West Market Veterinary Hospital

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

The first time I had to take my cat (December 2005, then nearing 6 years old) to West Market Veterinary Hospital was because she was traveling and needed a health certificate and some booster shots. I chose them (since I lived away from Greensboro for several years and hadnt needed to take her to a vet for health or maintenance reasons) based a bit on location but even more on the cost-shes never been anything but frantic and panicky with vets since getting fixed as a kitten, so I dreaded it regardless of who she would see. Imagine the surprise when my cat is COOING at this doctor (Ron Murray) and his assistant (I think its the same one that she loved up on this time, too, two years later, though I cant be certain of that), chattering with him, letting him scratch her cheeks as he checks her teeth, stomach, etc. instead of hiding in his cabinets or running away. Maybe he rubs tuna juice perfume into his palms beforehand, but whatever his method is other than being calmer than the dog whisperer, its very clear that Dr. Murray (who is, other than his very sweet wife at the same location, the only vet I will take her to as long as I live within 50 miles of them) absolutely loves animals and is totally at ease with them. I found their prices are quite reasonable (checkup was around $40 and blood panels were $68 in August 2007 for my cat, but thats not, to me, a lot for a lab test to do every 2 years when that is like 14 human years and it lets me know in particular if her kidneys and liver are handling her food well or if there should be any changes to her diet for the next "7" years). I especially appreciated that, when I took her in partly because of her developing allergies to a new house weve moved into, they were very conservative and told me that they really DONT recommend being aggressive with things like steroid shots that could have side effects worse than the initial issue--they told me I could, on her bad days, start with 1/4 a childrens dose of benadryl (quick dissolve strips work well for this) and go to 1/2 a kid dose up to twice a day if that was not enough... they didnt try prescribing "kitty antihistamines" or anything expensive and told me so so much about what the bloodwork numbers showed (hers were all perfect, and they showed them next to the workup from 2 years ago, too, since it was important to know what was looking good!). In addition, when I was asking about her diet (shes gotten curvy and had, indeed, gained a pound in this seventh year), they showed on a picture chart how shes a "6" on the 1-10 chart, 5 being ideal, so basically the plan is just cutting down the calories by 1/3 (for her, since she eats the same volume no matter the type of food, were mixing the current food with the same brand, Science Diet, in a formula with less calories) to SLOWLY-to prevent fatty liver disease- get that 10% off and have her back to a lean 5. In other words... they are very thorough and love educating loving pet servants and, as their sign says, are sorry if you have to wait a little while because they are giving the same quality time and attention to another loved pet as theyll give yours! They really live up to that claim, though I have never waited more than a couple of minutes. One last note... They also introduced me to, by using it on my cat with me watching, the FURminator (look it up-its great and is only a once a week tool for incredible pet hair management!), which Im SO grateful about two weeks and 90% less shedding later. Their price for it was quite reasonable, about 35% higher than the cheapest reputable online store (and to have it that day with a store I could take it back to and to support my local vet... very worth it). In any case, my scaredy cat is definitely a testimony to the gentle, compassionate nature of these vets (and their incredibly loved-by-pets assistant that Im almost sure is the same girl who was helping that first visit 2 years back). Everyone there is just wonderful. They have all my confidence and loyalty!

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MA

Mama Judy

This is a vet for pet owners who want their pets healthy as soon as possible. Dr. Murray gets straight down to business and gets to know your pet in order to make the best diagnosis and prognosis for your animal. Dr. Murray does not have time for stupid questions; do not expect him to coddle you. He is not a nurse there to soothe you out of the stress youre feeling over your sick friend, he is a doctor there to fix it. I highly recommend this vet to pet owners who are also ready to get down to business and heal their pets. The customer with the ear drops: you said at the end of the week your dog was still scratching the infected ear. ...so you knew which one was infected. Why would it possibly be the case that the treatment would be ear drops in the other ear? If you were confused in the exam room, you should have asked then. Yes, it is true, Dr. Murray may look a little baffled when you ask something ridiculous, but he will explain things thoroughly. When our beloved pets are in danger, our minds are racing with concerns, and perhaps we dont process information as best we do when we are calm. If he talks to a pet owner like hes a third grader, its only because he sounded like one. He will still answer your questions and move on with your appointment. Again, do not expect him to coddle you. Expect him to do his job well.

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A

A Private User

Thank you all for your responses. They really do help us improve our quality of care. Micah I am truly sorry that you felt demeaned by my demonstration of which ear is the left versus the right. I must admit, I had never been asked that question and it surprised me. In short, their left/right is the same as ours, and it does not matter which way they are facing. Again I am sorry if you were offended by my explanation, but when I shook your hand and wished you and your pet good luck in the future I truly meant it. Brae and Blaine, I apologize if you felt misled about our payment plans and our services. I tried holding checks, and carrying balances for our new clients, and then found that over 90% were not able to be collected. The only alternative was to begin offering CareCredit. If approved; which is very simple, you can receive a loan at 0 % interest for up to 12 months. If you can locate a more simple or liberal payment plan please let me know so that I can begin offering that one to our clients as well. Also, we recommend the spay/neuter clinic daily and they do a wonderful service for our community. Again thank you for your responses, and may God bless you all.

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A

A Private User

We called this vet up in regards to the big bold print in the yellow pages that bragged "Payment Plans Offered". We wanted to know how they worked being as we had a sick puppy, and had already invested thousands in our last dog, we were having a tight time. They told me "CareCredit is what we mean by payment plans offered". I responded "so what youre telling me is that youd rather let an animal suffer than make a payment plan with its owner"... Perhaps the lady who answered the phone thought she was being smart when she said "I repeat... Care credit is what we mean by payment plans offered"... I was just as smart when I responded back with "youd rather let an animal suffer than to make a payment plan with its owner". The lady said "I SAID carecredit is your option with us" and proceeded to hang up the phone. Compared with false advertising, expensive quoting, and heartless staff, theres no way Id take an animal into this place. Their main goal seems to be how much they can pad their pockets while letting both the human owners and the animals suffer as a result.

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