Alta Bluff Animal Hospital

About two years ago, I adopted a kitten from a shelter. He was in decent health when I brought him home, and I was convinced to come to this hospital because it was a few miles from our house. For a while I was very content with this location. A little over a week ago, my cat developed a small sore on the back of his ear. When I took him in, they recommend the shot Convenia as it would stay in his system for weeks and fight off the infection. When I asked the side effects of this shot, they said "none that we've been made aware of". A day later, my cat developed extreme lethargy and constipation. When I called them 4 days after his shot/appointment explaining that he had not been using the restroom normally, they shook it off, said it probably wasn't serious, and said they couldn't get him in until "next week".  I made the decision to visit a different vet who immediately said there was a problem. Without going into too much detail, my cat could possibly have FIP and I blame it partially on the fact that Alta Bluff should have taken him in sooner or recommended an emergency vet location. If this happens to be true, they will be hearing more from me as I doubt they read these reviews. Read Less

Had a Chihuahua. Many visits for regular puppy care but rarely saw doctor. Puppy got sick and puppy was screaming after eating anything. After many more visits and fees was told the puppy was just crazy. (Insane) Puppy had s seizure and died 4 days later. Staff was great but the doctor was cold and in uncaring. Read Less

Let me take a moment to share with you why this will be our forever home for our fur baby. I came home from work late one evening to find my large dog with a little bleeding from his mouth. I knew that he had periodontal issues from our previous vet, but he was to old to put asleep to have his teeth cleaned. I thought that he had bit on his food while eating and hurt his gums. Not the case at all, I was awoken by him around 6 am to a moan that I have never heard. I knew something was terribly wrong and I knew I needed to prepare myself. I started searching for a vet in our area. I came across a webpage that was very thoughtful and respectful to families that were going through a hard moment while visiting their facility. I knew, I wanted to call them just as soon as they opened. I did and I explained it didn't look to be a good situation for a family and needed to see them right away to look at our dog. I was asked so many questions and they wanted me to get my vet records from my previous vet and then they would see me about 11:30 that morning. This was an emergency and needed to be seen ASAP. I then remembered that I had a friend that used Alta Bluff Animal Clinic and had said nothing but great things to say. I called them and explained what just had happened on my previous call. I asked could they see him prior to 11:30 because he did need attention immediately. Alta's response is when came you be here? I had him to them in about ten minutes. I was an emotional wreck because I was hoping that it was just his gums. The vet took her time explaining all the signs he was showing and gave treatment options to try and prolong his life but he is 14 years old and that could be a stressful process on the dog. This wasn't my speciality and asked her opinion on what would she do? She spoke from her heart and felt it would be best to lay him to rest. They gave me time to call my husband and explain what was taking place. There was no rush in this process and gave me plenty of time to say good bye. They sat with me prior to my loss explaining and then after with a box of tissues, consoling me. Thank you for getting me through that morning. We do have a younger fur baby that sees the clinic for her wellness checks. This will be our forever vet do to the care and compassion they provided and still provide to our family!!! Read Less

Zero stars for the veterinarian who charges your wife $160.00 and doesn't explain what the medication is actually for.  Could have saved me $155.00 by simply saying she could use Benadryl for the skin allergies.  And then when I try to return the medication 1 hour later they say sorry they can't accept medicine that has already been placed in the bottle.  Thanks I will not be coming back to this place who likes to rip off it's costumers. Read Less

I want to thank you being the professional team that help me when these puppies needed an emergency C-section. You did a great job delivering these gorgeous Malshipoo for me. Because of professional care all puppies survive and are thriving. You are a 5 star rating in my book. Stacy Collins. Read Less

We took our dog here after he had a succession of seizures.  He had epilepsy, so we knew, eventually, that was a possibility.  They did what they could for him.  He suffered neurological damage.  They didn't give up on him, but when it was clear that he wouldn't get better, they helped us make the hard decision to put him down.  They were very considerate of our grief.  They helped us organize his cremation with a local service, and they even sent us a very sweet sympathy card signed by all the staff.  Their kindness made one of our most painful days a little more tolerable. Read Less

Recently moved and the location is very convenient for where I now live. Staff has been exceptional for all circumstances good and unfortunate. They are very thoughtful when I unfortunately had to make the tough decision to end the suffering a fuzzy family member that had advanced cancer. The entire staff signed a card and sent it which made the difficult time easier and clearly showed they care about not only the animals, but also the owners. Read Less

Our dog is very sick and I was looking for a descent vet close to the house. Our daughter takes her dog here so I gave it a try. Missy is having a really hard time walking and has almost lost all control of her legs. The young lady at the desk when they opened up told me that it would be an hour before the doctor would arrive. Really so much for opening early if you can't get anything done. Oh well me and missy had fun in the truck waiting. We played cards and looked at Instagram and Facebook. The doctor came in and we followed. Dr. Gilbert was a young lady who really took to missy right away. She is a great dog and this doctor and her crew really did take great care of Missy. They poked and prodded her. Took some x-rays and when I came back in a handful of hours. The news was't what we wanted to hear but the doctor did a good job. She walked me thought all of the test and the x-rays. Her's sure looks different then all the mine that I have l looked at over the years. In all this office did a great job with our old girl and they have made a new part of their animal hospital family. Read Less

This place is awesome they have always taken care of me & my dogs. Last year when my lab passed away they always took my calls and made sure I was comfortable with everything that took place. They always listed to my concerns and don't just offer services to try to raise up costs. I will continue to only see Alta Bluff Animal Hospital. It is nice to know that a company still cares about their patients and their familes. Read Less

I met the Kirk's years ago at their open house, they gave me a tour of their hospital and I was very impressed with the facilities, and their knowledge...I've used 2 other Vets  in Jacksonville prior to taking my 2 dogs to Alta Bluff. What impressed me the most was their refusal to give my dogs shots that the other Vets insisted on, explaining the reasons why they weren't needed. They treat my babies like their own, good Vets are not cheap, nor would I expect they be, there are cheaper Vets in town but I'm not looking for cut rate care for my babies only the best care possible, which they have received. I would suggest you look into pet insurance if cost is an issue. I've had Petplanusa since they were pups their now 8 and 10, both have survived cancer this year thanks to Dr Kirk and Dr Gilbert. I highly recommend these Vets and their caring staff, if you want the best care for your pets. Read Less

We brought our dog here in March 2015 due to an ear issue. We chose this clinic because it is very close to our home. We also updated his vaccinations during this visit. All of this, including the prescribed ear drops, brought our bill to $240. At that time, we had flea/tick medication, as well as a topical medication for an ongoing skin problem our dog has. In May 2015, we requested a refill for the topical medication, as well as a year supply of flea/tick/heartworm medication. Apparently, we should have requested these at our last vet visit because doing so 2 months later is not an option without paying for another vet visit. Were frustrated that we paid for a physical in March and would have to pay for another in May to get these prescriptions. In my past experiences with other vets, requesting a refill for these types of medications typically requires a vet visit within the previous 12 months. This was not our experience with Alta Bluff. So heres how the phone call went Alta Bluff denied the topical prescription because the vet needed to see our dog again (visit #1). We were given a half-year prescription for the flea/tick/heartworm medication. We were informed that the vet would not prescribe a full-year prescription of the flea/tick/heartworm medication because our dogs shots were due in March (basically before that 12-month period). We explained that our dog would run out of this medication in January (2 months prior to needing his vaccinations), which meant we would have to pay for a vet visit in January for the flea/tick/heartworm medication (visit #2) and another in March for the vaccinations (visit #3). This is unreasonable to us, so we stated that wed likely not return to this clinic because this was unaffordable. Staff responded by saying that she would make note of that. We are very disappointed in the service we received from this clinic and we will not return in the future. We feel its unreasonable to require 3 total visits within a 12-month period because prescriptions that run out during that time period. I do not question the medical training of these vets, but we cannot afford a clinic that is run this way.Read Less

We brought our dog here in March 2015 due to an ear issue. We chose this clinic because it is very close to our home. We also updated his vaccinations during this visit. All of this, including the prescribed ear drops, brought our bill to $240. At that time, we had flea/tick medication, as well as a topical medication for an ongoing skin problem our dog has. In May 2015, we requested a refill for the topical medication, as well as a year supply of flea/tick/heartworm medication. Apparently, we should have requested these at our last vet visit because doing so 2 months later is not an option without paying for another vet visit. We're frustrated that we paid for a physical in March and would have to pay for another in May to get these prescriptions. In my past experiences with other vets, requesting a refill for these types of medications typically requires a vet visit within the previous 12 months. This was not our experience with Alta Bluff.So here's how the phone call went... Alta Bluff denied the topical prescription because the vet needed to see our dog again (visit #1). We were given a half-year prescription for the flea/tick/heartworm medication. We were informed that the vet would not prescribe a full-year prescription of the flea/tick/heartworm medication because our dog's shots were due in March (basically before that 12-month period). We explained that our dog would run out of this medication in January (2 months prior to needing his vaccinations), which meant we would have to pay for a vet visit in January for the flea/tick/heartworm medication (visit #2) and another in March for the vaccinations (visit #3). This is unreasonable to us, so we stated that we'd likely not return to this clinic because this was unaffordable. Staff responded by saying that she would "make note of that". We are very disappointed in the service we received from this clinic and we will not return in the future. We feel it's unreasonable to require 3 total visits within a 12-month period because prescriptions that run out during that time period. I do not question the medical training of these vets, but we cannot afford a clinic that is run this way. Read Less

Alta Bluff Animal Hospital is fantastic! They saw our cat immediately one morning after we found her having seizures. They also treated my mother's dog as an emergency while she was visiting from South Carolina. They are the nicest staff, very friendly and very helpful. You can tell they love what they do! Highly recommend them! Read Less

The Kirk's have taken care of our two Staffies since they where pups.  They are professional and courteous and know their stuff.  Love this place!edit:  just saw this review i did years ago.  I no longer go to Alta Bluff.  I had my one staffy back and forth there about a half dozen dozen times for a mystery illness.  Each time it was close to $100.  Puppers wound up having to be put to sleep by different doctors.   They didnt do a very good job of diagnosing whatever was wrong. Read Less

I'm happy enough with this office because the actual vets are very nice and seem knowledgeable and we can't beat the location because its right across the street from our house but the longer we've been coming here, the less excited I've become. While the vets are friendly and one vet tech, Jenny is friendly, the rest of the staff aren't as welcoming. I often feel like us being there is a bother to them and that's not comfortable. Also, the prices are a little high so we've been buying our boy's medication online and saving quite a bit of money. Also a word of warning, if you get a quote for a surgery or procedure, know that that does not include mandatory follow up visits and procedures. Our boy just had surgery on his ear and the two mandatory follow up appointments (which have now turned into 3) were not included in the quote which was an unpleasant surprise. I'm more than happy to pay what I need to pay to make my boy healthy but I'd rather they were upfront on the total cost so I really knew what to expect. I also wasn't given much information on the procedure so I went into it thinking things would be back to normal in a couple of days and didn't find out until after the surgery that he'd be in a cone for 3 weeks and we had made plans to be out of town during that time. I am partly responsible for that because I should have asked for more details but it would have been nice if everyone were more forthcoming with information and took the time to explain things to us more. UPDATE: I've upgraded my review because we did not end up being charged for the 2nd and 3rd follow up visits which was a pleasant surprise. And we met the office manager who was also very friendly so I guess two nice office staff and two nice vets will make up for the few unfriendly ones in the bunch. Read Less

I was asked to move my vehicle from ONE of the handicapped parking spots in front of their office because the doctor said it was for their patrons only, I spoke to the doctor and was very professional, he was not and was a jerk to me. I'm sorry that I'm a Veteran who is disabled and parked in that provided spot. I'm sorry that inconveniences you. Read Less

I have been going to Alta Bluff since they opened their doors. Dr. Alvarez is great with my animals and takes the time to make sure you understand if there are any issues with them. I have never had a poor experience with their misquoting prices, they always are very up front about the cost usually giving a range in prices depending on what your pet needs to have done. (after all they show you a written estimate of fees and make you sign it before any services are rendered) I find the prices to be very reasonable and I have never been shocked when I pay for the services. The office staff are extremely friendly and they always call to follow up with me to check on my pet's health and well being. This is a great vet! Read Less

I take my cats to this Clinic. I like the Doctor a lot. I have had other vets who were more interested in jacking up the bill, but it seemed like Dr. A was all about fixing my cats and helping them out. I had lab work done at another clinic and instead of charging me to re-do the labs she had the labs faxed over and then referred me to a specialist who could help me with my one cat's liver problems. Dr. A didn't try to do a bunch a stuff on her own and charge me a ton of money--she told me right off that I need a specialist for my cat. I really appreciated that b/c my last vet did all this stuff and didn't even fix the problem. My cat is still vomiting and refuses to eat. I recommend Dr. A to anyone. Read Less

DR.ALVAREZ AT ALTA BLUFF ANIMAL HOSPITAL TOOK CARE OF MY DOG LIKE SHE WAS HER OWN. SHE WASNT EATING AND I WAS AFRAID I WAS GOING TO LOSE HER. SHE WAS VERY CARING AND HER PRICES WERE FAIR. THE TECHNICIANS WERE VERY HELPFUL AND GENTLE WITH MY DOG. I THANK GOD THERE ARE STILL VETS THAT AREN'T CONCERNED ABOUT MONEY JUST ABOUT HELPING ANIMAL LIKE MY DOG POOH BEAR. Read Less

This vet takes advantage of their customers by quoting them over the phone one amount ($145) then charging you more ($292) once you get in the door. Not only did they double my quote from over the phone, but I went back in to get medication I was told would be $12 and they, again, charged me double of $24. I called and spoke to the vet to let her know that they need to acknowledge that they made a mistake and that their staff was not trained properly. She proceeded to insult me by telling me that she ""saw"" the tech give me an estimate and that I misunderstood. I was NEVER given anything except the original quote. If she has so little respect for humans and her clients, then how do they really treat your pets. I've been to many vets in my time and have a Humane Society background. I know a good vet and I know a bad vet. She is a bad one.Read Less

The front desk was S-L-O-W, the tech was mis-informed on legal requirements for licensure and shots, (which cost me over $750) and Alvarez (vet) was rude, impatient, & talked AT me like I was ignorant. She had little expertise to offer beyond common knowledge and was not very helpful. She had a ""cookie-cutter"" routine and I apparently asked one too many questions and tried different approaches and treatments; it frustrated her that I was not playing dumb and letting her do whatever she fancied. Along with that, I felt like they were just trying to squeeze as much money out of me as possible, w/o any regard for myself or my animals. The part-time weekend vet was great, but still the staff lacks any friendly personality or drive to get you in/out in under 3 hours. If you are looking for a new vet, please, do yourself, your pet, and your wallet a favor and look somewhere else---there are plenty around the area! P.S.--they only got 1 star because I had to put at least one! Read Less