I had the chance to work with Dr. Sarbu while she was at VCA Lynnwood. Wow what a difference a caring individual can make. My kitty was diagnosed with cancer and I had no idea what to do or who to turn to. It just so happened that Dr. Sarbu worked at VCA at that time and we were assigned to her for our initial appointment. I am so thankful that was the case.
She quickly brought us up to speed on what to expect and the many different options. She let us shed our tears and was there to help us emotionally through what was a really tough time for us. We had some hard decisions to make, but she helped us through step by step, making sure that we understood what could happen with each option.
I knew I didn’t want my kitty to suffer and that was what was important for me, I wanted to make sure that his quality of life be great, even if it was shorter than we had hoped for. Dr. Sarbu gave us good guidance and my kitty is still happy and going strong six months later.
When Dr. Sarbu moved, I was worried, but of course I should not have been, she made herself available to the new doctor and to my family as we continued our treatment.
Thank you Dr. Sarbu, thank you for making a difference for me and my furry family!
Samantha
Alexander is a male Samoyed, whose right rear leg was amputated at age 7. Dr. Sarbu found a very skilled surgeon and Alex quickly recovered to begin a two drug chemo course with Dr. Sarbu and her technicians. My greatest fears were how to care for a “tripod,” and what quality of life Alex would have-as it turned out, Alex did far better physically than I did emotionally. The only thing Alex can’t do as well, today, is to run, though he does have a little trot. Everything else is perfectly “normal,” and as it was prior to surgery and chemo. Alex continues to travel with us, to stay in hotels and to take care of himself daily as he always did. Alex can easily go down stairs, and though I help him go upstairs, he is capable of doing it, alone, with three legs! Alex goes to off leash parks and loves to play with other dogs, and is always a hit with children. One of his favorite things is to go to a local outdoor mall and “shop” by going from store to store. My wife and I are forever grateful to Dr. Sarbu and her technicians for giving Alex and us this result, a normal life!
Dear Dr. Sarbu, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help with Skylark. She had surgery on April 1st, celebrated her fourth birthday on April 14th by gettting the stitches out, and has been making a great recovery since then. The wide margins were clear - hooray! I wanted you to know how much I appreciated your kindness and thoroughness in helping Skylark. You and your office staff were so warm and caring, which made an enormous difference. I also appreciated you making all the extra phone calls to your colleagues to consult with them about Skylark's case.Thank you for everything, we are truly grateful!Best wishes to you - Belinda and Skylark
Dr Sarbu,
When I told you how wonderful I thought you and your staff were, I wanted to share with you what that really means to me. I have taken the following excerpts from one of your papers and we found this philosophy to have been exhibited by you and your staff in spades:
“...when a patient is referred for specialty care at the oncology department, not only that the client has to face their fear of cancer but also they have develop new bonds and trust with the new team
...continuous communication among the team members is essential to maintain high quality and compassionate care.
...encouraging a positive attitude towards the pets and clients as well. Even though the...medical treatments are coordinated by the doctor-in-charge, the emotional treatments are in the hands of every team member involved.
...be supportive of them and further provide compassionate care,...the team involved in the care of the patient should provide not only medical but emotional support as well for such client, showing complete acceptance for what is perceived weird or unacceptable in their own world.
...imperative to address all the concerns a client might have in an open, honest manner and make sure that an informed decision is taken.
...we must remember that time is a relative concept and what might seem a very short time for a person it could make the difference for another person.
...I believe it is wrong for the medical team not to be supportive of a decision pro treatment, as long as we can maintain good quality of life,”
Jim, our regular veterinarian has been a very dear friend of mine for 35 years. Needless to say we have been through many experiences with pets together.He has always been there for me and that has always relieved a major amount of emotional stress for me. Many of my friends have been envious of the strong relationship Jim and I have had over the years. When we love our pets as we do, nothing is too good, and what a blessing to have a veterinarian you feel so good about and trust so much. I always said it would be like taking your children to a different pediatrician when you've been so happy and trusting of the doctor you've seen all these years.
Jim offered to meet us at his clinic any time to help us with sending Karma to her next journey......but I felt so good about the care, warmth, comfort, and compassion shown by you and your staff I didn't feel the need to go over to Jim's.
Congratulations.....you are achieving in your practice what you espouse. Please pass this along to your staff...and thank you from heavy hearts. Melinda and J
