DON'T EVER BOARD YOUR PET HERE and if you have an option take it elsewhere for medical care. Our dog was a patient and we had paid over $600 on initial visits exams and vaccines. After that they wanted a $600 blood panel which is totally unnecessary. Our new vet charges $150 for the same tests. Their prescription food and prescription drug prices are through the roof BUT they don't issue prescriptions for you to buy elsewhere. They offer to match prices IF you take an add or find al better price somewhere else. Why don't they just price them fairly? So for a pain medication you either let the animal suffer until you can find a better price, print a proof and take it there or pay triple price. When we had an emergency they wouldn't see our dog as they were busy and wanted us to wait for 3 days until they had an opening. I asked them to please work me in at any convenient time but they still wouldn't see THEY OWN PATIENT for an emergency?. And PLEASE, don't board your dogs there. Their boarding/kennel area is small. They don't have overnight staff and when I asked they said they have employees from "about" 8:00 a.m. until "about" 6:00 p.m. So, your dog doesn't relieve itself for "about" 14 hours? And weekends someone stops by to feed and walk a few times a day. My friend recently boarded their dog who is a River Road patient and came after a few days to find a sick, stressed, dirty dog that had not even gone through half his food. The owners called everyday and left messages because it was the Holidays they didn't have any staff to return calls and at least tell the owners to come back early or have the dog treated. This is the very same reason they left him at his veterinarian!.I am so frustrated with veterinarians that show no compassion for the animal but rather an eagerness towards only financial gain. I am so sadden to see them neglect pets even when paying triple prices. Read Less

The staff is very good. They are friendly. But this place is way too expensive and they require services that are not necessary. They send their lab work out and I ended up paying another vet an extra $150 to repeat a result which was wrong. I am changing vets. Read Less

What a wonderful and professional animal hospital. We recently moved to Southport and have been thrilled with the Doctors and staff. Two of my pets are seniors with health issues and the outstanding care and concern of everyone at the hospital has far exceeded our expectations! Read Less

This practise is very professional. They have treated both my dogs with exceptional care. They found a cancerous tumor in one of my dogs feet, did surgery and removed part of his foot. He can still walk and run fine, and subsequent x-rays showed the cancer had not spread. Very happy with his surgery and care, even though the cost was astronomical. Now my other 13 yr old dog has been diagnosed with lymphoma, and it is not curable. I cannot afford chemo, and I cannot drive to Raleigh for treatnents. The State Vet College says it would only extend her life a maximum of one or two years, if any.... So I have decided to feed her the best food, vitamins, and supplements I can afford, give her medicine, and lots of love and care, and make her last months/years comfortable until she gets too bad. The problem I have with this vet clinic is they are way too expensive for me. If you are a person with lots of money, and you can afford the best for your pet , then by all means, I recommend them. The staff is so nice, the vets thorough and top-notch. But the problem is I am a 65 yr old disabled woman, who lives alone on a limited income, and I just can't afford to pay their high charges. I will have to find another less expensive vet to monitor my baby occasionally, until her time comes. I cannot afford $200 every three weeks to do a CBC blood test and blood pressure check. I already know these things are not good, and I would rather put my limited money into good organic food, vitamins, supplements and medicine to help keep her keep moving, and make her more comfortable, instead of giving all my limited money to a vet every three weeks to tell me what I already know. She is going to steadily get worse...... So if you can afford them, by all means, go to them....they are the very best vets in the area. But if you are on a limited income, you will not be able to afford their charges. Just a warning for us poor folks who love our animals..... Read Less

We have been instantly impressed with the whole staff at River Road and Dr. Benson in particular. She has been great with our two keeshonds, Gracie and Samantha. They are proactive healthcare professionals with a great dedication to wellness and prompt treatment. Having had exceptional vets in the past, it was a real pleasure to discover the same at River Road when we moved to Southport last March. Cindy and Rick Jones Read Less

We have lived in the Oak Island area for about 15 years and have dogs which we love. We have had three vets during this time. Then we found DR. Allie Travis-and now don't have to ever look again. Allie loves animals, has excellent facilities-two operating rooms with X Ray, outstanding diagnosis skills and great staff-i. e. Brad.At times it can get expensive- but if you request an estimate and tell them what you want to pay they work with you. Differently, the BEST Vet. Animal Hospital in Brunswick county.. Read Less

We give River Road Animal Hospital 4 paws and two thumbs up! Dr. Ali Travis is wonderful, caring and considerate and the fact that I am able to reach her after hours is a HUGE plus for us. If she doesn't know what's wrong (which isn't often!) ---she doesn't give up until a solution is found. The vet techs and other support staff are awesome as well! We've often had the "off the wall" cases and everyone has gone above and beyond to help us. Everyone at River Road Animal Hospital takes pride in helping their patients and their "parents"-- I cannot say enough good things about this team!Read Less

We've had dogs (and cats) for 28 years and have seen numerous vets, but we are astonished by the care we receive at River Road Animal Hospital. Dr. Ali Travis genuinely cares about her patients (and their "parents"), working extended hours. We get calls from the staff and Dr. Travis herself (often well after hours) to see how our dog is doing. Technician Brad has gone out of his way to help. The entire staff is friendly & accommodating. We couldn't be happier, and we recommend Dr. Travis's clinic. Update: Dr. Travis is licensed to perform acupuncture, which has given our dog a new life. Read Less

The staff is 5 star and very helpful. . The hospital itself is very expensive due to tacking on un-needy costs $$$$.. .i.e. rabies shot would not be given unless a pet exam was given which bumped the bill up with a unnecessary of cost of $50. etc..A regular clinic would not require this. The location is convenient ..The Tech's and front desk personnel are excellent- 5 star. The Hospital has a difficult time keeping Dr's .I have been there 3 years and have had three different vets- Dr's. The very best Vet was Dr Thompson. She has since moved on .. Read Less

The staff is always kind. Autumn, Brad, Jess, Tara, dr. Travis and Dr. Thompson know me and my dogs on sight even without an appointment.  I try not to go without one because they are always so busy.  However when my neighbors dog got sick while we were watching her I had to take her in at 5:30. Dr. Travis stayed late with her.  Steve rubbed her neck to get the knots out (she was having siezers).  She had to stay until her owners came back two days later.  Sadly they had to put her down she had a stroke.  When Dr. Thompson injected her, her owner could not lay on the ground with her so Tara stayed with the dog gently stroking her while her owner spoke to her until she had passed. You cannot find a more compassionate veterinarian clinic.  The all prove time and again how much they care for not just the animals but also their owners. Read Less

Horribly unethical vet. We found a dog on the street and rehabilitated him and had him place in a foster home. He has horrible arthritis but River Road sells Rimadly at 3x the cost of 1-800-PET-MEDS. River Road refused their requests for authorization to dispense medicine for him and wants us to buy it as 3x the cost from them. This isn't even for our pet but for a dog we found abandoned and we were trying to do the right thing for. River Road does not care about animals and is an insult to our community. Please try to find a different place to take your fur baby! Read Less

We were lucky to find RIVER ROAD ANIMAL HOSPITAL last summer when we were in the area on vacation. Several months prior to our trip our 11yr. old lab injured her back leg while playing outside. She limped for awhile afterwards but seemed to be doing better when it was time to leave on our trip. However, midway through our travels we noticed that she could barely stand on her "bad leg" and was limping lots more. Luckily we were in the Willmington-Southport area and happened on "River Road" via the phone book and internet search. Thank goodness we did ...as we were truly impressed and thankful for the wonderful service, care, and professionalism of Dr. Travis and her staff! Our dog ended up needing surgery to repair her leg so we went ahead and did the surgery right then & there at RR not only to relieve the pain our dog was in --- but because we felt so confident and impressed w/ the immediate care we had received. The surgery and post-op treatment was so complete & detailed from start to finish with the entire staff being a part of our dog's recovery! River Road puts most Vet Offices to shame: the office is bright and cheerful - and welcoming, the staff is very friendly & helpful and Dr. Travis is amazing....with her compassion and bedside manner. And, she makes you feel like your pet is her most important patient! (Our dog even received laser treatment following surgery to help the healing....which certainly worked very well as we were on our way & heading home few days later! Thank you, Technician Brad! ) And, "thank you" RIVER ROAD for being there when we needed you. ~nsc Read Less