Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital

*I’ve added screenshots of the previous review and response for context. I am deeply disappointed and disturbed by this company’s failure to do basic research before responding to a post filled with the pain and grief of losing a beloved family member. Your response is not only filled with misinformation about how we lost our baby but also lacks the empathy such a situation demands. To assume that euthanasia was involved and then to patronize Xavier is both unprofessional and unethical. While I understand that euthanasia services through the ER are emotional for many families, that was not the case with Monroe. Had you taken the time to understand the situation fully, you would know that she passed away in my arms, in your waiting room—not during euthanasia. After this heartbreaking moment, we were charged for “partial CPR” and hurried to the ER patient room. While I am grateful for the efforts to save Monroe’s life, what happened afterward was both traumatic and unprofessional. Being told to lower my sobs because others in the ER could hear my pain, just moments after losing my dog so suddenly, was deeply disrespectful. To make matters worse, I was asked to leave Monroe and move to a different area because “the room needed to be turned over” for other patients. How cruel is it to force someone to leave their pet’s side after their sudden passing? My grief and pain following my dog’s final moments were disregarded to make space for others. The lack of care, consideration, and tact in how this situation was handled compounded my trauma. Brooke Doran, your response to Xavier’s post only added to the hurt of failing to understand our experience fully. Shame on you for commenting without knowing the facts.

Open 24hrs, so when our dog started experiencing seizures late at night they were able to treat him. He stayed there for 3 nights. The diagnosis was terminal brain cancer. They put together a treatment plan to control the seizures and would keep his quality of life positive until the cancer spread to the point that the seizures were uncontrollable. The facilities appear top notch. The staff was friendly, responsive, and accommodating throughout the process. Although Reggie has now passed, the experience was about as good as I could expect under the circumstances.

This review aims to bring attention to the actions of Dr. Jessica Villm, which, we believe, contributed to the tragic and preventable death of my service animal, Coco. After an extensive investigation by my research team, in consultation with veterinary experts, we found that Dr. Villm’s actions violated medical ethics and fell short of the expected standard of care. Coco was under the care of Dr. Villm for IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) and was otherwise healthy. However, Coco would end up developing a life threatening autoimmune disease that we believe was caused by medication that I refused to give her. The failed diagnosis, and untreated progression of that disease would result in unnecessary suffering and ultimately in Coco’s early death. Dr. Villm repeatedly urged me to administer a blood thinner called Plavix to Coco over the course of her care. Each time, I declined. I made the decision not to administer the potentially dangerous blood thinner, a decision informed by our veterinarian’s advice, research, and careful consideration of the risks. While I was away my wife brought Coco in for a checkup. Dr. Villm disregarded my explicit wishes and persuaded my pregnant wife to administer Plavix. Dr. Villm failed to inform my wife that I had previously refused the medication and did not disclose the potentially deadly side effects. Before prescribing Plavix, Dr. Villm did not perform a clotting test to determine if Coco needed a blood thinner and did not conduct a baseline CBC (Complete Blood Count) to assess blood levels before or during her treatment. She did not schedule a follow-up exam after prescribing Plavix or perform any subsequent monitoring. When I returned home Coco had lost over 10% of her body weight, was weak and had become jaundice. Dr. Villm assured us that Plavix could not cause Coco’s condition. Despite our concerns, she insisted Coco remain on the medication for another 3 months. Over the next three months, Coco's condition deteriorated. Despite many visits (10 in only 12 weeks), Dr. Villm failed to conduct essential tests or make an accurate diagnosis. Only after I presented data that showed that Coco was healthy until she was given Plavix did she order a CBC, which revealed dangerously low blood cell counts. When Dr. Villm finally took Coco off Plavix, she also, without having performed any additional tests, took Coco off the only medication that was helping control her drug-induced immune disease. This decision would prove to be fatal, and cause Coco to suffer and ultimately lead to her death. We would ultimately spend over $20,000 trying to save Coco's life. Coco was more than a service animal; she was a beloved family member and a loyal companion who faithfully supported me through multiple reconstructive surgeries. Her death has caused significant emotional distress to our family, overshadowing the birth of our first child. Coco’s litter-mate, Riley, inseparable since birth struggles without her. I am now forced to try to adapt to life without the service animal I had by my side for nearly 9 years and to cope with the shocking circumstances that cut her life short. Astoundingly, Dr. Villm would tell me only weeks before Coco’s death that if Coco’s condition was caused by Plavix that she would publish a research paper on her case. This was highly insensitive and inappropriate and further demonstrated Dr. Villm’s lack of ethics and professionalism. In honor of Coco, we are petitioning the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine to review her case and determine whether Dr. Villm’s actions warrant disciplinary measures. We are also exploring our legal options. Given our experience, we strongly urge anyone considering veterinary care to thoroughly evaluate their options and ensure that their chosen provider adheres to the highest standards of care. If your service animal or pet suffered or passed away under the care of Dr. Villm or any other veterinarian at Wheatridge Animal Hospital, please contact us, we want to hear from you. We miss you, Coco. Your story is just beginning.

Dr. Marley, Dr. Cicerchi and the WRAH staff saved my cat’s life! Thomas was in shock when I brought him to their ER and was very close to death due to internal bleeding. They took care of the blood in his stomach and gave him blood and plasma transfusions overnight. I was able to take him home after 36 hours. He’s right back to his old, sweet self. And I’m looking forward to many more years with my best friend. Thank you, no words can express how grateful I am!

Dr. Kaitlyn McNamara and her surgical team saved our dog! Wilson suddenly fell ill, after being healthy for the two years we had him, since his adoption. It took a week and 8 vet visits to 4 different vets and emergency vets before we figured out what was causing his liver to fail. As soon as we found out what it was, we were able to get him into WRAH for immediate surgery. We were so scared for our boy. Everyone at WRAH was kind and helpful. The critical care team walked us through the whole surgery and all of the potential complications. During and after the surgery, Dr. McNamara called us to keep us updated on Wilson's condition. We are so thankful to be 2 weeks out from surgery with no complications. Although it was VERY expensive, I would have paid double to save Willy. Thank you to Dr. McNamara, the surgical team, the critical care team, and the whole WRAH!