Swan Harbor Animal Hospital

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

Dr. Bonner was awesome but I do not recommend the new vets that have re-opened the practice. My dog had a limp during day care and the facility advised he could be seen when the vet came in for the day. The vet took the liberty of doing a complete exam and consulting with a pet dermatologist who, without seeing my dog, advised that amongst a number of conditions, my dog could have mange. He had an abscess on his foot that was draining and causing him to limp suddenly, but we had not noticed, he was not limping until that day when he went to day care. So I get a call from the vet stating my dog had an ear infection and this abscess and he was recommending a course of antibiotics to start but also wanted to do a few tests to see what was going on with him. He did not know the cost of the tests at the time but thought it was important to do them because things could get much worse for my dog if I didnt treat this immediately. He kept stressing how much worse things could get if I did not rule out all of these possibilities. I told him I did not like to just put my dog on medication randomly as I believe that could lead to other problems down the road, but I was very upset and worried about my dog and also upset that I had not even noticed anything wrong with him. I wanted to at least look at his paw before I made a decision. When I looked at it that evening it appeared there was a puncture wound of some sort and I was annoyed that the vet never even mentioned that. He just suggested doing all of these tests like scraping his skin with a blade to take hair samples, etc. to check for mites which would make him bleed - per the recommendation of the dermatologist, which I did not even approve of him calling about my pet!! Bottom line, I ended up getting an ear medication and an antibiotic for him. The antibiotic alone cost me 100 dollars. The best part is that I called other vets who quoted me prices over HALF of that for the same medications. Needless to say, it was a bad experience and this vet got me so upset over the health of my dog and worried that something was wrong with him JUST so he could charge me for a bunch of needless tests. I guess since I chose to not do the tests they wanted to get the money by overcharging me for antibiotics. Either way, I will NEVER take him there again, regardless of how convenient it is to the day care facility. The one vet even mentioned that in her previous practice she could not charge as much in that location as she can here in Baltimore. I appreciate being thorough, but how my pet limping turned into mange, I have NO IDEA!!!

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A

A Private User

My Husband and have lived in Baltimore for 2 years.. We have been to City Pets and Light street.. We only came by Swan because we had to board our Special Needs cat. Our kitty has been going through tests for 4 months tyring to figure out what was wrong with her.. so leaving her at home while we travel over the holidays was not an option, So i called Swan.. They had room and thats when they started to exceed my expectations.. they greeted me at the Downtown Day car office and asked me questions and made special arrangements for out kitty (who has no use of her back legs). They set up a special litter box and agreed to rinse her off everyday. They called me everyday just to let me to know she was okay. I didnt ask them to but i know because she was a special case they wanted to make sure i knew she was okay.. She was moved to Swan 2 days into her stay. She has blood in her urine. Dr. Everhart and Christine we super nice, always willing to chat until i was good. They called be before they preformed any exam or administered any meds. My kitty needed some ointment and they called to talk with me about it. At they end my kitty had to be put down.. the only connection to Swan was that she happened to be there. My hubby and I were tyring to decide when to do it. I couldnt be there when i kitty went to heaven but Dr. Everhart and Christina talked me through it. calmed me down and I really trusted them. but the icing on when we started to talk about Sophie (my Cat) she had tears. I mean I knew at that moment sophie was in good hands when she died. I recommend this caring and wonderful staff... -- Laura

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A

A Mora

I am writing this review to not only help fellow animal owners but also publicly speak of the wrong doing by this veterinary office . Over the past 2 months I have been dealing with multiple complications post having my 8 month old puppy neutered at Swan Harbor Hospital. First of all, the office hired a new doctor without informing any of their clients, the day of my dogs surgery was the first time meeting the new Vet. The second meeting went just as bad as the doctor had no clue who my dog was and stated "I dont recall taking care of this dog", she also could not remember if my dog was a male or a female. A week later I brought my dog back due to a large boil that started to form and the new doctor proceeded to tell me this was NORMAL and the incision site appeared healthy and did not want to prescribe any antibiotics -- she believed my dog just needed pain medication. After a few days and the site not looking any better, I tried to call and make an appointment on Saturday (a normal work day for the office) and I was told the doctor was out of the office that weekend and wouldnt be able to see my dog till the following Tuesday. With the doctor not available or unwilling to check on my dog, and the site starting to appear worse, I took my dog for a second opinion. I went to another Vet, my dog had to go through additional treatment, and a second surgery. In short, Swan Harbor Hospital cost me over $1,000 to correct the initial neutering done at Swan Harbor Hospital. PLEASE RETHINK BEFORE TAKING YOUR ANIMAL HERE.

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EM

Emily Shank

This review relates to Dr. Bishop and the support staff (Christina). They are amazing. I could tell you that they have same-day appointments, and are connected to Downtown Dog Resort- and all this would be legit reasons for why I like them. BUT, really, what gets me is the time they take to go over the medical history of my pets, ask questions, and really listen to my concerns. I never feel rushed, I always feel like I leave with all my questions answered. Another thing Dr. Bishop does that is awesome- he tells you what to expect. Often, vets cant give you an answer on what is wrong with your pet right away. Its a common frustration. Dr. Bishop has this habit of outlining possible courses. So- hell tell you on the first visit- "A" may be a problem, so first step is "x" if we get "y" result, well look at doing 1, 2, 3 but if we get "z" result, we will look at doing 4, 5, 6. This might be what every vet does in their head, but the fact that he takes the owner along for the journey, and lets us know where we are in the process- incredibly helpful!

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