St Francis Animal Hospital

St Francis is very conveniently located near my parents. That's pretty much the only reason why I'm giving it any stars. Every. Single. Time. That we bring our cats here, they ALWAYS come home sick- as in, we bring them for yearly check-ups, and then two days later they're sneezing and having diarrhea. It's like clockwork. I've only continued going to this animal hospital because one of our cats is on a prescription diet, and you can get this food there. The last time I went to get the cat food, I was told that I need to bring in the cat for an annual visit since it was past due. Okay, fine. We call ahead and are told that Thursdays and Friday's are walk-ins. Friday morning I walk in and I'm told that they're only doing sick visits today. Eventually after some grumbles they agree to see my cat so I can get the food and be gone. During the visit they tell me that the cat needs a rabies vaccine in case he gets out and it's state law. Okay, fine. We get the rabies shot and the food, and go home, everything is good. About fifteen minutes later, the cat is projectile vomiting and pooping EVERYWHERE (emphasis on 'everywhere'.) I mean, he is walking and pooping and barfing all at once and looks like a mess. I immediately call the vet and they put me on hold and say it's probably just a fur ball, then tell me to come in. Long story, short: the cat had an allergic reaction to the rabies vaccine, so they give him Benadryl and a steroid. And I'm charged extra amount while being asked to wait and watch my cat for a while (unsure if he would have been monitored had I just left him there?)Here's where it's weird: my grandfather used to be a veterinarian, and never ONCE has my cat ever reacted this way, nor have we ever seen a cat in his office react that way. This vets office needs help. Seriously. There's animal fur everywhere and it operates in an unprofessional manner. No follow up calls or anything to check on the matter. If you love your animals, don't go here. Read Less

I'd give them no stars if I could. Woke up with sick sick dog and just in town visiting. There are literally no patients in the office right now and the vet refused to see my dog. Shame on you for your poor service. Read Less

My friend got her dog treated here.  And has used them in the past.  She is very upset right now because these guys won't release her dog Oakley unless the bill is paid in full.  She paid over $1100 of it today.  No payment plan option.  And as Oakley stays there, you guessed it, the bill increases.  IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?  Going to find out.  If I could leave 0 stars, I would.  Take your pets anywhere else but here! Read Less

Hands down the best Vet in Jax! I drive the extra mile to come here! Every staff member is always so helpful and extremely nice! Don’t take your pet anywhere else but here! You’ll be glad you did! Ask for Angela if she is available. She is AMAZING, honest, and the best vet tech I have ever had in the past 12 years of owning dogs. Read Less

I love St. Francis Animal Hospital, their staff is always so sweet and helpful. Angela is always there for me and Dr. Sheldon is a good doctor. They have taken great care of my girls. Baylee and Emma didn’t like going to the vets but they loved the staff. Baylee has passed away last week, but they were so sweet to her. ❤️🐾❤️ I highly recommended them! Read Less

I have called 5 times and left messages like instructed on their voice mail and never received a call back. I wanted to schedule my heartworm positive rescue dog for a new patient appointment to start treatment for her heartworm but I never got a call back. I called several other times and didn't leave messages too, they never picked up the phone. There's not an option to speak with an operator or manager or a tech. Very frustrating. I will not recommend this facility. Read Less

0 stars from me. Do not bring your pets there. I see some people saying they charged a $30 deposit before the appointment. Mine was $40. I had a 3:00 appointment for my dog on May 29. We arrived at 2:30 and signed in. There was a man with a poodle mix already there. Someone came in with a cat and they were seen immediately and left in 10-15 minutes. Another couple came in with a dog who was visibly hurt and couldn’t walk on one leg. We kept being told “we’re just waiting for some rooms to open up, he had 3 emergencies today.” It was 3:30 before we were even taken back to a room. We waited in the room for an hour before a nurse came in to check out our dog and then she told us, “I’ll have the doctor in here in 5 minutes.” All the while we kept seeing new people coming back that weren’t out in the waiting room when we were. It was 5:15 pm and the doctor still hadn’t came in. We picked up our dog and left. As we were walking out we saw the man with the poodle mix who was there before us STILL WAITING and so was the dog who was visibly injured. $40 to get to sit at a vet’s office for 3 hours. It’s ridiculous. I understand it’s an animal hospital but if there were so many emergencies why doesn’t someone from the office call before the appointment, refund the deposit and reschedule us? Read Less

I don't understand the reviews not the deposit amount started by some. I do pay a deposit of thirty dollars prior to apt. But I can understand that due to no shows and time. This place has always been the best with me and my pets! I think people should understand emergencies are treated as they come and while your emergency might be urgent another might be more. They are always nice! Always answer questions! If they don't have something they get it. Kindness and politeness are a two way street people! I love you guys at St.Francis I can't say my pets do because nobody really likes a doctor! Thanks!! Read Less

Where shall I begin?! I have been taking my son to this facility since it was down in San Marco and always spoke so highly of them and their staff. I could never have anticipated the lack of follow through nor the lack of care of my son this year. February I noticed his ear was bent , upon further inspection he had black dirt it seemed so I rushed him up to St Francis to get him checked out. The vet when he walked in 2 hours after we had been waiting immediately insulted his weight then continued this the entire visit and pretty much was belittling my intelligence by asking me if I knew cats were carnivores and upon checking his ears instructed me to look at a clean passage opposed to his dirty passage with the scope to which my baby screamed in pain because the vet was showing off in the most condescending manner. I'm not an idiot, I knew there was something wrong with him as I worked in a vet previously! The vet then instructed me that he'd prescribe a flush that would treat the ear but wasn't the complete combination as the second medication he needed they did not have available but that I should treat his ear with the flush and "see if the army retreated". To that statement I became irate because who wants to half treat an issue in hopes that it goes away! The vet then stated he would find the medication and have it for me within the week. The vet techs although nice were not properly communicated with because they days later told his father that they had prescribed me the correct medication and that I was mistaken..... fast forward 2 days and the VET HIMSELF called to tell me that he was calling in the medication and once it was ready the office would call me. THEY NEVER CALLED ME. It's now 2 MONTHS later and the ear infection has come back and I just went up there to ask if they could fill his prescription as I had noticed it's resurgence and since not ever having the second medication in conjunction to the first to combat it effectively there shouldn't be an issue. The receptionist was trying to be even keeled but didn't accomplish the task as she just seemed frustrated and unapologetic to the misunderstanding and request I was making because they wanted him to come back and go through it all over again for another $150 dollars. Please do yourself a favor and take your furbaby to a facility with patient care minded staff that have follow through and don't leave animals in wayward positions because they have too high a volume or poor leadership. I used to champion this facility as it is a community low cost facility making it affordable for other pet owners and donated. I will not donate any longer as the pets do not receive the true care they deserve because they are just a chart and a bill not an animal with a disposition needs remedy. How dare they . Read Less

I have an eight month old pug puppy that was in desperate need of having his nails trimmed. I was referred to St. Francis Animal Hospital. I arrived without an appointment assuming I did not need one and they were so kind and accomodating. They were able to squeeze Edgar inbetween scheduled appointments if I was willing to wait. I was prepared to wait much longer than the 10 minutes that it took. I was pleasently pleased with the staff and their care of my puppy and would not hesitate to return again. Read Less

This is probably one of the nicest staffed Vet place I have ever used. They have got me in on short notice. They have been quick and timely to see me and address my concerns. The staff is nice on the phone as well and takes care of the issue and makes you feel welcomed. I drive past 8 other vet places just to come to this one because they are polite and 100% up front. I like the fact that they tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear. I love that they are up front and honest, and in my book that goes a very long way. Read Less

Last night my dog ate chocolate. I call on my away and the receptionist gave me the OK to bring him in. Once in there, the receptionist takes her sweet time getting my information. Since it was taking so long I mentioned the urgency that we need to induce vomiting ASAP. She says calm down and still takes her sweet time. I go into the back finally. I wait 5 minutes for her to come back in to say that I need to go to an emergency vet. They said they do not have the shot that induces vomiting.Well you could have not wasted my time! I was their for 30 minutes and they tell me they cant do it??? WORST PLACE EVER! Read Less

So sad they are not open on the weekend any more for walk ins.  Love this vet, but I can't take a day off of work every time my dogs need to get vaccines, trifexis and nails trimmed. Have been going for years, but will have to look somewhere else.Deducted one star for wait time and one for the change to weekdays only. Read Less

I liked their office and customer service much better when they were located on Mango Pl. If you needed a Rx filled you could walk in and see their office person at the counter and they would sell you the Rx promptly. Now you have to wait in line to get one filled and there is usually no one at their counter so it takes forever to get someone to provide service. I understand they are busy but they really need to improve their customer interaction. Last time I went to buy some Comfortis, after waiting at their counter for about fifteen minutes someone finally showed up and then told me to take a seat and wait my turn. It would have taken over an hour just to buy a box of flea meds. There were several people already there waiting so I just left. It was the weekend and it was walk in day so maybe their staff was limited. Read Less

Useless Vets, bad receptionists, terrible overpriced boarding services. Tried to bring our dog in today with an emergency and was told that the doctors take lunch at everyone's normal lunch hour so aren't available, and no walk-ins are accepted after 4.... Brought our dog to a different vet who was much more friendly and it turned out he had kidney failure and could have died. Thanks St. Fran. Also boarded him a couple weeks ago for two days and while they boast on how luxurious their accommodations are, when we picked him up he was in a medium sized cage with two yipping dogs right next to him and sitting on a concrete floor. They were gracious enough to give him a cheap ass thin blanket to sleep on but no bed or anything even remotely comfortable. We also brought him in for a checkup when we first rescued him and the vet did nothing more than listen to his lungs and check his temperature...we could have done that at home. We will never be back and we live just down the road from this place. Don't take your pets here, this is my second rescued dog and this place has by far been the worst experience out of the numerous vets I've been to. Read Less

I've coming to St Francis since 7yrs ago, but today it was the worse of the worse. I was trying to get an appointment since last week and they don't have anything available. I've been waiting 4hrs today 2/14/17 and just now someone finally came and told that the doctor will be here shortly. Very disappointed but ladies at the front desk were really nice and friendly Read Less

I've been taking my "kids" to St. Francis for a while now. Yes, sometimes you have to wait a while to be seen, but the prices are great and the staff are wonderful. I got to meet Dr. Orange yesterday when I took one of my dogs in for her shots and exam. She was very nice and Nina loved her!Read Less

I love this place! They're always busy, so you sometimes have to wait a little longer, but for the price and for them being non-profit, it's worth it. I bring my dog and my cats here and you can tell that the staff loves every animal that comes through the doors and will do whatever they can if you're on a budget. I've sat in the waiting room for 1-4 hours based on the day or emergency that came in while I was waiting and majority of the people and their pets are so friendly. Definitely recommend! Read Less

St. Francis has helped me with my two dogs and many of my friends dogs over the years. Their new location is extra clean and smells great and they are on their game. If it takes a while to be seen... just realize, these people are taking care of multiple situations and multitasking at their best. I love the staff and the fellow clients. I will definitely recommend you time and time again. We had a few less than great experiences but any fine tuned machine has a flaw and I know things are stressful taking care of so many animals and different situations all at a moments notice. I am a strong believer that this vet is top notch and will (with the right staffing) be the number one vet in Duval county some day. Read Less

Several appointments went very wrong. Always waited 2.5+ hours whether we had an appointment or were told we didn't need one. Not handicap accessible (at the front door- so my husband had to sit in the car for that time alone). My sweet rescue was heartworm positive... they changed her treatment plan after her first appointment when I called to schedule when they advised, which is against national regulation (my guess is they had too many pets to get her in). Once she started treatment we were supposed to have her second and third one month later. Called to schedule and they said the medication was on back order and weren't sure when they would get it in- she was due November 17th for it... it is January 11th and I still haven't heard from them to schedule her. Thankfully we found another vet and she has been cleared until she will be retested in April. Her records and our bill was always messed up. Staff is courteous but no one knows what anyone else is doing or where the paper trail goes. Highly disappointed with this vet and warn you to go else where. They lack leadership and communication.Read Less

Very disappointing service. We had an appointment on the books for at least a month and still waited over an hour to be seen. We finally just had to leave. I immediately called to let them know that I was no longer waiting. They seemed very unconcerned and didn't ask if I wanted to reschedule. The last time I went it was more of an emergency because my dog was in pain. They didn't have an appointment open for several days, but said we could walk in on Saturday. We were there bright and early within a few minutes of them opening on Saturday morning. We were there for over four hours, and most of that time was waiting. I thought having an appointment this time would be better, but it wasn't. I doubt I'll be going back. Read Less

Very disappointed today. We had an appointment for our dog, arrived 15-20 minutes early, wanted for an additional 35 minutes and left. This seems to have become the status quo at this vet. Based upon the other reviews I'm guessing this may just be acceptable. We will find another vet that cares for all of it's patients and their time. By the way, we have come to this vet as a walk in and waited hours. We expected that with an appointment we would avoid this. Read Less

So I ordered my dogs medicine in August, paid in full. Now it's December and I still have not received it. My wife has call almost every week and we keep getting the run around. They didn't have the right address. We gave them the right address, well they messed up the city and then after not getting it we called back and made sure they had it right. Well they screwed up the zip code. So we wait again. Well they sent it to another town somewhere out of state. This goes on two or three more times. We were supposed to get a call back today and they didn't call. So I am having a hard time understanding the difficulty in mailing out a package. They say every time they send it with a tracking number and I have yet to receive one, I have even offered to pay for shipping so that it doesn't get screwed up for a 4th or 5th time. I have lost count at this point. I would really love for this to be resolved.Read Less

These ladies are angels sent to take care of our fur babies....they took care of my baby like his was their own until he left this earth....i cant begin to express how much Dr Sheltons bedside manners and educated diligence has kept my baby here so much longer than he would have been. I will be a lifetime volunteer as i have fur-ever been changed by this facility.Read Less

Love this veterinarian, non profit and a fraction of cost of other vets. ( Baymeadows animal hospital is the worst) Shelton is the best, she actually seems concerned about ur pet and spends time with patients, unlike other vets who are in the room with you for 2 minutes and ur still in the office for couple hours??? Don't care for Dr. Johnson he's a little cocky and weird... Dr Shelton is the best and I'll wait for the best for my fur baby. Read Less

We've been taking our pups to Saint Francis for almost 5 years now, and the move to the new facility was a very smart one for them! We love that walk-ins are weekend only, and appointments need a reservation fee. We waited less than 10 minutes to be seen (I used to wait up to two hours with appointment due to walk-ins), and the techs were super friendly. I anticipated spending a lot of money, but they reviewed what pup needed what services, and didn't charge me for anything we didn't need. Read Less

Deeply unhappy with the service lately. The Doctors seem to come in whenever they feel like it, they made my daughter sit in the waiting room for nearly 2 hours just to tell her there are no walk in's available (yes, I called and was told they do have walk ins during the week)....I used to brag and recommend St. Francis to my friends, but they have had bad experiences lately as well, so not anymore. It's too bad, it used to be a great Vet. Read Less

To make a long story short . St. Francis let my dog suffer waiting on ultrasound when he could have been treated with prednisone for both IBS and Cancer. He has cancer and has been give prednisone to help give him quality of life for the time he has left. It took going to another vet to get the ultrasound and help for my dogs. I am writing this to help other pet not go throw what my dog did. Read Less

I have had pets my entire life. After relocating to this area I searched for a vet and found St. Francis a few years ago. This place deserves all the recognition and attention it could possibly get. They helped me so much in my time of need at the end stage life of my late kitty (Danny). He was diabetic and needed close attention for the last two years of his life, with visits to St. Francis twice monthly for monitoring and then once a month. Toward the end he was there several times. I called him my soul mate and he was everything to me. The staff at St. Francis treated me and Danny as if they loved him as much as I did. Angela in particular brought me to tears in her selfless humanitarian work showing as much love and attention toward Danny as I would give him. Each visit he arrived nervous until she would scoop him up into her arms and hold him close and at times walking around holding him while doing other tasks - just to comfort him. She cared about how he felt. She showed genuine love toward him and he loved her. The rest of the staff is just as loving and understanding when you are going through a trying and difficult time, or otherwise. They are a non-profit organization and with good cause. Those people genuinely care about you and about you and your pet. As a middle aged woman, I have never in my life seen or witnessed an organization that showed so much attention and love that is as genuine as it gets. When I am in a position to reciprocate the best way I know how (financially), you can bet I will be sending them as much as I can and then some. It has been a couple months since I lost my special Danny Boy, and I'm now able to speak about it freely without getting upset and knowing he is in a more comfortable place running around and healthy. Angela helped soothe Danny and I, along with my mother who felt the same special connection toward Danny as I did, when he peacefully went to the Other Side to meet up with our other late pets and family members. Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of Danny in the corner of my eye and I can smile, knowing it's a sign that he is "OK" where he is and that gives me comfort. Danny was 15 when he passed and had a wonderful life. We will never forget how St. Francis helped make this transition with as much ease as one could imagine. Thank you is not enough - there are no words to express our gratitude.Read Less

Best of Jacksonville? NOT! Dr. Davis provided a diagnosis that could not have been farther from the truth. The other Vet we went to was not happy with Dr. Davis and the medicines he prescribed. We solved our doggies problem with a new Vet and our fur baby is back to her old self. The staff who check you in and out are rude and nasty! This has happened every time! I complained but never received a response from Dr. Shelton. I will never be back to St Francis Animal Hospital or support any of their causes ever again! You treated me and my doggy poorly and never again will you be able to do that!Read Less

We loved Dr. Mike and the rest of the super helpful staff! The vet listened to our concerns about our rescue dog, did a very thorough exam, and found 2 problems another vet had missed. Thank you for your excellent care and prices! Read Less

My wife and I moved to Jax a couple of years ago with two older dogs and the associated trials and tribulations. New friends recommended St. Francis. St. Francis has created an environment of genuine caring, compassion and competency that we have not experienced anywhere before in over 30 years of pet ownership. It's hard to single out anyone on their staff with praise because they have all been great. Do not think for one second that their willingness to help less fortunate owners with their pets needs means that they are second rate. Quite the opposite. They have never asked us for anything, yet we willingly donate to their cause. It's ironic that they are a non profit - they exemplify all of the qualities that make any for profit business great. Thanks St. Francis - you guys are the best! Read Less

I went in because my older dog has what i waw told was cysts from banfield..he was n is having trouble walking..like a few other patients, (not having a preset appt i understand having to wait but)..we waited a good 2-3hrs. Just to have a tiny bit of fluid drawn (from a syringe that was huge)..to be told "it doesn't look cancerous but surgery is X amount th3n another 100 for in depth test".. Im at a really low time in life n was told this place works with people...NOT the case. My dog now needs surgery n was reffered here again...i think I'll chance it elsewhere.. Does NO ONE truely have compassion anymore? Read Less