text: Dr. Besemer,  Dr. Kieran, and their entire staff are truly amazing, compassionate animal caregivers. \n\nWhen my two-year-old kitty became extremely ill during this past weekend, we were able to get him examined by Dr. Besemer on Sunday. At that point, we had no idea what the issue was, and all of the blood work and tests came back in the normal range (the doctor took the time to work him in between surgeries and sit down with us for an extremely thorough review of our kitty's test results and examination findings). We took the kitty home for the night with meds to ease his tummy issues, but the next morning it was quite apparent that the little guy was getting worse. \n\nWe took him back in (after calling the staff, who was very willing to get him in ASAP), and he got another thorough exam, this time by Dr. Kieran, as Dr. Besemer was booked in surgeries. All of the kitty's history had been communicated to Dr. Kieran, and she recommended x-rays. (It should be noted at this point that at every step we were given a complete write-up of treatment recommendations and their costs, the pros and cons of each, and given full control over what we thought was the correct thing to do based on all of the facts.) We chose to get the x-rays done, and about 10 minutes later, Dr. Kieran went over the entire picture with us and explaining what we were seeing. There was a suspicious-looking, but not blatantly apparent spot around the kitty's intestinal area. We were given the choice of getting an ultrasound or going in that afternoon for exploratory surgery. Again, both procedures, their associated risks, and costs (very reasonable financing terms are available) were immediately and thoroughly communicated to us. We chose surgery, and Dr. Kieran took him right in. We went home to wait for an update on our beloved kitty's condition. We were told how long to expect the surgery to last, and were told that we could call at any time for a status update. (Never once were we treated like a bother.)\n\nRight around the time they had estimated, we were called by Dr. Kieran, who told us the surgery went well and they had removed an obstruction from our kitty's intestine. We were given a choice whether to pick him up and keep him overnight ourselves or keep him at the clinic for IV fluids and monitoring. (The clinic does not have 24-hour staff, but recommended 24 hour care nearby or what we could do to care for him ourselves throughout the night.) We chose to take him home and bring him back in early the next morning for an all-day stay to make sure he was well-hydrated and get him started eating again. They wrapped up the little catheter on his front paw so they did not have to stick him with another needle the next morning. They gave him all the medications he'd need in the evening before we left and in the morning after we brought him back, except for pain meds to keep him comfortable during the night. We were even able to see the object that was causing the obstruction, which ended up being a large hairball that had dried and hardened in the middle and lodged in there. \n\nThat night was rough sleep wise for me, but it was worth it to see my kitty making a speedy recovery. In the morning I dropped him off, and when I picked him up in the evening, the transformation was amazing. We were given after-care instructions, food, medication, and happily brought him home last night.  \n\nDr. Kieran called this morning to see how the kitty was doing and answer any questions I had. He is making quite a speedy recovery, which is an incredible sight after how sick the little guy was.\n\nI have been a cat owner all my life, and have rarely experienced the level of compassion and knowledge that the doctors and staff at Scottsdale Hills Animal Hospital provided. As long as I live in or around Phoenix, this is where I will be taking my pets from now on. They are true animal lovers, and it shows!