Tualatin Animal Clinic

Dr. Bertelson. I just started my very old dog on very conservative doses of rimadyl - half a tab every 2 or 3 days. I had an old prescription that I rarely used, but it was almost gone. I called to see if I could get a refill of a prescription that was written 04/08. The front desk person said he would have to see my dog before refilling, and when I asked to speak to Dr. Bertelson, he got on the phone and immediately started yelling without even saying hello. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS... I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU RIMADYL WITHOUT SEEING YOUR DOG... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING". And he went on in a tirade so that I couldn't even speak. I asked him if I could speak and he said, "NO, BECAUSE I AM HANGING UP RIGHT NOW!!!" This was so out of the blue - I thought we had a good relationship and I've never caused any problems. He could have talked to me calmly, telling me why he wouldn't and then telling me no himself. My husband, who is a pediatrician, was standing there and heard the whole thing. He said that he has never in all his years of practice heard a doctor talk to a family like that and was almost speechless, which is rare for my husband. It was just so strange to come out of the blue with nothing to precipitate other than me asking for a refill without seeing the dog first. My dog, by the way, is very healthy other than a sore back.

On another note, my 16 yo poodle was losing weight back in Sept. Dr. Bertelson took many blood tests and sent us to a specialist for more work and an ultrasound because one level was high. The specialist said that no, that level wasn't high and that it was a marketing ploy by the developer of the specialized test that Dr. Bertelson used. This was after $1,000 of tests and ultrasound. Turns out, his teeth were just bad, so I took him to a animal dentist and she removed 17 teeth. I had worked hard to keep his teeth clean and had them cleaned every 4-6 months but he had an autoimmune disease to his own plaque. He's back to being his old self and his only problem is a bad back which is why he needs the rimadyl. In a 16 yo dog, the concern of liver problems with rimadyl isn't an issue because it takes years of rimadyl overuse to cause liver issues. I'm just trying to keep him comfortable during the last years of his life and I will not spend another dime at this office. I never complained about this situation to the doctor - that he caused me to spend $1,000 for a dog that simply needed his teeth removed, which of course, was another $1,200.  View Less … View More