I've been taking my two German Shepherds to Carson Tahoe Veterinary Hospital (CTVH) for several years. The experience has been great. In addition to being an Emergency Hospital, they are also a regu... Read More
I've been taking my two German Shepherds to Carson Tahoe Veterinary Hospital (CTVH) for several years. The experience has been great. In addition to being an Emergency Hospital, they are also a regular (non-emergency) vet practice. I've used them for both purposes and it has worked out great.When we moved to Minden/Gardnerville in 2014, everyone recommended a large vet practice in that local area -- BUT we did not have a good experience at that OTHER practice (problems too numerous to list here. It was a mess!) Unlike the OTHER experience, CTVH has been great, both for injury / surgery situations as well as general medical evaluation, diagnosis, checkups, vaccinations, etc. Here's what I like about CTVH:#1) Have always received good medical care with courses of action that made sense to me. Vets will engage in informative discussion and explanation. I work in a scientific field, have a scientific degree, and grew up in a medical family (father, uncles, sister, cousins are all M.D.'s). So, I am an educated and informed medical consumer. I have always been happy with the quality of care and medical judgements. #2) It's a 24 x 7 Emergency Hospital. They are equipped to do almost anything. My dogs get into sh** at the worst possible times -- so having CTVH as my regular vet means that emergencies are not a "foreign experience". Plus, I'm never stuck with an issue that my regular vet can't handle, or where my dog can't be kept overnight, etc. Several friends live too far away (S. Lake Tahoe) to make CTVH their regular vet, but they have been to CTVH for emergencies. When their S. Lake Tahoe vets were taking a 'wait and see' attitude or simply weren't open, they needed more extensive or immediate treatment. One case was a dog with possible poison ingestion. Vet in S. Lake Tahoe was saying "probably nothing", "see how he looks tomorrow". Friend took dog to CTVH where they were able to do full stomach pump, introduction of activated charcoal, and full supportive measures. [Dog recovered, BTW]#3) I've never had any trouble getting an appointment (both emergency and non-emergency). Can you say that about your current vet? They understand there are 3 categories of need: 1. Right now, as fast as you can drive here; 2. Sometime today or at latest tomorrow; 3. A general appointment that fits my schedule. They do this triage over the phone and have never failed to provide me a convenient appointment that fits the medical need.#4) Unless outright emergency, can easily schedule to see the same vet on an ongoing basis. This allows development of a relationship with the practitioner; vet knows the animal's history. This is an extremely important factor in receiving good medical care.#5) I actually LIKE their approach to discussing fees / costs up front and frankly. Several of the hater reviews on here seem stuck on this point. I think vets who force the owner to inquire about cost (which is how most practices operate these days) are actually taking advantage of people in a weak moment. Since Carson Tahoe Veterinary Hospital does a lot of Emergency work, they are often seeing people / animals on a 1X, emergency basis. They MUST be clear about the charges -- and options for doing things differently for different costs -- up front. If not, they would end up holding the bag on a lot of procedures and would quickly be out of business. We, in the community, would then suffer. Would you rather have a surprise bill at the end? OR, would you rather have no Emergency Hospital AT ALL in Carson City and have to drive to Reno??? So, man-up people, and just have the discussion about what stuff is going to cost with the vet. Realize that they need to do this to be a sustainable business. #6) They actually MANAGE their waiting room... What I mean is: They are aware that a sick cat and an injured Pit Bull probably won't mix well and make sure that those two animals will not encounter each other. They will realize who's coming in, who's going, and will manage and inform on the situation. (This place actually has a separate cat entrance with sign out front directing cat owners to it!)In summary, I recommend this vet. I've been a multiple-dog-owner for over 20 years and have been to numerous vets, in both California and Nevada. One thing to be aware of -- if you are going to CTVH for the first time -- is that the facility itself is not a sparkling, new building. Don't confuse cleanliness and capabilities with interior decorating. CTVH is not a Beverly Hills vet experience and you are not going to be offered Evian water while you are waiting... This might matter to you, but I can guarantee your pet will not care. Read Less