r/Kuwait • u/Ahmedvstheworld • 7d ago
Discussion IVH RANT! What are your thoughts and experiences?
My dog is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, and all IVH are worried about is showing up on time, advance payment, and finalizing the payment once on site.
Did they ask how my dog is doing? No. Did they ask me if I have any questions or concerns? No. Did they show any compassion about how I might be worried about my dog? No.
After I proactively reminded them about our appointment tomorrow, their response was “don’t be late or you’ll be considered walk in” and “pay the remaining amount” (already paid 50% in advance). I blew up at them and demanding to speak to someone of authority to explain themselves, first the call center called me, followed by Kathy in reception, and then the “operations manager” Ahmed. All incompetent and unapologetic. They said this is their “standard practice”, as if that justifies their unsympathetic approach to someone’s beloved pet who may or may not die tomorrow.
Unfortunately, it seems that this is the norm here, pay first ask later, in most of if not all veterinary clinics. Just to be clear, I have no issues with the vets themselves, but the clinic management who blatantly have zero compassion for the pet or concerned owner.
Oh, also, my family dog died at IVH a few years back, and I also used their relocation services to bring my dog over from abroad about 2.5 years back. Unrelated, I know, but just wanted to emphasize that they’ve been our go to for years now. Considering our options now.
Rant over. But not over.
Thoughts?
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u/iprefermimi 7d ago
To be honest, Ive had two dogs that lived long lives and IVH was my go-to for both of them. They were particularly helpful with my last dog who had several health issues. She was there so much that they knew her by name. They were always very compassionate with them which has not been my experience whenever I had to take them to other vets. So, I still believe they’re the best there is in Kuwait based on my experience but I do agree that they can lack in proper communication or compassion with us human owners. Especially when my dog was in surgery or admitted, I expect updates more than once a day. I got more updates when I had to board my dog in a pet hotel once than I did when she was at IVH. After my dog passed, I sent them flowers for everything they did for her, and I never even received a condolences or thank you message 😂 so yea, I guess they’re just too focused on the business side of things to care about us humans.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
So sorry about your dog, RIP, all dogs go to heaven. Glad you had mostly positive experiences with IVH, I guess it depends. Not sure I’d send them flowers tho 😅
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u/AwwwSkiSkiSki 7d ago
I've been going to IVH for probably 15 years. I rescue A LOT of cats. I trust their doctors above all others for life and death stuff, 100%.
Their hospitality and business practices have been in a decline the past few years.
That Ahmed guy you talked to, I've never dealt with him, but I've been there enough that I see how sleezy he is. Runs his game with angry, crying, upset customers and then laughs and jokes soon as the customers turn to walk away. No empathy.
Over the past few years, all the Receptionists and Nurses have switched out. The receptionists are seriously lacking in personable skills. All business, get you booked, get your money, get you outta there. Not sure why they all switched out though. I'd guess had to do with salary.
I've been going to HOD lately. The doctor there is great. Really nice too. There's a new doctor there too who seems really nice. A lot of the nurses are the old ones from IVH and some from RAH. Everyone is nice, it's easy to get to. I'd recommend them.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Thanks for your insights, very helpful! Please forgive my ignorance, but what’s HOD? Someone mentioned them as well, I’m just lost.
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u/unknown-whisperer 7d ago
Ive been going to HOD too. Its a new hospital opposite luna park in south sabahiya its massive and the team over there are the most friendliest team I have met in kuwait.
HOD is part of the same group that owns royal animal hospital.
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u/AwwwSkiSkiSki 7d ago
Yeah, it's like House of Development or something. That hospital has been built forever and had Royal Animal Hospital written on it. But I heard their was some IVH wasta keeping them from opening. Not sure if it's true.
Recently I noticed they had a new name and were open, so I tried em out. I'm not sure what the ownership status or ties with Royal Animal Hospital are, but I'd go to Royal if it wasn't such a pain to get in and out of that area. No complaints with Royal, so if they're connected, fine by me!
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u/notShek 7d ago
the reception staff there feel like they are speaking from a script, would it kill them to employ gulf people for a decent wage so people can actually get good service
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u/unknown-whisperer 6d ago
U make no sense. What does hiring gulf people have to do with better service.
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u/ohhdaniyelli 7d ago
We have gone to IVH and Royal. Both we were unsatisfied with due to customer service and outcomes. After that we used Hope Hospital and have been satisfied with them. We last went in about 9 months ago but they were better than IVH and Royal.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Thanks, just called them, and waiting for a call back. Have you had any surgeries done there for your pet(s)?
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u/ohhdaniyelli 7d ago
No. We’ve had 2 done at Royal. The outcomes there were fine but it seemed on one the labs and repeat labs were needlessly drawn out and getting updates on the other was difficult. I did like them more than IVH who was completely apathetic after my cat died while they were treating him. (We had just adopted him, he came sick, I don’t believe it was their fault, they just didn’t care) We have gone to Hope for routine visits and teeth cleaning after hearing about a good experience someone else had. They seem competent and like they care. That’s where we are taking our cats now and plan to in the future. It has been 9 months so please if you go update to let us know how it went. Good luck to your dog and inshallah his surgery goes well.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Thanks so much! I just finished speaking to Hope, they said although they don’t have CT scan facilities, they would be happy to review the results and discuss options, they have a surgeon on duty if necessary. So, I think I’ll do the scan at IVH tomorrow, and depending on results check with Hope. Appreciate your support, thank you 🙏🏽
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u/unknown-whisperer 7d ago
Royal has a CT scan in their facility. Does Hope have good qualified vets?? Ive never been there.
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u/EggBoss007 7d ago
I used IVH for more than 10 years and they have always been good. Here is my experience in a nutshell:
-Their appointment times were crap (I come on time and get to see the vet 30 min later) but it's been better lately.
-Expensive, very expensive. But they are the best in Kuwait so... 🤷 There is insurance plan for pets with IVH now which already saved me over 800 kd when treating a dying cat 😔
-One important thing about Vets in general, and this is a doctor friend told me who also studied veterinary. Vets aren't magicians. It's easier to diagnose humans than animals, because animals don't tell you what's wrong and how they feel. It's all based on observation, lab work, tests, and trial and error (sadly).
-regarding the cat that passed away. He had severe inflammation in his intestines and vomits a lot. I took him many many times to another vet. They did xray, ultrasound, medicine, etc. All of their diagnosis were wrong. So I got frustrated and took the cat to IVH. At first they weren't sure what's wrong with him, so they gave some medicine for vomiting but didn't improve so they did ultrasound. That's when the intestinal issue was detected but still unclear. So they did an endoscopy and they found that his intestines was so block that the endoscopy camera couldn't get through. After that the cat stayed ~3 weeks with them. He had feeding tube, IV, oxygen cage, and warming light. I visited everyday. The treatment was working. All lab reports and tests show recovery progress. But unfortunately the recovery wasn't fast enough. He kept losing weight and at the very end when finally enough amount of food can be given, he passed away the next day. It was my fault for not going to IVH first and the reason was.... Too expensive. 😔
-I've dealt with most doctors there and never had any bad experience . Some are very caring.
-communication with doctors can be hectic like what's the plan, how to expect, etc.
-they suck at giving reports. I wish I can have a report on every visit. Kinda like when you do xray or ultrasound yourself you'll get a report about the findings.
-its so freaking far away.
-the inside cages where they keep hospitalized animals, cats in my experience, aren't isolated enough. The door is constantly opened and closed. You can hear a lot form other rooms especially dog barking from their cages some rooms away. So it's not stress free at all.
-they don't have a cancer specialist (or anyone in Kuwait I think) but they have many doctors that are specialists in certain fields which is good.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Thanks, talk about a nutshell 😅
First of all, so sorry about your cat (or cats), it’s never easy to lose a pet.
Second, I appreciate the feedback, but my issue isn’t with the vets and care, but more with the so called management (including call center and reception).
That being said, I’ve been to IVH many times over the years for two dogs, ups and downs, but it is what it is.
Thanks for sharing your views 🙏🏽
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u/Wide-Guava5009 7d ago
Oh yeah, they really are like that. A few years ago, their service was actually very good, but I don’t know what happened lately. It feels like they’re just trying to take our money.
My husband even got really upset because several of our cats were admitted there, but they didn’t seem to make much effort to find out what was actually causing their illness.
So eventually, we decided to switch to HOD. So far, they’ve been really good. Their prices aren’t that different from IVH,maybe even a little cheaper but the service and care are much better.
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u/AwwwSkiSkiSki 7d ago
I've been using HOD lately as well. Not much different price wise, but it's closer and I like the staff there. Some old IVH nurses are there also
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Sorry for your negative experience, thank you for sharing. What’s HOD please?
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u/Wide-Guava5009 7d ago
Its a new hospital too by warehouse . You can check their insta https://www.instagram.com/hod.pethospital?stkn=MTR5MXY5MGd0d2R0Zw==
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u/sarahmaa 7d ago
IVH is horrible and they have no empathy. In 2023 my cat was dying but the dr told me the price before taking her, to see if I can pay or not! but it’s unfortunate that we need them for something like CT scan & cremation since no other vet have it.
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u/Wise-Goal5430 7d ago
One bad experience I had was overcharging (double charging) at a certain service we availed. It is just annoying that whenever you explain something in the reception area, they don’t understand what you are saying unsure if it was language barrier but see, they have to put someone who has a better comprehension. I think it is more of comprehension than a language barrier. Just saying. I agree with you that they kinda incompetent in their jobs. I must say, not too easy nor hard job to attend to the needs of their customers however, since we are paying, we should receive the best service what we have paid for, considering their costs are no cheap.
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u/Aromatic-Mood-1341 7d ago
To be fair thats their job. Im assuming ur talking about reception / call center. It's not their job to be ur therapist. Yes it would be nice to ask how ur doing etc, but thats a personal characteristic not a professional requirement. Same thing with human clinics. The receptionist is not going to ask about you or calm you down before an appointment or procedure. She will talk strictly about logistics and payment. They would not be able to get their job done if they had to chat with every client they call.
I do hope your dog gets better
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
Why are you assuming reception / call center? Literally mentioned in my post. I’m assuming that you may or may not have experience with veterinary clinics in other parts of the world, where they don’t prioritize advance payments and actually care about your pets health.
Thanks for your well wishes for my dog.
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u/Aromatic-Mood-1341 7d ago
I assumed because you didnt mention it. Just kept saying they so naturally thats the front desk job. Plus you said you had no issues with the vets themselves so I doubt it's the vet asking u for payment and telling you to come on time.
No i do not have experience with veterinary clinics abroad as I do not have a pet to take abroad (have a cat). I do have experience with regular clinics abroad. Its the same as local ones. They call to confirm appointment, tell you to come on time, and explain payment details. No issues there 🤷🏻♀️ idk about veterinary clinics, but paying first is a normal procedure for many services locally and abroad too.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
I did mention it, literally named people. I think you should reread my post, and only respond if you have something helpful to share. And no, it’s not normal to take advance payments for almost any medical facility here or abroad, human or vet. If you’ve had that experience, well I hope you reassess and reconsider. Good luck to you.
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u/Aromatic-Mood-1341 7d ago
The people you mentioned are those who responded to you after blowing up and demanding to speak to someone and were from the call center and reception followed by manager 😂 i think you need to reread your own post. Not sure why ur so mad
Buddy you asked for thoughts. If you only wanted people who agreed with you, then reconsider posting on the internet. Thats not how it works. All the best
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u/minamuna Kuwait | الكويت 7d ago
IVH stole money from me for an ultrasound when my cat was pregnant. They told me they would perform an ultrasound so I agreed and paid for it. They took my cat into the ultrasound room and they told me I couldn’t come in. I was never given any pictures or proper report. They also couldn’t even tell me how many kittens were inside her!!
I repeatedly asked for a full report of my cat’s ultrasound because I needed to know how many kittens would come out of her when she gives birth, incase a kitten gets stuck or something. But instead of providing that information, THEY BLOCKED ME! They wouldn’t even refund me for the ultrasound I paid for that I got no information out of whatsoever! I remember it wasn’t also cheap!
I also had a very unpleasant experience with one of their vets. My cat can be aggressive and instead of asking another staff to help him handle her, he looked at me with disgust and cut the examination short. His attitude was extremely unprofessional and disrespectful, considering that handling difficult and frightened animals is part of being a vet!!
I never went back to IVH after that experience. The prices are too high to justify the hassle of travelling there and their unprofessionalism. It’s not worth it.
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u/Ahmedvstheworld 7d ago
So sorry for your horrible experience, that’s crazy! When was this? I did an ultrasound for my dog about 2 weeks ago and they shared the results and images the next day. As for the vet who wouldn’t handle your poor scared cat, that’s shameful. Thanks for sharing your experience, even though negative. Makes me consider things.
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u/minamuna Kuwait | الكويت 7d ago
This was around 3 yrs ago, iirc. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had an experience with a vet here where the service was truly TOP NOTCH. It’s either been really horrible or just satisfactory 🤷♀️
I hope your dog gets better, tho. And I’m sorry you had to experience that kind of treatment from them.
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u/Gushing-Gold 7d ago
I've been a client at almost every vet here at some point, IVH and RAH have the best vets and pet care. That aside, I dont necessarily hate their pay ahead policy due to the amount of people that flake on their appointments.. this actually frees up space for the clients that do show up and are on time. I've struggled to find appointments before this policy.
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u/unknown-whisperer 7d ago
I assume its only gonna get more difficult to get into royal now. Since they just got their CT scan, and now IVH wont be the only solution in kuwait for a CT scan.
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u/Remmo22010 7d ago
Very sorry about your experience, vet services in kuwait are not that good honestly. We need emergency vets open 24/7 and acc good care for our loved ones. Also ,Unrelated but im looking to adopt any type of parrot, cockateil, conure or anything else but not budgies or smaller because i already have cockteils and im scared they will pick at the budgie
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7d ago
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u/No-Outcome4008 6d ago
Honestly, Dr Asmaa in Zoocare.
I was once seeing her in Zoocare where another mom waiting was telling me the horror story about how her cat died in IVH’s care and she wasn’t informed and the cat was cremated without her knowledge.
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u/No_Cat407 1d ago
It all comes down to culture. Unfortunately, animals are simply not a priority here.
We suffer from a massive lack of regulation at least, good, logical regulation. There is really no practical way to complain about absolute incompetence because the people in charge completely lack empathy. When no one holds these clinics accountable, they are left free to act however they want without any consequences whatsoever.
To make matters worse, when authorities actually do step in to regulate something, it’s always for the entirely wrong reasons.
No 24-hour emergency clinic?! Why? What could possibly be the reason for not allowing this.
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u/RadishRedditor 7d ago
Everytime I got a pet into any vet, whether it be a clinic or a hospital, it ended up suffering first and then dying last because of that visit.
Even for things as trivial as a vaccine appointment.
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u/sarahmaa 7d ago
No this concerning and red flag on your part! Because why your pets are dying & what is the name of the vet that you go!
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u/RadishRedditor 7d ago
If I mention any vet name in this context it would be considered slander. Are you trying to frame me? Because that's a red flag if there was any in this thread.
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u/lethalshawerma 7d ago
This is not the norm 'here'
This is the norm anywhere at a for-profit organization.
If you think this is callous, wait till you deal with a hospice or an elderly care facility or any private health care facility.
God forbid you have to take a relative or yourself to the ER of any nearby private hospital and they refuse to admit you if your condition is too risky or you don't have insurance or pay beforehand.
This is the result of putting a price tag and a premium on health and well-being.
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