Connechusett Animal Hospital

My partner, Mike G. and I live in Tampa and have been using Dr. Jukoff at Connechusett Animal Center for about thirty years and we love Dr. Jukoff for his competance, compassion and concern he has show each of the sixty plus dogs and cats he has cared for over the years for us. He has a true love for animals and has grieved with us when we have had to had an animal euthanized due to cancer, stroke or a neurological problem. His staff are always friendly, nice, kind and empathetic with us when we bring an animal in for treatment. We appreciate Dr. Jukoff  and his staff more than our words can ever express. Read Less

these people shouldn't be calling themselves an animal hospital. I had a medical emergency for my pet so my husband used his lunch break to take us to this appt. the they had me waiting an hour past my appointment time in an empty waiting room without a vet insight. how can you call your self a hospital if your not interested in helping your patients and show no sense of urgency for my situation. I waited and waited and waited for nothing.... wasted time this place is a joke. they should stick to animal boarding because they don't care about the well being of patients right in front of their face. Read Less

The people who work here care about animals not your money, even in an emergency I paid $60 after my dog and I were injured in a dog fight, that included a walk in visit, antibiotics and pain meds for Tigger. Kind, courteous, and caring three qualities other vets I have used in the past are lacking. Thank you Read Less

The people who work here care about animals not your money, even in an emergency I paid $60 after my dog and I were injured in a dog fight, that included a walk in visit, antibiotics and pain meds for Tigger. Kind, courteous, and caring three qualities other vets I have used in the past are lacking. Thank you Read Less

The best vet and employees who care more about my dog than money, even in an emergency my dog was seen and given antibiotics and pain meds and my total bill was only $60, previous vet charged $260 for non emergency appt. A veterinarian who cares about animals and not money a rare quality I truly appreciate! Thank you to the Connechusett Crew! Read Less

Ms. Veterinarian is very cold and insensitive.  On 2 separate occasions I was unable to see (get an appointment )for my extremely I'll pet although I told the receptionist I felt it was an emergency  (my dog was passing alot of blood )they would not fit her in and was given an appointment for 3 days later, when I tryed to discuss this with the Dr. She defended the situation saying "I am just one person,  what can I  do?"I would truly hope for much more along with some compassion.  The office has gone down hill and is anything but a "hospital " Read Less

I have been taking all my rescued animals (dogs & cats) here for 20 years. The owner is very knowledgeable and able to keep up with my husband's detailed questions, since he is a ex -pathologist and retired internal medicine physician. The owner clearly cares much for the animals he services. He keeps his fees very reasonable and takes his time with each and every client to give you the best options possible, which many times is not the best for him & his profits. His staff are all very caring and also very knowledgeable. When problems happen in his practice he does his very best to correct the situation fairly and to the benefit of the animals he serves. I have been a very happy client and know my animals have gotten the very best advice and caring service from this practice! THANK YOU, CONNECHUSETTS STAFF!! Read Less

Dr J. & Dr T take excellent care of my fur kids here! Unlike other offices in the N Tampa area Connechusett doesn't charge an arm & a leg for your pets needs. I'm able to get my dogs dentals done annually here along with yearly check up and vaccines as needed. When I have s sick pet they do the best they can to fit us in on busy days and try to determine if the issue can be treated the least expensive way or tell me honestly if further testing is needed.They sell products and prescription goods for fair prices trying to keep them affordable for you.Surgeries can be booked here weekly with either Dr. I'm a long time client and will continue to go here. All the staff is always genuinely concerned about my pet and ready to assist as Best they can. Read Less

Call this morning after being referred by another Vet. Our Cat had a mass on her stomach that burst and was bleeding. Our Vet said she would need surgery to remove it and stop the bleeding. The gentleman who answered the phone was told the same thing and he said sorry we can't get a surgery scheduled until June! I thought I was hearing wrong so I told him the cat is bleeding and it will not stop until she has surgery and the referring Vet said to call there. His only answer was Sorry nothing until June. I guess I was supposed to let her bleed for two weeks. Took her to Planned Pet Hood and she is having surgery right now and I can pick her up tonight. Thanks for nothing, nothing nice to say about this place Read Less

While pet sitting for someone their dog got extremely ill. I took the dog here and the people were super friendly and the prices were very reasonable. Honestly, I was expecting to be raked over the coals for emergency pet service but they didn't do it to me. That was very much appreciated. Read Less

It took me some time to come back to write this review because i want to never have to relive that day again. As a family, we came to the decision to put our 16 year old pit bull down. It was one of the toughest decisions we have had to make. Caine was the best dog, still greeted you at the door, still wagged his tail, still sweet as ever but old. His quality of life was gone. We knew in our hearts it was time. So we scheduled a date. We dreaded it for weeks but really evaluated him during the time and knew we made the right choice. When we got to the vet we were taken to a room right away. The front office staff was very nice. We waited in that room for what seemed a lifetime. The veterinarian finally came in and let me mention we have never seen him before, took one look at our dog and said "standing and wagging his tail, not a good sign". He then proceeded to pet Caine and say "don't come over here and make me feel bad, your parents are doing this to you". We felt totally judged and questioned our decision. The vet tried to tell us some horrid story about his own experience with putting his dog down. We left the vet without our dog and a horrible feeling. We questioned ourselves for days but in the end we were right. It was the best decision. I hope no one has to go through this situation the way we did. Read Less

Friendly, professional service. Transparent pricing, no nickel & diming. Efficient prescription process, offered to assist with pill administration for no charge even though my pet wasn't being seen that day for any other services. Read Less

My cat was in horrible condition and hadn't eaten for almost two days. Couldn't walk and could barely drink. They did an x-ray and said he had ingested some thread and possibly a sewing needle. They operated immediately to remove them and called me to come back when they were done. The drugs had not even wore off from this serious surgery and they told me to take him home. I said I would pay for him to stay there overnight for observation but they said no, gave me medication and sent us on our way. My cat died underneath my bed alone during the night. When I called them the next day to talk to them they said it could have been from worms. WORMS! He was an indoor cat that had no fleas or any worms of any kind. This place was recommended to me by the ASPCA. This was my second time dealing with them. They previously spayed my dog and despite setting up a payment plan prior to the surgery the incompetent, unfriendly man at the front desk tried to charge me for the full amount when I went to pick my dog up. By far the worst animal hospital and staff I've dealt with in the 20 plus years of being a pet owner. Read Less

This is a hospital that is owned by the vet himself, Dr Jukoff.  He's been doing this for 20 yrs that I know of, he & his staff are excellent and know how to treat your pet, as if it was their own.He is very down to earth and will tell you like it is, whether its bad news or good.  They do offer short-stay boarding, such as over the weekend, etc.....please check them out, I recommend Dr Jukoff for all your pets health needs. Read Less

I hate that feeling of helplessness when a pet is not well. You would do anything to make them feel better and just can't sometimes. My cat, Mr. B, was pushing 18 years old, which is roughly 90 in human years. Between his kidney failure and viral infection, it was time. I've been a customer of Connechusett for many years now. The doctors and technicians are incredibly professional and compassionate, especially on this visit.  They allowed me to have the room to myself to say goodbye and take as much time as I needed then let me slip out a side exit, so they rest of the place wouldn't see a grown man fighting back tears. Thank You for all you do for our furry friends and for helping Mr. B not to suffer anymore. Read Less

I took my dog here for a new patient appointment and an issue with his toe. They took great care of him and suggested a less invasive treatment that ended up working perfectly and cost me much less than I thought it would. I will definitely be bringing him back here whenever he needs care. Read Less

I can't say enough about the staff at Connechusett for helping me and my girl Lucy on her last day. October 22nd, 2015. The support was really appreciated.I was even more surprised to get a nice card from them in the mail, signed by all the staff. That was so awesome. Thank you all! Read Less

Very impressed with this vet! The prices are amazing and they get back to you quickly. They don't try to gouge you for more money which is important to a frugal college kid like me. I called about my over grooming cat and the secretary was very helpful in offering ways to heal her wounds from her excessive licking. Read Less

I've taken both of my dogs here and I am happy with the service I receive. Dr Bimonte and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable and they don't sell you unnecessary services. Connechusett Animal Clinic is clean and reasonably priced. Read Less

Always taken care of my pups. I truly feel like this place isnt in it for the money. They have never tried to make me buy anything that is not needed for my dogs. I can appreciate this bc I have been to many vets that only want your money and could care less about your pet. I used to take my dogs to a VCA vet place. Never again. Connechusettes will always be the place for my fur babies and thank you for always taking care of them! Read Less

Do not go here. They seriously killed my cat. Granted she had a lot wrong with her, including diabetes and IBD, but that is exactly why when they put her under anesthesia for two different procedures they should have taken all basic precautions, including giving her IV fluids! I have never been to a vet that doesn't give IV fluids during surgery, and especially not when a cat has health issues. She had a dental cleaning, without IV, and never was the same afterwards. She had problems controlling her bladder and I ended up spending thousands of dollars taking her to Blue Pearl, etc. getting an ultrasound done and seeing a specialist to find out what was going on. And then on Christmas she got really sick and had severe constipation, for which she had anesthesia again for an enema. She never ate again afterwards, could barely walk, her third eyelid was covering her eyes from the time she woke up, she was desperately thirsty, and when I called the vet (Dr. Welsh) at Connechusett the next day and told her, she said it was fine and would just take a couple days for her to feel all better. I ended up taking her to her to the emergency vet the next day and was told she had liver failure, extremely low potassium, and and severe anemia - two things she did not have a month earlier before her dental. And to make things worse I had specifically asked the vet at Connechusett to do bloodwork before doing the enema because I was concerned about how my cat's health had been since the dental, and she decided not to without consulting me! If she had, she probably still would have disregarded everything and done the procedure without IV fluids because as I said, my cat had diabetes and a diabetic cat should never be put under without IV fluids! Blue Pearl said she was severely dehydrated despite me giving her sub-q fluids every day at home. I took her back in to Connechusett, and saw someone else, Dr. Jukoff?, and he was incredibly uncaring and made a comment like, 'sounds like she's trying to die on you.' I was sent home again to watch my cat slowly die over the next 24 hours because they led me to believe there was nothing more that could be done, even though they couldn't tell me why any of it was happening. I've never experienced such incompetence and it's taken me almost a year to write this review because the experience was so bad that it's still really hard to even think about enough to write this. Which is why it is probably a bit incoherent... The only thing good about this vet is their prices are lower than other places, and I will always regret letting that affect my decision to go here instead of taking her somewhere else. Bottom line - they were extremely negligent and my cat is dead. And despite knowing my cat had died following the procedure at Connechusett, neither Dr. Welsh or anyone else from there ever contacted me about it. Read Less

Some weird policies here, including a $10 fee for written prescriptions. Also, one visit, I felt that I wasn't dispensed a proper amount of antibiotics for me cat. As those who have experience with children and animals know, it is sometimes difficult to administer medications when the recipient is struggling against it. This was especially true for my cat, that fought every time I tried to administer her antibiotic suspension. She was supposed to receive 14 ml over a period of 7 days, and the vet gave me 15 ml. This leaves little room for error. As someone who works in pediatric healthcare, we usually write prescriptions for more than need, in case they fight and medication is lost. Here my cat lost a full days worth of treatment because of loss of the medicine during administration. They should have written me a RX for 18-20 ml, as we would have done in my industry. Read Less

The Staff and Doctors are very caring and thoughtful. The service fees are far below the average Vets fees. We found a 4 week old kitten and decided to try and foster her until we found her forever home, the Doctor took pity on us and waived a few fees for doing the "right thing". They are now our full time animal clinic and are even more amazing than we thought! You can't go wrong here. Read Less

I have been taking my dogs to this vet for some time and I have always been pleased with the service.  This vet is a bit of a drive from my home, but it is worth it for the level of care at the low price that they receive here.  The staff is always friendly and takes the time to connect with the puppies.  The boarding prices are the lowest I've seen and my dogs are not typically nervous to be dropped off.  I will continue driving out of my way for Connechusett as they are a great vet! Read Less

I would like to thank Connechusett Animal Hospital for the outstanding care and understanding they showed towards both our beloved pet, Bear, and our small family. I would highly recommend them, and inparticular Dr. Jukoff, to anyone seeking veterinary care for their pet. Read Less

Pricing is reasonable and the care is exceptional. I'm always informed prior to payment. I love the fact that this hospital will involve you, the pet owner, in the medical care process. Saves money and provide the best care according to you and your pets needs. Read Less

Prices are very reasonable and the staff has been so wonderful.  In the past two years, we have had two serious events and the staff and vets are thorough, competent and compassionate.  I cannot tell you how grateful I am to them for their care. Read Less

Friendly staff and very reasonable prices! You assume owning a dog is going to cost you an arm and a leg but I got out of here the other day with a laundry list of things for under $150!They have separate entrances for dogs and cats- which I think is cute. And they were very patient at dealing with my excitable and anxious black lab. I would definitely recommend this place for your pet!! Read Less

I decided to try this place out after reading the reviews on here and Google. So, I came here for an end of the day appt, after I got out of work.  I don't know if the Doctor just wanted to get out of there or what, but she was standoffish, curt and didn't seem to take anything I was saying very seriously. My cat has been extremely stressed, and has terrible anxiety. She listened to my cat's heartbeat, which she said was beating so fast she is having a hard time discerning the beats, and she even said "Calm down kitty, your heart is beating so fast." After she examined her, I held my cat, who was petrified, and was cowering on the table. I was petting her to try to soothe her, and told the vet how stressed out she has been, and that I wanted to rule out something medical as she has been seriously overgrooming and now losing weight. . She didn't seem to take anything I was saying about my cat's anxiety seriously, then actually disregarded me completely and said "Well she seems fine here" because she seemed calm. At first glance she may seem calm to someone who has never been around a cat, let alone a Bengal!! A normal bengal cat would be perversing a new room, mapping it out and sniffing everywhere! A normal cat in new surroundings would be curious!!! My cat was so scared, she couldnt even move! A normal cat wouldn't have half of her fur eaten off her body because she is so freaked out. Her eyes were also black they were dilated so big, which is also a well known sign of stress that the doctor didn't even seem to notice, and not only that, she also just listened to her heart beat, which was beating so fast, the doctor admitted to having a hard time hearing it! So her examination actually supported what I was telling her about my cat being stressed, and she just brushed it off like I was full of it! Why would I lie????!!!!! She was with her all of 5 minutes, ordered blood work for her, which would take a few days to come back from the lab, said to give her flea medicine for the overgrooming and shoo'ed us out the door. I know one thing, I've never had to wait a few days for bloodwork. She did want to do a urinalyis, and that may take a couple of days,   but the entire process just felt callous and rushed. The only good thing about this place was the bill, which was affordable,  and the front desk people were nice. However, you get what you pay for.  I'm getting my lab results and taking her to someone who will actually take me and my cat's history seriously. I should of just stayed with my previous vet. They are good, but they are also expensive and I feel like I am being taken everytime I go, which is the reason I came here. Well, I'll say it again, you get what you pay for. Back to my good, expensive vet I go. Read Less

Very friendly staff.  Clean facilities and reasonable prices.  I have taken my sweet girl here for 2 years now and I have been nothing but impressed with the staff and doctors there.  They are very attentive to your pets needs and will work with you financial situation to ensure your pet gets the care he/she requires! Read Less

I went here on the recommendation of another veterinary office.  The receptionists were very friendly, the building is kept very clean and odor-free.  My complaint lies with the vet tech and Dr. Taveres.  Both were very curt, short answered and treated us less then kind because we made it clear that we did not have hundreds of dollars to spend there to treat out cat's UTI.  I care about my cat but when a pet gets sick and you are between paychecks, what are you to do?  As we were waiting for discharge, the vet tech stormed into the exam room and grabs the chart and storms back out to the check out desk.  Didn't say, "Have a nice day, drop dead or anything."  Just rude!  The Dr. didn't do anything particularly rude to us, just seemed standoffish and made it clear that she was not happy because we would not be pouring $$ into the clinic.  Just because someone is poor, this does not give anyone the right to treat them with anything less then respect.  We will not be back! Read Less

Connechusett came highly recommended by a friend with an older dog, so we took our 8yo black lab to see them when she started growing lumps. They told us not to worry; Portia's lumps were fatty tissue and she was healthy. Well the lumps grew and grew over the next few months, coalescing into one big tumor. They removed the tumor a few months ago but failed to get it all, and tests confirmed it was malignant lymphoma. They recommended more surgery if and when the lumps returned.? Portia was very active, getting a 1.5-mile walk every day, until late last week when she developed a slight limp. Her shoulder began to swell on Friday, but we knew she hadn't been injured. We gave her doggie aspirin and anti-inflammatory meds, and jerry-rigged a shoulder strap to hold an ice pack, hoping she'd walk out her sprain. That seemed to help for awhile, but by Saturday (her 9th birthday, ironically) we knew she needed help.? We called Connechusett the minute they opened on Saturday, explaining that Portia was in pain. Unexpected expenses had drained our checking account that week, and we wouldn't be able ?to pay them before accessing our savings on Monday. (Connechusett is a bit pricey, so we knew what sort of costs to expect.) Would they take a post-dated check for payment? No. They essentially told us to call back on Monday.? Of course we wouldn't. They'd lost the privilege of ever touching our dog again. No one who cares for animals could have done that. We weren't some random people coming in off the street. Portia was their patient, now in pain. They'd been trusted to cut into her body. We'd spared no expense for them to treat her in the past. And now they couldn't wait a business day for payment? No one with those policies should be a vet, full stop, period. As Portia grew more ill, we realized the shoulder injury was a massive tumor growing rapidly under her arm. The lymphoma had returned with a vengeance. We dosed her with everything we could find OTC and safe for dogs, trying to minimize her pain, but we barely scratched the surface. We nursed her continuously throughout the weekend, but lying close and talking to her were the only things that helped. We found a vet who would see her at 7am Monday morning, so we loaded her up in back of the station wagon, opened the top and all the windows (which she loved), and drove off. Portia had stopped crying an hour earlier. She was conscious but feeling no pain. She left her body on the way to the vet. We are comforted in knowing that Portia wouldn't have wanted to leave this life in any other way. But Connechusett could have made her final hours easier. I regret they chose not to. To those reading this review, forewarned is forearmed: Look elsewhere for your pet's care. Read Less

Best place for your pet. We've brought our cat here 5-6 times and they are absolutely wonderful. Dr. Saladino deserves a hug and a cookie for how awesome she is. The front desk is very, very upfront about what they need to do, what is just upgrade stuff and what doesn't need to be done at all. Their prices are reasonable, the facility is great. There are separate doors for dogs and cats so you don't run into both sides freaking the eff out over the sight of the other. An entire staff of crazy cat people, but in a good way. Very caring and loving of the animals that come through their doors, not just looking for a paycheck. Read Less

The first time I went in someone had dropped a dog in aweful condition at my door. I being a college student at the time with no money they worked with me and made the experience wonderful. Since then I have brought both my dogs to this location and prices seem to go up with loyalty. My poor dog suffers from extreme allergies it cost me over 1000 dollars to figure this out. She has been poked, prodded, and sedated about 4 times at this place and I get ""nothing is wrong, here is antibiotics and the 200 plus dollar bill."" If I go into a doctors and tell them whats wrong and they can't figure it out with clear sympthoms then don't give her antibotics. Now they are saying she needs to come in for a healthy check up and heartworm testing even though we were in there less then 2 weeks ago and she had a check up and heartworm test then and they have no record. They told me I ""Have to otherwise they won't give me anymore heartworm meds"" They estimated this cost at 135 which tells me they raised there prices by a lot since a month or two ago there healthy pet exam was 24 dollars and a heartworm test was 38 dollars 2 weeks ago. I don't like getting ripped off so jokes on them since I will not be returning with my pets since they only care about the money and my pets don't matter. Read Less

I have a very hyper dog that i take to them for all needs. The last visit was for a tumor my dog had on her foot. They are very good with animals and humans. They also took the time to exsplain what would the the before and after of the surgery in a way I would understand. They have great prices and would tell any friend, family member, or neighbor thats the best vet Ive ever been too. Read Less

I brought my cat Simba here becuase he's had this big laceration on his head for a while and it suddenly started looking worse. I'd assumed it hadn't healed yet becuase he kept picking at it and when it looked worse I brought him here. I'm a college student and have had this cat since I was five; I'm very attached to him and try to take care of him as best I can. But when I told the doctor that he'd had the cut on his head for at least 3 months; all she had to say to me was how awful it was that I hadn't brought him in. I'd told her that he kept bothering with it and I tried to keep it clean. She prescribed him medicine to be given orally and medicine to put on his head. I asked if there was anything else I could do with him but she didn't seem to care. She told me he probably had cancer and they'd need to do a biopsy but that I couldn't make an appointment until his head looked a bit cleaner. Crushed I went home and gave him the medicine as I was told; but as soon as I put the medicine on his head he pawed it off. Finally I took him to another vet; not only did they seem just as concerned about how I was doing as my cat was doing; but they also wrapped his head; cleaned him up; AND took him in the back to check him for anything he might have in the same day. Turned out he didn't have cancer, he has FIV. Something I would have liked to have known when I first took him to get checked out considering he's an outdoor cat. I would NEVER recommend Connechusetts to anyone that loves their pet(s) ever. Read Less

I've been taking my animals to Connechusetts for quite awhile now. My cat and 2 dogs are getting older now, and the visits are becoming more frequent. The staff is always eager to help and don't blink an eye at any request made. We see Dr. Tavares everytime. I have never been happier with a vet. Her bedside manner is soft and soothing, especially when the news isn't all that good. She is very knowledgeable and always explains the situation in a way that's easy to understand. Sometimes money is tight, and she does what she can to treat the problem, but keep the bill low. At this point, I wouldn't trust the health of my animals with anyone else. If you're looking for a good vet, I would strongly recommend Connechusetts. Read Less

I used Connechusett when I first brought my cats and dog to Tampa, as they are located very near my home. They were pretty good back then. However, over the past few years I've seen their prices go through the roof! If this isn't bad enough, they charge more for ""specialty"" pet food than other vets in the area, as well as for some prescription services and other pet items. Also, the staff seems overworked and can be brusque at times. They weren't always like this, but I suppose that with growth comes change. I've noticed the staff seems to pay more attention to people who appear to have lots of $$$ to spend. They are none too happy when someone comes in for basic services, even though they probably make a fortune on the basics, considering their fees! Their prices for regular, yearly pet check-ups & shots are considerably higher than many other vets I've checked out lately. To sum it up: they're just not worth the bother! While the pet care is fairly good, you can get great services, excellent customer service, and other pet products from other vets at very reasonable prices. The vet I use now never charges for an unscheduled visit and has great prices! Also, I would never give a review by a former employee any credibility; I would rather hear from other pet owners, maybe rescue groups, and other vets. Needless to say, I'VE HAPPILY CHANGED VETS! Thanks. Read Less