Silver Sands Veterinary

Have been going to Dr Deforge for close to a year now and my pet always gets amazing care and attention from everyone there. They are an amazing group of people that truly care about what is best for your animal. Read Less

Absolutely horriable he said he's dental certified to my family too!!! in fact said he's the only certified in ct, this was about our cat after he already had 5 teeth pulled ! And wanted to do more ! I thought that was odd and thought no way in hell is he the only certified dental vet in ct ! So funny to do some leave do research and people are saying these same claims he used on us. After my mom asked how much this was going to cost he looked at her and said well you own a business right ? My option what the f*** does that have to do with the cat !? Or are you lookin at us as a dollar sign? Trying to back us in a corner to believe he's the only in ct and we have to pay him cause no one else can do what he can for the animal. HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! Read Less

Dr. Deforge and Silver Sands have been nothing short of fantastic in dealing with our multiple-cat family and their sometimes complex and demanding medical issues. Dr. Deforge offers a range of payment options and cost-effective strategies that don't cost an arm and a leg when dealing with your pet's problems, provides comprehensive discharge instructions after procedures and frequently compiles additional time-consuming follow-up information and options for your benefit. The office staff is always attentive and responsive to concerns and issues and the practice always tries to work around your schedule with flexible and extended hours. I'm not sure why others have disparaged the Dr's demeanor, overall he and the staff have handled our pets professionally and skillfully, including several that are, to put it kindly, less than savvy about going to the vet or being handled by 'strangers'. Additionally, the office rehabilitated and adopted a cat with significant medical problems that was going to be euthanized and Dr. Deforge also has his own personal cats. Highly recommended. Read Less

Our two cats have been patients of SS for several years. We have always found the services and care at the top. Dental work, blood drawing, chest xrays, shots and yearly exams. Everything is explained in detail. Just wish animals had better health insurance!!!!! Read Less

Answer to Katie-from Dr. Don DeForge-I have been a practitioner for four decades in Milford. Your father's dog, Sophie, was a part of the Silver Sands family for years. I diagnosed her gall bladder pathology and had a surgeon perform the necessary surgery to save her life. I referred Sophie to an Internal Medicine doctor for pre-anesthesia evaluation. Sophie had many blood samples taken by me by Jugular vein puncture during her life time. Your father consented to have me perform oral surgery after oral care was advised by Internal Medicine to restore function, remove pain, and return a quality of life. Your father asked me to perform this oral surgery. Sophie had an excellent surgery and all oral pathology was treated. Internal Medicine asked for blood samples to be taken two weeks post surgery. During the phelbotomy experience two weeks post-surgery Sophie went into cardiac arrest. There was no restraint exertion. The arrest occurred after the blood was drawn. I have a friend who died in his doctor's waiting room; my own brother as a young man died in an arm chair in his home alone. The veterinary technicians that have commented on Sophie's death are not only misinformed but non-professional in their comments and do not understand medicine. The lab samples were sent in gratis to the clinical lab and showed the kidneys were failing; the liver was failing; and Sophie was developing anemia. These samples confirm the beginning of organ failure. This 17 year old dog had reached the end of her life. She passed in my hospital without suffering. There was a doctor and nursing team to comfort . At home she could have suffered in death. I feel your father's pain. That pain is not lessened with negative comments about me that are not only disrespectful but complete falsehoods. Those that no me know how much I care about my patients. Read Less

Our beloved Pom was going in for some blood work 2 weeks ago. My dad was in the waiting room, which I was confused as to why they wouldn't let him in the room with her seeing as my own vet does all the shots and blood work in front of us. Our Pom was 15 yrs old and attached to my father like no animal I have ever seen before. When the dr came out he has told my dad that while getting the blood work she had passed away and said she would have passed away regardless if she went to the vet that day or not. I've talked to several nurses and vet techs and they have confirmed my suspicions, it sounded to them like he hit a main artery (since the blood was being taken from her neck) or there was air in the needle. My dad is completely heart broken and blaming himself especially since he was not with her when she passed. Yes she was old, but she was going in for a routine check up and suddenly died. I'am 100% positive that he made a mistake and is trying to cover his ass. Why wouldn't you let the owner go with the dog to get blood work when the dog is so old? How does this even happen? We are beyond devastated and I am truly pissed off, esp after reading all the terrible reviews. My parents have changed vets thankfully but we will never get our Sophie back. Read Less

Quality service. Compassionate, caring and all a round amazing staff. The vet treated my mothers cat with the utmost compassion and handled her gently in her final hour. For someone to not know the pet and or the owner, met them that day and to be as amazing as the staff here I couldn't think of a better place to go. They truly are an amazing group and I'd recommend them highly to anyone. Unmatched quality in a day and age when people are just looking for cheap care and a quick paycheck. This place blows the top off amazing care, above and beyond. Read Less

More  than  anything  I   wish I  couid  give  a glowing  report  of  this  establishment  after  the  death  of   my   beloved   Austrailian  Sheppard Quiggley  who  died   a  weeek  ago  from cancer. Dr  Deforge   is   a  good  vet   unless  pet  parent   question  him  about  anything   and then insted  of  taking  peoples  concerns  seriously  enough  to  talk  to  them  he  responds  only by  email  reminding   the   owner  of   what  a wonderful  vet  Deforge  thinks  he is. He  CLAIMS  to  be   the only  hospice  for   animals in  the  state  of  Ct  but ANY  vet  can proscrible  pain medication  for  a terminally ill  animal  and thats  all Deforge  diid.  Having  lost  my mum  three  years  ago  I  have  seen REAL  Hospice  care in  action. Nothing Deforge   did  qualifies  as  Hospice.  Quiggley  was  going  to  die  regsrdless  of     any thing  done  for  him  and my  heart is  broken not  just  at  his   loss  but  at the behavior  of  a yet   who  rambles  on  and  on  about  how  much  compassion he has. His  skills  in  dealing   with  human beings  is  attrocious. I  have  spoken  to  enough   ex patients  of  his   and read  enough  reviews  to  know  that , despite  any  nastiness he  will engage  in  when he  sees  this  review the  problem is  with  Donald  Deforge  NOT any  of  the many people   who are less  than impressed  with  the  care  he  gives. He   seems  to   be  completely  incapable  of   understanding  that  while  he  may  have  the professional credentials pet  owners  know  their  animals  much better  than he  does. When i  talked  about  ending   Quiggleys  more  life  more than  once  I  was  belittled  and made  to  feel  like  I  was an idiot   who  just  wanted  to kill my  dog. Apparently  for him quality  of  live  decisions  are  to  be  made  by  reading  a piece of  paper  insted  of  insted  of offering   to  see  the  animal. .I  scheduled  a  date  to  end  Quiggleys  life because I knew  from looking  in his  eyes  he  wanted  to  go. I  simply  said  IF it  looked  like  he  could  go   for  a couple  of  more  days I  would  like to p[ost  pone  the date. I  told   the office  I would  make  that  decision  when I  saw  my  boy  as Id  been away  for a couple of  days . He  decided  that  he  was  going  to  cancel  the   euthanasia   and then lied to my face  abouit  it. I  am  so  grateful  that  my Quiggley  died  on his  own terms . i  came  home  last  Thursday from bein  away  for  work   for  a  couple of  days. . i kissed my  face  wagged  his  tail   had  some water   and then died. I  know  Quiggley  chose  to not  be  put  down  by  Deforge,I have   every  reason  to  know  that  Deforge  will bad  mouth me   because  thats  what  he  has  done  to  every one  who  has  given  a less  than flattering  review  . That is  his  right. I  am writing  this  review  out   concern  for  any one  who  may get  sucked in by  Deforges  self  agrandising  critiques  of  his  work. PLEASE  before  you  choose  a vet  for  yyour  beloved pets  ask  around  . Be  willing  to  go  beyond    just  listening to   what  Deforgr  claims about  himself. Make  phone calls. Talk  to   every one  you  can. Your  pets  are loved by you  and your  family  dont  let  any vet make  you feel  as if questionin  him or  her is  not to happen. If  i  had  done  my  home  work I never  would  have  stepped  foot  into  Deforges establishment. i  will  end  tis  with  saying  that  I  have  a couple  of  good friens  who i respect  greatly  and  who  have helped me  in moe   ways   than i  can list here. Their  pets  are   customers  of  Deforge. i  would  hope  that  he  does  not  take  out  on  them this negative  review. Jow  very  sd that i  even have  to be  concerned  about  that Read Less

Dr.Deforge will claims that he is a cat-person but certainly doesn't act like it. Even something as simple as administering a shot- he will make the nurse, or worse you, hold the cat all the while freaking out and screaming that he doesn't want to get scratched. There's no calmness to his demeanor regarding the animals and they can sense it. His answer to every problem is switching your pets food to science diet. I swear he gets paid by them and any vet who claims science diet is good for your pet, can't be trusted. They are overpriced and he often tacks on unnecessary procedures. Time to find a new vet. Read Less

We had our first experience with Dr DeForge and his staff today and they were amazing! They explained everything to us which helped calm our fears about what our furry friend would be going through, they answered all of our questions and were so kind and compassionate in their care of our Gus (Angus). So thankful for them and all they do to help our furry loved ones! Read Less

I have been very happy with the care and compassion at Silver Sands Veterinary Clinic. The staff is always patient and my dog Sparky absolutely loves them as they make him feel like a king. Dr. DeForge is always eager to answer questions and make recommendations as needed. He goes the extra mile to talk to other vets who might know more about the animal's condition and he is very good at referring when he feels he doesn't know all the answers. We are very pleased that we switched Sparky and highly recommend this clinic. Read Less

Dr. Deforge was recommended as the only area specialist to help our Rottweiler. Rocky was unfortunate enough to break one of his canine teeth right at the gumline. Well, he is a big boy with very large teeth, and he was not happy and very uncomfortable. Dr. Deforge got him in for an exam right away as he knew this was a bad situation. He assessed the damage, got rocky on pain meds and scheduled surgery immediately. Hoping to save what was left with a cap, the x-rays revealed cracks and the tooth had to be extracted. Because the tooth was well connected into the jaw bone the surgery was more intense and synthetic bone had to be used to fill in the area. We followed the doctors strict post op care and am happy to say that after a few months and our final follow up exam, Rocky has been cleared to resume solid food and get on with his normal canine life. He should be completely healed inside the jaw within a year. He is happy and now his tongue hangs out more on one side ! Dr. DeForge did everything he said he would do and I could tell he really cares about his patients, and his staff also showed how much they cared about our dog as well. Thanks Dr. DeForge !!! Steve,Lisa and Rocky Read Less

Dr. DeForge and the members of SSVC staff is caring and compassionate to my 4-legged family members. He is also sensitive to my financial struggles and is very fair and reasonable in his costs. Dr. DeForge is thorough and puts his patient's health first, above all else. The old adage, "you get what you pay for"...well, I feel this is not a true statement....you get much more than what you pay for at SSVC! In my opinion, what make a good Dr. a great Dr. is knowing what his/her limits are. Dr. DeForge did the initial screening and care of my dog Bear. Bear needed additional care and medical procedures that could not be done at SSVC. Dr. DeForge did not hesitate in providing me choices in getting the best care for Bear. I highly recommend Dr. DeForge for his years of experience, his compassion toward his patients, and his caring toward all. Read Less

I have nothing bad to say. For years I had used another vet who was much cheaper (because I was poor). He passed away and another vet took his place. I guess I was taken aback when my dog was suffering from trachea issues and he said to wear ear plugs. Maybe he was fooling around but I ending up taking my dog to Tufts. She did die unexpectedly several months later. I brought a new puppy into the house and decided to try Dr. DeForge. I loved the atmosphere as well as the personalities of the staff. He is a very "careful" Vet. I've had many, many animals spayed during my lifetime and he gave me documents to read over and had me buy a cone so that the dog would not irritate her stitches. It made me think that I did bad for my other animals due to the lack of attention they received at my previous vet. We started bringing our older dog to Dr. DeForge and he ended up taking her off of the Thyroid medication she was on. Low and behold, her fur started to grow back and her skin was shedding the dark patches that had formed when she was on the meds. Dr. DeForge isn't cheap but he isn't expensive either. They send out monthly vouchers (like coupons) with discounts from spaying/neutering to nail clipping. So far, I am very happy with him. Read Less

This is probably the worst vet center in Milford. Dr. DeForge is very rude and treats his customers with disrespect. I brought my dog in when she was very sick and he did treat her and gave her all of her shots. All of the directions he gave us, we followed. When we were training my dog, she was very hard to break of her bad habits. I mentioned I was doing a certain technique that he did not recommend because he thought it would make the dog agressive. He said if I wasnt going to follow his instructions I could find another vet. I dont need someone telling me how to train my dog. I pay you to treat my dog not tell me what to do. My dog is in no way shape or form aggressive and the technique works great on her. My family has been breeding and training dogs all of my life, so I know what and what not to do when training. We never had a dog "come out" agressive as the puppies got older. Then he said that she had some type of mange and referred me to a very exspensive animal dermatologist that I knew I couldnt afford. He said if I couldnt afford it to call back and we would do the treatment at his office. When I called back he and his staff were very rude and made up an excuse that I said I didnt want him treating my dog. On top of it, he was getting into my personal financial business and told my parents that they have to kick in to help me pay for my dog. It is NONE of his business and it was very unprofessional of him to make that comment. Ive never had such a bad experience with a vet before. Ive never been to such a vet that creates so much drama. I would not recommend this vet to anyone!!Read Less

Meeting Donald Deforge was the worst experiences of my lifetime. His 'treatment' of my cat has been described by my friends as 'animal experimentation' and 'torture.' Please read the details of what occurred at www.justiceforsimba.comI would also like to add that I have read reviews of Dr. Deforge confronting his clients on the internet and calling them 'unbalanced' and other negative terms. Is this who you want for your vet? As a licensed mental health professional, I can assure you that Donald Deforge is NOT qualified to assess or comment on the mental health or status of any human. Him doing so is actually practicing medicine (human) without a license and is against the law.We are required to post this disclaimer so here it is. Disclaimer: "Lisa Taylor-Austin believes there was merit to her claims that Dr. Deforge negligently cared for her cat, Simba, and that he misrepresented whether he was a Board-certified dental specialist. Dr. Deforge denies these claims and asserts that the Department of Public Health's veterinary board cleared him of any wrong doing. However, Dr Deforge agreed to pay $7,500.00 to compensate Ms. Taylor-Austin because he believed the risks inherent in any lawsuit and the cost of missing two weeks from his practice made it imprudent to go to trial."This was a 4.5 year long legal process. I spent $24,000 on Simba's unneeded surgery and medical care after the negligence.Visit www.justiceforsimba.com Read Less

There is an ""unbalanced"" individual practicing Web Terror on multiple internet review sites targeting myself, Donald H. DeForge, VMD and Silver Sands Veterinary Center. The Internet has vast positive qualities but it also allows those who live in the ""dark world"" to exploit the system to hurt others. I have practiced veterinary medicine in Milford, CT for 38 years and continue to seek quality of life and a pain free life for all of my patients. This site, as others, is being monitored. The indvidual will be caught, arrested, and justice will then be served. If you have any questions please call me at 203-877-3221 or visit us on the internet. I am always here to help and listen. Have a great spring and enjoy the great weather that is part of this time of year. God bless and special journey, Dr. Don DeForge, Medical Director Silver Sands Veterinary Center, Milford, CT. Read Less

This is the worst vet I have ever met in my life. Do NOT recommend!!!! Performed unneeded surgery on my cat. Performed medical procedures without my permission. FALSELY ADVERTISES and says he is a dental specialist and he isn't! Read Less