They-the business-is all about money. Dr. Hayes was the only one who truly seemed to care. Michelle, the skills person, ahhh, honestly not sure. The business side most definitely all about money.
We wanted to talk to the behavioralist because of possible reaction to medication the behavioralist prescribed. Possible reaction to the tune of $2000 and 3 vet visits. VBSM said to email or pay $95 for 15 min talk with behavioralist.
This is not the first issue. From day one, our appointments were messed up. All 3 appointments had issues. 1st appointment was scheduled for 11 and they had it for 11:30, even though the confirming email said 11. If my job wasn't flexible, I wouldn't have been able to make half the appointment-their fault, not mine.
2nd appointment lacked a link for the virtual meeting. If I hadn't been adamant about not receiving a link, I would have been accused of missing the appointment and would have had to pay. Finally, they acknowledged they were having issues with their software and sent one minutes before the appointment.
3rd appointment said 9, even though scheduled for afternoon. They again acknowledged a software issue. Additionally, having to wait in the car until they say you can come in-works wonderfully in 90 degree weather. The info stated they allow one dog in at a time, which really means they don't allow dogs to meet in the hallway. It was not explained that meant we had to wait in the vehicle.
They also do not answer the phone-should have been my first clue something may be up. You have to leave a message for them to call back.
Highly recommend to seek help elsewhere. Wish we had. Now we've spent around $1800 and told to spend $95 more to talk to someone for 15 min regarding medication prescribed by their behavioralist.
27 min later-officially booted from office as not a good fit. $95 went down to $60 as $95 was an alleged error-$60 for phone, $95 for Zoom, not sure why the $35 difference for the same amount of time. Expecting quick communication is not their MO, unless you pay for the conversation. Yes, they had reasons on why they prefer emails, but I have reasons to prefer calls.
As to their response that all of their pricing is given up front, it wasn't explained phone calls would be extra. I sort of assumed that if we had problems with the treatment plan, such as medication, we would be able to discuss it with the behavioralist without being charged extra. My vet does this, as well as my personal healthcare provider.
Yes, you can communicate as long as you're okay with emails that sometimes take 15 min to a day. Something that could take under 5 minutes verbally could take days via email.
In our case, it was hard to figure out exactly what was going on. When you talk to them you're able to better understand the situation and they are better at understanding you since clarifying questions can be asked immediately. Or that is my two cents worth. They obviously have a different thought process.
Point, they emailed about staying on same med at lower dosage and tritration or switching meds altogether.
This was what we wanted to discuss. When we asked for a call, their response was to email our questions. Well, we didn't know what to ask because we didn't know much about the options. So that was our first issue. A simple verbal back and forth would help us with what to ask, instead of asking them to clarify what their email meant and then figuring out what our next question would be after reading their next email and so on, dragging things out for who knows how long. For many people it is much easier to think of these questions when you're actually speaking to somebody and getting information right away.
Gotta say, it's funny to be booted after asking to cancel all appointments and send all records and writing my review.
Lastly, note what their response was..."we wish you and your pets well." My pups are so much more then pets! Does not feel personable nor caring to me.
Amazing support as we worked with our rescue Bichon. Their expertise was evident from day one and gave us strategies and techniques that were immediately helpful. We were able to appropriately medicate for our dog's anxiety, while we acclimated her to our home, introduced her to the greater world and safely stimulated her with training. Our dog's progress was exceptional. Starting completely fearful and shut down, she graduated from specialized behavioral services in 9 months. We could not be happier with the services we received.
I have worked with Veterinary Behavior Specialties of MN for both of my dogs and could not be happier!
One pup struggles with separation anxiety, the other is reactive and fearful of new people and dogs. Both dogs have had tremendous improvements with the guidance of VBS. It brings me so much joy seeing my boys improve, becoming more comfortable and confident dogs.
I can tell VBS is passionate about helping owners understand their dogs, bond with their dogs, and communicate clearly with their dogs. I work in the vet field and have competed in various sports with dogs over the years and I have learned SO much from VBS. I’ve started looking at challenges from different angles and am appreciating the uniqueness of each of my dogs. They have helped me respect and enjoy my dogs more.
I feel empowered knowing I have the tools and resources to navigate tricky situations and a support system as we progress through our training.
Shout out to Dr. Hayes, Sarah, Jasmine, and Michelle- you have all been incredible! I am so grateful for your expertise and support.
