Volunteer Veterinary Clinic

Reviews 7

RA

Rachel Jones

I will never waste my time here again. While yes, Volunteer Vet Clinic is not as expensive as most places...you shouldnt have to sacrifice cost for knowledge. By standards of dogs and cats Dr. Dixon has received great reviews; exotic pet owners both friends of mine and strangers I have encountered have had a similar experience after asking how my appointment went (they did not know I was going here). First of all while I was waiting on Dr. Dixon in the examination room I could clearly hear him telling his assistant he "really didnt feel like dealing with a hedgehog today". Right then and there I had a bad feeling (as I was the only hedgehog owner in the facility). Second, his assistant attempted to weigh my hedgehog while repeatedly dropping her on the 2 inch high sides of the scale before I finally managed to convince her to allow me to do it for her. Finally when Dr. Dixon came in he spent 45 minutes reading a hedgehog info page (which wasnt even written by him) and he clearly showed signs of not knowing what on earth he was doing. He then examined my hedgehogs weight and became very dramatic about her weight; yet when I pointed out she shows no physical signs of obesity like he claimed he ignored me. It was also at this point he began telling me "facts" that were contradictory to one another. EX) "Your hedgehog is over weight so you should feed her canned cat food." Anybody who has done proper research would know this would only make a hedgehog gain weight fast! Also, when he "examined" my hedgehog he just squinted his eyes and eyeballed everything; he never once bothered to use a magnifying glass to check for mites. Many legitimate questions I had were ignored despite having been asked 3 or more times till finally I stopped carrying on a conversation with the man. This was of course after he became very demeaning with his attitude and began going on and on about how I shouldnt have honestly needed to bring a hedgehog in for her annuals because she wasnt a dog or a cat. At this point when he say how mad I was at how I was being treated he stopped talking and sent me on my way. Please if you have exotics do not bring them here. In the end I spent $80.00 to have a man with a bad attitude read me a piece of paper and run a stool sample test. You can find a place much mor educated and loving towards creatures than this facility.

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Christine Balliet

I have an umbrella cockatoo whom Dr. Dixon has seen over the course of about 5 years. The cockatoo is approximately 10 years old which is fairly young. My cockatoo got an infection that causes him to lose a substantial amount of weight, he became very dehydrated and his beak grew too long to allow him to eat properly. Dr. Dixon was very open to my thoughts, suggestions and we worked together to cone up with conservative but effective treatment. At one point my cockatoo even basically died for a moment but Dr. Dixon and staff worked diligently and brought him back. Dr. Dixon has also seen a couple other of my birds which had to have surgery, they took amazing care of them and love all of my avian children as their own. They give us everything we need without hesitation. I live near Antioch and gladly will drive the distance or even further to see Dr. Dixon and staff. There is no one better.

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Billy Cazeault

Weve used the clinic twice, once for a minor emergency with one of our dogs and today for another minor emergency with my cat. Up until last month, we had packages with Banfield, so for routine care we used them, but the wait was always long and they just try to sell, sell, sell. Both experiences at Volunteer were effortless...they took us right in, cared well for our pets, and as far as vets go, I felt the price was reasonable. The staff was very honest and professional, I especially liked Dr. Dixon because he is a "straight shooter." I like people who talk to me like an equal and can answer my questions without making me regret that I asked. He is straight to the point, says it like it is, and doesnt waste time. Very pleased with our experience, we will be using Dr. Dixon from now on.

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A Private User

We have used Volunteer Vet for many years and once upon a time this was an excellent veterinary clinic. That was when Dr. Richards and staff were in charge. While I wont say anything bad about the level of care provided, I will say that the demeanor it is provided with makes this a place to avoid. Dr. Fields is a very condescending and borderline demeaning person. She has an air about her that says, "I am better than you and you are terrible pet owner". Dont agree to all the various tests and labs she wants to run and you will really get to see this attitude. It is not just us either. i have several friends, all professional people, that have quit using this clinic as well due to the behavior I just described. Do your pet and yourself a favor and go elsewhere.

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Daniela G. Quintero

I left my dog here while I was in Europe for 13 days. During my vacation, I periodically checked in on her. I was assured every time that she was okay. Today, upon picking her up my dog was lethargic and had diarrhea with fresh blood in it. I was assured that it was coincidental that she had diarrhea and blood right when I picked her up. The vet examined her and did a fecal exam. Understandably I had questions but was rudely told "let me finish" when she was telling me results of the exam. Picking up an ill dog is not the service I paid for. I have NEVER written a review for any business but felt that their lack of professionalism merited this review. I would not recommend them to anyone nor will I entrust my dog with them again.

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TH

The Academy

I am a very new Vol Vet customer and I have never experienced this level of customer service. I recently rescued a bunny with NO knowledge of how to care for them. My bunny seemed very content and healthy for a few weeks and then he suddenly stopped eating. I was a walk in right when they opened and they walked me right back. The vet sat down with me and carried on a genuine conversation about how to properly care for and maintain my new pet. I called back 2 days later to ensure we were on the right track and spoke directly to the vet within 30 seconds. I have received several follow up calls to check in on my bunny. The level of service here is outstanding and I feel thankful to have found them!

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KR

Kristen Salter

My family has been using Volunteer Vet for as long as I can remember. Many years ago my dog, Houdini, developed kidney disease. We spent weeks of leaving him with them for dialysis, tried a few different routes to try and save him. After all the attempts, he had to be put down. It was extremely difficult to deal with. They helped us find options for cremation and an urn, and even sent me a vase of flowers when I finally got his urn. I still have one of the roses on his urn. Honest people dedicated to helping animals of all sorts, not just cats and dogs. Call ahead for specialty pets like reptiles, equines, rodents and such.

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