Lake Harriet Veterinary

Reviews 3

JO

John Ballin

Best ferret vet! And in general the best vet Ive ever encountered. Its rare to find a vet who is truly familiar with ferrets, but Dr Palmieri has ferrets herself. Regarding treatment, they have the knowledge to recommend options that are both conservative and effective. In one instance I had a very old ferret that was suffering from adrenal failure (which causes many issues, among which are loss of fur). Dr Palmieri recommended a treatment that not only dealt with the adrenal issue, but also ended up causing all of her fur to grow back, and she has never been happier. And the treatment, in this instance, was very inexpensive. Every member of the staff is extremely professional and very friendly. Their rates are very reasonable, and (in my experience) they will always recommend the conservative (and less expensive) treatment before the ones of higher cost. As I said, they will always present all the options, but you can also count on them to give advice that is best for the animal and for you. I am very protective of my ferrets, to the point where I dont even go on vacation because I dont trust anyone to take care of them. But I would feel perfectly comfortable dropping them off with this vet office and know that they would receive the best care possible; I never worry about the ferrets when they are there. Not only do they receive the best care, but they receive a great deal of love, too. They also give very realistic advice regarding treatment; there have been a few instances where it was better to end their suffering rather than take extraordinary measures to keep them alive. Regardless of their recommendations, it was always handled with compassion and understanding, and whatever I decided was the final word. They guide but do not force. And when it is time to say goodbye, they provide time and space to grieve in whatever way is needed. And they grieve right along with you; I believe that they truly love all of the pets placed under their care. I have been to different vets and animal hospitals, because ferrets require a great deal of care. But I have never encountered a group like this one. And if they can provide such extraordinary service to exotic animals like mine, I can only imagine what great service they give to the dogs and cats that they see so frequently (which is probably why every time I go there, there are ALWAYS people with cats and dogs who are there for treatment or checkups as well). No one else has ever cared for my animals as they do. I have lived in the Twin Cities for two years, and if I ever move, I dont know how any other office will live up to the standard which they have set. For the sake of my ferrets, I may never be able leave the area. They really are that good.

DA

dan sheff

Not sure how they are able to eliminate bad reviews since mine was less than 6 months old but the 5 star reviews are out there for years....hmmmm. Because this review is critical I decided to post it again. Hopefully, this time it will not magically disappear. I had been bringing my dog here for years and loved the vets, service, holistic options, etc. However, as my dog began to age they didnt seem to be able identify issues or provide proper care. They seemed rather clueless. They wanted to treat her for Cushings although all tests came back negative. I declined since the medication can cause more harm than the Cushings and why would you treat a dog with intrusive medication based on assumption. Then, she had an accident with a severe break of her back leg. Her leg litterally dangled and I could see the bone near the skin. I brought her in at 9am on a Saturday since I was blocks from the clinic and they said I needed to take her to an emergency hospital. I asked if they could at least secure the leg to avoid internal bleeding or futher complications from travel. They said they could not until I demanded they do so. I told them I have been paying them to care for my dog every 6 months for many years and the least they could do is secure the damn leg because this break was rather serious. They reluctantly took her to the back room and said they would call me in when a vet was available. When I finally went back there after 45 minutes her leg was dangling over the examination table. I was stunned and told them to secure it immediately. They finally did. Then, the vet took xrays and called me into an office. He told me that with Cushings, her age, and her arthritis, that I should euthanize her. He said she will never walk again and this would be the best for the dog. I told him that we do not know she has Cushings, her arthritis was very treatable, and I am not killing my dog over a broken leg. I told them to send my records to the U of M and left for the U. The U of M vets were quite surprised by this recommendation and by the Cushings diagnosis since three separate tests proved otherwise. The U of M put a pin in her leg and she was walking within 5 days. Today, she is walking fine and a very happy, healthy, old dog. Therefore, if you want a vet that is very good at the basics, this is your clinic. However, if you need a vet that has the skill set to treat a dog with a few treatable issues and the concern for your dog in order to take the time to simply stabilize a leg, then this clinic is not for you.

BA

Base

I was recently disappointed with my vet of 12 years and decided to try some place new. LHAH was close by, had a lot of great reviews, and has a lot of holistic treatment options, which I was interested in. They seem to have reasonably competitive prices as well. At first I really appreciated them, however, the more I have been going there the more I have gotten frustrated with the utter lack of access. If you have the luxury of having 3 or 4 days to wait for an appointment then great. If you have a dog who is sick, however, and need to see your vet in a hurry they are simply unwilling to accommodate. I have been trying to get in to see them for 2 days because my dog has blood in his stool and they push me out for 3 more days, like that is an option. It is frankly unprofessional and dangerous to recommend that a patient with these symptoms wait 5 days for treatment until they can fit me in. They didnt recommend that I go somewhere else, mind you, just to wait it out. I also recently had my other dog tear his ACL. I took the dog into LHAH for assessment, and they were able to fit me in within 3 days. They made the diagnosis, and I told them that I wanted to try conservative management. They sent me home with no instructions, no idea of what level of activity or immobilization the dog needs and no clear idea of what to do next. I ended up researching online and finding a specialty clinic in the city that I am now using for to help me manage this long term. Perhaps they are simply victims of their own success, and have so many happy clients that they dont have any more availability. Unfortunately it does me no good to have a vet who is incapable of actually treating my pets when the treatment is needed. I can go anywhere for shots where urgency is not an issue. But the lack of availability and the somewhat sketchy care/follow through on more high intensity ailments has me searching for a new vet yet again. If you really think you just need a standard vet to get shots once a year, then I am sure that they are fine. But if you have pets with more critical needs, or older pets where there could be issues that need anything other than basic care I recommend that you research LHAH carefully and at the very least, establish a relationship with a back up clinic nearby where you can take your pets when there is greater urgency. I personally am incredibly frustrated with them and am looking elsewhere.