We took our 13 year old poodle, Lucy, here from the moment we got her as a puppy. She received all of her shots, treatments, surgeries, etc at midway for all 13 of her years, save for after-hours emergencies, where she saw an emergency hospital in Richmond for treatment.
Lucy had a history of issues, some which were very expensive to treat. We’ve been charged some astronomical prices for things, but always assumed she was well attended and receiving the best standard of care at Midway.
Last year, I took her in for some fluids and anti nausea medicine due to a gastrointestinal issue she was prone to. While we were there, we did bloodwork just to make sure everything else was looking good. The results were “perfectly normal” and she was “decently healthy for her age”, according to the doctor. Perfect!
A few days ago, Lucy started crash from her normal self, FAST. She stopped eating, barking, moving, and began throwing up what little water she had drank. This feels like a big deal considering her age, so I call Midway. They pull up Lucy’s file, but they have no openings that day, and offer me one for the next. I accept the appointment just in case, but know she can’t wait. Something is wrong.
We call another vets office in town, explain the situation, where she’s normally seen, etc. Despite no previous visits there or history on-hand, they tell us to bring her in ASAP.
When I get there, they have retrieved her record from the emergency hospital, but Midway is telling them they have no record of Lucy, who they have seen HER ENTIRE LIFE!
They run tests and tell me Lucy is in the end stages of kidney failure, and she will likely need to be humanely euthanized. I am blindsided by this! How was this not seen in her last panel from Midway?? Early/advanced stages I might understand, but the END? How was this missed just under a year ago?? There were no signs? Had I known, I could’ve known what signs to look for as it progressed, made her more comfortable, let her go sooner before she was in a horrible amount of pain, anything!
The new vets office gave her every chance they knew of, but she was humanely euthanized the next morning, hours before her appointment at Midway.
I didn’t even bother calling to tell Midway why she missed the appointment, and they didn’t bother calling and asking why she didn’t show.
After 13 years of Midway visits, I can say the standard of care at this place is now nonexistent. Every professional there should be ashamed of the lack of attention they provide and the level of care they have administered.
Midway failed Lucy during her last need at the end of her life. She passed peacefully in a much nicer facility anyways, and the staff was much more compassionate and attentive.
If you have a beloved pet at midway, my suggestion is to register them elsewhere as soon as possible.
*edit since apparently it is now standard to defend poor practices via public forum instead of reaching out to clients directly.*
Could it be explained to me why it doesn’t show bloodwork done in November of 2025 when I took her in for a visit? I took her. I was there. They told me it was probably wise to do a senior bloodwork panel. I was under the impression we did one. Shady. But, I’m not even overtly concerned about not catching her kidney failure. I understand how things like that are sneaky and she was very old.
Let’s address some of the other issues I stated that you decided to ignore:
To tell the vets office I took her to you had no record of her is flat out horrible business.
After hearing her symptoms Wednesday, it might’ve been wise to advise a person to seek emergency care, since you are the “professionals”. I’m glad I knew better.
Lucy was old, it was her time. However, I stand by the fact that the manner in which Midway handled her care (or lack thereof) is absolutely shameful.
Appreciate the condolences, but you can keep them! 🥰
