April 16th, 2026
$125.00 Spent
- I was promised a basic vet exam for my dog. The veteranarian failed to do this and still charged me for it. The dog was not even touched by the vet. He did not listen to her heart or lungs, he did not palpate any organs or check her coat, he did not check her mouth or ears, or perform any other basic exam tasks. The only thing he did was give her a rabies vax (more on that later) and look in her eyes. She was never even put on an exam table, and besides the vaccine, her harness was on the whole time. Anything in her chart (for example, dry skin) was told to him by ME and not discovered on his own.
I have been to many vets over the years, and used to work at one, so I am quite familiar with the needed procedures and routine.
I did contact the vet directly to let him know that I did not feel comfortable at all with the appointment, and no resolution was offered. As a matter of fact, he spent most of the phone call arguing with me and raising his voice, insisting that he DID do the full exam, palpate, and put her on the table to examine her, only to admit a few minutes later that he in fact, did not.
In addition, he told me that the injection site was not the best location but "oh well" as he was already injecting my dog, not giving me a chance or any time to reposition her or speak up, the needle was already in my dog at the moment he is saying the location is wrong. I felt this took away my consent as a pet owner and was very unprofessional. Espescially since my dog is not aggressive in any way and loves people, so we could have very easily repositioned her before he injected her.
Also, he ignored my financial concerns when I tried to cancel originally (I just had a pricey move to the area and had a budget to work with for this appointment); he told me the exam was $85, and then tried to charge me $180 (including medications that I cannot afford). He kept making condescending comments about being shocked that I could not afford what he was trying to give me, etc. etc. even though I very clearly stated my budget before and during the appointment, he tried to push the medication on us and made rude comments about not being able to afford it. He kept making "jokes" about how vets and other companies want to milk money out of you, which I found ironic.
He also took a personal call during the appointment talking about some sort of party, and bulk ordering alcohol, what kind of booze they want, etc.
Our cat was suffering immensely with several issues: degenerative intestinal condition, severe joint pain.....Siam could barely limp. We had tried everything to save him. Then we heard about Dr. David St. Lifer. We drove two hours from Vermont to see him. Siam was so relaxed in the clinic. He loved the environment. The next day we had a "new cat". The turnaround was miraculous. David restored Siam's system to balance and now, at the age of 13 and almost two years later, Siam continues to run, leap, eat and play as an enthusiastic participant in life. We cannot say enough about David's great love and work! Thank you David!!!
2026 Update: Siam is now 15 and is living large! He gets periodic tuneups at Dr. David's office and we love to visit. Cannot recommend Dr. St. Lifer enough....he now takes care of our 6 year old who had recurring UTI's. Since seeing him she has none. Siam's sister, Blanche, has done marvelously with him as well. Thank you, Dr. St Lifer!!!
Dr David St Liger is awesome! I brought my cat there 3 years ago. Everyone said he would be out down. Dr St Liger saved him.
I most recently brought our 13 yr old Yorkie there. Dr St Lifer took wonderful care of him. He called periodically to see how he was progressing. What a wonderful caring Vet! I just can't say enough about him. I think he's great!
Our Jack Russell has been suffering from intestinal issues and itchy allergies for several years, Dr. David St. Lifer took a holistic approach and it’s like a miracle!
I’ve never seen my little buddy more comfortable, I highly recommend him.
