprecedented panic. You take your beloved pet to the vet and hope for the best. And at the end of the day, you trust that you will do your job and be kept informed.
But does your vet keep you informed?
TikToker Summer Jones (@901sumo) of Memphis, Tennessee, claims that when she took her cat, Tommy, to VCA Aventura Animal Hospital and Pet Resort in Aventura, Florida, she was ultimately misinformed about his issues.
Jones compiled her complaints into a video she posted to her TikTok account this month. The complaint has since been viewed more than 1.7 million times.
“Do NOT take your pet to this animal hospital,” she tells her viewers, tagging a Google screenshot of VCA Animal Hospital with a Florida address.
Jones says she took her cat, Tomm, to the vet and was diagnosed with an ear infection. Jones says she followed the suggested treatment but brought Tommy back because he “wasn’t using his front legs.” He wasn’t walking at all, he was crawling. I said that’s not normal.
Its website states: “VCA Aventura Animal Hospital and Pet Resort is a full-service veterinary medical facility.” The hospital offers a variety of services, including chemotherapy, EKGs, ultrasounds and other “diagnostic imaging tests.”
A visit to the vet to forget
Jones says she agreed to a $600 series of X-rays that would take two hours to complete. She says the hospital never called her.
She says she called the clinic an hour before closing time. “I dropped Tommy off at 12 or 1 p.m., whatever, I called them.”
She claims the receptionist asked her: “Was he alive when you brought him in?”
Jones then looks at the camera in disbelief. She says she replied, “Yes, he was. When can I come pick up my baby?”
Jones said they had given Tommy to her and would call her back when they had information regarding his X-rays. Jones said she then spoke to a veterinarian at the hospital who recommended she “talk to a neurologist.”
However, Jones said she forgot the neurologist’s number, despite assurances from the vet that the front desk would contact her.
She says it was two days before she got back in touch. “I’m not going to break their phone on the first day, I’m going to wait and see if they send it on the second day.”
Jones claims he contacted the office two days later and said, “You need to take down my number and have a manager call me immediately.”
“And if I don’t get a call from a manager within a certain time, I’ll come there,” she claims to have told the receptionist.
Jones claims that despite the message, she did not receive any message. She does claim, however, that an explanation for Tommy’s behavior came to her, unsolicited, via the Internet.
As diagnosed on TikTok
“An organization on TikTok saw Tommy and knew exactly what he had,” Jones says. “I’m not 100% sure, but he was definitely showing signs of FIP.”
Feline infectious peritonitis “is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called feline coronavirus,” according to the Cornell Feline Health Center. According to the VCA website, “early signs of the disease can be very vague. Listlessness, lethargy, decreased or absent appetite, weight loss, and fluctuating fever are commonly reported clinical signs.”
The site also points out that PIF is “particularly difficult to diagnose. Abnormalities may be detected during a routine blood test, but none are specific to PIF.”
Jones claims Rags To Riches Animal Rescue contacted her through social media and provided free medication for Tommy.
The Cornell Feline Health Center states that FIP ”is usually progressive and almost always fatal without treatment, available in Australia and the United Kingdom for several years and recently available as an oral formulation in the United States.”
“How come a page on TikTok saw Tommy’s videos and knew exactly what it was about and was able to connect me with resources within hours; and I got the medicine within two hours of talking to them?” Jones asks his visitors.
“But when I take him to your vet, you don’t know what’s going on? But you rush to recommend a neurologist who costs $5,000?”
The video of Jones’ statements garnered a lot of support in the comments.
“I’m so glad you found an organization to help you! Unfortunately, not all hospitals and clinics are effective,” wrote Introvert Jacque (@introvertedjacque).
Another user commented: “As a veterinary receptionist this is heartbreaking. Taking notes and getting back to clients as soon as possible is very important.”
“I took my shepherd to an emergency vet because he wasn’t acting right. Kept him for 2 days, $$$ later, still no answers. Took him to his regular vet and found out the same day he had cancer. If they had treated him he would still be here,” Sunflowerlover (@sunfloweredangel).
The Daily Dot reached out to VCA Aventura Animal Hospital & Pet Resort for comment and received the following response from Misty Holbert, senior director of external communications, on behalf of the company:
“Pet care is our top priority and we take customer feedback and harassment very seriously. The results of our initial review do not match what was shared. We have a zero tolerance policy for threatening behavior. We always seek to build client/hospital relationships based on mutual trust and respect, but unfortunately that trust was degraded here and our associates did not feel safe. The diagnosis we shared with our former client about their pet was thorough and while delivery of updates was not immediate, we will always do our due diligence in the name of medical quality.”
@901sumo Rags To Riches Animal Rescue is the page that helped me. They are the ones who reached out to me, gave me answers and immediate help. Please spread the word about this vet. The treatment Tommy and I received at this facility was absolutely ridiculous. This is my son you are all making fun of. I don’t play with mine. #foryoupage #capcut #educationalpurposes ♬ original sound – Summer Jones
We have sent a follow-up request to the VCA to respond to their accusations of harassment and threatening behavior.
In a video posted a day after the incident, Jones said Tommy is “doing better and fighting very hard.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jones via TikTok Messenger and comment for further comment.
Internet culture is chaotic, but we’re going to break it down for you in a daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet delivered straight to your inbox.
