Lake Forest Animal Hospital

Great pet care! I brought my cat in for an emergency appointment in which I did not need an appointment. They were very kind and accommodating. The staff were knowledgeable and sensitive to the anxiety we were having while not knowing yet what was wrong with our furbaby. The doctor (Dr. Liberto) was in to see us in a very short amount of time and was able to explain in layman's terms what was wrong and what was needed to get our kitty back to health. Following that good experience we learned that they offer a lot of other services in addition to urgent care. I decided to make this practice my cats new doctor for all care. Since that 1st appointment we have brought our other animals in for well check ups and will continue to do so. I highly recommend this practice for all of your pet needs. We're more than happy with their services and level of care! Read Less

My cat and I have been going to Dr. Liberto since I moved to Gaithersburg (about 3 years ago).  I have found him to be very professional and caring.  I've worked with other techs in his office and have also found them to be a delightful and competent group of people.  I was disturbed to read the March 2018 review.  That sounds nothing like the office I visited and I am sorry the woman had such an experience. I would be livid if that was my baby.  I will be bringing my cat in for her annual shortly and will give you an update. Read Less

I have been a client of Dr. Mark Liberto, the head doctor since the founding of Lakeforest Animal Hospital, for 20 continuous years to date. Currently located in a newly-renovated and modernized hospital on Route 355 (N. Frederick Rd.) in Gaithersburg, MD., the same address as before, it is Dr. Liberto and his outstanding staff who make LFAH the success it is today. a true leader using today's newest technology. Read Less

This place is great.  The only place I go to now. I adopted a dog two years ago from a rescue group that was being treated here for some numerous deep wounds from an attack at her foster home. The staff and Dr. Liberto was so caring to and explained everything to me in detail to include her healing progress and expected outcome.  Emmie loves the staff and actually looks forward to her visits.  I even board her here along with a new rescue puppy I recently adopted.  Both dogs love Dr. Liberto and the staff.  I feel very comfortable (and the dog love to have sleep over's here), knowing they are well loved and cared for by the staff when I am away. Read Less

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET TO THIS PLACE IF YOU WANT YOUR PET TO SURVIVE !!!!!!It is so sad to see that how this place is money hungry!!! I never seen any veterinarian be so careless about pets. All they see is $$$ not your pet well being. maybe it is time for this vet to retire base of lack of responsibility, confusion, wrong diagnostic and wrong treatments for your pets. Read Less

The repectionists were very nice and helpful (my cat was sneezing a lot the past few days). I made an appointment and filled out some 5 minute paper work since it was my first time being there. I was seen immediately and the veterinarian was very nice and helpful. I was informed what the sickness was and was given some medicated treats. Very close and very nice facility right off of 355. Very appreciative of their work, definitely recommend and will go back for any pet needs. Read Less

I'm just sorry I moved away from the area. Everything is all shiny and new, but I have the feeling that they'll feel the same way years down the road. Willing to work on financial problems, they did the best for my cats, and when there was nothing to be done with my old tomcat, they didn't suggest a lot of stuff to jack up the bill. Great place. Read Less

Dr Liberto is such a great vet and a nice, honest person to talk to. We have taken out last two dogs there and our current dog and he has always treated them well and answered any and all of our questions. The techs and front desk personnel are always helpful. The new building is also great and updated. We have never had any issues and will continue to take our little guy here. Read Less

Dr. Liberto is incredible. His knowledge and experience are unmatched in our area. All of the staff members and techs are friendly and truly seem to love being there. At other offices I have always been overcharged for unnecessary procedures or for inexperienced vets to find a problem through "trial and error." Dr. Liberto's knowledge and experience helps me avoid unnecessary costly procedures. In switching to his office I have found the best care possible for my pets at a more reasonable price. I have already recommended this office to friends and family members and would highly recommend it to anyone. Read Less

I have been going to Lake Forest Animal Hospital for over 5 years now. I highly recommend this place. Dr.Liberto is very knowledgeable, caring and always does what's best for my dog. My chihuahua is usually scared of "those" visits but Dr.Liberto is gentle and makes her very comfortable and that's important to me. I like his technician who's also been there for a while. Don't remember his name, he wears glasses and also has a chihuahua Our pet means a world to us so this is why we chose the best care for her. Read Less

I brought my puppy yesterday and i loved how they attented us and we felt like they did the best for my puppy i would totally recommend going there if its an emergency they will receive you and they answer your questions. Read Less

The best! I have lost 2 of my pets and their office was so kind and supportive as we had to make that difficult decision. I now take my 1 year old golden and they are the sweetest and thorough. Doctor Liberto takes his time with his patients. I really trust him and do not want to change. The new facility is terrific too. Read Less

I had every intention on giving this place a good rating but when the bill came out at pickup for my cat boarding....SURPRISE!! The bill was significantly higher. So then to "rectify" the situation the Manager came over and she proceeded to:-ask about the situation -blame me for not understanding the bill even though I explained to her that no one went over the itemization with me at drop off -passive aggressively told the front desk clerk to charge me the higher price anyway WITHOUT even speaking to me (the customer standing 2 ft away from her) -walked away WITHOUT actually solving any problems... leaving me and the front desk clerk awkwardly at a stand stillThe reasoning, well apparently there's an extra charge after 12 (which was not explain). My cat was dropped off at 12:15. The other reasoning: the surcharge was in ADDITION to the regular rate during the holidays (again, NOT explained). In fact, I asked specifically at drop off and the front desk clerk told me the surcharge would be the only charge for that day. SO IRRITATING!!!!My cat will not be back here for boarding, not because of the location or accommodations, but because of the Manager who did not train her front desk clerks to correctly communicate with customers, because she herself cannot communicate with customers, and because I refuse to have someone hold my cat hostage and require me to pay a surprise bill in order to get him back! The silver lining: the animal techs were friendly. Read Less

DR. Liberto is a truly gifted veterinary surgeon. He saved our little border terrier's life. He also neutered our mini rat terrier and you couldn't even see her scar! He is currently taking care of our rescued French bull dog and chihuahua mix. He is the finest vet anyone could wish for and both my husband and I recommend him highly. Ahem, I should say my owners recommend him highly as do I! Read Less

Dr. Liberto is the absolute best vet I have ever met. I worked with him as a tech when I was in high school and then again when he was at Lake Forest. You will not find a more qualified doctor for your pets. Read Less

Hands down the best animal hospital in Gaithersburg! The staff is so kind, friendly, and professional. Dr. Liberto truly cares about your pet. He knows what he's doing and always tells you the pricing before doing any procedures. I will continue taking my pets here because I know they are going to be taken care of each time. Read Less

Had my first visit today, and could not have asked for a better experience. Dr. Liberto and his staff are caring, knowledgeable, and careful to explain everything in great detail, answering any questions you may have. It's not often that I find a hospital where I like the doctor *and* the staff, and it's nice to find a vet who loves cats as well as dogs. :-) Their hours are generous, the office is clean and spacious, and it's close to my home, which is a bonus. I will definitely be returning to entrust my kitties' care to Lake Forest! Read Less

This is the Greatest Animal hospital I have ever used. They are great with my pets and us and always willing to answer questions and the wait isn't long at all. They just remodel and the place looks GREAT. I would highly recommend. Read Less

This place is horrible. Our kitten, Mochi wheezes during playing. We believe it is asthma, but our vet thinks it is pneumonia. The vet charged 180 for an x ray. While we waited for the results, the vet confessed they could NOT read an x ray and asked to charge 120 more to make someone who can interpret it. The vet did not mention this before taking the x ray. Read Less

I am so grateful to Dr. Liberto and all of the staff at Lake Forest. They took such amazing care of Hank, my rescue pup with Pneumonia. He had to stay there for 3 days and when he was finally healthy enough to come home, he wasn't running out the door like most pups do at the vet! He was happily wagging his tail and loved everyone he came in contact with, making me love this friendly, open and welcoming vet so much. I will definitely be bringing all my pets here from now on!! Read Less

If I still lived locally I would still use Lakeforest. For years they saw my (now departed) dog Bigwig who was a real handful...and by that I mean he would have really liked to have eaten you. They have also seen my 2 cats, one for basic stuff and one for basic stuff AND a life saving operation. Dr Liberto AND Dr Kruger have been extra accommodating and professional at every turn. Now my older cat has been diagnosed diabetic and I won't have his insulin until tomorrow or the next day, I won't be able to be back in Baltimore after work before my current vet closes...but Lakeforest stepped up, contacted my vet and will be giving me a couple days worth of the medicine so his treatment will be uninterrupted. All class. All top notch service. Best vets ever. I love these people. Read Less

Great place we have been going there 10 years now with our two pits and our weiner dog Dr. Laberto is the best what a great vet and has always worked out something for us when we couldn't pay all our bill up front thank you for all the work and kindness you guys do Read Less

If I could give this joke of a vet negative stars, I would. Please, if you care at all about your pet - DO NOT TAKE THEM HERE!! I wish I knew what I know now, because I absolutely would not have gone. It's hard to know where to start in this story. Because I know many people will not read this whole thing let me fast forward to the end - Dr. Laberto's short sightedness cause my 7 year old cat a great deal of unnecessary PAIN and she ended up DYING four days after seeing him; maybe not because of something he did but, in my opinion, all the signs were screaming at him and he didn't see any of them. Let me also say that his partner, Dr. Kruger, is a very good vet in my opinion. However, because Dr. Laberto owns the shop - I don't think she can make decisions the way she would want to. So, I wouldn't risk going to this place even if you paid me. My cat broke two toes from trying to crawl away from the vacuum when my roommate was vacuuming while I was at work. Now because she had a cast I had to keep her in a confined space. If you've ever tried to do this with a cat it is NOT easy. Because she absolutely hated being in there and I hadn't gotten sleep for a solid week and a half I began letting her sleep with me. I never thought she would jump 7ft to the top of the closet, with a cast on. She did and it seems that this fall ended up causing her death. Bianca (my cat) did NOT like the vet. So, she had to be sedated each time. Here is the laundry list of things that went wrong. The list gets worse as you read on. (1) HE HELD HER UP OFF THE TABLE BY the nape of her neck and said, "see it doesn't hurt her." I'm sorry, YES IT DOES. Do what you have to do to treat the animal, do not show off. Just because a sedated cat does not whimper from being held in mid air by a handful of skin does NOT mean she is not in pain. (2) He told me not to talk to her while sedated. That actually, if i was quite it would relax her more. really???? (3) he was way too rough. After she took her fall, Dr. Laberto (unfortunately) was working and because I was worried, I didn't wait for his partner (the vet I normally saw). It seemed like she had fractured her back leg. She was sedated and they took an X-ray. From the X-ray it seemed barely fractured. After he "got a good x-ray" he insisted on manipulating her leg FIVE times. Each time she moaned through the sedation. Both myself AND his vet assistant commented on him manipulating her too much, this did nothing to stop him. In hindsight I wish I would have physically removed him from the room. (4) after I took her home from this traumatic experience she was worse. I got worried and called my vet from home (I am only in the DC area for 4 months). My vet from home suggested I get a specialist to look at the x-ray because there may be nerve damage if she was in this much pain. I asked him to do this - HE NEVER DID even though I asked him 2x!!!! (5) they gave me an incorrect dosage of pain meds. By this I mean too large of a dosage. I had to fight tooth and nail for them to get them to realize this. (6) I explained to him each of the signs she was exhibiting (instability, vocalizing her pain alot, and HE SAW FOR HIMSELF a broken blood vessel in her eye from her fall). That wasn't enough for him to pinpoint the problem. He asked me finally, 3 days later after I continued to express my concerns, to send him a video. He only watched the video after I called him several times. Finally, after calling him repeatedly, he told me he was worried she had neurological issues. Translation - issues having to do with the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, NERVES, and muscles. EXACTLY WHAT MY VET FROM HOME DIAGNOSED OVER THE PHONE AND WHAT I TOLD HIM I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT. She had died by the time I got home from work that day, about 4 hours after speaking with Dr. Laberto. Read Less

My baby blue nose pit had just ate $2.72 in change and I just paid my rent so I was in a bind. I had never been there before and not only did they take care of the dog and worked with me on the price. I am very happy and look forward ( well not really but if my dogs needs it) to bring my dog back here. THANK YOU! Read Less

I was directed to Lake Forest vet hospital when my old vet (Fox Chapel) closed down. I had my records faxed/transferred and left it at that. 4 months later, I needed to re-order heartworm pills for my 2 dogs. I ordered online and gave Lake Forest's number as my vet. 2 days later, I come to find out Lake Forest refuses to let the prescription to be filled. I called to see what the problem was. They tell me that they won't let me fill the prescription because I haven't paid a $53 per-dog examination fee. I said that an examination wasn't necessary because they already had their annual exams at my old vet and are current on heartworm meds (which they can see from the dogs' records). They still refused. At this point they put the vet on the phone who literally told me, ""You have to have the exams done, that's why we go to school all those years"" or something to that effect. I was livid. At that point, I decided that I didn't feel like being extorted so I elected to find a new vet. Once I did, I requested that the new vet contact Lake Forest to obtain my dogs' medical records. Lake Forest refused to fax the records because ""I have never actually been there"". A lovely made-up reason if I've ever heard one. Avoid this place like the plague. If this is how they treat new customers, imagine what they'll do once they have their hooks into you. Read Less

Got a cat at Humane Society. They told me it was up to date on shots, had to get neutered and sold me a certificate. Cost was over $120 at the Humane Socitey for adoption, microchip, etc. Took the cat in for mandatory check up and found out she needed distemper and rabies shots. They also asked if I wanted the Feline Lukemia Virus innoculation and I agreed since it is highly recommended for shelter cats. So, with pain management, hospitalization, etc etc, the bill was over $300.The people at Lakeforest were very friendly and professional, the facility is clean. Overall a good experience there. I was taken aback a the expense, but that is really the fault of the Humane Society people. Read Less