For nearly two years, I entrusted Griffin Animal Hospital with the care of my beloved dog, Alayah. After obtaining and reviewing her medical records following her death, I was deeply troubled by what they documented, what they failed to document, and how they repeatedly handled my concerns.
As early as July 2024, Alayah's chart documented that she was "very stressed," "flailing/thrashing around," and should be pre-medicated before future visits. The clinic clearly recognized that she struggled with significant fear and anxiety.
After those experiences, I began taking Alayah to a local groomer, Wags & Whiskers in West Columbia, where she was successfully groomed without chemical sedation and without the extreme distress documented during her veterinary visits.
For nearly two years, I repeatedly reported that Alayah experienced severe panic during car rides. She would pant uncontrollably throughout the trip, whether it was ten minutes or several hours. I even shared an audio recording demonstrating the severity of her distress. I also repeatedly explained that the prescribed combination of Trazodone and Gabapentin was not working.
Rather than exploring why the medication continued to fail, I often felt my concerns were met with questioning instead of careful listening.
During Alayah's annual examination on May 27, 2026, I again explained that we were preparing for a trip and that the medication was still not working. I was surprised when the veterinarian responded that this was the first time she had been made aware of Alayah's travel anxiety despite our previous conversations, the audio recording I had shared, and the clinic's own records documenting medication following a travel-related panic episode.
I was advised to continue using the prescribed medication and, after reporting that it still wasn't working during a test run, was instructed to increase the dosage for our trip. I was also told that if the higher dose didn't work, I could bring Alayah back and she would "give her a shot in her butt to knock her out."
On June 28, 2026, I followed those instructions exactly. During the four-hour drive from Columbia to Raleigh, Alayah panted continuously despite the increased medication. She never recovered from that state of panic and tragically passed away later that evening at only seven years old.
The following morning, I called Griffin Animal Hospital to report her death. One week later, it was confirmed that the veterinarian had received my message. Despite knowing that a long-time patient had died after I followed the treatment instructions I had been given, I never received a phone call. There was no expression of sympathy, no discussion about what had happened, and no attempt to answer my questions.
When I later obtained Alayah's medical records, I was surprised to find that many of our repeated conversations about her travel anxiety and the medications' failure were either minimally documented or not documented at all.
This review is not written out of anger. It is written because I believe pet owners deserve veterinarians who listen when a client repeatedly says a treatment isn't working, investigate persistent problems, document important discussions, and show compassion when a family loses a beloved pet.
For nearly two years, I raised the same concern. I shared firsthand observations, provided an audio recording, reported that the prescribed treatment wasn't working, and followed the guidance I was given. I believed we would eventually find an answer. Instead, I lost my beloved companion and never received even a return phone call from the veterinarian I had trusted with her care.
