Riverside Veterinary Clinic

Reviews 3

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Anthony Guerra

This place provides horrible service and then tries to rip you off! In short; I went in to treat my dog and it felt like they didnt care about the pet, just about the money. They tried to charge me $563 for a plethora of services, when I only needed an x-ray and pain medication ($230). The nurse and the "veterinarian" were indifferent and unfriendly. For the sake of your pet, avoid this place like the plague! For a full review read below: When my dog injured his tail I called the clinic that I normally go to, but the vet was out sick, so I decided to give this place a try since they were able to see me right away. When I arrived the nurse didnt seem very knowledgeable about what he was doing, and was just making my dog, who was already in pain, feel more uncomfortable. When the doctor (last name Ramos), finally made an appearance and I explained the situation as to what happened to my dog, he barely made any effort to check him, told me to hold on for a few moments and left the room. A few minutes later the nurse came in with a bill for $563 and asking me to sign it before they could actually do anything to my dog. I was upset at the fact that they didnt even bother explaining what they were doing to my pet, or what they were charging me for. When I asked the nurse for what they were going to do, and what the charges were for he couldnt give me a straight answer, he seemed nervous and went outside, when he came back he only said that I didnt have to get all the procedures suggested done to the dog. The doctor came in and explained what they were charging me for, and as it turns out, I didnt have to get anything other than a set of X-rays to make sure his tail was not broken and pain medication, which summed a total of $230 dollars. Its also worth noting that the doctor didnt even bother coming out to explain the results of the x-rays and sent the nurse instead, at this I simply asked if I could speak to Ramos, his response was calling the doctor on the phone (even the secretary agreed that was rude!), needless to say this only irritated me even more, I asked to see him in person. I quickly looked up the pain medication on my phone and found a pet pharmacy who was selling the medication for $25, which was half the price of what they were charging me. When I asked for a prescription the doctor refused, and said that I needed to buy the medication directly from them. I didnt want my dog to be in pain while debating for a prescription, so I said I would just buy it from them. The nurse then told me that because my dog was a large size dog, they were going to up the dosage. But, it was just because they didnt have the dosage they originally prescribed available. And they also charged me an extra $10 for new 100mg pills. It bothers me to think that these people are willing to take advantage of anyone who goes to their clinic in a state of distress because their pets might be sick or in pain. Its wrong that they are doing this and people should be aware that all they care about is making money off clients. Washington Heights Animal Hospital might have old equipment and might not have great hours of operation, but they have always treated my pets with great care and were willing to work with me when money was tight.

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Cassandra Douglas

If you are considering this as an option for your beloved animal...please find yourself another option. In my experience at this vet, both the vet tech and the vet were disconnected from being with the animal or with the concerned pet owner. I brought my cat in concerning a cough and sneezing fits that was becoming worse and worse each day. The vet came in, barely said two words to me. They took my cat out of the carrier to examine her. I have a very well behaved cat and would have been happy to do what is being asked of her but they ignored my request to be kinder to her and turned their backs to me while they looked over my girl. That exam lasted maybe 5-7 minutes. The vet left and the tech returned with a bill of $522.00 and no explanation and was actually surprised why I would decline spending SO much money without a clear explanation as to what was actually wrong with my cat. The vet came in to speak with me, shocked that I would turn down his recommend treatment. It was the first time the man actually looked me in the eyes and connected with me (now that the idea of he realized that he may not be getting his moneys worth for his time) I told him straight, "Im not paying for anything until I know whats going on with my cat." Then he mentioned in such a casual manner that she dying, her kidneys are failing her and her heart is shot and that I might as well put her down (like it was no crazy thing to consider putting down this animal that as been my loving addition to my life for the past 7 years) He went further to say that the treatments he had recommended werent even to support her health at the moment. (Blood work, antibiotics, and extracting a stool sample) So I paid the $65 for the treatment and decided I needed another opinion. When I looked that doctor in the eyes, he looked exhausted, overworked, and disconnected from the reason he might have decided to go into veterinary health to begin with. I dont even think the man knew what day it was. That being said, if someone looks that out of it, why in the world would I trust your word about the health and wellness of my cat? I paid my fee and went to the vet clinic on 181 and Amsterdam who treated my cat for a respiratory infection for less than $100 and my baby girl is doing just fine. If l listened to the advice of the vet at this place I would have spent money for nothing or listened to him and put my cat down based on an exam that lasted less than 10 mins. Please.

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Michael Rockman

HORRIBLE SERVICE - GREEDY and MONEY HUNGRY! - This will read almost like a christmas movie but with a very horrible ending regarding this bussiness. I live in the area and the night before christmas a kitten was scratching on my door on the 4th floor of my building. My fiance and I took the cat inside, gave him a bath and realised the poor kitten has fleas everywhere! We wrapped the kitten up, and went over to this Vet clinic. This was in the evening around 6pm. The receptionist was very friendly, but everything went south quickly once i told them that i am seeking their help and not looking to pay hundreds for services. - The assistant took a look at the kitten, said he is less than 4 months and began to list all the procedures he wants to run on the cat, running up the bill. I asked to speak to the main vet - the scum bag didnt bother even coming out to the front to look us in the eyes to reject any help. I told him we are not interested in paying such a huge sum of money to treat a kitten that is not our responsibility. I asked them to borrow a crate at least to keep the kitten separate from my dogs, so that we can pass him over to an animal shelter after the weekend. They continued to refuse ANY options of helping us. they couldnt and wouldnt suggest any local options for us to utilize to help the kitten. The only thing they kept pushing was money first before they offered ANY "help". --- I was disgusted by the entire situation. For a medical ANIMAL clinic, they showed NO emotion towards the kitten, or myself while we were trying to find the kitten help. ---- My fiance and I left - took a taxi 30min into midtown to a NYC animal care center, who were not able to take the cat in but at least provided us a crate to keep him in, they waived any fees and spent 10 minutes educating us on what we can do at home to help the kitten if we chose to hold on to him over the holiday weekend! - Javier, next time at least look the people in the eye when you DENY them ANY HELP or SERVICE!