Northgate Veterinary Clinic

Reviews 5

SA

Sabrina Rowat

I have never had a bad experience with a vet, and didnt think that was possible until today. I brought my cat to this clinic for a check up so I could get his script refilled, immediately a $56 visit turned into a $450 visit as they suggested I do bloodwork, urinalysis, and vaccines.The office was very very busy and loud. Loud music was playing through speakers in the ceiling. Several loud, unmuzzled dogs on long leashes clearly held priority. There was only one entrance for all pets, and a small "quiet room" that was not quiet and was just made of Windows. Not a single person at this clinic even touched him while I was present. My cat and I were both stressed. The vet and assistant looked like they had never worked with a cat before. They had me leave while they did the exam and blood work. I did not have confidence in this and was worried for the whole 40 min wait. They called me after 40 mins and said they would charge another $70 to sedate my cat. I said I would take him elsewhere. In all the years I have owned cats, They have never needed sedation. My cats certainly dont like visiting the vet, but previous vets have handled them appropriately to do an exam and run tests. Even though absolutely nothing was done, I was still charged $56 dollars and his script was not filled. It took 3 hours for all this. This clinic has no compassion for cats and it is clearly just a business. I also tried to politely speak with a "manager" in order to resolve this somehow, but the vet just gave me excuses and blamed the car ride there. I would not suggest bringing your cat here, it will just cost you money because this clinic does not have your pets interest in mind. Update: I just went to aurora veterinary hospital and had a lovely experience! Dr Bernstein (and his staff) was amazing and the prices were very reasonable!

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BJ

Bjorn Marshall

I hate to have to write this as my family has been coming here for 30yrs, long before the newer owners took over. I have to agree with the earlier review on yelp that this place is all about the money and profit. If you go in there with a pet that is ready to be in a better place, all they see is $$$$ signs I took my 15yr old dog in here when she was having issues, knowing that I was about 90% going to have to put her down as it was her time. I was sold a bunch of false hope with words like "road to recovery" etc. Then was sold $200 worth of special diet food, their own house brand go figure. Turned everything into a 180 and suddenly I thought my dog may not be so bad after all. $1000 in about 1hr of visit plus meds and special diet food, and was not given any real answers. $99 exam fee at the emergency vet just a few blocks away and they instantly determined my dogs abdomen was full of blood and she had tumors all over her organs that had ruptured. According to this vet, who was realistic about the situation that my dog was at her time, could not understand why an expensive diet plan would be sold at this stage. Maybe this was just one particular vet, but the lobby is now full of "products" for sale.. the vet himself spoke very quickly and very much resembled a used car salesman. Everyone else at the front desk was very nice, and even one lady who checked me out thought it was a little weird I was buying 60 cans of special diet food. This place is not ethical and there are much better clinics out there, I am actually curious if this is normal practice at Northgate Vet Clinic.

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AM

amanda obinque

I went to this clinic for 2 years, taking both of my dogs there for care. The staff is very kind, but the prices are outrageous and they recently misdiagnosed my dog. This misdiagnoses lead to a very expensive and painful process for my pup that was essentially avoidable. One veterinarian at this clinic told me my dog had a black eye. I pointed out the puss coming from the inflamed area (wondering if it was infected) and she sent me home with NSAIDs and Benadryl. That bill was not cheap but at the time I thought it was reasonable. My dogs swelling progressed over the weekend, I took her in just 3 days after the first visit, and they wanted to charge me almost $2000 to treat the abscess... yep, it was infected this whole time. I took her to another vet and the problem was resolved for half the price. The new vet told me this could have been prevented with immediate care when I first noticed. This is not the first time Northgate over charged me; however it is the first time my dog suffered because of poor treatment. This clinic finds ANY way to add charges to your bill. They are kind and I thought thorough. I use to feel justified in paying their high prices, thinking "you get what you pay for". Now I feel like they were just adding on unnecessary tests for me to pay for (that always ended up negative). Then when I really needed the detailed care, they diagnosed my dog with a "black eye" and sent me home. There are better places to go to that are cheaper.

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LA

Lauren McHugh

Their front desk is a mess. When my cat, CoCo, was diagnosed with liver failure I was stopping in a few times a week to get her rehydrated. I would always call a half hour ahead and was told drops in were fine. The final time I took her in I checked in at the front desk and was told it would only be a few minutes. They made me wait 45 minutes with CoCo, who was terminally ill, for a 10 minute drop in procedure. I mistakenly took my new cat Pippin there and they kept piling on weird charges. He had an ear infection and when he went to get his ears rechecked they went ahead with another full physical (without letting me know) and charged me for that despite the fact that theyd just given him one less than a month before. One of the front desk was extremely unprofessional with me over the phone and when I tried to quietly and politely let another staff member know that I wasnt happy with her behavior she came out of the back room to argue with me. As someone who works in the medical field and in customer service I found all of this appalling. To make matters worse when they finally got around to sending an "apology" email they couldnt even be bothered to get my name right. Needless to say I am never going back and I feel like an idiot for not leaving sooner.

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JE

Jeff James

Dr. Baxter and staff are great. Theyve taken good care of our dogs over the last several years. We worked through reoccurring ear infections, skin issues and sought behavioral advice. We typically ask for options to keep our costs down, and feel we get good honest advice here. One thing Ive really internalized in negotiating solutions (at this Vet office and otherwise) is that priorities vary and you have to make your preferences known. While some customers want procedures/solutions that confer the best chance of success with minimal work on their part, others prefer the least expensive fix, and/or dont mind doing a bit more work themselves to manage cost or risk. Now, when I ask for solutions, I try to remember to remind people that Im frugal / risk tolerant and I find Im usually presented with helpful appropriate advice; that is certainly the case here. We tried two other vets north of Greenlake before choosing Northgate Vet Clinic. I highly recommend them.

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