Victoria Park Animal Hospital, Dr. Alison Birken

Reviews 5

ME

Melissa Anne

The short: Dr. Birken is an exceptional vet. The long: My lab mutt Goonie usually runs and plays all day and weighs about 80 pounds. He eats about 4 cups of dry a day and is incredibly affectionate. I had found him at the Miami Dade Animal Services when he was a couple months old, a day before he was to be euthanized.....he has scars to this day on his legs from burns or flea bites from the streets when he was a puppy....we are not really sure what the scars are from. He is a treasure. He loves all other animals. The cat is his best friend. He is incredibly smart and we believe he is part Border Collie from his markings and his obsession with fetching the ball. About 6 months ago at 2 years old, he had been very healthy and up to date on shots, when suddenly he stopped eating, started pooping liquid, and was depressed/lethargic. He had lost a lot of weight in just a few days, and I started to panic. I had recently moved away from Fort Lauderdale, so I took him to a vet here in Jupiter where I live now. After an examination the local vet said there was nothing he could give our dog that would help in the long run. He said there was a lot of inflammation in the anal canal and the only way to figure out what was going on was to schedule a colonoscopy. My fiance and I spent several hours on the phone trying to line up a colonoscopy with an animal hospital in Jupiter. The procedure would involve him being left at the hospital and made unconscious in his already very weak, depressed state. I believe to this day that if we had gone through with the colonoscopy he might of died. He was so weak and lethargic, had lost so much weight in just a matter of days, and doesnt do well with boarding/separation from us. At that time, I didnt know what was the right thing to do. I felt completely helpless and frustrated that the colonoscopy was the only option the vet in Jupiter had given us. I remembered Dr. Birken in Fort Lauderdale, who was the first vet I had ever taken Goonie to. I left a message that it was an emergency, and heard from her soon after. She got me in for an appointment in Fort Lauderdale the next morning, so we put the whole colonoscopy idea on hold. Dr. Birken had a very calming effect on us and she prescribed several medicines. He got a couple shots. Everything worked. Goonie started eating again immediately and within days showed major improvement. The complete recovery took over a month, but it was a good month because we saw the improvements daily. We still dont know what caused such a rapid deterioration of his health, but today Goonie is his happy, healthy self and we owe this to Dr. Birken. She had a very open mind about how to improve the situation. She also called every few days until it was clear he was going to get better. Dr. Birken is a wonderful doctor and we are forever thankful we put the situation in her hands.

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YV

Yveline Andrieu

I dont like to write bad reviews. I dont believe that the staff is wonderful, they talk to you like you are a retard. The place is no very clean, especially the rooms where they ask you to wait, you can see rolls of furs in the hallway through the glass door like in the sierra nevada!. As it is an hospital , you expect to have clean floors and tables right? Then the bills. I asked for a simple health certificate before to travel, they insisted over the phone to do an International certificate to be stamped at the agricultural dept in Miami. My dog is a 9 pounds chihuahua and I always travel with her vaccinations proofs which is never asked for. So I refused to do that. Because they dont communicate with you their cost, upfront, now I know why, they charged me 166 dollars for 6 pages of papers that I did not ask for. I bring my blank form but the answer was, we have our own....After an hour waiting I got all these papers and a credit card charge of 166....When I came back home I called 2 different vets who said they charge 100 and 120 for the same thing. Do I have to tell you that when I asked for a refund of 40 dollars which was fair, they fought on the phone and refused.They lied and said that the cost was disclosed upfront, never it was of course!... So I will never go back again as I dont trust liars and unfriendly people to be good for my dog. This and the fact it is dirty, the blond girl at the desk had a runny nose and was weeping it with the back of her hand, nice....I will drive to Bayshore Clinic 140th and Biscayne instead. I had to click on a star to post this, but I am so upset that even a star is too good.

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JU

Juanny Cinco

My first trip to Victoria Park Animal Hospital was when I thought it was an Emergency center. I arrived with a stressed dog who had managed to get into some kind of toxin having seizures during lunch. Dr Birken was on the way to her own eye appointment and turned around and came back just to treat my dog who she had never met and was not a regular patient. At that point i was sold. My two dogs have been there for check ups, for shots, for teeth cleaning and surgery. My female was spayed and it we were sent home with detailed instructions for care and everything ended fine. The whole staff are friendly, talkative and really care - they ALWAYS follow up with a phone call.. Even when we left the are permanently and I had a minor emergency the day (they took an appointment for the same day!) before the move they called me to make sure everything was ok - whether they needed to talk to a new vet. I would highly recommend the office. Everyone is professional and they truly care. They do whatever they can to fit you in - the front of house has stayed the same so obviously something is working well. My two scotties will miss having them close by.

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DR

Dr. Ricardo Borges

ABUSE OF PETS!!! Stay always!! As a fellow Doctor I was disgusted with this practice and facility. I personally saw them abuse animals in the back while picking my pet up for grooming, just to get them to make less noise in cramped cages, My dog had marks and bites from other dogs they let in the same cage with mine. Ive already reported this to associations related to this field but people should know this facility is very poorly supervised. The doctor who owns this place wasnt even there when this occurred, she was on "vacation" and I was told it would be looked into and nothing as of yet from the owner. I would say to all pet lovers and owners you never know sometimes how back door treatment of your pets are and this facility is not the one you want to leave anything you love behind at. Run.

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RO

Robyn Lynn Sztyndor

Dr Birkin is great. I brought my elderly cat in with neurological deficits and they treated him and kept him until he improved and could come home. When I got him back he was much better. He was happy and healthy for another 8 full months. He ended up suffering another stroke and it was during the evening so I had to bring him to another emergency 24 hour veterinary hospital and he passed away from another stroke (he was very old). However, Dr Birkin helped give him another happy and healthy 8 months before he passed. She cares a lot and takes the time to properly diagnose the animal for treatment and doesnt make off the cuff judgments. She is detail oriented and caring. You can trust her and know she is taking good care of your pet.

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