Highway Veterinary Hospital

If your reading reviews you see a lot of "five star facilities" this one is truly among the top. They see ALL surrounding area working K9s and have for several years. They have a great waiting area and a wall full of awards. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and caring of you and your animals situation. They see all sizes of animals and are not afraid of the "big scary dogs". They have written basic standards of care and will not skip steps in order to make more money off you. ----Today 18 June; I was a walk-in for a second opinion, my "big scary GSD" was treated so well I am speechless. He received a full physical, tests, x-rays, feeding info, supplements info, a full plan of care, some treats and a lot of love.-I was offered a books/pamphlets to read the information -I was shown several models of that same information -I was also given a verbal detailed description and care plan before I left out the door. Needless to say I am extremely please with this Vet/Staff/Facility and you would be too. Read Less

My experience at Highway Veterinary Hospital has always been exceptional. I have been taking my 17 year old Shih tzu, Sparky, there for several years now and the care/professionalism has been great. They even make it a point to call and see how Sparky is doing after each visit. 😉 Read Less

I'm so lucky to have Highway Veterinary Hospital as my dogs vet.  It's convenient and the staff is always super friendly and helpful.  We never wait more than 5 minutes before we are called and we all leave happy. The nurses are more than helpful in providing an explanation of costs before your visit and will help you stay on budget as well. Read Less

Dr. Elise is a wonderful veterinarian. Everyone is kind and caring. Very open about what they are doing for your pet, what it will cost, and what your choices are. They even have a client rewards program that gives you a free visit! Clean and inviting atmosphere. Read Less

I love this veterinary hospital and all the Veterinarians are great; Dr. Leslie is so awesome and knowledgeable. If there is something she's unsure about she uses her resources and network to find an answer. She also genuinely cares for her four legged patients. I really like the staff too; they're all kind and incredibly helpful. My dog started going to Highway when she was a little pup and I'm happy this has been her place. She loves the staff and truly enjoys going to this Vet-- where she gets lovin's and care. It is a little expensive, but there's no way I'd take her elsewhere...it's worth it. Read Less

I can't believe I have not written a review about Highway Vet.  We have been going there for almost 20 years.  Our miniature poodle is "oohed and ahhed" over by the staff.  She loves the attention.  Dr. Elise has become her primary vet but Dr. Jim has been involved enough that he knows Shaunti well.  The hospital is expensive, I'd even say very expensive, so I feel fortunate that we can afford to take our fur kid to the best.  The follow up has been better than my own doctor.  We laugh and say the Vet treats Shaunti better than the human doctors treat us AND that's the truth.  The place is calm and easy to find.  There is a giant Schnauzer keeping a cat in place as a lawn marker. Read Less

I was one of Dr. Petersons first clients when his daughter was an infant. At the time I lived nearby, now I drive an hour one way to see him I have taken 3 generations of black labs to his practice and wouldn't go anywhere else. The care received here is second to none and the staff and their love is stellar. Read Less

I Terribly miss my Vets here. Dr. Jim and Elise and many other staff thank you so much for taking care of Sophia Lauren. They were always so accomodating and gentle with my doggy. I was imoressed that i saw the same faces for 6 years. I sometimes was hit with high bilks but compared to other less trained and caring places, they are worth it. We hooe to see you all again one day. Read Less

There are not enough good things I can say about this vet. All of the doctors are fantastic and they genuinely care about your animal and it's care. They will not push expensive procedures on you but give you plenty of information to explore your options when it comes to your pets care. We have been going to this vet for years even after we moved away from Bowie and still drive an hour to get there. We've tried other vets but nothing compares to the amazing experience we have every time we go through these doors. Read Less

I have been taking my pets here since I can remember. The staff is always very helpful and professional. They are like family with how caring they are. I just laid my Titan to rest on Saturday and Dr. Elise and a few of the staff came in to say goodbye to him as well. We all cried and gave him love and scratches and Chris even gave him lots of treats ;) I live in southern Maryland now, and drove to Bowie to be with them here for this, that's how much I love this place! I want to thank everyone for their kindness and compassion, I know Titan always appreciated it.Read Less

I've been taking my fur (and hairless) babies here for 16 years. They are caring and invested in your pets' health. They are like family to me. I always trust their expertise and judgement. Every doctor there is the best in their field. I love them all. I had to put my old kitty down last evening with Dr. Leslie. The entire place was so respectful. Then this morning Dr. Jim called me to give his condolences and assure me that I did the right thing. He will not steer you wrong. I love you guys!!Read Less

Graham down there 3 years ago, she's completely wrong. I've brought my dog since I first got her to here and they are the best! They are very money conscious (Despite whatever anyone in the reviews says) and will try and provide you with the best and cheapest options.Read Less

I really believe that God drove me to this place. Fantastic staff from the front desk girls, the nurses, Dr Jim and Dr Leslie Meadows!. My dog had an unusual bump in her nose with no cause apparently. They treated us like family. I felt so safe!!! They will be my pet's vet from now on!!! God drove me to this place, definitely! Coming from another state and knowing nobody in the area, I was really guided to this wonderful place! Highly recommended!!! Read Less

Dr. Jim is the best!!! All the staff are kind, sociable and ready to help with anything you or your pup may need. I love the atmosphere and the care they give! Feel free to spoil Zero and Zoey as much as you want! Read Less

We have been to this vet twice. The first is when we moved to the area and someone reccommended this office. We just needed to have annual vaccinations done. They were prompt when we arrived and gave him a clean bill of health. However, they are terribly expensive. I have owned animals my entire life so I know they costs associated with them. Just to have an exam is over $60. We of course had the vaccinations done and went on our merry way. The second time we came back, our Greyhound dislocated his toe. This is very common with the breed and we just wanted them to splint the dislocated toe.  The doctor came in and looked at the toe (which was dislocated at the time of visit), they didn't even pop it back into place and/or splint it, nor did they take an xray. They went right to amputation. They said because it was the best and basically only option. They gave us pain meds that they wanted us to purchase there vs writing a prescription.  So not only did they quote us $1500+ to amputate the toe (which is the last option per the second opinion we had) they were going to make us pay basically double just to get the pain meds there. We left without any splint or bandage or the doctor putting the toe correctly back into place. This place just wants to make money off the clients. Read Less

We had to say goodbye to our sweet cat Ben today. Dr. Leslie was so wonderful and supportive.I will be forever grateful for the kindness and compassion the entire staff showed me and my family on this very stressful day. Thank you all. Read Less

The doctors and staff at Highway Vet have taken care of my cat and dogs over a span of over 12 years now. Their quality of care, professionalism and knowledge is excellent. I have a medical background and tend to read up and be as educated as I can about my pet's health, and the vets really work well with that. They offer a unique balance of listening to your input, giving their experienced opinion, and then discussing options on how to best treat your pet. From routine visits to giving your pet the best care when life threatening illnesses arise. They have worked very hard to earn my trust. Read Less

Highway Veterinary Hospital is the best not only in Bowie but in all of MD! The office is always clean, smells pleasant and the wait time is minimal. The staff is professional, efficient, friendly and all of their doctors are great! Dr. Elise Powell has been caring for my dog for 5+ years and I will not trust anyone but her with my precious Cocker Spaniel named Jordan. Jordan has severe allergies and skin issues and with Dr. Elise's expertise my dog is definitely happier and healthier. Dr. Elise is very knowledgeable, extremely caring and her passion for what she does strongly shows in her interaction with both Jordan and myself. Dr. Elise is the best at finding solutions for her patients and I am so grateful for her genuine kindness and strong desire to make sure Jordan has the best quality of life. She has helped my dog's allergies tremendously and effectively addressed all other health and wellness issues. I highly recommend Dr. Elise and Highway Veterinary Hospital! Read Less

Top choice for vet! The staff at Highway Vet is outstanding. They know our pets are family and they treat them like one of their own. I found them 9 years ago when I got a kitten at the SPCA and he needed to be checked out and vaccinated. Last week, I took in my new kitten (Jack needed a little sister to keep him active) and they took excellent care of her. They provided me with an estimate beforehand, called to confirm her appointment, allowed me to drop her off the night before her surgery, called every day she was there with an update, and even called a few days later to make sure she was doing okay. They suggested additional services but didn't pressure me when I said I would think about it and decide in a few months. Everyone was very friendly and I felt completely comfortable leaving my princess in their care and I wouldn't hesitate to go back to them or recommend them to anyone. Read Less

So far, so perfect! Highway Veterinary Hospital has a fabulous staff and Dr. Elise is tops: knowledgeable, with great bedside manner! We just adopted the cutest French Bulldog in the world, Lombardi, and Dr. Elise has been wonderful with all his shots, as well as when he got ill with a stomach bug. As new parents of a "fur child," she completely allayed our concerns and took time to answer all of our questions.I appreciate that the staff always calls to check on 'Bardi the day after his visits to check up on him and that they call to verify appointments as well. From the moment we walked in the door, we knew 'Bardi was in good hands. We definitely fans! Read Less

This is your WARING! So my Maltese has intermittently been bringing up his food. I called the Vet to speak with them to see if I could explain the symptoms and if I should be alarmed. No one returned my call. I waited several hours until almost closing time and called back to set up,an appt. since no one called back. I got an appt. for the next morning. (Hustle #1) Apparently they didn't want to talk over the phone they wanted me to make an appt. Next day...I explained to Dr. Elise what he's been experiencing. She checked all his vials,etc. took him out and examined him. She came back and said everything looked Normal. She continued to check his tummy (squeezing, rubbing, pinching, etc.). She then says it looks like he doesn't want me to touch his tummy like he may be sore or something. So I think it's best if we complete an X-Ray, fecal exam, and cPL test. The way they do things is they come back afterwards with a cost breakdown on what your bill is before they complete anything. I almost swallowed my tongue but I obliged anyway. Didn't want to curse and scare her. The exam took 10 mins. she returned and WaLaaaaaaaa! Nothing found!!!! As I expected. He was clear as water. He looks extremely healthy! BUT I'm not finished yet. Dr. Elise explains that in cases like his they recommend that I purchase this Gastrointestinal Canine food for him to eat for 5 days along with these 2 different pills. And we'll be right back..... She returns with another balance sheet that adds another $150. Binding my total to 598.98 now. Oh and we noticed you called earlier and he needs a Heartworm refill. So that's been added...new balance is 636.36I was so flushed I had to walk out and have my husband take care of everything else...b/c he is my voice of reason. I was livid to say the least. Lets not get it twisted. I totally understand there are cost associated with owning a pet and caring for the pet, but I feel like this office preys on your emotions and you "ability" to pay.When my husband and I walked in I felt like they assessed us and decided we weren't walking out with just a $63.00 exam fee! I had so many emotions running through me it's shameful.My instinct said we were being hustled. It was interesting how when we were at the counter paying the bill another customer walked in and walked straight to the back. Hence, they didn't want the new customer to hear what we were paying or me go off (which I decided it was no need for). Find someone you can trust that won't price gauge you for NOTHING! I'll allow myself to calm down first and call to have his records sent to me so I can find another Vet.Again, this is your warning. I can't believe I was hustled by a dern Vet!!!!***Pet parent client for almost 3years.*** Read Less

If you and your animals are lucky enough to live in the Annapolis area this is the only place you should be taking them for medical care. Dr Elise and the rest of the crew are absolutely incredible. They care about your animals as much as you do and only want the best for them. They are patient, kind and understanding about us overly obsessive pet parents, not to mention on the top off their games. Take your animals here, they will love you even more for it, guaranteed. Read Less

Let me first start by giving a background on myself. I work in the wellness field and tend to take a holistic approach to things, unless it's an emergency (for myself and my pets).That said, I had been using Highway Vet for about 2 years. There have been times where things worked out ok and I kept using them since they were the closest to my house. That is until my latest visit.Our dog went in for a tumor issue. He is an 8.5 yr old Dane (they only avg 8.5 yrs), and I was informed that he HAD to be up-to-date on his shots before surgery. I won't make this a huge debate about how the veterinary world is woefully behind the times on the current research about pet vaccines and their frequency of use. Needless to say I did not want to give him any vaccines, considering his age as well as his current health issue. After watching an online video from a vet named Dr. Karen Becker I was even more glad I stuck to my guns as she said one should never vaccinate a dog again with the exact health issue as ours.This lead me to another vet that didn't require the vaccines. I'm really glad for that, but it also seemed after getting a quote from this new vet, that Highway was charging me $1000-1200 more for the same procedure.Highway Vet has a team of people that are very nice, the facility is great, but their approach to animal health seems to mimic that of the human medical system, which is to focus next to nothing on good nutrition and just push medications, some of which have some scary side-effects. Read Less

Truly phenomenal! A month ago we relocated with all of our pets to Bowie. Finding Highway Veterinary Hospital was a wonderful relief after the stress of the move on our animals because this facility is not only warm, caring, friendly, professional, courteous, conscientious, and thorough, but also fully-staffed, convenient, knowledgeable, and reputable...lucky for our companions the list goes on and on! Thanks so much for everything guys, "Kitty" and "June" certainly appreciate you :) Read Less

WARNING: Do NOT take you dog to Highway Veterinary Hospital in Bowie!! Not only are they money hungry/over priced and will try to push for your dog to have vaccinations that it does NOT need (tried to tell me that it was REQUIRED that my IN -DOOR dog be vaccinated for Leptospirosis to even be in their care?), they also prescribe medicine for ear infections that causes HEARING LOSS, DEAFNESS and kidney damage with out any warning or notification of side effects...and with out any option for a natural or less toxic alternative! MY DOG HAS LOST HEARING after being prescribed "Otibiotic" ear ointment...which contains Gentamicin...which is Ototoxic. I was not forewarned. Only given one option and sent on my way. I am LIVID. Read Less

I know the other reviews have been wonderful, but our experiences have been anything but positive. The practice is expensive, and the office does not follow up as they promise to do.We first took our chihuahua puppy here in March 2012 when he became suddenly ill (shaking, trouble walking.) The staff promptly diagnosed hypoglycemia. The dog was given fluids and antibiotics, and held overnight. The bill was over $1,000. He recovered quickly, for which we were grateful, but the bill came as a surprise and not a cost that was discussed at the time of treatment.Because he was ill, the staff advised against giving him the immunizations that were due, and told us that they would follow up with a reminder in a few weeks. They never did. When I called, first thing in the morning, to make an appointment for our puppy to get his shots, the staff reprimanded me because they were "overdue." I explained the situation from the spring, and that the office hadn't contacted us to make the followup appointment, which is why I was calling. I also requested a list of shots that would be given, and an estimate for the bill. The receptionist told me she would have a nurse call me back with an estimate that day.I didn't get a return call. When the nurse called the following day, she said the cost would range between $435 and $508. She also said the dog would need a second round of shots in a few weeks, which would be $250.  The nurse also made mention of the vaccinations being "overdue."I understand that there are costs associated with pet ownership. However, these prices seem high. I also didn't appreciate the staff making mention of the shots being behind schedule, as it was their lack of follow up that led to that situation.Bottom line: We are getting pet insurance for the puppy, and finding another vet. Read Less

An absolutely wonderful Vet Clinic!! If you are looking for a vet, this is the place to go.  My wife and I had issues with a previous vet, and a friend recommended we try Highway Vet, especially Dr. Elise. My wife and I made an consultation appointment for the close of business one day, and Dr. Elise stayed about an hour after closing talking to us about our pets and our concerns (based on experiences at the other vet).We have been with Highway vet for about 2 years now, and there is nothing negative about the office, the staff, or the care they provide. Doctors Jim, Elise, and Kortney are all fantastic. The office is always clean, the waiting area is spacious, and, they never seem to overbook and keep you waiting too long. I think the longest I've ever waited to be seen there was 15 minutes beyond my appointment time, and that happens very rarely. One other bonus of Highway Vet - they are BBB Accredited with an A+ Rating. Read Less

James Peterson, DVM - Highway Veterinary Hospital - Bowie, MD — At first I thought this was a great place to take my GSD puppy . Little did I know. I got my puppy at 8 weeks of age. He has had his first set of shots, and i brought him in to Dr. James for his next series of shots. He told me that puppies need a series of shots every 3 weeks untill they are 6 months old. I paid $400 EACH TIME for the vaccines. I spent over $2000 for the shots. I later called my breeder from which i purchaced my puppy and the breeder couldnt believe his ears. He said the puppy only needed one more vaccine, and the rabbies shot later. He also said vacciences should NOT COST MORE then $15 a piece. Which would make it max about $75. My breeder also told me that theyve been getting a lot of calls like this regarding vets charging so much since the economy went bad. At 6 months old Dr. James P told me my dog needs to have his baby canine teeth pulled, otherwise his adult canines would grow in crooked and need to be caped or removed or put braces on them. I found this strange. Ive had dogs all my life and never heard anything like this. I took my dog to get a second oppinion with a dental vet specialist. Who right of the bat told me that no such thing can be diagnosed with out xrays! Which Dr. James P did NOT do. The specialist also told me that it is common for dogs to have canines grow in croocked but ONLY in SMALL breeds. He said it was extremly rare for this to happen in large breeds such as GSD's. He also added that even removing the baby teeth would have NO EFFECT of where or how the adult teeth would grow in. Wich Dr. James P told me "once we pull out the baby teeth the adulth teeth will find their way to the whole where the baby teeth were and automatically grow in right". He wanted to do this procedure as quickly as possible because his adulth teeth were already coming in. When I told the specialist this he said, "He just wants to pull his teeth out and you will think that he solved a problem that never existed in the first place. His baby teeth will fall out no matter what. So by pulling them out he is not doing any harm to the dog. But at the same time hes making you think he made the dog better" . This made perfect sence to me, ESPECIALLY since Dr. James P wanted to charge me $600 for this procedure. I wanted what was best for my dog. But i later realized Dr. James P used me and cheated me. He knew that i got my GSD from a reputable GSD show dog breeder and thought i would pay anything. Save your MONEY!!! get SECOND, THIRD oppinions. Dont fall pray to their scam. They feed on the lack of knowledge people have about vet medicine and use it to charge outrageous prices!!! NEVER AGAIN!! Read Less