July 2021 by Jimmy M.
Reviews of medical practices are difficult because it is almost impossible for most of us to separate our opinion from the outcome. And as we all know outcomes are the result of not only the medical treatment provided, but so many other things which fall outside of the practice. So...what are we to base our decisions on when we choose a practice? Having only recently moved to the area I chose CAVH primarily on the credentials of the practicing doctors and staff, which are sensational - figuring at the very least my pal would receive excellent medical care. All things aside, that is the most important aspect, no? And my furry friend did receive excellent medical treatment. But what we both got was so much more - and the reason why I am writing the review. My buddy is a 7 year old standard poodle who needed to be neutered. How we came to this decision is too long to describe but suffice it to say it was not arrived at lightly. And as he is nearly 8 years old I was very concerned about the risk of the surgery, the risk of anesthesia, and the recovery. In addition, we have been inseparable for quite some time and he is very uncomfortable with me leaving him anywhere - let alone a veterinary hospital. My first interaction with CAVH was with the lead tech, Pam. Pam is sensational. She was compassionate and treated both me and my pal with the genuine loving-kindness that we needed to reassure us that everything was going to be okay. Waiting for the doctor to come in we sat on the floor, my big guy in my arms, shaking, and me doing my best to make him feel comfortable. When Dr. French came in what does he do? He sits down on the floor with us and introduces himself to the both of us, right where my dog needed to have that happen. His world. His level. And only after having established the new friendship did he begin to thoroughly explain what was going to happen, the new techniques which would be employed, the expected recovery process, and then answered every one of my questions. Afterward he left and I was able to stay while Pam administered a sedative to my friend and I stayed with him until just before the surgery. Now here is the thing. Top notch medical skill is terrific, and as I said this practice is brimming with it. But merely competent medical skill would be perfectly acceptable for 95% of your pets visits. So the delta there is not the primary reason why I will continue to go to CAVH, and recommend them to you. The fact of the matter is that unlike humans our pets do not know why they are going to the vet. They are not able to be told that this dramatic experience and often traumatic treatment (as many are) is something which will help them. Our words are useless in describing any of this. However, our pets of course speak the unspoken language of energy exquisitely well. And though we have sold out to verbal language (and hey, understandably for it has allowed us nearly miraculous advancement) we still communicate to our pets without knowing it in this non-verbal language every moment. We pretend that it is our pets who are so intuitive but it is not really that so to speak. There is no subtly to our messages. They are as loud and as clear as ever. We have just lost the ability to recognize what we are saying. And that is the point. We cannot lie through these trips to the vet with our pets. Our words of comfort to our animals are meaningless if our energy is still one of apprehension. And if we have anxiety, then our pets have anxiety - toward an experience of which we are already acknowledge they have no real ability to understand. So yes, the medical treatment we received at CAVH was exceptional. And yes, based on the credentials of the staff that should always be the case. And yes, that is the first hurdle to clear before choosing a veterinary practice. But that will still leave you options. Why we will continue to bring our furry family members to CAVH is because Pam and Dr. French are genuinely compassionate animals themselves, and whether it from innate ability or concerted practice they are gifted in treatin
