Lavista Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

ST

Stephen Weil

I had about as negative an experience at this Vet as I could possibly imagine. My girlfriend and I have recently adopted a young terrier mix from the animal shelter. Hes a sweet dog but still a little nervous in new places and around strangers, although he warms up to people quickly and loves to play. We brought him to the Lavista Animal Hospital to get a checkup and to get some re-vaccinations to follow up on the ones the shelter had given him. When we arrived, our dog was happy and calm, met some new people and dogs in the lobby and was having no problems. When we took him back to see the elder Dr. Walton, it felt as though our Vet was just trying to get rid of us as quickly as possible. Dr. Walton took no time to meet our dog, let him sniff around, offer any treat, or in any way make our dog comfortable. Instead, as soon as he was through the door, he picked up our dog, stuck him on the counter, and started poking around in his face. Our dog quickly freaked out, trying to pull back but realizing he couldnt get off the tall counter, and started whining and snapping. Rather than making any effort to calm down our dog, Dr. Walton instead just told us that our dog was inherently aggressive, muzzled him, and refused to make any further attempt at calming down or examining him. Instead, he proceeded to tell us to "not get too attached" to our dog, and lectured us about how he would need to be put down if he bit too many people (keep in mind - he did nothing more than nip in this exchange, and has zero bites on his record or from any of his time in the shelter, including getting treated by their Vet). We were largely freaked out by this experience, and were inclined to trust this medical professional, but were also skeptical of how this exchange had occurred. While I am not a licensed Vet, it isnt hard to see how, when meeting a new dog, especially one that you have been told is an adopted stray, you might take even a minute or two to allow the dog to feel comfortable before immediately trying to handle him. Not only did Dr. Walton attempt to essentially convince us to get rid of our dog, he offered exactly zero positive recommendations or suggestions for ways that we could go about helping to train/socialize our dog or to otherwise make him more comfortable around people/being handled. Instead, we were quickly shown the door and given only a month of heartworm/flea prevention medicine, since "we shouldnt spend too much money on him" since "dogs like him end up in the shelter for a reason." My girlfriend and I both love our dog and hes been an absolute sweetheart with us and every other person hes met, so, while we took Dr. Waltons caution seriously, we also decided that we should try taking him to a different Vet to get another opinion. Taking him to the Briarcliff Animal Clinic was like a night and day experience. When our doctor there first met our dog, she let him sniff around for a bit, gave him a couple treats, and made sure he felt comfortable around her for the first few minutes, while she talked with us about his history and disposition. After a couple of minutes, our dog was smiling happily and thought the Vet was his new best friend. She then had us lift him up on the counter and hold him while she examined him. He wriggled around a bit, but ultimately let her examine his teeth, check his heartbeat and lungs, look in his ears, etc, and then got his re-vaccination shots with no problems at all. Zero growling, no nipping, zero signs of aggression. All that said - if you have a dog that is perfectly behaved and has plenty of experience with Vets, then the Lavista Animal Hopsital will probably do their job for you. If you have a dog that is at all nervous with new people (especially the Vet!), then dont expect this place to be willing to take any time out of their day to help give your dog a good experience. And if you ever wonder why there are so many sweet dogs that get abandoned, maybe its because of Vets like Dr. Walton.

HO

Hope Lee

Ive never been so disgusted with an animal clinic before. Customer service is horrific from both the veterinarians and front desk. I have been a pet owner for many years and have moved around the country a few times so Ive been to a lot of different clinics and met a lot of vets. I brought my cat in and while giving them her history, the doctor rolled her eyes at me. I wasnt rude, hostile, or hysterical so I have to admit that I was rather appalled that a doctor would do that to a client. Plus, in the doctors frustration to make a diagnosis, she yelled at me that she didnt know what to do (this also, has never happened to me before in an animal clinic). I paid in full before I left, and 15 minutes after I got home with my sick kitty, I received a nasty phone call from a receptionist saying I needed to come back and pay. I explained to her that I did, but she wouldnt listen and demanded that I return immediately. I hung up and looked up my credit card account online and saw that the charge had posted. I called back and a different receptionist answered so I explained to her the situation, that I had paid and would prefer to stay home with my sick animal rather than drive back there to pay a bill that had already been paid. She said, "Oh, your payment had accidentally been applied to another clients account." I told her that the other receptionist had scolded me like a naughty five year old child and demanded I drive back, "were you not going to call me and let me know that the mistake had been sorted out?" She didnt even apologize. I didnt even get so much as a disingenuous "Sorry". These people have no class, no professionalism, and no respect for clients. Please take your pet some place else. . . anywhere but LaVista Animal.

A

A Private User

I have had pets all my life, and was excited to find a facility that offered so many in-house services and procedures that was close to home. Unfortunately, I found the customer serivce and pet care (most important!) to be very disappointing. I rescued a kitten that had been abandoned in a parking lot and went to LaVista for her first exam, vaccinations, standard tests, and to be spayed. The services were extremely expensive - even for the area - over $330 for a just the routine spay. The procedure didnt go well, and I had to bring in the kitten twice after surgery to correct loose staples. It seems as if my questions were not welcome, although I think asking why staples were used on a 4.5lb kitten is a very valid question. I worked for a vet clinic for 2 years in college and was surprised and disappointed with each visit to this facility. However, there is one female veterinarian I saw on one visit and she was excellent. Unfortunately, my experience with the rest of the staff was enough to make me go elsewhere. The convenient location was absolutely not worth the apathy and rudeness of the staff or the inflated costs. With all the complications, I was never even called by anyone at the facility to follow-up. There are many other vet clinics and hospitals in the area; I would not reccoment this facility.