Chestnut Hill Veterinary Hospital

Dr. G and staff have taken great care of my chickens. They genuinely care about the animals they treat and always act in the animal's best interest. If I lived closer I would loved to have taken my cat there. Read Less

I am so grateful to Dr. Gerstenfeld and staff for the tremendous care they took with my rabbit, Nutmeg. I was recommended here after my regular veterinarian retired from practicing medicine. While we were sad to see her go, we are so very glad that it happened because we were able to meet the professional and caring individuals at Chestnut Hill Vet.Nutmeg had somehow hurt himself and lost all movement in his back legs. I was heartbroken and had no idea where to go from there. Dr. Gerstenfeld and his staff took their time doing a thorough examination and answered the many many many questions that I had. I never felt rushed, as I have at many other offices, and I felt like they genuinely cared about both me and my little boy. The vet techs were phenomenal with handling Nutmeg (who does NOT enjoy being touched by strangers) and made him feel calm and comfortable. When we took Nutmeg home that day, Dr. Gerstenfeld let me know that I could call with any questions or concerns that I had and boy did I call. The ladies at the front desk were always so friendly and helpful when I called and Dr. Gerstenfeld made it a point to speak to me personally when answering my questions, which I really appreciated. After about a week of acupuncture and physical therapy, things are already starting to look better for Nutmeg. He is regaining feeling and movement in his legs. We can't wait for our next appointment. This place will really make you feel like family! Read Less

Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld is an amazing vet. He is a rare wealth of knowledge and is well versed in western and eastern approaches to vet care. He has published books and been on TV but most importantly he and his staff care. They have many options and many are expensive but if you are clear with them on your budget they can adjust to whatever works for you at any given time. Our cat Lexi is in the best possible hands with her. She is older and has a few diseases and bad hips and she responds very positively to the treatment she gets and we always have a great experience. Thank you! Read Less

I have been going to Chestnut Hill Animal Hospital (Dr Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld,). My husband took  my dog in for blood in urine, no other symptoms, otherwise very healthy.  Brought urine and a stool sample just in case, he had no idea what they would need.  Most probable diagnosis:  UTI correct?  The bill (1 visit) was $500.  They said the urine was not enough so we had to bring in more. Went back to see results and was told there is blood in urine. No kidding I can see that and that is why we brought her in.  No culture, no diagnosis,  gave her antibiotics and said may need to do ultrasounds, MRI.  Are you kidding me!  Charged $110 for herbal supplements (which I returned and are by the way $9 on line). So $500 (one visit) and I have no more information than when I went in, just 20 antibiotics!  He then argued with me when I questioned him and said my husband told him to do all these other tests for lime, parasites etc.  nothing to do with blood in urine,  (note that we give the dog monthly flee prevention and heart worm prevention so the chance of having any of these is very low to none, yet he charge us $139 to test them) while no urine culture was done.  When I asked what the urine sample and the $75 charge was for if not a culture, he informed me he "looked" at the urine and determined there was blood in it.  Guess what, I "looked" at the urine also and determined there was blood in it that is why the dog was brought in!!!!  He then argued with me and was very nasty when I questioned him.  Unconscionable. Will never go back, would never recommend him. Read Less

I had a very bad experience here when I took my rat in to see Dr. Gerstenfeld. I take my dog and cats to a different vet, but when my rat developed a lump I asked them for a suggestion on who to take him to. They recommended Chestnut Hill Vet Hospital and said they usually recommend Dr. Gerstenfeld. When I brought my rat in, the dr saw the lump. Now, at the time my experience with rats was not nearly as much as it is now. But I knew not ALL lumps are cancer, not all lumps are tumors, not all lumps are the same. Dr. Gerstenfeld took a look at the lump and said "It will be $500 to remove it". He did not aspirate it. He did not try to determine what it was. Just gave me a price. I then asked him "what are the risks of surgery". He said "There are no risks". ANYONE who has ANY experience with pets knows there is ALWAYS a risk with anesthesia and always a risk with any surgery. I asked him again to make sure and he said "No. No risks". I took my rat and left. I went home and found someone to talk to on ALL experts.com. Luckily I found a woman Sandy Todd who ended up being VERY VERY experienced. She had me send her photos and said to her it looked to be an abscess. She suggested I apply a warm towel on the area and watch what happened. She said if it were an abscess it might pop. Sure enough it did. She then told me exactly how I could make my own saline solution to clean it, and then recommended antibiotics in case of infection. I went back to my regular vet, told them of my bad experience with Dr. Gerstenfeld, and spoke to them about the absess and put him on antibiotics. It was about $20, and it healed perfectly with NO complications.  I am very very disappointed that this vet was going to put my rat under anesthesia and do surgery for $500 when it was not needed. This happens WAY TOO MUCH with vets who claim to see "exotics" such as rats, rabbits, hampsters, etc. They might know some basics, and may be GREAT vets when it comes to cats and dogs, but often I find they are NOT truly experienced to be treating exotics. Since then I have found a TRUE exotic specialist so my current rat is in good hands. But this experience was very upsetting for me. Read Less

Dr. Gerstenfeld at Chestnut Hill Vet Hospital is an educated, compassionate, intelligent and caring Vet. He has tapped into a unique combination of Eastern and Western medical practices to the betterment of our pets.Chestnut Hill's staff is fantastic, as well. They are always engaging and caring. They know their pet clientele.Dr. G. was referred by my regular Vet for pain management and mobility issues with my 15 year old female Bichon Frise. After the initial consultation, I agree to change my dog's diet, get her on some supplements, and get her started on acupuncture and laser procedures.My dog had a severe trauma between her L6 and L7 vertebrae. While she was on a pharma pain-relief course, I really needed something else for her.Acupuncture and laser protocols have been a godsend for my dog. She deserves it.Thank you, Dr. Gerstenfeld. Read Less

This March our Beagle Sandy turned 14.  For most of her life we have taken her to Dr. Gerstenfeld.  We have always been extremely happy with Dr. Gerstenfeld and his team.  Dr. Gerstenfeld always takes time to ask us how Sandy is eating, sleeping, etc.  We always feel that he listens to what we tell him and that his advice and medicine recommendations are not formulaic or "cookie-cutter" but specific to Sandy's health, breed and age.  His unique approach has kept Sandy healthy.  We have never been happier that we take Sandy to Dr. Gertsenfeld than we were this past January.  Sandy lost her appetite, dropped significant weight and became extremely lethargic.  We were all very afraid that we were going to lose Sandy and we were saddened that she was in so much pain.  Dr. Gerstenfeld took great care of Sandy during this time.  He was both methodical and creative in diagnosing Sandy's problems and once he did he prescribed both traditional and non-traditional medicines and treatments to help nurse Sandy back to health.  Sandy is doing wonderfully.  She's put on weight, is eating like she did as a puppy and has a great deal of energy.  I don't know what our family would do without Sandy and we are grateful to Dr. Gerstenfeld for all he has done for this valued and loved member of our family. Read Less

I would rate Chestnut Hill Vet 10 stars if I could. The office is warm and friendly, clean and efficiently operated. Everyone in the waiting room is of like mind, animal obsessed, so if you adore your pet, then this is the vet! There is no rush to judgement but cautious careful reflective consideration for the uniqueness of your animal. Time is not an issue, you can take as much or as little time as you need. I wish they saw humans too!! Read Less

Our family had a very bad experience with Dr. Gerstenfeld yesterday. I've just gotten off the phone with him requesting a partial or complete refund for the visit itself, which I was denied. He wasn't interested in hearing my frustrations, so perhaps future  clients will want to know.My dog, an older larger breed dog was diagnosed with GLOPP. This disease causes, noisey "old man" breathing caused by the partial or complete paralysis of the larynx... with possible implications for neuropathy ( or weakness/lameness) in the hind quarters. We had a full exam and workup with our regular Vet, plus an evaluation by a Physical Therapist. We knew what the problems were, and came to Dr. Gerstenfeld, specifically because of his experience with Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture.We waited 30 minutes for our appointment. When we finally got in, the Dr. and his assistant were more concerned about the "CAUTION" sticker on his record ( yes he has growled at the vet tech who got in his face abruptly) then anything else.  The assistant grabbed my dog by his collar to move him ( which made him choke) .. my husband and i then moved and held our dog during the exam.The Dr. repeated everything he said in a previous phone conversation.. The only thing we came away with were some chinese herbs which we'll try. He said maybe acupuncture would work but nothing miraculous, he said maybe herbs would work, he said change our dogs diet - but with absolutely no instructions on how to do that properly ( luckily we know a good bit about this topic- but he didn't know that). We did not get a proper chinese medicine evaluation, he asked no questions of us. He kept saying- go to a neurologist. We got no acupuncture, I had no thoughtful discussion or questions from this doctor, I felt we got a "standard" spiel from him ( because he said the exact same things on the phone before ever seeing the dog). We basically wasted 3hours of travel time, and $75 on a visit that was nothing more then an unsatisfactory repeat of what we'd gotten before. The only saving grace was getting the herbs, but I will seek another source for them in the future, because this guy didn't give me any confidence.  Find someone else. Read Less

DO NOT BRING YOUR PET HERE.  Dr. Gerstenfeld is an ego maniac who only wants to talk about "chinese medicine" and how "processed food is making all Americans and their dogs obese."  He charged me $75 to tell me, "Go have Penn doctors look at your dog's lumps."  Not to even mention how his staff completely manhandled my terrified chocolate lab.  DO NOT LET HIS 30+ YEAR CAREER FOOL YOU.  WORST VET I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. Read Less

Just wonderful. The people there are always very nice and helpful.  I have a French Bulldog with allergies and I appreciate the holistic options that I am given to treat his allergies. I really would not want to go anywhere else with my pooches.  The French Bulldog gets very excited to visit and runs up to the door when we get there. Read Less

DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU HAVE A RABBIT!!! They claim to have a rabbit specialist, but my bun died because of his incompetence. I brought my bunny in for a checkup about a week ago. He told me my bunny was perfectly healthy. He specifically told me that her teeth were in perfect condition. My bun died last night of a tooth infection that went septic. I know this because I had a different specialist perform a necropsy after my bun died. The specialist said the dental disease that led to her death had not just developed between the doctors visit and her death- it had been going on for longer than that. And if the doctor at Chestnut Hill vet had noticed the dental problem, my bun very well might still be alive.   I also have two cats who went with my bun to the Chestnut Hill visit. One of them was sick. The same doctor prescribed some medicine and my kitty is doing much, much better. So it seems like they know what they are doing for cats. But avoid at all costs if you have a rabbit. Read Less

I went to this vet today on recommendation of my dogs vet; I never should have listened. Not only was it highway robbery on fees, the vet was an ignorant prick. He had to have been the most condescending human being Ive ever met. I thought we had finally found a new vet for our rabbits, I could not have been anymore wrong. Practice extreme caution When using this vet. Read Less

We've used this place over the lives of five dogs, and wouldn't want to trust our pets to anyone else.  Dr. Gerstenfeld spent time on the phone with me even before I was a pet owner, helping me decide which breed would be best for my family.  He did acupuncture treatments for one dog, knew exactly which specialist to send us to for another, and is always loving to our dogs.  His staff is smart, kind, gentle, funny and compassionate. Read Less

These guys are fantastic. I always end up calling the day-of or the day before for an appointment & I always manage to get seen at a time that works for me.  They're very friendly & informative and remember my rabbit every time I'm there.  Services are a little on the pricier side, however being located where they are & specializing in exotic pets, it's not a surprise. I'd rather pay a little more for folks who know how to handle a special-care animal where the treatment is thorough & correct.I now live about 40 minutes away as opposed to 10 but it's hard to find good rabbit care, so I'm sticking with them! Read Less