I have only been in twice, but both times Dr. Tharp was attentive and patient with me. He spent extra time explaining what was going on with my cat, what it might mean for my cat in the future, what I could do now, and answered any and all questions I had. Even though I was late, he made sure I was taken care of. And fast! I brought my cat in to see if he needed his teeth cleaned and they saved me another trip in but taking him in right there. I had my kitty back the next morning!
erious lack of testing, resulting in death I have copies of medical records on a puppy that died while under the care of Dr. Tharp. The puppy (Dr. Tharp referred to this puppy as a "Typical: Micro dog") was taken to this vet five times in six days' time. The fifth time he was brought to Dr. Tharp he was hospitalized for 56-57 hours and and left the hospital in a body bag. During all of these visits and all the hours the puppy was hospitalized, the ONLY testing the puppy received was from a fecal sample taken on the FIRST appointment, which immediately told Dr. Tharp the puppy tested negative for parvo at that time. There is no other testing documented, other than the testing that was done with the fecal sample from the puppy's first appointment. If the puppy had his blood glucose levels checked, which can be done instantly with one drop of blood, just like diabetics do, it would have been obvious the puppy's problem was hypoglycemia, which can be corrected in only a few minutes with glucose administration. The puppy received no glucose administration during any of his office visits according to Dr. Tharp's records. Since no glucose administration is documented, I believe it is fair to believe none was given. The puppy was understandably stressed while being hospitalized the last 56-57 hours of his life and would not eat on his own. Dr. Tharp was fully aware that the puppy's weight was dropping. Being hospitalized, the puppy should have been nourished by whatever means necessary, IMO, such as tube feeding, which is quick and simple, based on my personal experiences. Rather than putting nutrition in the puppy through tube feedings, he was giving the puppy fluids under his skin, and was only giving him 1 tablespoon of fluids "as needed," (15 ml. = 1 tablespoon) which was far from adequate based on the other vets I've consulted. Again, this is per Dr. Tharp's handwritten records. The puppy died a miserable, lonely death in a cage at the veterinary hospital. The autopsy revealed the puppy died as a result of being starved, which caused his body to burn it's own fat cells to try and stay alive. There was such a bombardment of fat cells being used by this puppy's system to keep him alive that the fat cells clogged his little liver, causing him to die. This is called "fatty liver." This is based on the autopsy results. The main cause of death was from "hepatic lipidosis," which is the medical term for fatty liver.