After getting fed up with our other vet, we tried this place when our pup needed to have a pretty bad cut (but one that had stopped bleeding) taken care of. The other place refused to do anything but... Read More
After getting fed up with our other vet, we tried this place when our pup needed to have a pretty bad cut (but one that had stopped bleeding) taken care of. The other place refused to do anything but full-scale sedated surgery; this place offered (reluctantly) other options. When I asked what the downsides of alternatives to stitches might be, they said he might develop slight scarring.Our dog is no show dog. I figured that we would save the extra $400 stitches for a real emergency. A week or two later, our guy was back to his usual antics without so much as a limp (or a scar, incidentally).I thought I may have found a vet in Phoenix who was willing to talk about pets like what they are - well-beloved animals. Then I came back when our dog had a really high fever. He'd recently had ticks, so I was concerned that it could be tick fever, which I know can act really quickly.Here's how the exchange went down, more or less:Me: He's got a fever and has been lethargic this morning. He recently had ticks.Doc: Well, it is probably Disease A, which will be cured by the end of the day with these antibiotics.Me: Oh, great!Doc: ...but it COULD be Valley Fever, in which case we need to do a blood test that will cost about $100.Me: Ok, does he have any other symptoms indicating it could be Valley Fever?Doc: No.Me: Then why don't we treat the likely culprit, and if he hasn't gotten better in 24 hours we'll run the other test?Doc: Sir, if we don't test for Valley Fever, your dog could be dead by tomorrow morning. DEAD BY TOMORROW. But if you don't want to test, feel free to go against my recommendation.Me: Er... okay.So, the good news is that our little guy was hale and hearty again by evening. The antibiotics prescribed worked like a charm. The bad news is that the test results the doctor ordered didn't come back for 5 days.Let me stress that - "He needs this test, or he could die tomorrow." The results came back 5 days later. I asked if this was an irregular amount of time for the test to come back and was informed that it was not. Either the doctor was exaggerating the seriousness of the potential illness or the test info really needs to be turned around quicker.I am giving this place 3 stars because they will offer treatment options beyond the most expensive. Plus, they actually keep their appointment times, which seems to be a gold standard for Phoenix vets. They also don't charge a ludicrous "exam fee" every time they see your dog because they put him on a scale. Read Less