I can't express in words how great of a vet Dr. Gartenberg is. I usually don't write reviews, but I felt obligated to in this case.After dealing with multiple other vets in the Sarasota area, most of ... Read More
I can't express in words how great of a vet Dr. Gartenberg is. I usually don't write reviews, but I felt obligated to in this case.After dealing with multiple other vets in the Sarasota area, most of which are horrible and bill outrageous amounts, we first came across The Pet Clinic shortly after we moved to Bradenton a few years ago.Long story short, it was Christmas Eve (around 10PM) and our dog was choking on a bone. We thought, based on his actions, that he was in serious trouble. Panicked, we tried to find a local vet's number and his was the first that popped up. We called, left a message, and received a call back from the doctor within minutes. He talked to us and, after various questions/answers, let us know that everything should be OK (which it was). Keep in mind that we weren't even a client of his (yet) and did I mention it was 10PM on Christmas Eve. He didn't even say a word about a charge for the call, nor did he.So when our dogs shots were due, we of course scheduled an appointment with The Pet Clinic. It had been a while, so he needed everything but rabies. We finally met the doctor in person, and he is truly a warm, caring person who clearly loves animals and knows what he is doing. A typical "country vet" (at least what this city guy pictured). We had all the normal shots, fecal heartworm test, heartworm shot, etc. done. Used to paying the chain-vet prices in Sarasota, I was expecting hundreds of dollars when it came time to pay. The total bill was about $75. I was shocked. Suffice it to say, we have continued to go there ever since.Just last night, New Years Day, at 6PM (if you can't tell, we seem to have really bad timing when it comes to problems), we had another mini-emergency, and once again Dr. Gartenberg called us right back to give us advice and called in a prescription for us to pick up at Walgreens. We came in today for him to look at our dog, and he made sure everything was OK. The people there are friendly and caring. The prices are outrageously low. You don't feel rushed, and he is happy to talk and spend time with you and your pet. I would give them 10 stars if I could. They are, by far, the best vet that I have ever been to or could ever ask for.If I was forced to make one ever-so-slight-negative-comment, the only thing I could say is that appointment scheduling is generally a few weeks out (unless of course it's an emergency). But that's just because he's so good that everyone goes to him and he stays quite busy (a good sign!). Also, he's not a corporate run chain with tons of doctors there - it's just him - and he spends time with his clients to make sure they are taken care of properly. So it's not really a criticism, just a point of clarification. He doesn't advertise, so all of his business comes from recommendations and word of mouth.So here is my recommendation. If you need a vet, go to The Pet Clinic. If you have a vet already, stopping going there and go to The Pet Clinic instead. I would never go anywhere else, and if we ever had to move, I would gladly drive hours to still come here. Read Less