Our pup River - a white lab - is our heart and we had been working with another vet practice. Dupont Vet made themselves available during a rough time when our pup was in pain and our far more expens... Read More
Our pup River - a white lab - is our heart and we had been working with another vet practice. Dupont Vet made themselves available during a rough time when our pup was in pain and our far more expensive vet couldn't fit him in over the course of 24 hours, couldn't prescribe over the phone and didn't have any suggestions. We met Dr. Rosen who was a total gem. She was patient, thoughtful, humble (despite being a vet, DVC Medical Director and having decades of experience etc. she put up with my deluge of questions and challenges because yes I am that annoying pet parent). She is also effective! She's interested in short term relief and addressing the underlying issues. She's also incredibly warm. She took the time to map and measure each of his lipomas and send me a copy! Truly top notch. Awesome vet practices are so often ruined by a front desk staff that is under paid, under prepared, under supported and trained to work in sometimes inherently chaotic environment in the midst of stress. I'm not sure what they do at Dupont Vet but their front desk staff are troopers - they deal with sometimes entitled pet parents :) with a ton of grace. The vet tech that wears Toms in the winter is also spectacular. She was patient, engaging, highly competent and River loved her. Finally, I want to especially note our most recent interaction with Dr. Sarah Babcock. We met Dr. Babcock by accident when we brought River in for an issue over the weekend. In what we had expected to be a fairly routine visit. She was remarkably present, patient and caring with River. She immediately built a rapport with me (and i i think i've already established that I can at times not be the sweetest cup of tea) and my partner and ably navigated our very different coping strategies around stress and our pup. River also just loved her. She was so careful with him, thoughtful about areas of injury and really paid tremendous attention to each and every small question or issue I pointed out. She identified a skin infection on his belly and an underlying issue with his ears all the while being peppered with questions as diverse as her opinion on Adequan v. glucosamine and the complexity of navigating the still very imperfect options and their trade offs that pet parents have to navigate. Towards the end, an an issue around a mass on his back emerged. Cue the drama of waiting for cytology, blood work etc. and fearing the worst. Because a boring story around my phone settings - all of which were my fault- Dr. Babcock was unable to get through to me despite trying me numerous times on my number. By hour 48 I was monstrous to a lovely person named James a woman whose name I didn't catch at the front desk. They were calm and helped me get in touch with Dr. Babcock who - once we spoke - I sheepishly realized I had messed up in our communication not her or the clinic. Dr. Babcock talked to me patiently at 8 pm on a winter evening. She answered all my questions (there were A LOT of questions). Rio is a-ok. And I simply could not be more grateful. But I really want to point out that not only did Dr. Babcock offer highly competent medical care but she seemingly effortlessly diffused what could have really escalated dramatically. When she wasn't able to reach me, she called the clinic back, she gave clear instructions and she followed up immediately. When we connected, she was so incredibly warm and patient and apologized for the miscommunication (again - it was my fault), expressed concern for River and acknowledged how stressful these last few days must have been. I've run my own business, worked as a consultant and managing partner and (despite my total inability to manage stress relating to my pup), I have successfully worked in a field that is by nature often highly charged and politicized. Dr. Babcock could teach many of the professionals in my field of work a thing - or ten - about ethics, business and relationships. It seems so simple and yet every day I see folks fail at it w/disastrous and avoidable consequences. River and Dupont vet have her (but y'all should have her more!!). I've read a few folks that have said that Dupont Vet is expensive. I can only share that living in D.C. is expensive and offering top notch care is expensive. I really want the folks that provide for my pup to make a living wage, be able to afford useful tech upgrades and get the training and support they need. I find there prices reasonable and am grateful that they give back thru a program where folks can't afford to pay for pet care can have access to crisis services. I think the larger issue of the cost of vet care is real - but has to be addressed structurally - by changing the insurance system, regulation, reimbursements etc. I can't be sure around how they allocate resources or their profit model but I hope the people that work there make the bulk of it and what I can say is that Dupont vet is worth every penny and more. Read Less