I had a horrifying experience at Wag Hotels Santa Monica that I need to warn other pet owners about. When I dropped off my dog on a Thursday, I gave clear feeding instructions to the "team lead", so I thought she was in good hands. She was to receive house chicken kibble for breakfast and lunch, and her own food with a treat for dinner. These instructions were acknowledged at check-in and she was the only one being checked in at the time, so it appeared as if everything was being documented without any rush. On Sunday morning, I received a call from staff saying my dog had blood in her stool and was eating very little. I called back immediately and accepted the suggestion that she be given a pumpkin topper with meals for her stool, a CBD treat to ease her anxiety, and that I receive an update that evening. I was assured this would all be done and noted.That update never came.When I called later that night, the staff had no record of my requests. They simply repeated to me what had already been communicated, “Your dog has blood in her stool. Would you like us to give her a pumpkin topper?” I was shocked. Obviously, my conversation wasn’t noted in their system. I asked what her condition currently was, what she had eaten and if the blood in the stool was still present. There was no documentation, so the receptionist said she would ask the night staff. The night staff came on the phone and said, “Your dog has only eaten a treat today.” I said, “Why? Is something wrong? Why isn’t she eating her meals?” The night staff, then said, “Oh, we’re only feeding her once a day with the treat.” So, despite the fact that I’d clearly specified three meals per day and and a treat and that it was documented by the lead on staff, somehow she was only getting one meal a day. When I explained how obviously this was upsetting, the night staff checked my dog’s “room card.” She confirmed that she had been wrongly marked for only one meal daily with a treat. My dog missed 6 meals over the course of 3.5 days.Meanwhile, no pumpkin or CBD was ever administered, and no one followed up with the promised call. In addition, no one thought it was bizarre or to check-in that my dog was only receiving one meal a day or to tell me that she was only eating a treat. Does this sound like an establishment that is thoughtful or caring? I spent hours over the phone from another country to fix what should have been basic, compassionate care. As well, I find this level of negligence deeply alarming—not just for my dog, but for every animal in their care. If this is how they treat a brand new customers, I can’t imagine how worse things might be for long-term boarders.I had to scramble to find emergency new boarding for my dog, losing hours of work and paying twice the cost I’d originally planned. And I was told I might get a “discount” for all this. Really? What discount makes up for ignoring a bleeding animal and starving her for days?Wag Hotels was highly recommended to me, but this experience was beyond disappointing—it was dangerous and could have been deadly had I not done my due diligence to follow up. I would NEVER trust them with my dog again.
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