WARNING Agoura Hills Animal Hospital

    Visit VNearMe.com for the best Veterinarian near you. Jojo, our beloved Jack Russell Terrier suffered a heart attack hours after he was prematurely discharged from Agoura Hills Animal hospital and hours later he suffered a heart attack. My family and I were forced to watch our best friend suffer and die. We screamed and cried for Jojo to breathe and administered CPR for 40 minutes but failed. It was the worst day of my life, it was horrifying, he died right here on our couch. We all cried for hours holding and hugging Jojo’s lifeless body. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I’ve had many pets and I understand animals like humans must die, but what troubles me most, is the way Jojo was treated. Had the hospital staff implemented the standard of veterinary care and given Jojo that fighting chance, I would have accepted it. Instead, the hospital staff fraudulently concealed vital information from us which stole away what precious time we had left!

  My family and I were referred to Keith Berry’s Agoura Hills Animal Hospital by Jojo’s in-home Veterinarian, DVM Fulop. DVM Fulop arranged our visit and told the hospital staff she needed urgent blood test results. When I arrived at the Animal Hospital I felt very uncomfortable handing Jojo over to the hospital staff. I told the staff he had separation anxiety and I begged them to let me stay with him. The hospital manager, Mallory Kelsey, walked over to me and said, “ Jojo will be fine, we’ll make sure he’s not alone and he’s going to see the veterinarian right away. I'll call you within the hour to pick him up.” I agreed and handed Jojo over. That was the biggest mistake of my life! That phone call from Mallory never happened and Jojo suffered. Jojo was held hostage in a cage for 6 long hours from us. It was during Jojo’s final half hour when the veterinary malpractice occurred. Jojo was critically injured after the Veterinarian performed an unnecessary, unauthorized procedure on Jojo. Had the hospital staff reviewed Jojo’s medical records, they would have found that Jojo had already undergone this procedure in 2018. This painful procedure caused tachycardia. Although the hospital collected blood samples from Jojo, they unreasonably delayed getting the results because they chose not to perform any laboratory tests on-site as advertised. The Animal Hospital maliciously waited until after Jojo’s exam to tell us the terrible news. The inexperienced Veterinarian Michal Goldman told us she submitted the sample to an outside laboratory. This created a 24–48 hour delay in what had become a life threatening emergency. When I questioned the hospital staff about the advertised “ON-SITE LABORATORY” I was told it was unavailable. 

    It’s because of this delay in timely diagnosis and treatment, Jojo not only suffered needlessly, but lost any chance at emergency stabilization attempts that could have saved his life. It was an extreme departure from the standard of veterinary care for the hospital to discharge Jojo, who clearly showed signs of respiratory distress, tachycardia, lethargy, and immobility. How could they ignore that fact that Jojo couldn’t walk? I had to physically carry him. The decision to discharge Jojo was made by the inexperienced Michal Goldman. Goldman who negligently left her patient suffering with tachycardia which she caused from the unauthorized botched procedure. Goldman, had a legal duty to notify the referring DVM prior to any treatment. After I questioned her ethics and requested more help, DVM Michal Goldman said, “ I can do nothing until I have his blood test results.” I was shocked and didn’t know what to do or who to call. When I returned home holding Jojo, I decided to call Jojo’s In-House Veterinarian, DVM Fulop. I told her the situation and she gave me no medical advice, instead she said, “Just hold Jojo, this could be your last time.” I still have not spoken with her to this day. 

     Please don’t ever trust anyone with your pet. I did and just hours after his visit to the Agoura Hills Animal Hospital, Jojo was dead. My family and I now await the decision of the Cal State Veterinary Medical Board who’s investigating Jojo’s premature death. I will update this story when we receive news from the veterinary board. Justice 4 Jojo!