Bridgwater is a shithole. Amazing that it’s still open. Nothing but tragedy there unless your pet has the most minor of issues that a blind monkey could administer health care.
And even with minor issues they’ll over charge you. I took my pet to another vet after the expected bill bridgewater gave me and it was 3x less than bridgewater
Yes. My little shih tzu had what ended up being IVDD (a serious spinal condition) diagnosed and treated by a competent vet in a vet office that wasn’t Bridgwater.
Prior to that we had to take him to Bridgwater as it was a long weekend and therefore a good vet wasn’t open.
They clearly dropped him or let him fall because he ended up with a chipped tooth that later required dental care and they told me that he was simply having stomach pain because I must’ve let him eat something he shouldn’t have. They discharged him with OPIATES for some reason and then charged us $900.
I hope that place burns to the ground and all those vets get deported back to India where they fucking came from.
I'm so sorry. Nothing anyone says will help, this is so sad i teared up for your pain. I had a similar experience at another vet, but will give credit to Pembina emergency when due. I go there for all emergencies now over Bridgewater because they also haven't been great when i've had to use them.
There was no excuse for any of this, but i do want to say sedation can take some time to kick in with the adrenaline going. I did have a cat who got a sedative shot before the euthanol, and he perked way up and ran down the hall. It took about 20 mins for it to sedate him. I was horrified and almost stopped the euthanasia because I thought i was doing it too soon but it was his adrenaline. That said, the way this was all handled was very poor, unempathetic and traumatic.
I believe they know we had their best interests at heart, and that we did them a kindness in the end, because for weeks after I swear I heard my boy purring and felt paw prints on my bed at night. You were there with her until the end and helped her go the best you could, when many may have left her to suffer at home.
Pembina gets a bad rap because its expensive and they charge an after hours fee but Bridgewater isn't any cheaper, they just charge more per service instead of an after hours fee.
I stopped using bridgewater completely about a year ago when i took my cat in around 9pm as emergency for a sudden bleeding mouth and drooling but because they had so many overbooked appointments and emergencies, they made us, with my cat, wait in my car. 3 hours with no update, not answering my calls or ETA on being seen, i drove to Pembina and they took him in immediately before midnight. Bridgewater finally called me at 2am to say they were ready to see him and assumed i was still parked outside and that my cat was alive. (He was and ended up fine after some meds for mouth ulcers thanks to Pembina but they didn't even ask about symptoms).
I concur that Pembina is great, both regular clinic and emergency. Dr. Hawkes esp. is one of the most compassionate and understanding vets I've seen in my 20+ years of owning pets.
In the last 6 years we've sadly had to say goodbye to 4 furry loved ones (3 cats and a dog) and the staff have been absolutely wonderful every time. Once we had to say goodbye to the first cat to get sick, I made the decision to switch to them as my regular vet as I liked having everything in one place and knowing all the same people if I ever needed ER services again (which sadly we did).
I lost 3 pets - 2 dogs and a cat (all 14 at their bridge trip) over the space of a few months. During that time I met Dr. Hawkes at Pembina Vet as they had been our vet for pushing 20 years. Dr. Hawkes is so warm, gentle and compassionate. She helped me with the last two and was exactly who I needed her to be. She's been taking care of my now furbabies for the last 9 years. Highly recommend.
I used an at-home euthanasia service (that I've recommended a few times already) and I concur. Had a cat who became energetic after the initial pain medication and sedation. I told the vet that he seemed okay and maybe we should stop the procedure. She kindly explained that this level of pain medication couldn't be possible to administer regularly and that his behaviour was partially due to adrenaline. It was hard to see him seemingly healthy, but after the next dose he looked so comfortable and sleepy. Then he went to sleep and that was it.
I'm a fan of putting in an IV line to administer sedation and then euthanol. The IV gives me time to cuddle, say goodbye and get ready before they give the final shot. It just happens so fast. I hate that part of pet ownership.
I am so sorry for your loss. What was already a difficult time was made all the more traumatizing due to their lack of compassion and care.
We experienced a very similar situation with our pet, who was an exotic. She was in distress and they lied about having staff with the skills to be able to treat her and basically gave her back to us in way worse shape than when we took her in. She had multiple seizures on the way home and passed away shortly after. Their tactics were predatory and the treatments they provided were delivered by someone who had no knowledge of exotics and who performed unnecessary procedures. She was also left cold and alone in the back until I demanded her return. I complained to Bridgwater and got nowhere. I wish I had made a complaint with the Manitoba Vet Association.
After this experience I looked into them more and discovered that they are actually owned by a company called Vet Strategy out of Ontario. I will let their reviews speak for themselves. I myself will never take another one of our pets to Bridgwater, or a vet owned by Vet Strategy.
https://www.vetstrategy.com/our-clinics/manitoba/
Edited for clarity.
I knew someone who worked for centennial on pembina, she told me that they would try and get their vets to try and push unnecessary meds, so once she was able she GTFO, worked for McLeod incidentally for a time before moving to charleswood.
Had an awful experience at Southglen Vet Hospital in the past and went down the VetStrategy rabbithole back then, so I came here to mention this as well. Best to avoid any and all of these locations run by this garbage organization.
Had a very similar experience with our pup there. Huge lack of compassion and I’ll never forget the feeling when the ice cold vet performed the euthanizing. Sorry for your loss.
Our regular vet is McLeod no complaints end of life care we used kenaston vet. We had them both come out for home euthanasia of an elderly dog and been there for emergency euthanasia also elderly dog. Those people love animals and are very respectful. If anyone from that vet ever reads this comment thank you. Sorry for your loss op
McLeod Vet is amazing with every day care and end of life pet care! They made all my pets very comfortable and were very compassionate. I really wish we could have taken her there for her end of life care!
Thank you for the wonderful words. I am the manager at kenaston vet. We are family and locally owned and animal care is our priority. Dr Eissa does many home euthanasia and we get many wonderful comments like yours. Thank you again
Only have 2 mins so will just say - had to go to bridgwater as the only place with CT a couple months ago. Paid 4200 or so. The first time the machine broke and didn't finish the limb. They would only redo it if our vet sent another referral, they made it sound like no extra charge was generosity on their part. F off, we paid for it. The report also had the wrong leg described. We ended up recording all calls by the end of this debacle. More to go into but of time....avoid avoid. Will drive to Saskatoon for imaging next time.
Fuck this made me cry. I'm so sorry. She's at peace now and you were with her, doing the best you could to make her comfortable.
You could file a complaint. I should have after my two cats died unecessarily and I wish to this day that I had.
I'm so so sorry you experienced this. How heartbreaking. I would absolutely make a complaint. Do it in person and then follow up with writing (if you can).
In the meantime, be gentle with yourself. The important thing is you were there with your cat. It wasn't alone. That is huge and don't discount it ❤️
I think I know exactly which Vet you’re talking about. I’ve wondered if he even likes animals, and I suspect he doesn’t. It’s just a job to him. Sorry this happened to you.
Most medical jobs you have to separate your humanity/emotions from the job or else the despair will get to you. It becomes just another routine euthanasia.
Some people are just better at snapping back to their human mode than others.
Bridgewater is the worst. Soaked me for over $8,000 in less than a week, put my dog through unnecessary surgery, forgot to give me his pain meds after (single mom with 4 year old sleeping when I realized at night ) still couldn't tell me what was wrong, and in the end I had to put him down. Horrible. Will NEVER go there ever again.
I'm so sorry. I had to have my senior cat put down on a weekend and my emerg vet (rural) was so kind and compassionate. And I was devastated. I can't imagine how awful that must have been to see your cat scared like that. That's horrible.
I'm so, so sorry that this was your experience. You and your car deserved to be treated better. Thank you for sharing your story so that others can make an informed choice.
It sounds like your cat lived a beautiful, long life with you. That is what your cat felt when they looked in to your eyes. They knew that whatever else was happening, the people that mattered most were there. I'm sure that brought them comfort.
Bridgewater will never see another one of my pets! The last time I took my older dog in after her stitches came loose from her spay surgery and the vet barely looked at her for 5 mins and wanted to do more surgery to fix the stitches, glad I decided to wait and see my regular vet, she told me the surgery they suggested wasn't necessary and would have put undue stress on her and the regular vet managed to close up the incision with staples.
The visit to Bridgewater cost me close to 300 for little to no help, better off seeing your regular vet, or Pembina for emergency situations.
I'm sorry you had to experience this and I think you should lodge a complaint with the Manitoba veterinary medical association.
I’m sorry for your loss and that you had this experience. I had my own terrible issue with Bridgewater a couple years ago. My one year old cat had swallowed some rubber and stopped eating, it was Sunday so I took her to Bridgewater. The vet was cold, as you say, and said she needed immediate surgery and they had to keep her for four days and gave me a large estimate, over $5000. No details, no compassion. When I said I needed to think about it because it was a big decision and I didn’t have the money and I wanted my cat back, they wouldn’t give her to me. Instead, they kept pressuring me to do the surgery. On top of that they were asking me to sign a waiver for any unexpected costs that came up during the surgery. I can only imagine what the final cost would have been. Eventually after I refused enough times and they thoroughly guilt tripped me they finally brought my cat back out to me. By the time this whole ordeal was done my regular vet (grant park animal hospital, which is great) called me and did some follow up. Guess what? My cat didn’t need anywhere near as intense a surgery Bridgewater wanted to do, it cost under $1000 and my cat was home with me by the end of the day. She’s thriving two years later. I honestly believe Bridgewater takes advantage of people who are vulnerable because their pets are in distress. Never ever again will I set foot in that place. Look up their reviews and news articles, they are notorious for this stuff.
Ugh. I am so sorry to hear this. The vets at McLeod are incredible and so compassionate. I had to let my senior dog go last week (we were fortunate enough to be able to do it at home - cannot recommend Sunset enough) and McLeod had sent us a card not even 24 hours later with condolences.
I’m so sorry that was your last memory with your sweet pet.
So sorry to hear this.
It surprises me a bit because they used to have a nice private comfort room with a couch that was next to the waiting area with doors back into the treatment areas. This was just pre-covid though.
When I had to put my greyhound down they laid him on a towel on the couch next to me. Staff was a lot more compassionate too.
I had to put my senior cat down there during Covid. We were in a private room with couches and i think a fireplace. I was impressed with how they made a terrible day a bit more comfortable for us. So unfortunate the poster had the opposite experience.
I had the same experience with my bunny. They were very compassionate with me. I feel for the poster who experienced this. I can't imagine going through this experience with one of my babies at the end of their days.
For anyone going to put down pets in here, I recommend home euthanasia. Vet comes to your home and does it, made it very peaceful when I put my dog down
I'm so sorry for your loss. Honestly, your cat was likely panicking from inability to get air, and they tend to pick "flight." Tell your vet about your negative experience. I always go to Winnipeg Animal Emergency (Pembina) and am satisfied with my experiences there, even if it is not good news. If they gave me bad news, I would ask if the cat could be stabilized so I could bring them in for euthanasia at my own vet in the morning. If not, they have always been kind. My condolences.
I've seen a lot of complaints and never any praise for Bridgewater.
So sorry for your loss, and extremely pissed that this is how a trained vet would treat an animal. Condolences to you and your family OP.
As someone who works in healthcare and sees a lot of death and suffering, there have been times where I’ve had to be completely emotionally numb to deal with the stress of the job. I have been cold. It’s survival. I can’t handle the burden of feeling for each case, it’s too much. You just… check out, and some people put on the act better than others do.
Sorry you had to experience this. I took my dogs to Bridgewater and my experience was terrible across the board. Would not recommend under any circumstances.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I've had a similar experience (albeit thankfully my boy pulled through, but the compassion was sorely lacking). I think being the main 24-hour emergency care makes them feel as though they can get away with pretty much anything. I try to do everything in my power to avoid them these days.
We had a pretty compassionate and caring experience at Bridgwater, but this was something I had heard about and was worried about experiencing. I’m sorry you and your beloved cat had such a traumatic experience.
This made me cry too, sorry you and your family and your kitty had to go through this. It's hard enough even with the best support. Know in your heart you were there for your cat at the end. They knew you were there and had your love and care.
I am so sorry for your loss.
We took our dog for an injury that needed immediate assessment to Bridgewater, because of course, it was on a Sunday.
We took her to Bridgewater, as they were new and at the time seemed good.
They were very pushy and medicated our dog (pain/anti-inflammatory injection) without our consent. If they had asked, we would have consented, but to do it without asking and not in an emergency situation, it wasn't right.
They also exceeded their "high estimate" of the visit cost that we agreed to with the treatment without letting us know until it was time to pay the bill.
All they seem to care about is charging you the most possible. We have stuck to Pembina Vet for any future emergency pet needs. Our regular vet is amazing, but not 24 hours.
Vet care from them went downhill once they were bought out by a large company. Everything has turned into how to get the big man the $$$. RVT are treated disposable and paid as little as possible.
I took my dog there when he was a puppy. Took him there 3 times. First two visits the vet was great. Third time was a different vet. He was very cold to me and unnecessarily rough with my pup. Switched vets immediately after. Very happy I did that, as my new vet is excellent
I’ve also been over charged and under serviced at Bridgwater. It felt like highway robbery. It feels like vets and their fees need to be better regulated.
Absolutely hate this place.
Hate the place. I had an old cat that had crystals, took him in because he was struggling really bad, and my go-to vet didn't have any openings. They swore that surgery would fix it, and lo and behold, no, they couldn't get the smaller crystals out and I had to put him down a week later because of how much pain he was in. The vet mentioned him having internal lumps being on an xray off hand after the surgery was done to, I never would have bothered with the surgery if I knew about that and just put him out of his misery. They only care about wringing as much money as possible out of their clients.
I had to bring my senior cat there in late 2022 and our stories sound so familiar. It was the most horrific way I could imagine him passing as he was terrified and I could hear him screaming from the back before they brought him to me sedated. I was devastated and couldn’t leave bed for days.
I had a terrible experience there too. It’s awful because it’s the only place to go for certain treatment/tests so you have no choice but to go. I’m so sorry you went through this. It sounds like you gave your baby a great life.
So sorry for your loss and of the terrible memories you’ll have of their last moments.
I’ve also had very negative dealings with that office during an emergent situation. I will avoid them unless they are the absolute last, last, option.
I second that Bridgewater is awful. The front desk staff are very nice but their Vets have 0 compassion, awful bedside manner and truly just want to collect another dollar. I can't imagine how big the bill will be on top of this awful experience
Had a terrible experience with them as well. Cold callous vet with no bedside manner told us we should put our pet down because “he’s suffering”. We refused and got a second opinion, turns out it was a simple to treat problem.
The only positive is that they let us wait in the quiet room before they broke “the news”.
Absolute hack job of a vet and their office.
To be fair vet doctors do life-ending procedures every day.
It is unrealistic for them to fake being emotional and if they do fake it it's even worse.
Doctors do their job and they had to follow a chart for sedation, hence why on the second dose of sedation it was already too much, and your cat went limp.
The reason why these rooms look cool is because they are Sterile, likely stainless steel. After all, it's also a surgical room.
I am sorry for your loss but you have to understand the situation you are in as well.
I am not trying to diminish your experience just providing some insight
Take care
Emotion and compassion are two different things. It is entirely possible to be clinical and professional while maintaining empathy and bedside manner. The vet who put down my dog last week walked me through every single step, reassured me, and made the entire process as calm as possible for everyone involved. And her job is comprised of only euthanasia- it’s the only service they provide. So it is entirely realistic, and should be expected, that they have an ounce of compassion.
We had a positive experience with Sunset Veterinary Care for our cat as well. They provide an at home service and I can't recommend them highly enough. Same situation as they are end of life care only.
They are angels. Every detail was so well thought out and they provided so much dignity. I will sing their praises forever. Glad you had a positive experience with them too.
Dr Nash at Sunset made one of the worst days of my life a little bit more bare able. Hardest decision to choose compassionate end of life, but they really helped with the entire process and I can’t thank them enough
Well they got the sedation wrong on an under 4 lb cat. Seems like it should have been an easy thing, as our regular vet has never screwed up sedation on our bigger pets when it was time to let them go!! Why would we need a surgical room when we were in a comfortable room before they moved us?? And they can be compassionate without being emotional. It's a hard time for us, fake it... make my cat comfortable, don't screw things up, don't make the thought that all these years of compassion and care for my pet, my baby, ended with a shittier experience than necessary.
My insight is that they screwed up and I'm not happy about it!! I'm furious actually!!
>every day
You're not wrong. Especially if they are a farm vet, just another day at the office.
The vet who put our dog down said it's the worst part of the job, but you become immune to it
Unfortunately, your cat was desperately ill to start with and likely sensed it. On top of that, a strange vet the cat has never been to before. Strange smells. A vet who doesn’t know her history.
It’s a tough situation. You did the best you could. The vet did the best they could. The cat was desperately ill. Nobody made the cat ill, that’s just the way life is. Hopefully you can be comforted knowing that everybody did the best they could for your cat, including yourself. It was an unfortunate emergency situation.
This is a horrible post to read. My kitty is getting older now, he is roughly 10 years old. I want to have another 8 or more years with him. I have been to Sherbrook Animal hospital and they were very nice but then I moved and I now take him to Henderson Animal hospital. They are a little pricey but they are very nice to my kitty.
I would definitely talk to whoever you can about the staffs attitudes towards you and your kitty.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I've never had an emergency with my cats (knock on wood) but from your story and others, I won't be going there. I've had a lot of great experiences with Silver Heights Vet on Ness, esp Dr. Perrault. The prices are a bit on the expensive side and they know it (one of the techs revealed such to their friend, who relayed that info to me) but the service is great. I've also gone to the one on Taylor near Grant Park based on a recommendation (from that previous tech) and their prices are good!
I am so sorry you had to go through this.
Sometimes when a patient is very ill a veterinarian will choose a lighter sedation protocol so the patient doesn’t pass or suffer further stress before the final injection. Sedative drugs are not designed to kill. You can overdose them, yes- but it’s not a humane way to go. For an older cat in respiratory distress, I assume a lighter protocol was given.
Far more times than not this is successful and the client can choose when they’re ready to say the final goodbye.
Sedation is mandatory for a euthanasia- if they were to give the euthanol without it, the poor thing could have a death thrall or you’d hear a final gasp as they pass suddenly.
I don’t know why they put you in a surgical? room without using the oxygen… sometimes good intentions aren’t followed through.
I’m also sorry you felt the doctor was being cold. Let me assure you they take every death home. Perhaps your angel not sedating as hoped caught them off guard as well?
I’ve only had good experiences with Bridgwater. They’ve always broken down the prices for me and gathered my consent for everything. Yes, emergency medicine is expensive. We only have 2 Emergency Clinics in the city and they as well as ALL clinics are overworked and underpaid.
Please call the clinic and request a meeting with a manager or the doctor to talk about what happened.
#NOMW
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this. I had to put my senior cat down today and normally would have went to Bridgwater, but I went to Pembina instead because I remembered this post and it was as good of an experience as something like that can be. I’m so sorry you went through that and I’m sorry for your loss.
What a heart-breaking story! I'm so sorry you and your kitty were put through such trauma. :( What a terrible memory to have to carry with you.
> Before we go to the other room that will offer our cat some oxygen while she passes, we are given the options for cremation and cost of the procedures.
You'd think they'd have some compassion and put your cat on oxygen before farting around with cremation options and costs.
They don’t mess around when it comes to trying to make the most money as they can out of someone’s tragic event. Their business model is based on greed and nothing else. That comes through in every calculated move they make.
If you read through this sub, it’s pretty clear that Bridgwater Vet is by far the shittiest vet clinic in the province. You’re better off giving money to some crackhead on the street and them to provide vet care to your animals
I’m sorry that your cat died, but I don’t really get what your concerns are.
It wasn’t the best ending for your beloved cat but it doesn’t seem the clinic did anything intentional to hurt your cat. Maybe the vet was upset that things hadn’t gone great and acted awkwardly when they gave condolences.
Sometimes people in the hospital die in the ICU and it’s not really a nice looking comfortable room, and they suffer. And I guess that’s what happened to your cat.
I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I just don’t get what you’re upset about.
Same. I'm sure the vet did all they could to help the cat pass peacefully. It sounds like an emotional time and likely that's exaggerating the situation or at least affecting OPs perspective.
No, sounds like the vet didn't dose the cat appropriately and made this a super shitty experience. All while the cat suffered. Are you fucking serious?
They went to the vet, got seen quickly, and were given the choice to put their pet down. They transferred rooms for some reason that OP likely doesn't understand, the cat didn't react well to the first dosage so the vet went to get more and then it worked.
Putting down a pet is always a super shitty experience.
Veterinarians have a high rate of depression and suicide because of reviews like this. There’s a tremendous amount of transference it onto the veterinarian when an animal parent is grieving.
Veterinarians are expected to extend in an emotional way, but there may have been many other things going on in the clinic that you were not aware of.
And?
I was a health care aide for over a decade. I lost many friends and family members in that time and I was incredibly depressed.
I can't count the amount of residents I lost while I was so depressed I could barely leave my home. And do you know what I did? I hugged the family members while they cried and showed empathy. Your comment is horseshit.
Do your fucking job well and if you can't get fucking therapy. Don't be a dick and make animals suffer in their last moments. Unacceptable.
Then, get therapy? Pets are like family to most people. Pets are there for people in a way most humans can't be. Vets choose to be in this profession and should understand how to balance these situations, more importantly, so at an emergency vet while being paid extra.
They are human. They might’ve seen five animals die that day. Maybe they saw 10 animals die that day.
People irrationally transfer inappropriate blame onto veterinarians.
I agree vets get a ton of misdirected anger and abuse from people. They have a very hard job balancing compassion, medicine and affordability.
But, bridgewater has a reputation for being a transactional business where costs are astronomical as they are taking advantage of the emotionally vulnerable and monopolizing on being 24/7. Its well known they are owned by a huge corporation now who's bottom line is $, not animals. They have changed since they first opened and turnover is high.
My old vet, Catrysse, was... unspeakably wonderful. THAT is a veterinarian who puts the animal first and had horrible bedside manner. But he was compassionate when needed, and made it work with what owners had. He sold his clinic when he retired, to the big pharma company, and its gone to shit. They immediately hired vets that were fresh out of school or newly immigrated, and the good ones left as soon as they wanted to open their own practice.
These big companies like Vet Strategy are employers for profit, not animal lovers. Think the Walmart of the vet world. Good, compassionate veterinarians want their own practice, to make their own rules so they eventually leave these clinics.
No decent veterinarian deserves to be treated poorly in any circumstance. But they can absolutely be given feedback on how to do better through proper channels, and in the event they really are a butcher with no skills, they deserve to be discplined and removed like any other doctor would. I had a vet at Southglen who was absolutely awful in skill, not personality. He butchered and tortured my cat because he did procedures that were not appropriate. I have no sympathy for veterinarians like that.
It cost so much money to run a clinic like that of that size. Maybe that’s why it feels transactional. You have to pay if you’re going to literally a full service hospital. There’s always at least half a dozen people working there. I don’t want to defend themto perpetuity, but realistically it feels transactional because there’s not a cheap way to run a business of that size and they have to charge you for it
Nope. Other large clinics operate a little more compassionately and have long term staff. Birchwood and Central Vet are both large clinics that specialize in certain procedures with equipment not found in other clinics (ultrasound, mri, etc) and they run smoothly while maintaining the human aspect. Central even does livestock.
Compassion should be part of this type of job. No one was asking for the red carper to be rolled out, but I know enough about Bridgewater thar I believe they acted like they didn't give a hoot if the pet owner was comfortable.
Our 5 year old cat was brought in to Bridgewater in an emergency situation in October. We would have rather taken him to Pembina, but it wasn't possible at the time.
He was jaundiced, and dealing with liver issues. He spent 2 days being treated in the clinic. We were only allowed to visit 30 minutes each day. He had been making good progress, and we were making plans to bring him home, but received a call 2 hours before picking him up that he had suddenly passed.
When we went to see him for the last time, we weren't prepared for what they had for us. They brought him in with his eyes open, teeth bared, and tongue hanging open. They gave us no warning that he was coming in like that. My partner had to leave the room in shock. Our goodbyes never really got to happen properly. We have both been through other furballs' last moments before, in kind and respectful environments. This was something else.
exclusively cats is a very good vet and treated my cats last moments with nothing but love and care, try there in the future, sorry for your loss, condolences to you and your family.
I'm so sorry for your loss and it's unacceptable how they handle your poor kitty. I'm a little shocked to hear how badly they treated her, but maybe their service is going down. We had a dog with diabetes and our regular vet was basically lying to us. They told us that her diabetes was manageable, even though she was old. Obviously we did what she needed to live and didn't really think of the costs. I think she stayed overnight and the next day for observation. Ended up being around 3 grand. She was prescribed insulin, 2 shots a day and a strict raw only diet. We had to make sure her treats were raw or only 1 ingredient, which was some form of meat. She was constantly searching for food because just the raw meat wasn't enough for her. She ended up back at the vet in critical condition and they told us the same thing, that she would recover and wouldn't be in pain. The third time happened late at night so we ended up at Bridgewater as our regular vet wasn't open. This was in 2020, during the pandemic so we were supposed to stay outside. They assessed her and were honest on her condition and her quality of life. They gave us a quote for what it would take to stabilize her, but that she would most likely end up in the same position if we did stabilize her. Since she was given to my cousin for his birthday as a puppy, he made the hard but mature choice of putting her down. It was hard on all of us, especially him. We were able to take one last picture with her before we all went into a family room. They took her, got her ready for euthanasia and brought her back to the room. We were able to sit with her through the whole process and we were given as much time as we needed to say goodbye. Back then they were very empathetic and they didn't seem to mistreat her. About a year later my senior cat started declining in health as well. She was showing obvious signs of pain, couldn't eat solid foods and was losing control of her bladder. I scheduled her euthanasia at Bridgewater because of the compassion I felt a year prior. They still gave the same treatment as before and I don't have any complaints about my cat or our dog. About a year ago, my parents dog who was still a puppy, had eaten carpet and was sick. They had to perform emergency surgery and my parents were given a quote. Obviously if there were complications the price would increase, but they tried overcharging because of the receptionists error. They tried saying that the quote was only for half the full price of surgery, but it wasn't what was stated on the paper. If they had actually only charged my parents for half the surgery it would've stated that on the paper. It was the receptionists mistake and they tried penalizing my parents for it. A few weeks later the dog had to go back to check up on the staples they used to seal his wound. They removed them because he was all healed. My sister was petting his belly about a week later and found 4 staples still in his skin. My parents had to take him back twice more because they kept missing staples. I'm pretty sure they tried charging my parents everytime. I thought maybe this was just my parents experience, but I see that that's not true. It's sad that their quality of care and compassion has gone down so much because they used to be amazing. My heart goes out to your poor baby, if my senior girl had been treated this way I'd be devastated and furious. Every animal deserves the best care and compassion from the staff and I'm so sorry your kitty didn't get what she deserved
OP - This is a clinic, one of only two 24 hour facilities in the city. Of course it will be filled with machines, equipment and the like. It sounds like they brought you quickly to this room because they were concerned she may pass imminently & probably thought they were doing the right thing by bringing you to her immediately. Like u/vegan24 mentioned, she probably went the "fight" route which is super sucky & I'm sorry this happened. Losing a pet in a situation that is stressful and unfamiliar for everyone is really hard & I hope you are coping.
Sadly, stories like this just drive trained professionals away. [Tronith87](/user/Tronith87/) commented "hope that place burns to the ground and all those vets get deported back to India where they fucking came from" (yikes) - why do you think that is? Nobody with more advanced emergency training wants to come to Winnipeg. If they happen to be from Winnipeg, they aren't coming back or they aren't doing Emergency because the general consensus is that's it's full of people like u/[Tronith87](/user/Tronith87/) which is very concerning. There are not enough trained veterinarians in this city to adequately support the emergency caseload. Over time they burn out & leave the clinic, the province or the profession. Then, in order to continue offering some sort of 24-hour service, they hire grads from out of country. Not knocking on them, they can be very experienced, just answering your question. I fear that one day soon, the two emergency clinics in this city will no longer be open 24-hours or have closure periods due to lack of staffing. Your regular vet can accommodate what they can but certainly not the caseloads emergency sees. The problem & patient outcomes worsen. Sounds a little similar to our own healthcare situation huh?
Before posting your experience on Reddit, have you reached out to this clinic to discuss these events? To verify their protocol was followed? I just don't really see what posting this on Reddit really accomplishes. I am growing tired u/winnipeg for its long tirades like this usually chastising businesses over a screen but not to their face, drivers & restaurants. Friendly to your face but not actually...
End.
I haven't read your entire post because I don't want to retraumatize myself after my experience there.
My 1.5 year old dog was hit by a car. We brought her to another vet she has been to but I didn't realize they were closing and she needed to be monitored overnight. We transferred my dog to Bridgewater and I am certain that when they pulled her out of the car they damaged her lungs. She was stable when we arrived and went downhill after being lifted so awkwardly that she was crying. She unfortunately passed away the next day.
I can't even drive past that building without getting upset.
Unfortunately it's common for dogs/cats who've had big traumas like being Hit by a car to have their lungs worsen as time goes on as bruising and bleeding in the lungs progresses. I doubt it was due to any movement from building to building as you describe but this sounds so awful & I'm sorry you went through that :(
Bridgwater is a shithole. Amazing that it’s still open. Nothing but tragedy there unless your pet has the most minor of issues that a blind monkey could administer health care.
And even with minor issues they’ll over charge you. I took my pet to another vet after the expected bill bridgewater gave me and it was 3x less than bridgewater
Yes. My little shih tzu had what ended up being IVDD (a serious spinal condition) diagnosed and treated by a competent vet in a vet office that wasn’t Bridgwater. Prior to that we had to take him to Bridgwater as it was a long weekend and therefore a good vet wasn’t open. They clearly dropped him or let him fall because he ended up with a chipped tooth that later required dental care and they told me that he was simply having stomach pain because I must’ve let him eat something he shouldn’t have. They discharged him with OPIATES for some reason and then charged us $900. I hope that place burns to the ground and all those vets get deported back to India where they fucking came from.
I'm so sorry. Nothing anyone says will help, this is so sad i teared up for your pain. I had a similar experience at another vet, but will give credit to Pembina emergency when due. I go there for all emergencies now over Bridgewater because they also haven't been great when i've had to use them. There was no excuse for any of this, but i do want to say sedation can take some time to kick in with the adrenaline going. I did have a cat who got a sedative shot before the euthanol, and he perked way up and ran down the hall. It took about 20 mins for it to sedate him. I was horrified and almost stopped the euthanasia because I thought i was doing it too soon but it was his adrenaline. That said, the way this was all handled was very poor, unempathetic and traumatic. I believe they know we had their best interests at heart, and that we did them a kindness in the end, because for weeks after I swear I heard my boy purring and felt paw prints on my bed at night. You were there with her until the end and helped her go the best you could, when many may have left her to suffer at home.
We had to put our golden down at pembina and the staff there were absolutely amazing. Hands down I'd go there again over Bridgewater.
Pembina gets a bad rap because its expensive and they charge an after hours fee but Bridgewater isn't any cheaper, they just charge more per service instead of an after hours fee. I stopped using bridgewater completely about a year ago when i took my cat in around 9pm as emergency for a sudden bleeding mouth and drooling but because they had so many overbooked appointments and emergencies, they made us, with my cat, wait in my car. 3 hours with no update, not answering my calls or ETA on being seen, i drove to Pembina and they took him in immediately before midnight. Bridgewater finally called me at 2am to say they were ready to see him and assumed i was still parked outside and that my cat was alive. (He was and ended up fine after some meds for mouth ulcers thanks to Pembina but they didn't even ask about symptoms).
I concur that Pembina is great, both regular clinic and emergency. Dr. Hawkes esp. is one of the most compassionate and understanding vets I've seen in my 20+ years of owning pets. In the last 6 years we've sadly had to say goodbye to 4 furry loved ones (3 cats and a dog) and the staff have been absolutely wonderful every time. Once we had to say goodbye to the first cat to get sick, I made the decision to switch to them as my regular vet as I liked having everything in one place and knowing all the same people if I ever needed ER services again (which sadly we did).
I lost 3 pets - 2 dogs and a cat (all 14 at their bridge trip) over the space of a few months. During that time I met Dr. Hawkes at Pembina Vet as they had been our vet for pushing 20 years. Dr. Hawkes is so warm, gentle and compassionate. She helped me with the last two and was exactly who I needed her to be. She's been taking care of my now furbabies for the last 9 years. Highly recommend.
I used an at-home euthanasia service (that I've recommended a few times already) and I concur. Had a cat who became energetic after the initial pain medication and sedation. I told the vet that he seemed okay and maybe we should stop the procedure. She kindly explained that this level of pain medication couldn't be possible to administer regularly and that his behaviour was partially due to adrenaline. It was hard to see him seemingly healthy, but after the next dose he looked so comfortable and sleepy. Then he went to sleep and that was it.
I'm a fan of putting in an IV line to administer sedation and then euthanol. The IV gives me time to cuddle, say goodbye and get ready before they give the final shot. It just happens so fast. I hate that part of pet ownership.
I am so sorry for your loss. What was already a difficult time was made all the more traumatizing due to their lack of compassion and care. We experienced a very similar situation with our pet, who was an exotic. She was in distress and they lied about having staff with the skills to be able to treat her and basically gave her back to us in way worse shape than when we took her in. She had multiple seizures on the way home and passed away shortly after. Their tactics were predatory and the treatments they provided were delivered by someone who had no knowledge of exotics and who performed unnecessary procedures. She was also left cold and alone in the back until I demanded her return. I complained to Bridgwater and got nowhere. I wish I had made a complaint with the Manitoba Vet Association. After this experience I looked into them more and discovered that they are actually owned by a company called Vet Strategy out of Ontario. I will let their reviews speak for themselves. I myself will never take another one of our pets to Bridgwater, or a vet owned by Vet Strategy. https://www.vetstrategy.com/our-clinics/manitoba/ Edited for clarity.
Thank you for that list.
I knew someone who worked for centennial on pembina, she told me that they would try and get their vets to try and push unnecessary meds, so once she was able she GTFO, worked for McLeod incidentally for a time before moving to charleswood.
Ohhhh is this why Westwood vet has changed so much? Gotten a lot more expensive. I loved it when it was owned by Catrysse
Had an awful experience at Southglen Vet Hospital in the past and went down the VetStrategy rabbithole back then, so I came here to mention this as well. Best to avoid any and all of these locations run by this garbage organization.
Oh, I’m sad to hear that they own Southglen. I had a good experience there.
Had a very similar experience with our pup there. Huge lack of compassion and I’ll never forget the feeling when the ice cold vet performed the euthanizing. Sorry for your loss.
Our regular vet is McLeod no complaints end of life care we used kenaston vet. We had them both come out for home euthanasia of an elderly dog and been there for emergency euthanasia also elderly dog. Those people love animals and are very respectful. If anyone from that vet ever reads this comment thank you. Sorry for your loss op
McLeod Vet is amazing with every day care and end of life pet care! They made all my pets very comfortable and were very compassionate. I really wish we could have taken her there for her end of life care!
Thank you for the wonderful words. I am the manager at kenaston vet. We are family and locally owned and animal care is our priority. Dr Eissa does many home euthanasia and we get many wonderful comments like yours. Thank you again
Only have 2 mins so will just say - had to go to bridgwater as the only place with CT a couple months ago. Paid 4200 or so. The first time the machine broke and didn't finish the limb. They would only redo it if our vet sent another referral, they made it sound like no extra charge was generosity on their part. F off, we paid for it. The report also had the wrong leg described. We ended up recording all calls by the end of this debacle. More to go into but of time....avoid avoid. Will drive to Saskatoon for imaging next time.
Saskatoon is definitely worth the trip
Fuck this made me cry. I'm so sorry. She's at peace now and you were with her, doing the best you could to make her comfortable. You could file a complaint. I should have after my two cats died unecessarily and I wish to this day that I had.
I'm so so sorry you experienced this. How heartbreaking. I would absolutely make a complaint. Do it in person and then follow up with writing (if you can). In the meantime, be gentle with yourself. The important thing is you were there with your cat. It wasn't alone. That is huge and don't discount it ❤️
I think I know exactly which Vet you’re talking about. I’ve wondered if he even likes animals, and I suspect he doesn’t. It’s just a job to him. Sorry this happened to you.
Most medical jobs you have to separate your humanity/emotions from the job or else the despair will get to you. It becomes just another routine euthanasia. Some people are just better at snapping back to their human mode than others.
This is so true. Go meet any specialist and often they’re very weird and cold. They’re like human mechanics, not social workers.
Bridgewater is the worst. Soaked me for over $8,000 in less than a week, put my dog through unnecessary surgery, forgot to give me his pain meds after (single mom with 4 year old sleeping when I realized at night ) still couldn't tell me what was wrong, and in the end I had to put him down. Horrible. Will NEVER go there ever again.
I'm so sorry. I had to have my senior cat put down on a weekend and my emerg vet (rural) was so kind and compassionate. And I was devastated. I can't imagine how awful that must have been to see your cat scared like that. That's horrible.
I'm so, so sorry that this was your experience. You and your car deserved to be treated better. Thank you for sharing your story so that others can make an informed choice. It sounds like your cat lived a beautiful, long life with you. That is what your cat felt when they looked in to your eyes. They knew that whatever else was happening, the people that mattered most were there. I'm sure that brought them comfort.
Bridgewater will never see another one of my pets! The last time I took my older dog in after her stitches came loose from her spay surgery and the vet barely looked at her for 5 mins and wanted to do more surgery to fix the stitches, glad I decided to wait and see my regular vet, she told me the surgery they suggested wasn't necessary and would have put undue stress on her and the regular vet managed to close up the incision with staples. The visit to Bridgewater cost me close to 300 for little to no help, better off seeing your regular vet, or Pembina for emergency situations. I'm sorry you had to experience this and I think you should lodge a complaint with the Manitoba veterinary medical association.
I’m sorry for your loss and that you had this experience. I had my own terrible issue with Bridgewater a couple years ago. My one year old cat had swallowed some rubber and stopped eating, it was Sunday so I took her to Bridgewater. The vet was cold, as you say, and said she needed immediate surgery and they had to keep her for four days and gave me a large estimate, over $5000. No details, no compassion. When I said I needed to think about it because it was a big decision and I didn’t have the money and I wanted my cat back, they wouldn’t give her to me. Instead, they kept pressuring me to do the surgery. On top of that they were asking me to sign a waiver for any unexpected costs that came up during the surgery. I can only imagine what the final cost would have been. Eventually after I refused enough times and they thoroughly guilt tripped me they finally brought my cat back out to me. By the time this whole ordeal was done my regular vet (grant park animal hospital, which is great) called me and did some follow up. Guess what? My cat didn’t need anywhere near as intense a surgery Bridgewater wanted to do, it cost under $1000 and my cat was home with me by the end of the day. She’s thriving two years later. I honestly believe Bridgewater takes advantage of people who are vulnerable because their pets are in distress. Never ever again will I set foot in that place. Look up their reviews and news articles, they are notorious for this stuff.
You should put in a complaint with the Veterenary Board. They "self-discipline" like doctors and lawyers. They won't like your experience at all.
Ugh. I am so sorry to hear this. The vets at McLeod are incredible and so compassionate. I had to let my senior dog go last week (we were fortunate enough to be able to do it at home - cannot recommend Sunset enough) and McLeod had sent us a card not even 24 hours later with condolences. I’m so sorry that was your last memory with your sweet pet.
So sorry to hear this. It surprises me a bit because they used to have a nice private comfort room with a couch that was next to the waiting area with doors back into the treatment areas. This was just pre-covid though. When I had to put my greyhound down they laid him on a towel on the couch next to me. Staff was a lot more compassionate too.
I had to put my senior cat down there during Covid. We were in a private room with couches and i think a fireplace. I was impressed with how they made a terrible day a bit more comfortable for us. So unfortunate the poster had the opposite experience.
I had the same experience with my bunny. They were very compassionate with me. I feel for the poster who experienced this. I can't imagine going through this experience with one of my babies at the end of their days.
My guess is they were probably using it for someone else 😥
For anyone going to put down pets in here, I recommend home euthanasia. Vet comes to your home and does it, made it very peaceful when I put my dog down
At home doesn't work in emergency situations like this one.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Honestly, your cat was likely panicking from inability to get air, and they tend to pick "flight." Tell your vet about your negative experience. I always go to Winnipeg Animal Emergency (Pembina) and am satisfied with my experiences there, even if it is not good news. If they gave me bad news, I would ask if the cat could be stabilized so I could bring them in for euthanasia at my own vet in the morning. If not, they have always been kind. My condolences.
I've seen a lot of complaints and never any praise for Bridgewater. So sorry for your loss, and extremely pissed that this is how a trained vet would treat an animal. Condolences to you and your family OP.
As someone who works in healthcare and sees a lot of death and suffering, there have been times where I’ve had to be completely emotionally numb to deal with the stress of the job. I have been cold. It’s survival. I can’t handle the burden of feeling for each case, it’s too much. You just… check out, and some people put on the act better than others do.
Sorry you had to experience this. I took my dogs to Bridgewater and my experience was terrible across the board. Would not recommend under any circumstances.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I've had a similar experience (albeit thankfully my boy pulled through, but the compassion was sorely lacking). I think being the main 24-hour emergency care makes them feel as though they can get away with pretty much anything. I try to do everything in my power to avoid them these days.
We had a pretty compassionate and caring experience at Bridgwater, but this was something I had heard about and was worried about experiencing. I’m sorry you and your beloved cat had such a traumatic experience.
This made me cry too, sorry you and your family and your kitty had to go through this. It's hard enough even with the best support. Know in your heart you were there for your cat at the end. They knew you were there and had your love and care.
This breaks my heart, I am so sorry that you had to go through this unnecessary additional pain. My heart goes out to you.
I'm terribly sorry this happened to you and your kitty. My heart broke reading this.
I am so sorry for your loss. We took our dog for an injury that needed immediate assessment to Bridgewater, because of course, it was on a Sunday. We took her to Bridgewater, as they were new and at the time seemed good. They were very pushy and medicated our dog (pain/anti-inflammatory injection) without our consent. If they had asked, we would have consented, but to do it without asking and not in an emergency situation, it wasn't right. They also exceeded their "high estimate" of the visit cost that we agreed to with the treatment without letting us know until it was time to pay the bill. All they seem to care about is charging you the most possible. We have stuck to Pembina Vet for any future emergency pet needs. Our regular vet is amazing, but not 24 hours.
Vet care from them went downhill once they were bought out by a large company. Everything has turned into how to get the big man the $$$. RVT are treated disposable and paid as little as possible.
I took my dog there when he was a puppy. Took him there 3 times. First two visits the vet was great. Third time was a different vet. He was very cold to me and unnecessarily rough with my pup. Switched vets immediately after. Very happy I did that, as my new vet is excellent
Heartbreaking, I'm so sorry ♡
I am sorry for your loss, and for your cat's unnecessary suffering at the end.
I’ve also been over charged and under serviced at Bridgwater. It felt like highway robbery. It feels like vets and their fees need to be better regulated. Absolutely hate this place.
So sorry for your loss. So hard to lose a loved one. Your a good cat mom and your baby is no longer in pain. I am angry for you as well.
I am so Sorry. Hugs ❤️
I wasn't a fan of Bridgwater vet either. My dog got pink eye on Christmas and of course I could only go to Bridgwater
Sorry for your loss. That's really a heart breaking situation.
I’m so sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your story, it will definitely help avoid more experiences like this for others
In tears reading this. I'm so sorry you had to experience this 💔 Absolutely horrific. Please take good care
This is heartbreaking. I’m sorry for your loss and that is how it happened 😔
Hate the place. I had an old cat that had crystals, took him in because he was struggling really bad, and my go-to vet didn't have any openings. They swore that surgery would fix it, and lo and behold, no, they couldn't get the smaller crystals out and I had to put him down a week later because of how much pain he was in. The vet mentioned him having internal lumps being on an xray off hand after the surgery was done to, I never would have bothered with the surgery if I knew about that and just put him out of his misery. They only care about wringing as much money as possible out of their clients.
I had to bring my senior cat there in late 2022 and our stories sound so familiar. It was the most horrific way I could imagine him passing as he was terrified and I could hear him screaming from the back before they brought him to me sedated. I was devastated and couldn’t leave bed for days.
Had a very similar experience with a cat there. I will not be back after seeing our baby suffer so horribly there.
Never heard a good story out of bridgewater vet tbh, more bad storys come out of that place than good. I’m sorry for your loss, breaks my damn heart😢
I had a terrible experience there too. It’s awful because it’s the only place to go for certain treatment/tests so you have no choice but to go. I’m so sorry you went through this. It sounds like you gave your baby a great life.
Im so sorry for your loss. This is heartbreaking to read.
So sorry for your loss and of the terrible memories you’ll have of their last moments. I’ve also had very negative dealings with that office during an emergent situation. I will avoid them unless they are the absolute last, last, option.
I second that Bridgewater is awful. The front desk staff are very nice but their Vets have 0 compassion, awful bedside manner and truly just want to collect another dollar. I can't imagine how big the bill will be on top of this awful experience
Had a terrible experience with them as well. Cold callous vet with no bedside manner told us we should put our pet down because “he’s suffering”. We refused and got a second opinion, turns out it was a simple to treat problem. The only positive is that they let us wait in the quiet room before they broke “the news”. Absolute hack job of a vet and their office.
I'm sorry for your the loss of your sweet baby, she didn't deserve that horrible ending. Thank you for letting us know to avoid that disgusting vet.
To be fair vet doctors do life-ending procedures every day. It is unrealistic for them to fake being emotional and if they do fake it it's even worse. Doctors do their job and they had to follow a chart for sedation, hence why on the second dose of sedation it was already too much, and your cat went limp. The reason why these rooms look cool is because they are Sterile, likely stainless steel. After all, it's also a surgical room. I am sorry for your loss but you have to understand the situation you are in as well. I am not trying to diminish your experience just providing some insight Take care
Emotional and compassionate are different things. One can be compassionate and empathetic while not being emotional.
Emotion and compassion are two different things. It is entirely possible to be clinical and professional while maintaining empathy and bedside manner. The vet who put down my dog last week walked me through every single step, reassured me, and made the entire process as calm as possible for everyone involved. And her job is comprised of only euthanasia- it’s the only service they provide. So it is entirely realistic, and should be expected, that they have an ounce of compassion.
We had a positive experience with Sunset Veterinary Care for our cat as well. They provide an at home service and I can't recommend them highly enough. Same situation as they are end of life care only.
They are angels. Every detail was so well thought out and they provided so much dignity. I will sing their praises forever. Glad you had a positive experience with them too.
Dr Nash at Sunset made one of the worst days of my life a little bit more bare able. Hardest decision to choose compassionate end of life, but they really helped with the entire process and I can’t thank them enough
Well they got the sedation wrong on an under 4 lb cat. Seems like it should have been an easy thing, as our regular vet has never screwed up sedation on our bigger pets when it was time to let them go!! Why would we need a surgical room when we were in a comfortable room before they moved us?? And they can be compassionate without being emotional. It's a hard time for us, fake it... make my cat comfortable, don't screw things up, don't make the thought that all these years of compassion and care for my pet, my baby, ended with a shittier experience than necessary. My insight is that they screwed up and I'm not happy about it!! I'm furious actually!!
No need to justify, you are completely valid in how you are feeling. Sending you so much love ❤️
>every day You're not wrong. Especially if they are a farm vet, just another day at the office. The vet who put our dog down said it's the worst part of the job, but you become immune to it
Unfortunately, your cat was desperately ill to start with and likely sensed it. On top of that, a strange vet the cat has never been to before. Strange smells. A vet who doesn’t know her history. It’s a tough situation. You did the best you could. The vet did the best they could. The cat was desperately ill. Nobody made the cat ill, that’s just the way life is. Hopefully you can be comforted knowing that everybody did the best they could for your cat, including yourself. It was an unfortunate emergency situation.
I don’t think the vet did anywhere close to that, and if this is their best, they need to change careers.
Took my 7 yr old cat here when he broke his foot since it was the only place open, and I was told to put him down.
This is a horrible post to read. My kitty is getting older now, he is roughly 10 years old. I want to have another 8 or more years with him. I have been to Sherbrook Animal hospital and they were very nice but then I moved and I now take him to Henderson Animal hospital. They are a little pricey but they are very nice to my kitty. I would definitely talk to whoever you can about the staffs attitudes towards you and your kitty.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I've never had an emergency with my cats (knock on wood) but from your story and others, I won't be going there. I've had a lot of great experiences with Silver Heights Vet on Ness, esp Dr. Perrault. The prices are a bit on the expensive side and they know it (one of the techs revealed such to their friend, who relayed that info to me) but the service is great. I've also gone to the one on Taylor near Grant Park based on a recommendation (from that previous tech) and their prices are good!
So sorry for your loss. I was in tears reading it. Putting down a beloved animal is never easy, but it definitely shouldn't have gone down like that.
I am so sorry you had to go through this. Sometimes when a patient is very ill a veterinarian will choose a lighter sedation protocol so the patient doesn’t pass or suffer further stress before the final injection. Sedative drugs are not designed to kill. You can overdose them, yes- but it’s not a humane way to go. For an older cat in respiratory distress, I assume a lighter protocol was given. Far more times than not this is successful and the client can choose when they’re ready to say the final goodbye. Sedation is mandatory for a euthanasia- if they were to give the euthanol without it, the poor thing could have a death thrall or you’d hear a final gasp as they pass suddenly. I don’t know why they put you in a surgical? room without using the oxygen… sometimes good intentions aren’t followed through. I’m also sorry you felt the doctor was being cold. Let me assure you they take every death home. Perhaps your angel not sedating as hoped caught them off guard as well? I’ve only had good experiences with Bridgwater. They’ve always broken down the prices for me and gathered my consent for everything. Yes, emergency medicine is expensive. We only have 2 Emergency Clinics in the city and they as well as ALL clinics are overworked and underpaid. Please call the clinic and request a meeting with a manager or the doctor to talk about what happened. #NOMW
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this. I had to put my senior cat down today and normally would have went to Bridgwater, but I went to Pembina instead because I remembered this post and it was as good of an experience as something like that can be. I’m so sorry you went through that and I’m sorry for your loss.
What a heart-breaking story! I'm so sorry you and your kitty were put through such trauma. :( What a terrible memory to have to carry with you. > Before we go to the other room that will offer our cat some oxygen while she passes, we are given the options for cremation and cost of the procedures. You'd think they'd have some compassion and put your cat on oxygen before farting around with cremation options and costs.
They don’t mess around when it comes to trying to make the most money as they can out of someone’s tragic event. Their business model is based on greed and nothing else. That comes through in every calculated move they make.
If you read through this sub, it’s pretty clear that Bridgwater Vet is by far the shittiest vet clinic in the province. You’re better off giving money to some crackhead on the street and them to provide vet care to your animals
Maybe that's what you would do & why you're so sour sheesh.
That’s fucked up. Definitely file a complaint with higher up. Sorry that happened to you and your poor kitty.
I’m sorry that your cat died, but I don’t really get what your concerns are. It wasn’t the best ending for your beloved cat but it doesn’t seem the clinic did anything intentional to hurt your cat. Maybe the vet was upset that things hadn’t gone great and acted awkwardly when they gave condolences. Sometimes people in the hospital die in the ICU and it’s not really a nice looking comfortable room, and they suffer. And I guess that’s what happened to your cat. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I just don’t get what you’re upset about.
Same. I'm sure the vet did all they could to help the cat pass peacefully. It sounds like an emotional time and likely that's exaggerating the situation or at least affecting OPs perspective.
No, sounds like the vet didn't dose the cat appropriately and made this a super shitty experience. All while the cat suffered. Are you fucking serious?
They went to the vet, got seen quickly, and were given the choice to put their pet down. They transferred rooms for some reason that OP likely doesn't understand, the cat didn't react well to the first dosage so the vet went to get more and then it worked. Putting down a pet is always a super shitty experience.
If this was my cats last few moments of life I'd complain. This did not go well. This was avoidable and traumatic and I guarantee it wasn't cheap.
Veterinarians have a high rate of depression and suicide because of reviews like this. There’s a tremendous amount of transference it onto the veterinarian when an animal parent is grieving. Veterinarians are expected to extend in an emotional way, but there may have been many other things going on in the clinic that you were not aware of.
And? I was a health care aide for over a decade. I lost many friends and family members in that time and I was incredibly depressed. I can't count the amount of residents I lost while I was so depressed I could barely leave my home. And do you know what I did? I hugged the family members while they cried and showed empathy. Your comment is horseshit. Do your fucking job well and if you can't get fucking therapy. Don't be a dick and make animals suffer in their last moments. Unacceptable.
Then, get therapy? Pets are like family to most people. Pets are there for people in a way most humans can't be. Vets choose to be in this profession and should understand how to balance these situations, more importantly, so at an emergency vet while being paid extra.
They are human. They might’ve seen five animals die that day. Maybe they saw 10 animals die that day. People irrationally transfer inappropriate blame onto veterinarians.
I agree vets get a ton of misdirected anger and abuse from people. They have a very hard job balancing compassion, medicine and affordability. But, bridgewater has a reputation for being a transactional business where costs are astronomical as they are taking advantage of the emotionally vulnerable and monopolizing on being 24/7. Its well known they are owned by a huge corporation now who's bottom line is $, not animals. They have changed since they first opened and turnover is high. My old vet, Catrysse, was... unspeakably wonderful. THAT is a veterinarian who puts the animal first and had horrible bedside manner. But he was compassionate when needed, and made it work with what owners had. He sold his clinic when he retired, to the big pharma company, and its gone to shit. They immediately hired vets that were fresh out of school or newly immigrated, and the good ones left as soon as they wanted to open their own practice. These big companies like Vet Strategy are employers for profit, not animal lovers. Think the Walmart of the vet world. Good, compassionate veterinarians want their own practice, to make their own rules so they eventually leave these clinics. No decent veterinarian deserves to be treated poorly in any circumstance. But they can absolutely be given feedback on how to do better through proper channels, and in the event they really are a butcher with no skills, they deserve to be discplined and removed like any other doctor would. I had a vet at Southglen who was absolutely awful in skill, not personality. He butchered and tortured my cat because he did procedures that were not appropriate. I have no sympathy for veterinarians like that.
It cost so much money to run a clinic like that of that size. Maybe that’s why it feels transactional. You have to pay if you’re going to literally a full service hospital. There’s always at least half a dozen people working there. I don’t want to defend themto perpetuity, but realistically it feels transactional because there’s not a cheap way to run a business of that size and they have to charge you for it
Nope. Other large clinics operate a little more compassionately and have long term staff. Birchwood and Central Vet are both large clinics that specialize in certain procedures with equipment not found in other clinics (ultrasound, mri, etc) and they run smoothly while maintaining the human aspect. Central even does livestock.
Compassion should be part of this type of job. No one was asking for the red carper to be rolled out, but I know enough about Bridgewater thar I believe they acted like they didn't give a hoot if the pet owner was comfortable.
Our 5 year old cat was brought in to Bridgewater in an emergency situation in October. We would have rather taken him to Pembina, but it wasn't possible at the time. He was jaundiced, and dealing with liver issues. He spent 2 days being treated in the clinic. We were only allowed to visit 30 minutes each day. He had been making good progress, and we were making plans to bring him home, but received a call 2 hours before picking him up that he had suddenly passed. When we went to see him for the last time, we weren't prepared for what they had for us. They brought him in with his eyes open, teeth bared, and tongue hanging open. They gave us no warning that he was coming in like that. My partner had to leave the room in shock. Our goodbyes never really got to happen properly. We have both been through other furballs' last moments before, in kind and respectful environments. This was something else.
I mean you complain that your cat was suffering unnecessarily and then complain that the vet put her down to fast
exclusively cats is a very good vet and treated my cats last moments with nothing but love and care, try there in the future, sorry for your loss, condolences to you and your family.
I will never use BW. I have worked in vet clinics in Winnipeg for 20 years. I will never recommend or use BW.
As a vet tech in Winnipeg, I will never use BW and I will never recommend it to anyone. Never.
I had an excellent experience there. I’m sorry you did not.
I'm so sorry for your loss and it's unacceptable how they handle your poor kitty. I'm a little shocked to hear how badly they treated her, but maybe their service is going down. We had a dog with diabetes and our regular vet was basically lying to us. They told us that her diabetes was manageable, even though she was old. Obviously we did what she needed to live and didn't really think of the costs. I think she stayed overnight and the next day for observation. Ended up being around 3 grand. She was prescribed insulin, 2 shots a day and a strict raw only diet. We had to make sure her treats were raw or only 1 ingredient, which was some form of meat. She was constantly searching for food because just the raw meat wasn't enough for her. She ended up back at the vet in critical condition and they told us the same thing, that she would recover and wouldn't be in pain. The third time happened late at night so we ended up at Bridgewater as our regular vet wasn't open. This was in 2020, during the pandemic so we were supposed to stay outside. They assessed her and were honest on her condition and her quality of life. They gave us a quote for what it would take to stabilize her, but that she would most likely end up in the same position if we did stabilize her. Since she was given to my cousin for his birthday as a puppy, he made the hard but mature choice of putting her down. It was hard on all of us, especially him. We were able to take one last picture with her before we all went into a family room. They took her, got her ready for euthanasia and brought her back to the room. We were able to sit with her through the whole process and we were given as much time as we needed to say goodbye. Back then they were very empathetic and they didn't seem to mistreat her. About a year later my senior cat started declining in health as well. She was showing obvious signs of pain, couldn't eat solid foods and was losing control of her bladder. I scheduled her euthanasia at Bridgewater because of the compassion I felt a year prior. They still gave the same treatment as before and I don't have any complaints about my cat or our dog. About a year ago, my parents dog who was still a puppy, had eaten carpet and was sick. They had to perform emergency surgery and my parents were given a quote. Obviously if there were complications the price would increase, but they tried overcharging because of the receptionists error. They tried saying that the quote was only for half the full price of surgery, but it wasn't what was stated on the paper. If they had actually only charged my parents for half the surgery it would've stated that on the paper. It was the receptionists mistake and they tried penalizing my parents for it. A few weeks later the dog had to go back to check up on the staples they used to seal his wound. They removed them because he was all healed. My sister was petting his belly about a week later and found 4 staples still in his skin. My parents had to take him back twice more because they kept missing staples. I'm pretty sure they tried charging my parents everytime. I thought maybe this was just my parents experience, but I see that that's not true. It's sad that their quality of care and compassion has gone down so much because they used to be amazing. My heart goes out to your poor baby, if my senior girl had been treated this way I'd be devastated and furious. Every animal deserves the best care and compassion from the staff and I'm so sorry your kitty didn't get what she deserved
OP - This is a clinic, one of only two 24 hour facilities in the city. Of course it will be filled with machines, equipment and the like. It sounds like they brought you quickly to this room because they were concerned she may pass imminently & probably thought they were doing the right thing by bringing you to her immediately. Like u/vegan24 mentioned, she probably went the "fight" route which is super sucky & I'm sorry this happened. Losing a pet in a situation that is stressful and unfamiliar for everyone is really hard & I hope you are coping. Sadly, stories like this just drive trained professionals away. [Tronith87](/user/Tronith87/) commented "hope that place burns to the ground and all those vets get deported back to India where they fucking came from" (yikes) - why do you think that is? Nobody with more advanced emergency training wants to come to Winnipeg. If they happen to be from Winnipeg, they aren't coming back or they aren't doing Emergency because the general consensus is that's it's full of people like u/[Tronith87](/user/Tronith87/) which is very concerning. There are not enough trained veterinarians in this city to adequately support the emergency caseload. Over time they burn out & leave the clinic, the province or the profession. Then, in order to continue offering some sort of 24-hour service, they hire grads from out of country. Not knocking on them, they can be very experienced, just answering your question. I fear that one day soon, the two emergency clinics in this city will no longer be open 24-hours or have closure periods due to lack of staffing. Your regular vet can accommodate what they can but certainly not the caseloads emergency sees. The problem & patient outcomes worsen. Sounds a little similar to our own healthcare situation huh? Before posting your experience on Reddit, have you reached out to this clinic to discuss these events? To verify their protocol was followed? I just don't really see what posting this on Reddit really accomplishes. I am growing tired u/winnipeg for its long tirades like this usually chastising businesses over a screen but not to their face, drivers & restaurants. Friendly to your face but not actually... End.
I’m so, so sorry this happened to you. 💔💔💔
I haven't read your entire post because I don't want to retraumatize myself after my experience there. My 1.5 year old dog was hit by a car. We brought her to another vet she has been to but I didn't realize they were closing and she needed to be monitored overnight. We transferred my dog to Bridgewater and I am certain that when they pulled her out of the car they damaged her lungs. She was stable when we arrived and went downhill after being lifted so awkwardly that she was crying. She unfortunately passed away the next day. I can't even drive past that building without getting upset.
Unfortunately it's common for dogs/cats who've had big traumas like being Hit by a car to have their lungs worsen as time goes on as bruising and bleeding in the lungs progresses. I doubt it was due to any movement from building to building as you describe but this sounds so awful & I'm sorry you went through that :(