Vida Veterinary Care at University Hills

Reviews 4

LE

Leea Shadwell

Update: Since my last review our family has expanded, and weve been to University Hills Animal Hospital several more times. -In regards to their urgency which was mentioned by another reviewer, I must disagree. My husband called me at work one afternoon to tell me that Bridget was acting weird and seemed as though she was having a seizure. I called Uhills and told them he was on his way there- this was at about 3 - 3:30pm. By the time I got there, they were already in a room with a vet tech. Another incident occurred at about 8:00pm on a Friday night: Our new addition got in a fight with Bridget and we took her to the Urgent Care for a scratch by her eye. Again, she was seen right away. -Our Boxer mix, Jenkins, is a rescue and has some serious issues- aggression, anxiety, etc. The staff at University Hills Animal Hospital couldnt possibly be better for him! We told them about all of the training were doing with him, but the struggles were still dealing with are pretty severe. Dr. Zaid was more than understanding, she, and all of the techs, took great care with him, and got him to the point where he was wagging his tail and wanting their attention! They even said they would be able to board him when we go out of town! Jenkins is already less anxious when he sees other people. University Hills Animal Hospital has been such a wonderful partner in the care of our pets. My dog is my child, so when we moved to the Denver area it was a bit nerve racking trying to find a new vet for her. Bridget (my dog) had pancreatitis twice before, causing me to be extra attentive (paranoid if you ask my fiance.) My fiances friend recommended University Hills Animal Hospital, so we gave them a shot. I couldnt be happier. I brought Bridget in for, what turned out to be, allergies (yeah, the same ones that get you and I sneezing and wiping our eyes.) The vet was very knowledgable, kind, and in Bridgets case, very patient. He even emailed a week or so later to follow up on her. Ive taken her back for her routine check ups, and a couple more odd behaviors (those allergies get me every time!) and every time the vet that sees her follows up on her. Not the vets assistant, that veterinarian him/herself. Bridget is due for another nail clipping, so Ill be heading over there again in a few days.

---

AM

Amy Beth Mears

We have been going to Uhills Vet for almost 6 years. Last fall we had to put our beloved Berner down and I was FLOORED at the ENORMOUS cost. After spending hundreds of dollars to make our sweet Mali comfortable in her last months I felt completely taken advantage of when we brought her in to have her put down. In addition to that when we brought her in, after making one of the most difficult decisions we ever had to make, the Vet had the audacity to question our decision! She actually said to us, she doesnt look like she is all that bad, are you sure? Mali could barely walk on carpet, and on any slippery surface it was game over. She was falling constantly and had to be held up to eliminate. Questioning our decision without truly assessing the situation was a slap in the face, we were already hurting so badly. I had also wanted to keep her ashes and when I inquired as to the cost of this it was going to be near $500.00. My husband and I elected to not keep her ashes. We did however have her foot print made (another added cost) and when I went in to pick it up the receptionist was incredibly insensitive asking me all kinds of unnecessary questions, before going to look for the print. She never even acknowledged our loss. This week we took our new puppy in to Uhills, because we truly loved some of the vets there. However upon my arrival I was made aware that our favorite Vet Dr. Zeid had left as well as a few others. Their CARE Plan which had made bringing our pet in more affordable is no longer in existence. The care plan was an up front fee and then your visits during normal hours were $10, office visits for well check ups are now $60.00!!! WE ARE OUT-looks like I have been able to find where our beloved vets might have gone...we will follow them. I do not recommend Thrive and wish that Uhills had never changed ownership. They have destroyed what was once a phenomenal veterinary clinic.

---

CO

Courtney Phillips

I have been here twice since adopting my cat from a shelter and both times I saw Dr. CeCe. The first time was an "ok" experience. Staff and vet techs were very friendly. I was a little put off when Dr. CeCe took me completely seriously when I jokingly told her I wanted to "fatten" my cat up because she seemed a little thin. Instead of laughing, she gave me a lecture and explained how over feeding is very bad for cats and is strongly linked to diabetes and heart problems. I also didnt feel she was respectful of my decision not to have additional tests performed besides regular shots and rabies. Granted the visit was free, I am the pet owner and as a Dr., your job is to provide recommendations and respect your clients decisions. My second visit with Dr. CeCe was to obtain some sort of anxiety medication for my upcoming 4 hour flight with my cat over the holidays. After explaining that my cat does ok when traveling but I wanted medication as back up, Dr. CeCe refused to prescribe because there have been a handful of incidences where cats have died. Instead, she recommended a $30 bag of "calming" cat treats and calming spray that they didnt even sell at the office. I explained to the vet tech that I would not be paying $60 for an office visit and the recommendations provided could have been done over the phone. The one positive is they waived the office visit fee. However, the Dr. and vet tech recommended I come back in a second time to see another veterinarian who is more liberal with prescribing medication. Overall, my second experience was extremely frustrating and Im really considering finding another veterinarian who respects my decisions as a pet owner and considers the best interest of my animal when prescribing medication.

---

L

L King

I have a sweet little budgie who was a rescue. He is a little older of a bird and he was a seed junkie when I got him. Despite my efforts we never could get him to eat better. His bad diet finally caught up with us and we ended up with a very sick little bird. This happened unexpectedly on a holiday weekend. No other avian vet could see us, but the staff here fit us in to an appointment so we didnt have to pay the emergency fees to get him seen last minute. Almost as soon as the exam started Dr. Keller (I believe that was her name) was able to identify the problem and said it was likely attributed to a vitamin A deficiency. She gave us some really great tips for encouraging him to eat better, gave him some antibiotics and a vitamin supplement. It has been 2 weeks since our visit and Sterling is doing much better. He still is not back to 100%, but we can tell he is getting better each day. Her tips have really helped us get some fruits and veggies into his diet (making a mash with pureed veggies and adding his seed to that has been the most successful) and I am happy to say he is eating fruits and veggies, at least somewhat, every day already. The visit was fast and much more affordable than I expected. Dr Keller is incredibly knowledgeable. She gave me some great tips for being able to handle my little guy, as he isnt super tame. All in all it was a very rewarding experience and I am very glad they could help us. I am so glad my guy is doing better. I was so worried about him. :-)

---

---