McLean Animal Hospital

Expensive, but worth it.

They provide wonderful care for our dog - they are all very caring and compassionate, and provide detailed instructions when having to give medicine.

When my golden retriever reached the terminal stage of cancer and was in pain, I took him to McLean Animal Hospital to be euthanized. They did a terrible job! He did not have a peaceful death, and I still have horrific memories of what they did. I had previously taken 2 golden retrievers with advanced cancer to be euthanized at Southpaws in Fairfax and at Veterinary Internal Medicine Practice in Manassas, where both had peaceful deaths. I thought there was a standard protocol at all vet hospitals. No, the peaceful deaths were managed by putting in a catheter and using propofol which quickly sedated the dog; then they gave me a few minutes alone with the dog and waited till I was ready for them to inject the lethal drug that stops the heart. Instead of this sophisticated procedure, McLean Animal Hospital injected my dog with terazol -- I was startled and said "where is the catheter??" but it was too late. Another vet later told me this is an out-of-date approach. The Mclean Animal Hospital vet then left me alone with my dog, and I was horrified that he stumbled around and "fought" the anesthetic for several minutes . Finally I called for someone to give him a proper death with a catheter, and they brought in the catheter and the propofol. This was a traumatic ending for my dog, and a very sad, heart-breaking experience for me. I wrote a letter to the owner/head of the hospital, expressing outrage and grief, and he called me -- but he didn't "get" what the problem was! They then charged me for both drugs! I was really outraged at that and refused to pay for the first drug on the grounds that it was inappropriate and ineffective. I still have horrible memories of the experience, and I feel guilty that I did not take my dog to a hospital where he could have a peaceful death. I suppose they are still using that antiquated euthanasia method at McLean Animal Hospital.