River Heights Veterinary Hospital

Reviews 3

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Alison May

My husband and I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Juriga and the entire River Heights staff, as all of them were incredibly helpful, responsive, thorough, and professional. Especially given that my cat Jax developed a painful tooth infection just before the holidays, I was stunned at the incredibly high level of service I received. For instance, my regular vet (Dr. Fox in Skokie, who is also great) initially referred me to a few pet dental specialists who were unavailable on short notice and especially around the holidays. It was actually one of the vets whom Dr. Fox recommended that referred me to Dr. Juriga. However, our experience with Dr. Juriga and Dr. Jurigas follow-up with Dr. Fox was so phenomenal that Dr. Fox now refers directly to Dr. Juriga. Anyway, I called Dr. Jurigas office in tears, fearing that Jaxs tooth infection was cancer. The receptionist was very kind and calming, and I felt reassured that Dr. Juriga would indeed call me back as soon as he was available, as the receptionist said he would (which he did only minutes later). Dr. Juriga shared that he would be in the office on a day he normally wasnt scheduled to be and therefore not only had availability but would see Jax the next day (Thursday). He, too, was worried about cancer, but explained all our options, did Jaxs surgery that very next day, gave us a gift card to use at the local cafe (which was such a nice touch), and allowed us to watch the surgery. We could see what great care he and the attending nurse took with Jax. He also reassured us that we should be fine traveling by car with Jax for the holidays that weekend, that he would be in touch with us with biopsy results over the holiday, and followed up with an email to explain the surgery and after-care instructions. The receptionist even called the next day to check on Jax. The care that Dr. Juriga took with Jax was evident when, upon arriving home, a cat who had just had one-quarter of his teeth removed wanted nothing more than to eat. He never skipped a beat, and even well past when the pain medication surely wore off, Jax was begging for not just soft food but hard as well. He clearly felt immensely better immediately. We then proceeded home for the holidays, where we were finding Jax to be increasingly intolerant of his liquid medication. Dr. Juriga swung into action yet again, connecting with my vet in my hometown and prescribing the pill form of the medication. Keep in mind this is all over the holidays--Dr. Jurigas only comment about talking with my vet at home in Maryland was how incredibly nice the other vet was. We dodged a bullet in that Jaxs infection turned out to be just that...an infection and not cancer. Dr. Juriga called us over the holidays to give us the good news (and also put up with a bunch of nervous calls from us to the effect of, "Has the biopsy come back yet?"). The surgery wasnt cheap, but it was a great deal as far as we were concerned given that a) we got an incredibly high level of service including Dr. Juriga interfacing with 2 other veterinarians and multiple appointments on short-notice over the holidays, b) vet services have been getting more expensive in the 11 years weve had Jax and c) the price of medical care for humans has soared, so why shouldnt it have increased for animals too? We felt the rate charged was incredibly fair, and Dr. Juriga even let us space out the payments, understanding that we didnt want to arrive home for the holidays on fumes. Im sorry for this incredibly long post. However, I felt it necessary to go into depth to show on just how many levels Dr. Juriga and the entire River Heights Veterinary Hospital went above and beyond to take incredible care of us and our cat. It was well worth the 1-hour trip each way.

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Helen M.

I am giving RHVH an "excellent" rating - and no, Im not kin to anyone there or employed there! (I noticed that conjecture in some "poor" reviews, so Im starting out with the record straight. :-) ) Our family owns a boston terrier that recently was having serious dental problems, and our local vet referred us to Dr. Juriga. I was hesitant to travel an hour to take our pet to a specialist; however, our vet highly insisted, and it was a good experience. The staff are professional and friendly; I was especially impressed at the diligence the two young ladies sweeping and mopping were in their work to keep the reception areas clean. Dr. Juriga took the time to explain to us what he suspected the problem was with our pet, using pictures and models for illustration. An estimate of the costs were given on a pre-printed fee schedule, which I was grateful to have with me when I left. I was glad the doctor was willing to discuss both the pets health problem *and* the costs, rather than just dealing with our dog and then leaving the front staff to explain the bill. (Kudos to you, Dr. Juriga!) The dog had the procedure done, involving several more journeys back and forth for me. However, the staff seemed aware of my stress and travel, and each time greeted me and made me feel like they were concerned for both me and my pet. In a busy practice, they are to be commended for that personal attention to clients and patients. We plan to remain with our current local vet for routine visits for our boston; however, in situations beyond routine care, I would quickly return to RHVH for their services. If I lived closer and my vet was retired, then I would consider RHVH the perfect place to continue our pets routine care. They are professional, compassionate, knowledgeable, and kind. Plus, the facility is clean and modern and very welcoming! I highly recommend them, and rate them "excellent."

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A Private User

I cant say enough about River Heights Veterinary Clinic. We live in Chicago, and when our 7-year-old Chihuahuas face started swelling, we went straight to our vet. The verdict was a fractured tooth and infection, so they referred us to Dr. Juriga in Oswego, and we are so happy they did! *** I called them at 8pm on a Thursday, and they got us in at 8am the next morning (despite having a full day of back-to-back patients!). After an examination, Dr. Juriga and his team sat down with us to go over exactly what was going on with our pups dental issues, why things cost what they did, and what to expect during and after surgery. *** After such a great first experience, we recently went for a second visit to have a teeth cleaning for our other Chihuahua. Despite having a full day of patients, Dr. Juriga spent almost an hour with us just talking to us about the importance of dental care and proper diet. Then while our pup was under for the cleaning he noticed that he had a lot of wax build up, so he cleaned his ears and made sure we had the proper medication to treat what ended up being an ear infection. He then called twice to follow up the next few days. You just cant find this level of care anymore, so despite having to travel an hour both ways to see him, Dr. Juriga is well worth it. *** On a side note, the compassion is shown in the details: they offer a Keurig cup of coffee while youre waiting; they have a map of the area ready for you with shopping destinations highlighted; they give you a $5 coupon for a local coffee shop; and the post-op rooms look more like mini-lounges with chairs and couches. These people obviously care about the pets AND their owners! *** 5 stars hands down!