Critter Care Veterinary Clinic Inc

Reviews 5

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Monica Walters

Im not really sure where all of these negative reviews are coming from. Weve been taking our pets to Critter Care for the last three years, and Ive found them to be pretty great. The girls at the front are friendly and helpful, and Ive never been pushed to buy something I dont need or sign my dogs or cats up for treatments they dont need. I think my animals have only seen Dr. Leyendecker once or twice, as we usually get Dr. Fruge, who is a great vet. Weve also had a great experience with the techs. From one visit to the next, they had looked up and learned more about one of our dogs, who is a fairly rare breed in Laredo. They were also kind enough to explain to my 7 year old step-daughter why they were taking out blood, what the vaccines were for, and they handled all of her questions with extreme patience. Ive also been in when the waiting room was packed with animals, and I find that most of the time, when a dog is losing his head barking, the owner takes him or her outside so as not to distract the other animals or the staff. Thats common courtesy- for your fellow humans and animals. Ive never seen the staff be rude to anyone, and they certainly havent ever been rude to me. As for the vet himself, Dr. Fruge is exceptional. Hes calm and knowledgeable, and he provides all options and allows you to decide for yourself without any judgment or pushing to do things a certain way. He listens, asks for clarification if needed, and then advises- very rare in this town. Once, when we showed up towards the end of their work day, he apologized for taking so long to come into the room. He seemed frazzled and stressed, but he still took the time to address our issues and help explain what the best treatments were. If he took that time with every patient before us, then Im willing to forgive a long wait at the end of a long day (this was after 7 p.m. before they added the longer hours.) All in all, Im very happy with their service, and as long as Dr. Fruge is there, we will continue to take our animals there.

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Tabitha Holmbeck

I brought my 17 month old English bulldog puppy, Baby to this clinic on January 17th, 2017. She had been hit by a city sanitation truck about 15 minutes prior to our arrival. She was still breathing and conscious after being struck. When we got there they immediately took her to the back while we waited in the waiting room. I was severely distressed and crying, as any dog owner who had to witness something like that would be. The doctor came out not even 2 minutes later and brought us back into a room and asked us what happened, then told us she was dead and there was nothing they could do. They didnt give me even 5 minutes to decide what I wanted done with her body, and when I asked to see her one last time, they took me into a room and she was already wrapped in a black garbage bag and put into a cardboard box. The doctor asked several times for my parents, and when I said I was the owner, and that I was 18 years old, she told me to grow up and make a decision on what I wanted done with her body, that she was just a dog and that I was 18 years old already. I wasnt even at this clinic longer than 15 minutes when I had to leave without my Baby. They then took 23 days to return her ashes, which came in a ziplock bag inside a wooden box, and I paid for them on January 18, 2017. I had to contact them twice because they never made an effort to contact me themselves after January 17th. This doctor was very rude and inconsiderate, and didnt do anything to save my puppy. They do not care about the welfare of your pets, but only how much money they can make off of your visit. I wouldnt recommend this clinic to any loving pet owner.

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A Private User

I just recently bought a "cute" golden retriever puppy to add to my great "dog family" of labs and retrievers. However, lately it was looking sickly with decreasing appetite, lethargy, anorexic and was vomiting all its canned puppy food I was feeding it, prompting me to take it to the Vet. I soon realized my puppy needed urgent care after careful inspection of his collar that was irritating the skin so badly it had developed a "raging" cellulitic pus draining soft-tissue infection around the neck. Clearly, before going to critter care I had made an appointment and was told to show up 15 min prior in order to fill out paper work. Not only was I there on time but I literally waited for almost an hour standing with my sick puppy in my arms to be seen by the Vet, and was given false reassurance and hope that I was the next person to be seen. Look, I know all too well the logistics of office visits and the cumbersome process of filling out paperwork with contact info and insurance documents, what have you, but as a local physician in my hometown of Laredo, TX I strive for "customer and or patient service", with a periodic "Im sorry its taking so long....." an explanation for the lack of "triaging" skills from the front desk, who clearly can not distinguish whats urgent and whats routine, such as other dogs vaccines. My dog was clearly "sick" and for that reason I left frustrated, upset but not surprised because Laredo has an "epidemic" going on of "bad customer service", either because they lack the education or the training to do their jobs!

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Lynnette Schaff

We own several pets and take very good care of them as well as attending to their Medicial needs. Called Critter Care to have the stray cat I found and adopted spayed as all responsible pet owners should do to help with the number of stray cats starving in the streets. I also had her declawed. Before making the appointment I asked for a summary of charges. I verified with the person on the phone 3 times as well as the office girl when I dropped her off about the charges and was told that the bill would be $200.00-$250.00. When my husband picked up the cat the next day the bill was $436.00. Needless to say he was very unhappy. I dont mind paying for services for my pets but I dont appreciate being charged double with no explanation why. My advice get a written verification of charges and services ahead of time. Thats what I will do if I ever take a pet back there which is unlikely. I want to update my review of Critter Care and Dr Lyendecker.from 1 star to 5 stars. I received a call from Dr L after she saw my review to discuss my poor opinion of Critter Care. I was very impressed that she took the time to call me personally to discuss my issues. It appeared that there was a miscommunication with the office staff that she assured me she would correct. The problem was resolved to the satisfaction of both of us. The medicial care she gave my cat was excellent and she had a very gentle touch with her. I will have no problem taking our pets back to Critter Care.

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Lillie Storms

I personally Love Dr. L!!! She has one of the best prices! I called another vet clinic and asked how much it would be to get my litter of kittens checked and they said it might be $30 each or he will only charge me for one kitten. Pretty much that vet will change the prices depending if he wanted a new TV or not!!!! Then I went to another vet who charged me $150 just for a shot because my cat was "dehydrated" One shot!!!! The only reason I went to the other vets was because Dr. L was closed! I also really love how she cares about the animals. She remembers all of my cats names and always ask about them and makes sure theyre up to date to everything and she handles my cats with care and doesnt throw them around. Another vet I went to an old man came in and his dog had a seizure, it was very sad because the man didnt know what was going on and the staff didnt do anything and ignored him. He just stood there looking scared then they finally took his dog and he kept asking what was going on and they never answered so he just left. I bet if he went to Dr. L they could have handled that situation better. I even cried it was so bad. Its also a friendly environment, I feel like shes an aunt I visits once in awhile for help. Overall I love the vet, the staff, the atmosphere, and the prices. I only trust her to take care of my animals. I hate having to go to another vet.

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