Belcaro Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

The vets are top notch, its everything else that is very bad. We took our 2 dogs to this clinic several times in a short period of time after moving to Denver. My comments below are not based on one or two visits spread out over time. This happened over 6 visits over two months. Upon entering the clinic the check-in desk is 4 feet away from the front door, When you are trying to get in the door with your pet and the person at the desk ahead of you is checking in, be prepared for chaos as their owner cannot fill out the paper work at the front desk and control their dog. This happened each time. The vet techs smoke so each time they handle your pet, they cause your dog to smell like an ashtray. The admin staff are idiots. They made mistakes on intake forms, they confused our pets info with another, they asked for information they already have in front of them on the forms I just filled out. They called another persons name to talk about our pets. They called us up to talk about someone elses dog. If you have to deal with an older woman with glasses, ask for somebody else as she has to be the queen of the idiots. When boarding your dog you will fill out forms that contain information and answers to questions, all good things to know and ask, but they do not have information like who is the dogs owner, what is the dogs name, what color is the dog, dog breed, dogs name. It does not give one a high comfort level. When I asked about this they said it in the chart, I then asked them how do they know which chart goes with which dog? This goes back to confusing pets with owners and vice versa, and confusing one pet with another. Also when the vet tech takes your dog outside for a potty break, its also time for a smoke. My pets deserve better. Here is how to make your visit more tolerable. 1. Set an appt in the afternoon 2:30 or 3:00 pm is the best, Tue, Wed, Thur 2. Do not deal with the idiot old lady at the front desk, request someone else to get you checked in and ready to see the vet, you will regret it if you deal with her. It took me three visits to learn this. 3. Verify all work done by the admin staff, your info, your pets information, etc. Do not take for granted or assume that they know what they are doing or are able to do the tasks effectively or correctly. 4. Request that your pet not be handled by anyone that smokes. 5. After you check in walk all the way around to the far right, eastern most part of the waiting area. This way you are away from the front desk chaos. 6. Be prepared for the front desk chaos to be repeated at the scale. Too many pets in a small area. Its a clinic not a dog park. 7. When they call your name verify the pets chart that the admin person is carrying is actually your pets. If you have multiple pets make sure they have the chart for the pet that has the appt. ie if you have a chihuahua and a lab and the chihuahua has the appt, make sure they have the chihuahuas chart and not the labs chart. 8. After the vet sees you, (all the Drs very good), and it is time to check out, verify that they are billing you for the services done to your pet. This goes back to checking charts, pets, owners, etc Keep as left as you can at the front desk when checking out , but keep in mind you will be between front desk chaos and scale chaos. To left and you get scale chaos, too right and front desk chaos 9. Exit the door due west of the scale and north of the front door, this makes exiting much easier.

KI

Kim Rea

I have been going to Belcaro for over a year and have continued to do so because Dr. Hardy has always been very kind and took good care of my two dogs. The first time I walked in the office I was less than impressed by the front desk staff as they were not particularly welcoming, but I had a good experience with Dr. Hardy so continued to go because of him. Today I arrived as a walk in and knew that meant I would have to wait. No one gave me an approximate wait time, so we sat there for over two hours before being put in a room. Not once during the two hours did anyone update me on how much longer it might be. My dog was panting and nervous and a nice man (customer) who was waiting for his pet brought over a styrofoam cup with water and said, "I thought she might like some water." You would think the staff would be the ones to offer water and not a customer. When we were finally taken back to a room a woman walked in and asked how we were doing and I said we were very tired due to the almost 2 1/2 hour wait. She seemed annoyed that I expressed that but proceeded to ask me a question without even telling me who she was. I said, "and you are...?". She said very abruptly, "Im Dr. Otero". Ive never been to any medical office (human or vet) where the provider walked in and didnt introduce themselves. I found it to be extremely rude and told her it was unusual that a provider didnt offer an introduction. This obviously angered her and she threw her hands up, said another vet would see my dog and walked out. Probably the most unprofessional interaction I have ever had with anyone. I guess since they are making money and in high demand due to the growing population, they dont care if they keep customers. Someone needs to teach the staff and Dr. Otero some customer service skills. Thank to them, we wont be back.

KA

Kate NesSmith

In February my beagle/jack russell got attacked by a coyote in our backyard. It was a terrifying experience I thought my 24lb pup would not survive. We took her to the emergency vet first (it was 2am) and Belcaro took her in first thing when they opened. Dr. Rakefet Orobona was AMAZING and acted swiftly. She explained everything to me in a calm manner even though I was a complete emotional mess. Dr. Orobona and her staff took amazing care of my pup, she did holistic wraps around her neck (she couldnt go into surgery due to her 12 year old heart having a murmur). Dr. Orobona literally thought of every angle to her multiple wounds and told me exactly what to watch out for and how to nurse my pup back to health. We went back for multiple check ups and the staff was so happy to see her recovering it touched my heart. Robs (my dog) was so happy to see everyone even though she probably knew she was going to get her wrap changed or be in pain at some point during the visit. She would be showered with love and attention the moment she walked in the door, everyone rooting for her to make a full recovery. Well she did. She is still a crazy mutt who gets into all kinds of trouble and loves going on adventures. Her care was not cheap, but they did so much and literally saved my dogs life. I feel like they charge a very fair in price and provide excellent medical care for their furry patients. If you are looking for people who really care about your pet and will do anything for them, this place is it. P.S. Dont ever let your dog, no matter what the size, out at night (or dawn/dusk) alone during winter or early spring. Doesnt matter if you are in a highly populated area (we were when my dog got attacked), the coyotes are hungry and will do anything for a meal.