Daniel G.
Yelp
Please do not take your pets to the Lawndale Pet Hospital, Dr. Lynch killed my dog. I remember this particular vet because he had also misdiagnosed my dad's ex-wife's Shih Tzu with "pyometra" approximately 3 years ago on a completely separate occasion. In this misdiagnoses, he claimed that she had about a week to live, but she was fine a few days after and has been healthy ever since (yes, they have checked with other vets in future check ups, she is a little overweight, but healthy).
I understand that vets have a difficult job at working with living things incapable of telling you what is wrong with them, and it is the vet's job to take the correct measures to find out these issues. It's easy to get cocky with years of experience and to think you have seen it all, but this isn't House. That same arrogance is what got my dog of 12 years killed.
On April 2nd, we brought her in for a ear infection. She had been slowing down in the more recent weeks of her life and we thought it was due to age, so we had a check up done as well. She had a few tumors that this same veterinary clinic had shaken off on prior visits.
What was very upsetting about this visit was that he was so confident that my dog was in "banged up condition", there were no x-rays or blood work done and he was very quick to diagnose my dog with cancer on the spot. He began scheduling surgeries along with plans to get her fixed as well. He gave my mom a high pricetag and was very vague about why it was turning out to the price it was, and was not specific if it were to cover one or both surgeries. On his way out of the room, he informed the nurse on a even steaper price tag of over $1500. He gave my dog an injection and prescribed her three different medications.
By the time we brought her home, her eyes were almost rolling back. She looked incredibly ill after the visit. I was so confident that the meds were going to help her and that she would be better by the next day. She progressively grew frail throughout the week. Friday was the day we noticed that she was no longer eating, so we took her to another vet in Torrance (Affordable Pet Hospital) by Saturday morning, along with a sheet of The Lawndale Pet Hospital's diagnosis.
They were not impressed with Dr. Lynch's practices. They were sympathetic and they were very specific about their practices, options and prices and not quick to jump to conclusions until they got their proper test results. After they completed X-Rays and blood work, they discovered that there was NO CANCER. Just lumps of mass. The injection and meds the Lawndale Pet Hospital prescribed had caused a spike in her glucose levels over 6 times of what should be considered normal. My dog had been slowing down because she was diabetic. There was no point of recovery and she passed away during my visit on Monday, April 8th. The suggested surgeries from The Lawndale Pet Hospital would have killed her if the meds did not.
I went to a third veterinary clinic today for my cat, and it helped me resolve internal questions I continuously had. Again, they showed a lot more care than the Lawndale Pet Hospital, they gave us a breakdown of prices and options to choose from, and they were not quick to jump to any conclusions without a proper and complete diagnosis. I strongly regret and believe I would still have my dog today if it did not go anywhere near The Lawndale Pet Hospital. I do not mean to slander Dr. Lynch and his practices, but his arrogance killed my dog. Please, consider taking your pets elsewhere and keep them as far away as possible from this place.