Heights Veterinary Clinic

Reviews 3

MI

Mike McCurdy

How could anyone who has met Dr. Hendrix have a negative thing to say about HVC. No other vet in Houston has laid a finger on my beloved poms for 15 years and they have maintained perfect health even once when things got bad. The facility while a bit dated in decor is state of the art in their technology i.e. a blood test can be ran in minutes at great expense to them and only $60 to you. You would spend hundreds going through LabCorp or their competitors for the same analysis from your human doctor. Dr. Hendrix is recognized and praised by Texas A&M Veterinary Teaching Hospital - The Texas Heart Instirute of Veterinary Science - and they work cooperatively on cases that step outside the realm of a clinic requiring a hospital setting. The staff is friendly and very caring and professional. You may be stunned to walk in a clinic without an appointment and see so many people in the waiting area with their pets. That is because the word is on the street in the Heights that Dr. Hendrix is far and above one of the best vets practicing anywhere. amazingly with all that traffic I never wait terribly long to be seen and you will likely strike up a conversation with other clients who are just as confident as I am and friendly because this is the Heights and that is how we hang. Im not a selfish person but Im a bit reluctant to post this review as I dont want to see him overwhelmed with new patients and unavailable to see me on the occasion when I need him. He is well known at Texas A&M and you can call them for their opinion if mine isnt good enough. Unfortunately Dr. Hendrix will tell you as he has me that ultimately he loses all his patients and that is a fact of having a pet. Pets pass away as a part of life and I imagine any negative review is out of grief over this inevitable loss and a need to lash out with blame. The care given at HVC is the best of any CLINIC not mentioning Gulf Coast which is in their referral system. Ill close by saying they care for you as much as your pet and Dr. Hendrix has ascended to the official vet for the Heights as far as I or anyone who knows him is concerned. Take care and good luck! I also want to add that they are conservative in their treatment and do not play on your emotions as many other vets do and give you straight facts to make decisions on. I would spend an unlimited amount of money on my poms and they know it but are always very conservative with treatments and tests always letting me weigh the option with the information to make a value decision. They are far too busy to bother milking the client with overly aggressive testing and treatment and running up your bill as MANY other vets do. Someone complained about $600 for a complex spay of their dog. Call St. Lukes and price out a hysterectome which is a similar human procedure and youll learn a cold lesson about the cost of medical care pets and humans alike. Go see Dr. Hendrid and tell him I sentcha!

A

A Private User

Ive been to this vet 3 times now, and after this morning Im now thinking I will switch to another. My overall impression is that the care is haphazard, the staff is either overwhelmed or careless (or both), and the facility doesnt impress as being particularly clean or well-run. My experience on a recent visit illustrates some of this. I was bringing in two kittens for vaccinations and testing, and I had anticipated being able to drop them off. (Heights Vet doesnt take appointments, which is one of their problems, Id say). Id spoken with someone there on the phone the day before, and after I told them who I was, that I was bringing in kittens, and that I wanted vaccines and testing, was told they could do it the next day if I dropped the kittens off before 10 am. I showed up at 7:50 am with the kittens, and was then told they NEVER let kittens or puppies be dropped off if they havent been vaccinated yet (!) . Therefore, I was instructed I would have to wait for the doctor to arrive and see the kittens. I was very annoyed because I had scheduled a business meeting at 9 am based on what the woman at reception had told me the day before. I proceeded to miss my meeting while I waited for the doctor to come and then for him to treat the kittens (which I then had to take home instead of leaving them there). While the kittens were getting their various tests (terrible tests that left them shaking), the vet proceeded to share his political views with me. Totally inappropriate, and worse since they arent my views! Then he seemed to be in a big rush to get done with us, and slightly annoyed when I wanted to ask a question. He and his assistant didnt ask if we needed more of the medications the kittens are on (which we did). I forgot to ask also, but would have appreciated if they helped us remember so we could have saved an additional trip. Finally, after I left I realized the doctor didnt tell us whether or not to continue with one of the antibiotics wed been giving. I called the office to ask for guidance, and the person who answered the phone (whom Im guessing is not a vet) said I should keep giving this antibiotic without even consulting one of the doctors! The fact that they dont take appointments means you will not see the same vet every time you go. This is not a model that I like-- I would prefer to get to know the vet who will be responsible for my pets care. It gives me the impression that they care. Finally, I do want to give a positive review of one of their doctors-- Dr. Hendrix, whom I saw last year on a visit with my 14-year-old cat who was dying of cancer. He was very kind, and answered every question without seeming rushed. Its because of Dr. Hendrix that I upgraded this review by a star.

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A Private User

I visited this vet for the first time today and was very impressed with the service. I brought my cat in at 7:55am and was brought back to exam room around 8:05am. The veterinarian came in within 5 minutes of us being called back. The veterinary assistant was friendly and extremely helpful. The veterinarian was the same. I am new to the area and he made a point to welcome me. He even said if I had any questions hed be happy to help familiarize me to the area. I thought that was really a kind-hearted thing to offer. Ive moved around quite a bit and had to use veterinarians all over the place. Im always dreading check-out time where Im told the final total cost for the appointment.... I think all vets over-charge but my monthly budget was not flipped upside down because of this appointment. I feel that the total price for the consultation and medications (kitty eyedrops and anti-histamine) was very fair AND I did not have to go and sell a kidney after this appointment which is always a plus, considering Ive only got 2. Perhaps the medications this time around were inexpensive lowering the appointment cost. But Ive taken my cat in for similar acute illnesses at other vet offices and been tempted to slap the receptionist in reaction to the appointment cost. But if were dumb enough to pay it, why not charge it? My point is, this time I was pleasantly surprised by the low appointment cost. I was in and out of the vet office in less than 40 minutes and satisfied with the care my kitty received. I think people are quick to post about negative experiences with places which is understandable. But I feel that positive experiences are just as important to share. So to summarize, I was happy with the staff and care at this office and I plan to return - as needed - of course.