VCA Woodland Animal Hospital

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

Short version: HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!! If I could give this clinic 10 stars, I would! Dr. West/Woodland Hospital for Animals is amazing, I will never go anywhere else. The staff here provide exceptional quality service to animals and their families. The prices here are the same as everywhere else, but the treatment is ten times better. If you have an ongoing health issue with your pet and your current vet cant seem to get it resolved, give Dr. West a try. Shes been a godsend to our family. Long version: My dog developed allergies eighteen months ago. For about a year brought him in for appointment after appointment to our former vet, with the same symptoms. Again and again wed received the same antibiotics and topical spray. My dog would show a tiny improvement, then as soon as the meds stopped his skin would get bad again. He was really suffering and I was so frustrated that I was spending so much money but nothing was helping him. I was told that the only other option was very expensive allergy testing. I decided a second opinion was in order. Since Im not familiar with the area, I called around to several clinics. Woodland Hospital for Animals had prices right in line with the other places Id checked into, and the phone staff was by far the most friendly and helpful of all the places Id called. I made an apppointment with Dr. West right away (they got me in quickly, and worked with my schedule) and this was one of the best decisions Ive ever made. She reviewed my dogs records, listened closely to our description of his symptoms, asked questions, and examined him carefully. Our initial appointment was the most thorough examination that my dog has ever gotten from a vet in his life - but our bill was the same as "in and out" appointments at my previous vet. The difference was remarkable. Dr. West really took the time to figure out what was going on. She explained exactly what was going on with my dogs skin and why. She explained that solving allergy issues is a trial and error process and she said she understood how frustrating it could be, but with time she was confident that shed be able to help my dog. (Spoiler alert: She outdid herself!) She discussed the options for treatment, told me what to expect during the treatment process, and recommended starting with the simplest/least expensive treatment route first - a round of medicine to get him better and a change in his diet to try to keep him that way. Her instincts were amazing - she got the right combination on the very first try. After just one appointment and a follow-up, my dogs year + of suffering has ended. His symptoms are completely gone - no itching, licking, sores, rashes, bald spots... hes a normal, healthy dog again, and I cant thank Dr. West and Woodland Hospital for Animals enough. :)

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JE

Jess Marks

I am going to say Excellent based on my visit with Dr. West. She is WONDERFUL with cats, especially if you have a cat who is terrified of Vets! She will go to extreme measures to ensure that she does not traumatize your cat. She also spends a lot of time educating you an anything you have questions about. I absolutely LOVE her and recommend her to any and all! Now, on another note: Theres Dr. Durham, the only male doctor there. I would highly discourage taking your cat to him ESPECIALLY if you have a scaredy-cat. If your scaredy-cat is like mine then it tends to get very agitated when afraid and so my cat had on her evil 2nd persona and Dr. Durham did a horrible job with her. He was so obviously terrified of her and highly uncomfortable handling her which made her even more upset & nervous. He did not seem very compassionate (at least not in this case) and he barely spoke to me- was very distracted. Then he snuck in a RIDICULOUS charge for clipping her claws which he did not inform me of before he did it- which I did not appreciate at all. And also, if you are going to push a particular brand of food, at least explain WHY you are pushing it- Dr. West did that very well, so well that I actually switched to it- but Durham on the other hand did not explain the benefits at all other than claiming that the "special" food would help clean my cats teeth- which I later discovered that claim to be a load of garbage (by my own research and then confirmed by Dr. West who further refuted that claim- I did not mention Dr. Durham in the conversation) The point- my experience with Dr. Durham not only further traumatized my cat, but it traumatized me as well. Moral- go see Dr. West. She is nothing less than amazing at what she does! And maybe Dr. Durham does better with dogs, couldnt hurt to try I guess.

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SA

Sarah Young

I have been using VCA Woodland in GR since moving here two years ago. Ive worked in veterinary medicine myself on and off over the last twenty years so I am perhaps more critical than some. While Ive had wonderful experiences with all of the staff and veterinarians Ive met thus far during multiple visits with 3 different pets, Im especially impressed by Dr. Koelzer who has gone above and beyond on several occasions. During the fall of 2015, my wonderful elder lab was having increasing issues with GOLPP. In addition to reaching out to neuro and doing some research on her own, she later pointed me to a wonderful in-home euthanasia veterinarian who helped us say good bye peacefully at home with our other dog. We recently got a pup and have been in for routine vaccines. Because of the GOLPP with our last lab, Ive been trying to research neuter time frames. Dr. K printed off several articles/studies for me that I could not access myself not being associated with a clinic anymore. I really appreciate the time she (and others) take to explain the latest and greatest. Also, the wellness packages are a steal of a deal! Its really nice to sign up for the year and know that all of the basics are covered. Lastly, I appreciate the relationship between Whiskers and VCA Woodland. When I was at the clinic last week, a pet came in from Whiskers who had been boarding but wasnt doing so well. I board at Whiskers so knowing that my established veterinarian is right next door is a real plus! When I have to leave my pets, I like to know that they will be well cared for.

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A

A Private User

I was in town for a wedding so I had to board my dog overnight. I dont live in the Grand Rapids area. I chose Woodland because they had Sunday pick up. I toured the facility once I got in town, and it was very nice and clean. I was planning on paying $24.50 for a one night stay and $9.75 for a play session. When we picked the dog up Sunday we were charged $51.50 for a one night stay. I asked why it was so much. Well there was a $12 fee for Sunday pick up that we werent told about and a biohazard fee of $5.25. When I asked about these fees they apologized and said someone should have explained the $12 Sunday fee to me and the biohazard was for cleaning up the dogs "waste." I have never seen a "biohazard" charge on any other bill from boarding my dog. The fee to have the oil in my car disposed of is less than this charge for dog "waste." The facility was nice and the people seemed to care about the animals, but I feel my dog has gotten comparable care at places that charge me $13 per night and dont have extra fees.

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