As I've explained in a previous pet-related review, our darling girl dog Sadie is a bit neurotic. So, as you might guess, visiting the vet is not one of her favorite things to do, which is why she has... Read More
As I've explained in a previous pet-related review, our darling girl dog Sadie is a bit neurotic. So, as you might guess, visiting the vet is not one of her favorite things to do, which is why she has no input on the review, as I'd guess her star rating would be lower!So, first the good - Barry Road Animal Hospital has always been great about getting us in for appointments, sometimes with very little notice, and they're open until a decent hour on Saturdays. They also have a partnership with Pete & Mac's (Sadie's doggy hotel), so we not only get reminders when she's due for specific things she needs in order to be boarded; we also get discount coupons that we can use towards her boarding fees. Nice! Everyone in the office is friendly, and they all seem to genuinely like animals (not always the norm for vet offices, sadly). Sadie is always given the adoration she deserves, as well as a couple of biscuits to enjoy once the trauma of the visit is over. The waiting area is very clean, and big enough that we don't have to worry about keeping Sadie well away from everyone she might get snarky with - there's plenty of room for multiple people and pets to sit and wait without anyone getting in anyone else's face. The vets and techs are all good with Sadie, and let her approach them without rushing things. They also understand that there are some things she really HATES, like having her nails done, and they work to get those sort of things done as quickly and painlessly as possible for everyone involved.So now, the not so good. While I feel like Sadie gets really good care here (because if she didn't, we'd stop going), it seems like she sees a different person each time we're in, and we practically have to rehash her medical history and neurosis every visit. The vets and techs are knowledgeable, and don't try to sell us meds or services we don't need, but they're not super familiar with my dog as one of their patients. Appointments never start on time, either - we always have to wait at least 10 minutes (it's a personal pet peeve for me when appointments don't start on time).The other thing that wasn't so great the last time we were in was that the person who saw Sadie had an extremely hard time doing a blood draw on her. I mean a VERY hard time, as by the time we left Sadie had been stuck 9 times. 9. Now granted, she isn't the best patient, but after 9 pokes with a needle, I think we were all completely fed up. The employee never lost her cool, which was good, but we left the place feeling like we had just been through a majorly stressful event...and of course, we had to pay for the badly done blood draw. I sort of feel like after that much of a cluster, we should've at least gotten a discount. We didn't even get her nails trimmed, as we figured we had put her through quite enough during that particular visit. I'm assuming she's healthy, too, as no one from the office ever called to give us the blood test results.Overall, Barry Road Animal Hospital is pretty decent, the staff are friendly, and it's nearby and reasonably priced, so we're going to keep going there, but there is definitely some room for improvement. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a friend, especially someone who has a "normal" pet, but I would also let people know about some of the little quirks we've noticed. Read Less