Dugan, Carol, Dvm - Gayton Animal Hospital

06/10/10

Thoughtful Care For Your Pets

by jenniferS at Citysearch

I have been taking my cats and dogs to Dr. Carol Dugan and Gayton Animal Hospital for more than 25 years. I would never take them anywhere else. Because of her care, our pets have all lived happy and very long lives. I am certain they would not have lived as long without her!

Dr. Dugan has always taken a great deal of time with us whenever we come in or call -- listening to our concerns regarding the health of our pets and discussing possible solutions in great detail. She is loving and gentle with our pets, clear and honest in communicating with us and incredibly creative when it comes to searching for ways to keep them healthy and with us for many years. I have no doubt that several times and with several of our pets, Dr. Dugan literally saved their lives through her thoughtful and skilled diagnosis and treatment.

Just recently we had to say good bye to our 16 and a half year old lab mix, Lucy. Dr. Dugan had been caring for her since she was a puppy.As Lucy aged and moved through various levels of care, no one could have been more thoughtful and respectful of both our needs and hers than Dr. Dugan was. It was a very sad and painful time for us but made so much easier because Dr. Dugan was with us every step of the way. She was available whenever we needed her and we are grateful for that.

I would highly recommend Dr. Carol Dugan and the entire wonderful staff at GAH for their care -- both of young and very old pets. They are just a fantastic.group of people who deeply care about what they do.

• Pros: loving care backed by incredible veterinarian skill
• Cons: none!!

05/12/10

THE BEST VET IN RICHMOND

by justinandy at Citysearch

Dr. Carol Dugan of the Gayton Animal Hospital is not only the most wonderful veterinarian we have ever seen, she is one of the most amazing people we have ever known.

We met her early December 2009 when we were desperately looking for help with our cat Fiona. Fiona was "diagnosed" by her previous vet with possibly having lung cancer. She was hyperthyroid and had been extremely underweight for a long time. When her weight would take a dramatic drop, our previous vets had suggested feeding or force feeding baby food. But we never got any suggestions as to why her weight was so low (at her lowest she was 4.5 lbs, and she was an average sized cat.) Finding out more than "it happens in hyperthyroid cats; just try to get her to eat more," would have saved her life.

When the cancer diagnosis came, the only option we were given by our previous vet was to put her to sleep. Not acceptable. She was still alive so there must be something we could find. We were told "this is all there is left and if you don't put her to sleep, you're just being unbelievably cruel and we will not treat her any further." Thank God for this inhumanity because it sent us straight into the wings of an angel!

We did a search for "pet hospice care richmond va" and found Gayton. I called and said I wanted someone to see if there was anything we might do but at least to provide the sort of hospice care that would let Fiona pass away comfortably in her own home. "You definitely want Dr, Dugan," was the reply I got.

Since Fiona's passing away at this point was so clearly on the table, Dr. Dugan suggested we may as well "throw the book" at whatever she might have. Ultimately, Fiona passed away, in my arms, in the sunshine, in her own home. At every point we knew we were doing everything we could. We knew we explored every option, and we knew Fiona got the very best care possible. And we know as sure as I'm sitting here that if she had met Dr. Dugan a few years earlier, she would still be alive today.

Our most recent vet-necessary event was yesterday, when our diabetic cat, Cleo, went into an insulin shock crisis. She was literally and obviously dying when we called Dr. Dugan. No holding, no call-back. I said that we had an emergency and Dr. Dugan was on the phone seconds later, calmly telling us exactly what we needed to do. The long and short of what transpired over the next 19 hours was that Dr. Dugan had never seen a living cat with blood sugar as low as Cleo's and that the top-of-mind options available to us were out of our budget. We assumed that putting her to sleep was our only recourse (from past vet experiences), but alternative options were presented and Cleo is alive and home because Dr. Carol Dugan saved her life.

While we were still in the thick of the crisis, I told several family members that "I'm scared to death but I know that Cleo is safely surrounded by the wings of an angel and that everything will be fine, however it comes out. If she's going to pull through, there is no where else she could possibly get better care. If she is going to die, there is no one who could help her make the transition more comfortably while still holding out for the potential of making it to the end."

God bless Dr. Carol Dugan, everyone she loves, and everyone at the Gayton Animal Hospital! :-)

• Pros: If you want an angel here on earth, you have found her!
• Cons: We didn't know her soon enough to save Fiona

10/20/09

The Place to Go If You Love Your Pets

by wallygoss at Citysearch

When I moved to Richmond I was looking for an accredited veterinary hospital because my vet in Michigan was the president of the accreditation organization and I knew how important that was. GAH is my fourth try in, and I LOVE them.

I am a grad student on a tight budget, and they go out of their way to work with me. They are expensive - GOOD. The VALUE I get from them is above and beyond the cost. They have the best training and facilities around, and it shows.

If you love your animals and their care is important to you, GAH is the place for you!

• Pros: Caring Staff
• Cons: None!

09/20/09

Steer clear of Gayton if you value open communication.

by kmahler at Citysearch

I have used Gayton Animal Hospital for almost two years. In that time I have been mostly happy with the care they have provided for my dog. However, a recent incident has proven that there is a serious lack of professionalism in this business.

Recently, I made an appointment for my dog’s annual shots and checkup. The night before the appointment, I received a call from Gayton Animal Hospital telling me there was no need for me to come in because they were no longer going to treat my dog. When I enquired why, I was told, I guess because of his age. I was certain that this must be a mistake. I requested the Doctor who normally saw Keyser to call me so I could get a clear understanding of what was going on. Over the course of four days and two more calls to the Vet, I never received a return call from anyone at Gayton Animal Hospital.

If you want to see copies of the letter I received from Gayton and my reply put the appropriate prefix and suffix on my username for my website.

• Cons: Poor communication

01/07/09

Excellent petcare at the Gayton Animal Hospital.

by jreid7844 at Citysearch

We have used the services of Dr. Moon and Dr. O'Sullivan at the Gayton Animal Hospital for our Standard Poodle. Both doctors have been exceedingly caring and attentive in resolving his medical issues. The staff and technicians are very conscientious and gentle.

• Pros: Dr. Moon came in when not scheduled to check our dog when he had a serious problem
• Cons: None