Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital

Reviews 4

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Kaylee Powell

On Saturday we took one of our rats, Tucker, into the vet to be treated for some heavy breathing and congestion. We paid $200 for treatment and an EXAMINATION from one of their "exotic veterinary specialists" He was diagnosed with pneumonia. We did EVERYTHING the vet told us to do. We got the steroid shot, we got an inhaler for him, we gave him the antibiotics, we cleaned the cage, we gave him the food supplement they recommended. We did everything EXACTLY to their specifications. Yesterday, the very same rat became extremely ill, we took him back again--this time at an emergency rate of cost, mind you. We got the x-rays, we set him up for over night care, we got new antibiotics and we worked out a payment plan with their secretary to cover his treatment. He died, alone, over night. And it took US calling THEM to get the news. We went to say goodbye to him today-- I took off from work early, my father called in sick. And while we were saying goodbye the nurse came back and said "we are so sorry for your loss, take your time, we can talk payment whenever you are ready" Inappropriate at the time, sure- but I can understand it needed to be said at some point to remind us-- the grief stricken family-- that we now had to pay these people, who didnt properly diagnose him the first time, for their unsuccessful service. She advised we can pop out whenever we were ready to look at an estimate for cremation costs. Less than five minutes later she was back-- paperwork in hand-- and slid the estimate right next to the body of our dead friend. We waited for a vet to come in and explain what happened. What went wrong? Was there something we missed? But after several minutes only the money hungry nurse arrived, reminding us we could leave whenever we were ready.After they gave us his paw print, we wanted to go home and as we were leaving their secretary screeched "WAIT YOU HAVE A BALANCE DUE DONT LEAVE" loud enough for EVERYONE in the facility to hear. We spent more time explaining to her that we had already set up a payment plan, refilling out the paper work and waiting for our invoices than we did saying goodbye to our friend. We got to stand there, in tears and embarrassed (now that literally every person in the building knew that we didnt have the funds to cover the $1,000 vet bill up front) while she took her sweet, sweet time telling my dad the exact numbers and dates our payments would be processed. While there we expressed we werent exactly happy with our treatment-- and that we felt it was insensitive-- especially since we had already worked out a payment plan and literally just held Tuckers paw for the final time. The secretary told us if we were upset we can call her site manager. That was it. She offered no apology, no compassion, she just sat there and tapped the cost of each item on the invoice into her calculator to give us a total. They also didnt even think to bring us back our travel cage that we had used to transport our rat, nor return the $120 antibiotics we purchased from them in hopes to save his life. This is not the first experience weve had with this veterinary clinic (in fact in the last 6 months weve taken 4 of our rats in-- only to have two of them pass despite extensive effort on our part to give them a chance.) SO, long story short. If you are looking for a so-called "exotic specialty" vet clinic with a 50% mortality rate remind you that compassion comes with a hefty price tag (at least $1,000 a pop!) THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!

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Keri Lauesen

Hello pet enthusiasts! Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital (AEAH) is THE place to take any pet that is not a cat or a dog. Dr. Johnson is so amazing. I have two Veiled Chameleons, a female,Lucy,(who is now 3 years old) and a male, Yoshi, (who is only 11 months) both whom have been to AEAH. When Lucy was about 1.5 years I noticed that she was having trouble eating. Because she was a small exotic lizard I thought that there would not be a vet that could help but while doing online searches I found AEAH and called them immediately. They fit Lucy in that day and were able to educate me about what needed to be done and how to do it, as well as providing me with proper medication and supplements. Though there was a one in four chance that Lucy would live she made it and is happy Thanks to AEAH :) (and it was reasonably priced). Chameleons are very finicky creatures and almost a year ago I acquired a baby male chameleon (Yoshi). On Friday night last week his Left Hemipenis protruded and would not retract which is known as a prolapse. Unfortunately I had to work all day on Saturday but I was able to get him in to AEAH on Sunday, I was so relieved. I had read many things online and all were very negative about his situation but I brought him in and Dr. Johnson did not see any real concern (other than the obvious protrusion). Dr. Johnson was very kind and gentle with poor Yoshi and was able to preform a necessary surgery to remove the then necrotic hemipenis. Within an hour Yoshi and I were on our way out of the hospital with the proper medication and care treatment required to return him to peak health.(Once again reasonably priced) Thank you so much Dr. Johnson and AEAH! You guys are amazing and I consider myself and my pets lucky to be able to call you my Veterinarian care :)

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Halina B

Dr. Starks is perhaps the most competent, honest, professional and compassionate veterinarian Ive worked with in Phoenix for the better part of the past decade. My elderly cockatiel, who has cataracts in his eyes and so isnt seeing as well as he used to, got injured and needed to be seen urgently by a veterinarian. Because Id had a series of past experiences with other vets who made choices that caused irreparable harm to my pets and/or insisted on procedures and tests unrelated to the acute conditions Id brought them in with, I was scared to trust someone else again. Dr. Starks calmed me, validated my concerns and explained the treatment plan without talking down to me or talking around the important information. He also helped me understand more about the veterinary care system, how to advocate for my birds, what to look for in my birds recovery, and how he was planning to assess Sugars prognosis and treatment. Also, most importantly, he stayed after hours to talk with a vet from a 24 hour facility to monitor my bird overnight so he could be kept warm and watched during the most critical time, before taking back over the care in the morning. Dr. Starks treated me, and, most importantly, my bird, with dignity, compassion and appropriate care. Sugar is going back in two weeks for a re-check and Im so grateful that he is in good hands. How refreshing to finally know a veterinarian in town who is willing to give clients all of the information, treat the condition appropriately, and take the extra time to advocate for and ensure care continuity between facilities. Thank you for being a light in a really scary time, Dr. Starks. And thank you for caring so much.

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Stan Garment

If you want the best possible care for your exotic creature, this is where you will want to take him or her. We have moved often, and have had birds for some time, so we have had experience with many avian veterinarians. Specifically for our Macaw, Sodzo, Dr. Lamb is the fourth avian specialist he has seen. I had suspected a heart problem, but the other three had said he was perfectly healthy. Dr. Lamb picked him up and in seconds said there was something wrong with his heart. This was confirmed by her ultrasound and by her referral to a cardiologist (also wonderful). Sodzos serious heart challenges are definitely congenital, which confirms that Dr. Lamb is the most competent avian veterinarian our Macaw has seen. Because his heart problem is congenital, Dr. Lamb recognized liver issues as the cause of the symptoms for which we took him to see her, and she has been using the most natural possible items to support both his heart and his liver. He has improved dramatically under her care. In addition, she is the only avian specialist out of all the ones we have taken birds to over the years who knows by species of bird what they need/should not have by way of foods, etc. The list of 4 or so items that is usually put forth as harmful to birds is very incomplete, and our reliance on that list as complete had been harming Sodzo. Thanks to Dr. Lamb and the care she has made possible we will enjoy many more years with our Macaw than if we were not taking him to her. In addition, the staff has been most caring and helpful each time we have been in contact.

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