Stateline Hillcrest Animal Hospital

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I came home from work to find my almost 9yr old chihuahua Lily pawing at one side of her face & awkwardly sitting her head on the floor. I came across Stateline Hillcrest Small Animal Hospital. I spoke with the receptionist who assured me we could be billed for the procedure and set up a payment plan if in fact there was a serious problem. We saw Dr. Girouard who examined Lily and determined she had a jaw fracture. Dr. Girouard said they would pin the fracture but first they would do blood work & xrays. Dr. Girouard quoted everything at $350-$400. Later Dr. Girouard called letting us know he wouldn't get to her that day but would get to her the next morning. The next day her surgery was done and we received a call letting us know the fracture had had to be wired and pinned along with a tooth being removed. She was due home that day but Dr. Girouard decided to keep her another night for observation. Sunday morning we met Dr. Girouard at the Stateline Hillcrest Small Animal Hospital to pick up Lily, go over her medication, look at xrays, etc. We expected the xrays to show a rather severe fracture but there was only one clean fracture with no smaller hairline fractures splintering off. Dr. Girouard then surprised us by telling us the bill was going to be $1,070 and not the $350-$400 we were quoted. After I told him we had spoken to his receptionist/vet tech about a payment plan Dr. Girouard stated they did not extend lines of credit for bills this high. Dr. Girouard then told us he would not be giving Lily back to us until we made a payment. When I asked what would be acceptable so we could take her home Dr. Girouard told me I should start calling friends and family to find money to pay the bill. We were never given a straight answer and were forced to leave my shaking whimpering dog there until we magically came up with this money. I contacted the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and was told the vet could not hold my dog or my vet records and if both were not released to me to call the police. I went in to Stateline Hillcrest Small Animal Hospital & the receptionist refused to give me my records even after I told her in IL it was illegal to withhold the records from me. Dr. Girouard's first inquiry was how I'd be paying for the bill. I told him I'd make a payment that day, set up a payment plan, & that I would be taking Lily home that day. Dr. Girouard started to say he couldn't agree to that when I interrupted him & stated quote, "It's unfortunate that my first experience here was being made to feel like a degenerate who was not going to pay their bill & then denied the release of my dog. You've treated me like some stupid, insignificant little girl who has no clue about what her rights are. After all of this you forced me to start calling government agencies like the Illinois Veterinarian Medical Association & the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Department who informed me that you keeping my dog here & refusing to release her medical records is in fact illegal. So you will be getting my dog and her records and I will be leaving." Dr. Girouard went in the back to get Lily and her medication. He printed out my medical records (everything except the xrays) and told the women in reception to set up a payment plan for me. Dr. Girouard realizing what a huge mistake he had made in the way he had treated me told the girls we had worked out a personal arrangement & I left the office with my dog, her medicine, her records, and was never made to sign a payment plan or any other type of promise to pay agreement. I assume this was done in hopes that I would not be reporting him to the IDFPR or on review sites such as this. After looking over Lily's medical records I found more than one error such as...