Ark Animal Clinic

Reviews 5

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Samantha S

After reading the bad experiences I was scared to bring my dog Baxter here. I had no other choice during the holidays as his was an emergency and no where else was open. I am gratefull that I found this office. It started with my lab having a swollen eye. It looked like my new kitten had scratched him (again). They treated him with eye drops. 2 days later his eye was worse. They had me bring him back in and only charged me half of the visit fee. I told them I only had $100 to my name. Dr.Hess came in and examined my dogs eye, flushed it, and numbed it. When leaving the office I was only charged the office fee and for my dogs new prescriptions. A few days went by and things did not improve. I also noticed his lymph nodes were swelling and he had random knots popping up. I immeditaly called the office and they told me to bring him in immediately. Once we arrived and they examined him, they found he had lymphoma throughout his whole body. The vet and nurse looked as sad as I did. They have him a high dose of prednisone to take home and try. At this point they allowed me to write out a post dated check. I am forever grateful for that and their efforts to save my dog. Unfortunately, within 2 days my dog could no longer stand on his own and the prednisone did not help. I called them for a fourth time and as usual, they allowed me to bring him right in. We decided that euthanasia was the best thing for my Baxter. My family. My dog was so swollen that they were having a horrible time inserting the medicine into his veins without them blowing. They tried their hardest to make sure my dog was comfortable while I held him. Once everything was over, Dr.Hess (with glassy eyes and a crying nurse) informed me that he was not charging me for today. He is also allowing me to pay for my dogs cremation in 2 weeks. This office is truly an amazing place that actually cares. I am forever grateful! Thank you for trying to save my best friend and my family. My baby. I will only come here from now on with my pets. Even though it is a 45 minute drive. Thank you!

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Henry Prentiss

Well, Im kind of shocked by a few of these reviews. Ive been going there for 5 years now, and have found the level of care very high, and overall they seem very competent. They have been quite cooperative in regards to any calls requesting a same-day appointment for semi-urgent issues, always willing to squeeze me in sometime during the day that I call. Ive found the Vets friendly, but they really dont have a lot of time for chit-chat, as the office IS busy. Another big plus is their medication -- Ive been to a lot of vets that diagnose a problem, and then literally rape you in fees for their medication. The medication at Ark is very reasonable, and they have even suggested home remedies when something they felt was a bit expensive was called for (and it was not that expensive!). Their examination and lab fees are quite reasonable as well. They do boarding, but Ive never used them for that purpose. I did once observe a woman paying her boarding bill while I was writing out a check for a just-concluded office visit, and thought was a bit high, but I dont know what services she contracted for so I guess I dont really have an informed opinion on the subject. For all I know, the dog was supposed to be fed hand cooked steak and walked 8 times a day. I feel bad for the lady who had problems with something her dog swallowed, but I hope people can understand that with reasonable prices and fees, sometimes the staff can be a bit on the low end, but Ive never noticed this to be the case. Ive been treated horribly by vets before, and I like this place, and would prefer not to ever have to use another, and I drive almost an hour (one way!) to get there. I hope more people post some of these Google reviews! Every customer Ive ever seen at this place seems happy and satisfied when they leave. More folks will need to post their experiences.

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Christian Price

I would describe the level of care from "Dr." Hess as criminal and negligent. We brought our 8 year old cat into ark as an emergency and we were seen quickly, no problem there. My wife is an RN so she asks questions and bounces ideas off people which is recieved here with disdain and contempt. My cat was taken to the back and we were told her labs were enough to merit an overnight stay. Repeated calls the following day were met with zero information and requests to call back hours later. We were finally told our cat was well and able to be picked up. I didnt mind the few hundred dollar bill since my cat was supposedly cared for and recovering. In actuality, our cat was worse and when I called, I was told there was no documentation so they had no clue what the problem could be bit if the cat was still worse in a few days then bring her back. They even went as far as to lie, saying she had been walking around her cage and purring, which she wouldnt have done when she was 100%. I ended up having to go to an emergency clinic in winchester were I had to uthanize her because of her extremely terrible condition. I was told by a vet that the care and lack of care given at Ark was no uncommon and has resulted in other animals deaths. I miss my cat and wish Id never taken her there. She deserved better than what she recieved. DO NOT GO TO ARK IF YOU CARE FOR YOUR PET!!!!! There are a number of quality vets in the area that are far superior.

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wv Dave

they are the best ,as previously stated by others they do not gouge your wallet,the care is phenomenal,,,every time i had an emergency they made room and took care of my dog ,in fact thats how i came about switching to them,,,,,i came home from work one day to find one of my dogs with a large deep gash across the back of her neck,i called my previous vet and they treated me like i was trying to schedule a shots update visit,i had been loyal to them for more than 8 years and was astonished that they were treating me like this in a emergency situation,,,,as i was heading to animal emergency in Hagerstown Md which is about 25 to 30 miles away i remembered Ark Animal Clinic was closer and stopped in on the way,she was literally being attended to in 5 minutes,i hadnt even had a chance to finish the paperwork yet ,and the lobby was packed,i was so impressed and relieved requested they get the records for all of my dogs from the vet i was previously using,,,,,,ive been with them for about 4 years now and can honestly say they are still amazing

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Patricia Vermillion

I had never been to Ark Animal Clinic until this past Tuesday when i had to lay my beloved Jade down to rest. I called them the morning of and they were very accommodating allowing me to bring her in that evening. I didn’t wait very long before they had called us back. The staff was very sympathetic to the situation – they allowed me and my Jade to sit on the floor in the exam room while the doctor came in and joined us down on the floor to administer the meds to put Jade to sleep. They didn’t insist that I put her on the cold table – they allowed me to hold her as she passed and spend as much time as I needed to spend with her before and after. This vet, as reviews suggest – has a very busy office – which means there will be a wait – very pleasant waiting room with a lot of bench seats. They must be doing something right because people keep coming back. Would I use them for my regular vet for my other dogs – Absolutely!

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