Integrative Vet Oncology

I want to preface this review by stating it is not motivated by my dog's death from lymphoma nor is it a general review of all the staff at IVO. I understand my girl had an aggressive form of lymphoma and unfortunately I caught it too late. My consultation with Dr. Venebal was positive and she sat with me, listened to my concerns, and walked me through my options. This review is not targeted at my experience with Dr. Hershey and some of her staff. I had a deeply disappointing experience at Integrative Veterinary Oncology (IVO) between February and March 2024. My dog, Amber, was diagnosed with lymphoma, and despite the severity of her condition, the care and communication from IVO were severely lacking. Amber's oncologist, Dr. Hershey, never met with me in person, despite my repeated requests. I started to question was she even on site? Every email response ended in “sent from my iphone.” Each visit was a drop off and pick up, with different vet techs that couldn’t always answer my questions and advised me to “email the Dr.” Communication was limited to emails, and responses were often delayed and inadequate. My emails and phone calls awaiting a callback were questions about her prescriptions, extreme symptoms that hadn’t been discussed with me, and symptoms that I’d been made aware of and was advised to call immediately if they continued for more than 24 hrs. The clinic staff on the phone were at times curt, adding to the frustration during an stressful time. Amber underwent 4 chemo treatments, and after each, I received no follow-up call checking on her. My primary vet always follows up to check in, especially after any procedures. Additionally, her white blood cell count was too low for one of her visits to get the assigned chemo, so she was administered a different drug without my consent. One weekend her health declined. I took her to an emergency vet and received more compassionate care than I ever experienced at IVO. They even called me the next day to check in on Amber. IVO never did that. Despite numerous emails and calls for guidance, I received minimal support from IVO. On Monday 3/21/24, Amber's condition worsened significantly, and I rushed her to an emergency clinic (BluePearl). Her breathing wasn’t normal. IVO wasn’t open yet so I emailed a video of Amber’s breathing, asking desperately for guidance on what to do, and rushed her to the ER. On the drive to the ER, I received a very transactional phone call from the office staff, informing me that they believe it’s time for me to say goodbye. I received an email from Dr. Hershey advising the same. There was no offer of compassion or offer to bring her to the clinic to say goodbye. I had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize Amber at BluePearl. After Amber passed away, I received no follow-up from IVO. I had an appointment scheduled for her the next day that had not been canceled. Nobody called me. To this day, nobody has called me from IVO. Not even Lori who wanted to correct the poor communication & service I’d received and told me “I’ll be your main point of contact.” The lack of empathy and care was shocking, especially from a facility specializing in cancer treatment. I truly don’t understand how one can commit their complete career and life to this type of work and forget the people and the animals in the process. I don’t know if the staff is overwhelmed, or why I/Amber didn’t get the proactive care and communication we deserved, especially considering the amount of money I was paying to get her treated. I understand others have had a more positive experience, and that’s great. I hope my experience is in the minority. I hope sharing my experience helps others avoid the distress and frustration I went through. The poor communication, lack of empathy, and questionable ethics at IVO are deeply concerning, and I would strongly advise seeking care elsewhere for your beloved pets. Note: I wrote all of the finer details of my complaints and concerns directly to IVO in an email, so Dr. Hershey is aware of my complaints and feedback.

I cannot say enough great things about Dr Hershey and everyone here at IVO. I was overwhelmed when my primary vet said my girl had a mast cell tumor and had no idea where to begin. A different vet oncologist near me told me to get a surgical consult first and they obviously wanted to operate but the tumor was in a tricky spot and my girl is 11 years old and brachycephalic so I was a bit hesitant. I asked them and they oncologist about alternative therapies like Stelfonta and neither had used it and recommend I move forward with surgery and hope they got the margins. After that expensive and frustrating experience I thankfully found IVO and they were worth the wait to get in. I was nervous to drop my girl off for the day as she is a rescue with separation anxiety but they took such great care of her and got her on the books for the injection and removal of other tumors just to be safe. I picked up a very high pup that was handled with such care and they even helped me to my vehicle. The injection is a bit of a process and they wanted to be updated on the process and were so incredibly helpful and prompt in emails. Follow up appointments have been lovely and worth the commute out there often. They do a phenomenal job of advising owners during a scary time, being available and incredibly thorough with any questions, and their pricing still blows my mind. It truly is all about the animals, not nickel and diming stressed out owners. I’m sure I’m missing a million other things I could gush about but you get the gist. They are amazing, the facility is gorgeous and welcoming and I’m just so incredibly grateful for them ❤️ Photo of my very high girl with the most appropriate piggy bandage after surgery 🥰

If you want HONEST and ETHICAL care for your pet, this is the place. So many of these negative reviews are unfair. This place is busy, because Dr.H is one vet. She’s amazing and compassionate and I’m glad she spends so much time with my pet and not so much time with me. Her staff is compassionate and you can tell they’re TRULY passionate about what they do! Her staff is always well informed and communicative about treatment! My dog is beyond nervous and they ALWAYS took great care of her. We went to Dr.H thinking we were looking at a death sentence for my soul dog. Or best case scenario amputation with another surgery! She had 2 rather large MCT and Dr.H explained the best option and coached us through treatment. A few short months later our sweet girl is tumor free and healthier than ever! With minimally invasive treatment! Please do yourself and let a favor and come here! Be patient, and understanding. This place is expensive because they truly have the best options with the newest treatment.

Dr Hershey and her staff are amazing! Our cat had a very advanced lymphoma and maybe a couple weeks (according to her regular vet) to live when we finally found this clinic. Ultimately, we did lose Sonny to the cancer she was fighting, but thanks to Dr Hershey, we did get a few extra GOOD months with her that we would not have had otherwise. And the staff was very communicative, kind, helpful and understanding every step of the way. We feel very blessed to have found this clinic.

Teddy always enjoys his visits here. Never have to drag him in as if he’s expecting something frightening. I appreciate the thorough discussion with his provider at the end of his exam.