PAWS Veterinary Center

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Last night, I was looking for a new veterinary clinic for my miniature schnauzer (Shamrock) because the previous clinic I was currently taking Shamrock to was located in a different city. Also, I was very unsatisfied with the services I had encountered with the clinic of unnecessary charges & unwillingness to explain certain services. It was very unsettling and distasteful to continue to take my dog there with individuals that were solely capital driven and not empathetic to the overall care of my dog. Therefore, I was a little nervous to finding a clinic that would be a good fit for my concerns/questions and how Shamrock would adjust to the new environment. After I had done some research and found this clinic on google. I went to the website to print and fill out the new patient form. I called the next morning to schedule an appointment for a wellness exam and Deanna was very friendly and helpful. I was able to book Shamrock an appointment the same day. When arriving to the clinic, it looked like a pet sanctuary. I felt like I was taking my dog to a doggie spa. The clinic is absolutely beautiful with two waiting areas, fresh coffee, and an outdoor area. When I walked into the clinic, I was greeted by Deanna, who was equally friendly in person as she was on the phone when I made the appointment for Shamrock. After Shamrock was checked into the clinic, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, waited probably no longer than 10 minutes before I was greeted by another friendly staff member into the examination room. She had taken a very complete history of Shamrock and noted down all of my concerns. I was really impressed by the little details into making the visit more comforting for Shamrock, liking putting a fresh warm rug on the examination table, so he wasnt so nervous while being examined. Dr. Thurston introduced herself and gently examined Shamrock thoroughly and addressing all of my concerns. I really appreciate her taking the time to answer all my question and concerns, I never felt rushed. After the exam was done, she addressed areas that she had concerns about, how I might resolve these issues, gave me suggestions on new products, but I had felt that I always had the final say on what treatment was best for Shamrock. I felt I had complete autonomy during my visit (something I am very grateful that this clinic has highlighted during the visit), I didnt feel like I would be judge if I didnt do the expensive treatment, or I was being forced or expected to do something without an explanation. They give you the suggested tests & products they would recommend based on their assessment and your concerns, with an explanation why this might be beneficial to the overall well-being of your pet, and then YOU get to decide if that is something you would like to have done right now or wait for another time. Just remember YOU always have the option to accept or decline those suggestions. Also, Ive been to other clinics before where you have to bring in a stool sample for the heart worm test, but they did everything in the back room. I was in shock how easy & wonderful they made this process for Shamrock and I. They gave Shamrock some treats during the exam to help calm his nerves and was so nurturing and compassionate. I had never felt so good after leaving a veterinary clinic before, this is the absolute best clinic. After I left the clinic, I called my friend, my dad, and told my boyfriend how wonderful this clinic was and that I was so lucky to have found this clinic for Shamrock. The added bonus is that this clinic is very close to my house, so I dont have to drive very far. But if I had to drive across town, I would in a split second because the veterinary team is superior! Thank you for making my first experience and transition so great and flawless.

JO

joyce smith

My mellow tabby elderkitty, Tuxy, approx 15 years old, became paralyzed overnight in 10/12, in his rear legs & tail, and lost voluntary excretion functions, likely due to arthritis. His very experienced regular vet did what he could, but it was limited to tests and pain-relievers, etc. My neighbor, a pre-vet med student, suggested PAWS for its complementary therapies. Fortunately, its located not far from where we live (with 5 other kitties). We met Dr. Julie Mayer and the nice lobby counter staff at PAWS in 11/12. She gave/gives Tuxy: acupuncture and chiropractic, Vite B12 and Traumeel injections, then ultrasound heat therapy, and now is helping stimulate his atrophied muscles and nerves, etc, with underwater therapy. He protests at moments, but considering that hes a cat, he hasnt freaked out! He is doing amazingly well "swimming" in the tank, with Dr. Julie holding on and guiding him, in his cool little red life vest. (Though his eyes widen like the saucer-eyes of the funny "Twisted Whiskers" (c) critters!) Actually, his front legs walk energetically on the underwater treadmill as Dr. Julie keeps his rigidly extended but skewed hind legs (the left is even more affected than the right) separated and moving almost normally on the belt. While these treatments may not be able to restore normal rear leg, tail and excretion-control functions, I believe that Dr. Julies caring, expert attention, along with the physical stimulation, are much better for his morale, strength and quality of life, than just staying like a lump in one or 2 positions most of the time. He does get around by scooting along the floor (fortunately easy-to-clean, mostly smooth tile) sitting on his behind, propelled by his front legs, with his rear legs stiffly forward, He kind of looks like a gymnast up on the parallel bars! (cute observation by a PAWS vet intern.) I was very concerned about pain management at first; fortunately this no longer seems to be an obvious issue. He lost a lot of weight, but has a good diet of Wellness wet cat food and UTI-control dry cat food, and eats up a storm. There are some other issues, teeth/mouth/potentially kidneys, but as under control as possible partly with oral supplements since before the paralysis began, and losing fur due to chewing on it (not currently a major problem). Thank you Dr. Julie Mayer & PAWS for offering these therapies! and thank you counter staff for voting him "Pet of the Month" too! Plus, we enjoy your unusually attractive natural-materials building, entryway pond, gardens & views.

SA

Samantha Harris

Unskilled, unprofessional, and unethical. I do NOT recommended for the care of any animal. Very disappointed in the care that my cats received. Brought two of my cats in to see Denise Gordon last week, one for shots, while one had not been eating and had been vomiting. The one that wasnt feeling well hissed and swatted at Denise Gordon. She immediately recoiled in horror as if she had never had to deal with a cat not feeling at his best. She then was very timid and afraid to complete the exam or even touch my cat without first sedating him using gas anesthesia (isoflurane) in a closed chamber. With this lack of a physical examination and only a very quick health history, she then went on to recommend $800 in diagnostic tests. I agreed to the charges and when all tests came back negative, Denise Gordon then recommended another battery of additional costly exploratory tests such as echocardiography. When I asked what exactly the tests would be looking for (because I am happy to have the tests done if she had a strong hypothesis for what was causing my cat to vomit), Denise Gordon became extremely defensive and justified her treatment course as “this is how I treat all my patients”. At that point, I suggested that I would wait and watch the cat over the weekend. However, instead of receiving a phone call on Monday morning asking how the cat was, I received a letter in the mail stating that PAWS no longer was interested in caring for my pets. Nope, the letter did not even a mention my sick cat or inquire whether he was doing better. Given that in the last month my dog was seen at PAWS for routine shots ($368.23, note this charge included optional blood work because we care about the health of our animals), shots for my healthy cat ($112.50), and a bill for my sick cat ($730.81), I think I am more than happy to look elsewhere for a better skilled, more experienced and more compassionate veterinarian who cares about my animals.