Alberta Veterinary Care

Reviews 8

LI

Lizzy Caston

Incredibly professional, compassionate, attention to detail, fantastic care givers and communicators. I switched to Alberta a couple of years ago after a bad experience at another NE vet. From the get go Alberta was heads above other vets Ive used in Portland. What I like: a good vet office has experienced, well trained doctors who take the time to give hands on assessment of your animal, consult you and other doctors on the best treatment plan, and ask you as many questions and they offer advice. They help educate you as well as want to learn from you. They also go over prices and will provide a range of cheaper options if available and the upsides and downsides to those cheaper options. A great vet office also has top level staff - from the person answering the phones & scheduling as well as vet assistants. A really great vet clinic is also clean, orderly, run like a fine tuned machine, has strong systems & communications between staff and other staff as well as patients in place. Alberta is all this. I also like how they email you a summary of visit, breakdown of costs, detailed treatment notes after each visit so you dont have to try to remember what was said in the office or have to decipher bad handwriting notes. What you need to know: I wish they had extended hours 7am not 8am weekdays, and longer hours including evening hours, and on on weekends, as well as being open on Sundays. They do not have a parking lot nor drop off/loading area in front and parking and trying to get a sick or spacey 63 lb dog from street parking a block or two away on busy Alberta street can be a pain. They are also on the higher end in pricing...sometimes, but not always. If you want a cheaper vet, those exist, but for those of us where top level care is more important, the cost is worth it

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AN

Anne Dahlkemper

I thought I would try out supporting a solo veterinary practice rather than the corporate animal hospital where I had previously taken my cats (though the care there had been good). Dr. Cates was very thorough and professional as well as timely in communicating results and follow-up treatment plan. However, for me there was a lot lacking by the way of his interpersonal interaction with myself as well as no demonstrable affection or compassion toward my pet (as is usually the case for those who dedicate a career toward working with animals and the people who love them). His demeanor was very clinical and in my initial visit and subsequent phone conversation felt his language to be condescending and impatient. In addition to this, his office contacted me multiple times per day over the course of a couple days while I was at work (and do not have access to my mobile phone, no reception) to collect payment for a lab test added on after my visit. Before I had opportunity to remit payment around work hours, I received an email from Dr. Cates chastising me for not responding to the voicemails and demanding I make payment that day. Literally this was over a few days when I previously made payment in full for exam, prior labwork, and medications. Most bothersome to me of all was that Dr. Cates administered a sedating medication to my cat (who was not cooperating with blood and urine draw) without requesting my permission or notifying me. So to sum up, I will not be going back. If you are seeking plain clinical competency, Im sure you wont go wrong with Alberta Veterinary. However if bedside manner is something you value, I would advise looking elsewhere.

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ME

Mellennesse Blackbird

Had a bad experience there today. When I called, the lady on the phone wanted me to transfer records from our old vet, but I just said, "Let me see how I like working with you guys before I decide to do that." Ive been perfectly happy with our old vet, but Alberta Veterinary is right around the corner, so I gave them a call. Then when we got in there, the doctor looked over our dog and said we needed to treat her ears for a yeast infection. They had black stuff in them -- just a little. That seemed a little weird since wed come to get her paw looked at: she has a lump in the side thats kind of worrying. So did we have deal with the ears right now? I said, "Isnt the ear problem kind of sub-clinical?" The doctor got all huffy -- he obviously was the kind who doesnt want patients taking over, and I had the feeling he didnt like me knowing medical language. He lectured me for about ten minutes about what a jerk I was (I just sat and listened), then he kicked me out. I said I was sorry for stressing him out, but he had already turned his back on me. I honestly dont know what I did to upset him quite so badly. The best thing about the experience was that he didnt charge us for the visit. And the other people seemed very nice.

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DA

Dan D.

I wish I could give grades instead of stars. I would grade this place F- for their customer service and questionable billing practices. Been with them two years but finally told them how I felt and all they could do is hang up on me lol. I wont go into it as there is not enough room, so will just say I am extremely displeased with this vet and his office manager. Save yourself the money and keep looking for a competent vet. Mr. Cates has the bedside manner of a rotten egg. He also seems to not have a clue as to how to properly run a business.

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JO

John Stephen Von Roue

This morning I took my champion AKC black Chinese pug who was in the process of giving birth with placenta emerged and this veterinarian refused to help care for my puppy and her babies. They do not have experience or equipment in this area and I would strongly recommend against anyone using a veterinarian physician that is not skilled enough to birth puppies. Very disappointing; very dangerous and definitely incompetent both in skill and equipment. If I could give them 0 or negative I would have - horrible horrible experience!

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FA

Faith Colish

We started going here after taking our dog to four other vets over the course of a few years with no solution to all of his health problems. The vets we saw either blamed us for not taking care of him or put him on so many meds I could barely keep track of them all. Dr. Cates figured out what was wrong on his first visit and hes never had his symptoms come back since the first visit two years ago. Theyre also always kind and have done a great job with all our other pets as well!

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EL

Eli Lynch

Friendly, experienced, competitively priced, clean, honest, and excellent diagnosticians. My dog loves them and my cat just had a dental procedure there and was THE happiest cat post surgery Ive ever seen. Dr. Corbet is Da bomb! I almost dont want others to know because this place is a rare gem. The other veterinarians Ive been to got too big, sold their practice and started to really not be awesome. Love everyone at Alberta Veterinary Care!

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CA

CARRIE SCHULTZ

Just switched veterinarians based on recommendation from friends. I couldnt be happier. Dr Cates is phenomenal! Very thorough, professional, empathetic and explains everything really well. Dog ended up being very ill and needed emergency surgery and Dr Cates got the ball rolling. Dog is home now recovering. To top it off, the facility is beautiful, clean and in a convenient location with excellent ancillary staff!

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