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7/7/23 |
I called this vet about euthanizing my beloved cat. She immediately assumed I had not been treating him right or taking responsibility for his care, and nothing could be farther from the truth. She was rude and cut me off more than once, nearly yelling, as I was explaining his health history. I work in healthcare and know what I'm talking about; our vets know us and our pets and would absolutely agree that we've been giving him the right care in the right manner with the right timing. Do not call this person, especially when you're in a fragile emotional state. (Also, I tried to unclick my ratings for facilities, punctuality, monetary value, because they don't apply to my situation, but I wasn't able to. My rating is only about the person.)
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4/6/23 |
Our 7 year old Bernese Mountain dog had degenerative myopathy, she was diagnosed a year ago, there is no cure and she reached a point where we had to make the tough decision that was best for her. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Dr. Nancy Ruffing. Dr. Nancy was so compassionate and respectful of our dear pet Abby. Dr. Nancy was all about making sure our dear Abby was comfortable and easing our fears by explaining every step of the euthanasia process. Our Abby laid on the floor and we held her and pet her as she slowly and painlessly fell to sleep. I would highly recommend Dr. Nancy to anyone that has to make this tough decision. I am so glad our vet recommended Dr. Nancy, I felt we gave our precious Abby her final gift of a comfortable and painless final rest in her own home surrounded by her loving family and Dr. Nancy a caring and compassionate veterinarian. We really thank you so much Dr. Nancy, for helping Abby and us. My rating is better than good, it is exceptional.
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12/14/22 |
Dr. Nancy Ruffing was wonderful from first contact through hand delivering the ashes of our 17 year old doggie baby girl Bix. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. She returned my initial phone call quickly, we discussed the situation and I told her that we weren't ready yet but thought it would be soon. When it became apparent several days later that Bix wasn't "holding her own" anymore like she'd been for more than a year, I called Dr. Nancy back to make an appointment for later in the week. She was available later that day but I said I wasn't ready yet. A few hours later Bix took a drastic turn so I called back to see if she could still come that day and she did, on time and very respectful of Bix and us. She did a gentle exam, handed her back to me and gave us the time we needed to say goodbye. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BAD REVIEWS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING. WE WERE VERY SATISFIED AND GRATEFUL.
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5/12/22 |
Only positive, returned call pretty quickly. Prices seem decent but not worth it for the terrible bedside manner. I’d rather pay a bit more than deal with this woman. This is based on the phone conversations I had with her about at home euthanasia for my cat. First she questioned what we were doing for my cat as if we weren’t doing enough, then criticized/judged when I asked about next day availability after she decided she could fit us in same day. We took great care of our cat with our regular vet; we simply were looking for at home euthanasia which our vet doesn’t offer. Nancy’s extremely short, gruff, and does not showing compassion/empathy if she has it. We luckily found another person also available same day who treated me like a normal human being. Either Nancy has a lack of bedside manner or she’s been doing this too long and is bitter. Don’t waste your time. It will make the call you’re trying to make WAY harder than it needs to be. Contact Lap of love or pgh pets at home.
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8/12/21 |
Not only did Dr. Nancy treat our almost 18 year old poodle with gentleness but he responded to her like she was an old friend. It was a difficult decision to end his life--even at his age--but Dr. Nancy supported us before, during and after we ended his life. I wish we would have called her earlier. She gave us helpful information that would have helped us. Our poodle was the second of two dogs we had to euthanize this summer. Our other younger dog was euthanized on an emergency basis after surgery, but the veterinary clinic performing the surgery never called us to see how we were doing even though we had been a patient there for several years. Dr. Nancy sent us a lovely card and followed up with a phone call. Dr. Nancy does have her opinions and it may be hard at times to hear her advice but her care is well worth putting your pride aside to allow her to care for your beloved pets.
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5/5/21 |
DO NOT USE NANCY RUFFING'S SERVICES! Our experience was traumatic and Nancy made it exponentially worse. I had come to terms with having to send our beloved boy on and she came into our home arrogant, guilting us and with the most atrocious bedside manner I have ever seen from a caregiver/professional. And I use the term professional VERY loosely. She is a professional in credentials only. It has been 2 days since my boy's passing and I am still sick about it purely because of Nancy. She truly traumatized me. I was expecting an empathetic, nurturing vet and instead we got the Grim Reaper. She was passive aggressive and implied multiple times that we had abused and neglected our pup because we hadn't done what she would have done for his care. Nancy Ruffing's behavior is appalling, disgusting, self aggrandizing and robotic. I miss my pup immensely and I can't even focus on grieving because I'm so consumed with anger for Nancy. DO NOT USE Nancy Ruffing. You will be sorry!!!
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7/25/18 |
Our beloved dog Kobe was living his last few moments. He had walked outside and laid down in his favorite spot.Nancy Ruffing came into our house and immediately started treating us like incompetent idiots. She castigated us for letting him be outside claiming it was "too hot." My father, my sister, and I all tried to explain to her that he was in the shade, that the fan was on, that this was his favorite spot but to no avail. She callously forced us to move him in his weak state out of his peaceful favorite spot and into the house all the while criticizing us for how we were moving him and how were were treating him. He was confused and upset that we were moving him. I was appalled by her judgemental, self-righteous and obnoxious attitude during this horribly sad time. She could not possibly have been more rude and uncaring. I can only hope that when she is on her deathbed that she has a doctor that treats her and her family just exactly as she treated us.
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1/12/18 |
I have had to use the services of Dr. Nancy twice for two of my senior cats. My Zoey had congestive heart failure, then a year and a half later my George had been overtaken by cancer. I dreaded having to call someone to move them to the rainbow bridge. I can honestly say there is absolutely no way I could have made it through those two incredibly difficult moments without the support of Dr. Nancy. She is empathetic, kind, and so supportive. Was it easy to see my beloved cats die, no, but she gave them a death with dignity and comfort when they were suffering. I cannot recommend her enough for hospice or end of life care. She is amazing, and was even supportive in the weeks after their deaths.
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10/13/16 |
Dr. Ruffing was absolutely wonderful with my cat during the last year of his life. She treated him for nearly 10 months with extreme care and dignity. When it became clear that my cat's decline was becoming more rapid, Dr. Ruffing did offer to treat my cat one last time but also offered to schedule a time for euthanasia. When I told her that we were prepared for euthanasia, the appointment was booked on my terms. My cat's final minutes were gentle and loving as Dr. Ruffing helped my cat transition toward death. Her demeanor at all times was one of being an advocate for my pet and a support for me. The negative feedback about Dr. Ruffing is not true. Yes, she is direct and business like but she is an advocate for the animal first and foremost. Her goal is hospice and palliative care for your pet. Her support of me in these last months has been tremendous and I felt supported through the whole process.
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7/23/15 |
She gave our dog excellent care for 3 months during hospice care at our home. She knew when the right time for us to say goodbye to Daisy and appreciate her exepertise and honesty.
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7/23/15 |
Treated several of my Senior Dogs over the years for Hospice care. Dr. Ruffing is very compassionate, understanding as well as truthful and direct about treatments and choices. Highly recommended.
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4/30/14 |
I was very appreciative of Dr. Nancy Ruffing's care and concern for me and my cat Louise near the end of her life. Nancy advocated for my pet to have several weeks of palliative treatment, which I wasn't expecting, and didn't agree with. At first, I did feel lectured, but I am so glad Dr. Ruffing persisted & convinced me to try some things I hadn't thought of; she knew what she was talking about & It was the right decision. Nancy effectively treated Louise at home, which helped her stay alive for several weeks longer than I ever thought possible. Nancy was extremely easy to reach via email and always responded very promptly. The mean-spirited comments in some of the reviews are from people who are grieving the loss of a pet & therefore not in the best frame of mind. Hospice care for pets is a difficult job and Nancy is incredibly caring and compassionate if you give her a chance.
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4/7/14 |
I contacted Dr.Ruffing(or Dr. Death as we call her now) to treat my dog who was diagnosed with cancer. She gave us a bad impression from the start. She was rude and callous and did not seem like a 'dog' person at all as she barely acknowledged my dog during the visit. I was looking forward to her visit after checking out her website where it mentions her services include: •education about disease and aging •pain management•nutritional counseling•oxygen support However, her visit included about a 5 minute examination of my dog; she asked me no questions about him, his health, his diet,his supplements, nothing. And then talked about euthanizing and cremating him. And even when talking about that she did it without an ounce of sympathy and was quite cold-hearted about the whole thing. After about 20 minutes and $130 later she left. I can't imagine ever using her services especially for something so personal and difficult as dealing with a pet with a terminal illness.
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1/31/14 |
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1/14/13 |
Nancy was the best choice we could have made. She helped guide us through months of dealing with our cat's aggressive bone cancer. If you're doing something wrong or doing things that actually hinder your pet's wellbeing, or if you waited too long before contacting her, you deserve a lecture. She was kind and considerate and caring. She saw how much we loved our cat and worked with us to make the best life we could for him in his final months. I highly recommend her services. But only if you truly want to do the best for your pet. If you don’t want to learn or work at it, please don’t waste her time.
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6/29/12 |
I cannot believe I am reading these reviews about this kind and caring animal lover. I called her when my dog became too feable to go out to the vet, I didn't wait until the last minute and just use her to euthenize my beloved pet. If all you want is a "death doctor" take them to a clinic. We worked together on an appropriate treatment plan for him and adjusted it accordingly. Dr. Ruffing was kind, considerate and amazingly helpful. I referred her to a friend who had a similar great experience. These reviews don't make me question the doctor's behavior, they make me question the behavior of the pet owner. I would use her again and recommend her to anyone who truly cares about the welbeing of their animal. She is truly the animal's advocate and not their for your comfort. If you don't appreciate that you don't understand unconditionial love of a pet. Maybe you can use lessons you learned before getting another pet. Better yet, don't get another pet!!
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6/27/12 |
I wished that I would have read these reviews before I contacted Dr. Ruffing. Considering euthanasia is torture enough; however, when you and you cat know its time, the last thing you need is to be judged and lectured. Without going into details, the first reviewer summarized the experience beautifully. I also would not recommend this individual unless you want to be verbally and emotionally abused on the most significant day of you and your pets existance together.
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11/20/11 |
This vet "treated" out cat on the last night of his life. It is the one thing we truly regret, because she is cold and shows no empathy whatsoever, but instead seems to prefer to comment in a judgmental manner about the caregiver's emotional states. We have used the services of about 20+ vets over our lives, and we rank her at the lowest possible score. It is ironic that she markets herself as someone who can be caring and compassionate when she is providing a "service" at the most vulnerable moments of the animal's and family's lives. Our advice is to stay away, unless you like to feel verbally and emotionally abused.
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3/12/11 |
Dr. Ruffing arrived at our home there was no support, 24/7 access or anything that is stated on her website Only judgment It's our opinion that she is lacking in people social skills. She has no right to judge. She doesn't know what a person and their dog share. Every situation is different. I was very dissapptioned in her lack of professionalism in returning Ford’s ashes. Again according to her website: We could choose from a variety of cremation urns and vessels. Imagine by complete devastation when she shoved Ford’s ashes to me in a bag we were not given a choice. Dr. Ruffing rushed into our home after shoving a bag of Ford’ ashes at me, I am quoting her: “She asked do I have to go out and get my computer so you can pay with a credit card? I am in a big hurry I am already late for my next appointment” I wrote out the check and she ran out of my home.
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