Gentle Touch Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

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Haile Kilhoffer

My visit to Gentle Touch was stressful and a whirlwind of emotions. I have two senior chihuahuas who are 10 and 13. I came in to get them updated on all of their vaccinations, calling ahead of time to get a price for the services I needed ($275). When we showed up we were seen right away and the staff seemed really kind. The Vet Tech seemed really kind and showed my ChiChis lots of attention...but then the Doctor came in (Doctor Flieschmann???). She came off polite at first but as our examination went on she began making me feel like a horrible pet owner. I am most definitely not. My chihis are of a healthy weight, eat Blue Buffalo, exercise, teeth brushings every so often, so they are not neglected in anyway. Immediately she was storming us with concerns about our dogs making me feel as though they were dying. SHe kept insinuating that "a good pet owner would do this". She diagnosed them with heart murmurs and said I HAD to get their teeth cleaned (told me, did not ask to set a date just told me we were doing it within the month)...put under anesthesia at such an old age with a heart murmur?! Things became a whirlwind of emotion. She dramatized everything. I was in tears. The charges kept adding up. She was pushy and kept saying they NEED this and HAVE to have this, you MUST buy this. Not to mention they began pushing their preventative care plan HARD. So while Im crying stressing about the prices of course a payment plan seems like the right thing. I sign up. They ran tests on my dogs (blood work, cystocentisis, etc) to prepare their record for their dental procedure. I had not had a chances to say yes or no to 95% of things done throughout the visit. They also clipped my dogs nails without asking (They charged $23 PER DOG to cut their nails). I walked out the door spending $325...... I went home and had to destress. Began looking things up and called another veterinary office for information about my visit. (I will not name, so readers know this is not a sponsored post) The vet told me immediately that putting my senior small dogs under that much work in one day was NOT OK. They should have spread it through at least two visits. Also, the cystocentisis procedure (injecting a syringe though the abdomen into the bladder to extract urine) is a painful procedure for the pet, even though it is widely done through many veterinary establishments. I was just being told by another professional that my visit was inhumane to me and my pets. I was also informed that anesthesia on dogs of their age with heart murmurs is a no no. Especially without an echo ($500+ at Gentle Touch). My dogs could not walk for three days...my oldest was unable to eat and was peeing herself because she did not want to move. They screamed if you touched them...I was horrified. I called to cancel my plan within 48 hours...they charged me another $340....I spent $700 on one visit at this hospital. I was pressured into everything done. I also would like to mention that they left a horrible bruise on my male chihuahua, I assumed it was from the urine extraction...the vet called to say they still needed to perform this on him....but I paid for it? I am confused and angry and sad I put my pets through this. I will never return. Do not bring your pets here if you care about them...Establishment built upon scare tactics, dramatization, and over charging.

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Karrie H

All 4 of our pets LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Dobkin and Gentle Touch Animal Hospital. The facility is beautiful and spotless, the staff are very kind, caring, and honest, and Dr. Dobkin is outstanding. I have only lived in Denver for about 2 years, but with 4 pets, weve needed to visit the vet a few times, and I would just like to mention a couple of examples of the kind of care we have received at Gentle Touch. First, earlier this year, my Bassett Hound was feeling ill in the middle of the night and I had to take him to a 24 hour emergency vet. Sadly, that vet misdiagnosed him and a few days later, my poor puppy was not any better - so I called Gentle Touch. Dr. Dobkin agreed to see us right away and within 20 minutes of our arrival, we had the correct diagnosis and a treatment plan that brought my dog immediate relief. I cant even describe how wonderful that experience was, and how much we appreciated the follow up calls from both Dr. Dobkin and the staff checking on how our dog was doing. Second, I also have a cat with some chronic health issues who has a history of requiring hospitalization. So last week, when he started feeling ill, I called Gentle Touch right away. Dr. Dobkin agreed to see us that day. He evaluated my cat and determined that he needed a procedure that the cat had required in the past (and which usually has meant hospitalization for 2-3 days). What made this experience so special was - because of the training and skill of Dr. Dobkin and the staff, not only did my cat get the care he needed right away, but I was able to take my cat home within a few hours (instead of a few days) where he could recover in his own home. Thank goodness not all of our visits to Gentle touch involve emergencies like the visits mentioned above, but with routine wellness visits and dental exams, we have always experienced the same level of kindness and professionalism toward our pets and us. Additionally, we really appreciate that the staff at Gentle Touch are very upfront and direct about the estimated cost of care when laying out treatment options, so weve never been surprised by a bill. I really cant say enough good things about Dr. Dobkin and the staff at Gentle Touch. We actually drive past 3 other vet offices on the way to the office because we are so happy there. If you need a vet, you cant go wrong with Gentle Touch:)

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Charley Taggart

My fiance and I had a positive experience with this vet in the beginning! They were kind and did well with our dog. Money was the unfortunate part for us. We scheduled her to be spayed and maybe I should have asked when we made the appointment, but it was never brought up (average) how much the bill for the procedure would be. We assumed MAX 500, which seems to be a lot now that I look around. I went to drop Chunk off and that morning was told it would be around 600 dollars for the procedure. Chunk ended up having a UTI in which I was willing to pay for the urinary test and for the antibiotics. Several other tests were suggested that I ended up passing up because they were just too expensive. With all of the tests and everything done (which I am unsure what was necessary and what wasnt as I am not the expert) it was around $763. I asked to split the payment in half only 4 days apart while offering to give them a card number to put on file to run. We were denied and told to apply for a specific credit card as our only option. Additionally, I asked for flea and tick medicine and it would have been 80 dollars added onto everything else. From my research I have found much cheaper options elsewhere for many of the services, medicine, etc. that was discussed or administered. While the service and people are kind, we are switching to another provider due to the lack of forewarning on the cost of the services needed. I would have switched providers before the date of the procedure if I would have been aware of how expensive Gentle Touch is, and the unwillingness to work with us on such a large bill. In all, take your pets here for minor services as they do very well. Or if you want to take them for larger, just ask ahead of time about the price break down as you will only be handed this RIGHT before your pet goes back. They are clean, professional, manage conflict well, and have good customer service!