Janin von der Krone, Tierarzt

Dear pet owners, There are always two sides to every story in a veterinary practice, and since I strongly advocate for fairness, I feel compelled to comment, otherwise I'll just end up beating myself up. So, even if you schedule an appointment and then reschedule it by phone because of a Christmas party, unforeseen emergencies can cause delays in the veterinary practice's schedule, as was the case that day. A patient with canine malaria, for whom early treatment is crucial, is a patient whose treatment takes more than just 15 minutes! And of course, their treatment takes priority over a routine blood test follow-up! Despite this, someone rudely pushed their way to the front when another case was called, where the dog even needed further examination at the veterinary hospital. The "small talk" at reception that was mentioned was a consultation with an owner who had her two cats spayed/neutered at our practice that day. ... And yes, some cats do need to be handled differently if they bite and scratch during blood draws. When there are only two staff members working during consultations, situations can arise where one feels temporarily overwhelmed, but this is usually due to the behavior of certain individuals who always want everything immediately, don't understand that one can't be in two places at once, are unfriendly, pushy, complain about the prices, and then speak ill of us. I can only promise that I strive enormously every day to be a good veterinarian! For me, the well-being of the animals and their care and recovery are paramount!

Finding a good and affordable veterinarian in Cottbus is truly difficult – so I'm incredibly happy to have discovered this practice. The vet is exceptionally friendly and respectful, and always takes the time to listen and explain everything clearly. You can immediately tell that she genuinely cares about the well-being of both the animals and their owners. The entire practice team is also warm, competent, and always helpful. My animals and I feel very well cared for here. Highly recommended!

Update after the practice's response: Your account does not reflect the actual events in several respects. The appointment was not rescheduled because of a Christmas party, but because of a last-minute football tournament for my 7-year-old son. I explicitly asked on the phone whether the earlier appointment was realistic and even offered to come on a different day. On the day of the appointment, several animals were seen ahead of us in chronological order; there was no apparent emergency. When I politely inquired, you yourself told me: "Oh, you have an appointment, so of course you have priority." There was no mention of an emergency at that time. Therefore, there can be no question of "cutting in line." When I was finally seen, I apologized several times and explicitly stated how uncomfortable the situation was for me. This was repeatedly dismissed with statements like, "You had an appointment." It is all the more incomprehensible, then, that this is now being portrayed as misconduct on my part. The aforementioned "small talk" at reception did refer to an animal, but not to a current treatment; rather, it concerned past events. My reaction at reception was also a consequence of the entire preceding situation, which was already very stressful both organizationally and in terms of how my animal was handled. Regarding the price: I didn't complain about the prices, I simply inquired. My surprise at being quoted roughly twice the price of my previous veterinarian is surely a legitimate observation. The treatment of my 15-year-old cat is in no way justifiable and cannot be retroactively blamed on my behavior. When the needle slipped out during the blood draw, the veterinarian threw all the materials to the floor, visibly lost her temper, and loudly exclaimed things like, "What a load of crap!" Such behavior in front of the pet owner—regardless of stress or being overwhelmed—is, in my opinion, completely unacceptable and has nothing to do with calm, professional handling of the animal and its owner. Furthermore, there are demonstrably much gentler ways to handle cats, as my long-time veterinarian has also confirmed. I perceive this comment as an attempt to reinterpret legitimate criticism and shift the responsibility unilaterally onto me. My rating stands. Original post: I am very disappointed with this practice. I had specifically rescheduled my appointment for 3 p.m. and repeatedly emphasized that we had an important appointment immediately afterward. Despite this, we had to wait almost 40 minutes—and we were only seen because I inquired myself. Otherwise, we would have waited even longer and wouldn't have been seen until around 4 p.m. This would have completely negated the purpose of rescheduling the appointment. Even after the treatment, my request for a prompt invoice was ignored. Despite my repeated reminders about the tight schedule, there was a lot of small talk, and when I inquired about my appointment, I received a curt reply that I would have to wait. Only then was I suddenly "given priority," even though I had already pointed this out to the same staff member several times. Furthermore, my cat's treatment was very stressful: he was held extremely roughly, at times almost choked, which even the veterinarian had to point out to the assistant. When my cat flinched during the blood draw, the vet reacted irritably and threw objects on the floor. The entire team seemed overwhelmed, uncoordinated, and insecure, both organizationally and in their handling of animals. We will no longer use this practice – we would rather travel further to ensure our cat receives professional and respectful treatment.

We are very happy with your service and will continue to use your products. Many thanks for helping our rabbit Fussel, both before and after Christmas. The advice you gave us was excellent. And our rabbit Fussel is doing very well.

We visited the veterinary clinic for the first time today. We are very impressed. We received a very warm welcome. Our little Frida, 4 months old, was treated with great care and expertise. We will definitely come back and feel that we, and our little furry friend, are in very good hands. R.R.