Associated Veterinary Services

We made appointments by phone a week or so ahead of time for four of the cats. The person on the phone was friendly and helpful. Three adult cats for annual shots and a recently adopted kitten we suspected had ear mites. There was some misunderstanding when we arrived about scheduling the kitten, but nothing worth noting. The office is an older brick building with a large parking lot and waiting room. There were a few people waiting when we arrived, but plenty of seating left. By the time we left, the room was full. AVS takes appointments as well as walk-​ins with appointments taking precedence unless it is an emergency. They are open seven days a week, Sundays by appointment only. We registered and then waited about 10 minutes to be called. The front desk staff were friendly and talkative. The overall feel of the place was «clinical,» meaning I did not feel like I was in a cozy country vet’s office. While that was not was we were used to, it is something we can easily live with. I think having four cats at one time overwhelmed or at least confused the vet, because she kept getting the names wrong including on one of the prescriptions we ended up getting. Going by the vet list posted in the waiting room, there are at least eight vets working or associated with the practice. I wondered if vet turn over was high at AVS, based solely on my feel of the place. We did not ask for a particular vet. The one we got was young, new (we later learned) and fast talking. We did not like her method of administering shots. We’re used to vets folding the skin and injecting underneath the fold. I think one shot is usually given around or between the shoulder blades, but that’s not how this vet did it. Shots were injected straight in, one on each hip. The cats hissed when given the shots with one getting upset. We did not say anything. After all, she’s the vet. But, we had never seen shots injected in that manner, nor had our cats ever reacted like they did with her. Keep in mind the adult cats are all over five years old and they have been to vets several times. The vet’s exams were okay, but we had to redirect her attention to the kitten’s ears to check for mites. The vet did not think the kitten had mites, but took a swab of her ears. She confirmed the kitten had ear mites. One of the adult cats has genetic problems with his hips and eyes. He had had surgery on his right hip a few years ago performed by another vet. That worked well, but now he is having trouble with his left hip. This vet had some different ideas as to the cause of the problems and prescribed a pain med for him. We were hoping for an anti-​inflammatory to reduce swelling in the hip, but the vet did not think that was best long term. I was not convinced pain meds were the right option, but I’m not the vet. However, we didn’t understand how we were supposed to give him pain meds on «his bad days.» She prescribed some antibiotic eye drops for his almost constantly dilated pupils. We’ve been through those before with him and it did not help, but we’re willing to give it another try. The other two adult cats did not need any special attention, just shots. These three adult cats are all neutered males who have had issues with spraying. They have been on medication prescribed by another vet to treat that for a while. We were able to get a new prescription from this vet when we asked for it. Another thing I found bothersome was the tech weighing and getting temperatures on all the cats before the vet came in. This meant pulling four cats out of their carriers, putting them back in, and then pulling them back out for the vet to examine. If you know cats, you know they do not want to come out of the carrier at the vets office. Even though the place is busy, we did not feel hurried during our visit. We might ask for a different vet next time, but there will be a next time. While we didn’t love the vet, we haven’t found one we did among the eight others we’ve tried either. We paid about $ 270 for physical exams of four cats, annual shots for three adult cats, a blood test for one, and three prescriptions. The prescriptions included an oral antibiotic, an ophthalmic antibiotic, and one bottle of ear drops for mites. The prescriptions for the «spray» medication and the pain med were filled at our regular pharmacy, because AVS did not have those in tablet form, which is easier for us to get our cats to swallow. We’ll use AVS again, but we’ll do three things differently next time: 1) ask for another vet, 2) take no more than two cats at a time, 3) make appointments for Sunday.

We love AVS! It’s nice to see a vet clinic more concerned about the animals than money. Every visit is very reasonable and everyone there is so sweet! All the doctors seem great though we only see Dr. Kidwell. I like to have a consistent doctor that knows my dog’s history. She’s so sweet and compassionate with our little dog.
Layla had to stay in the kennel two nights and every morning and every night Dr. Kidwell would call to give me updates on how she was doing and on days off, she would still go check on her kennel patients at least once. That really helped put my mind at ease! Not only that but she also called to check on Layla once she was back at home. She truly is a wonderful veterinarian.
Also, one of the comments said that you cannot schedule appointments but I have several times and I don’t usually have to wait too long either. The walk-​in option is really wonderful though because often, especially with an older dog, it’s an unexpected vet trip.
Keep up the good work AVS!

Apologies to Dr. Kidwell (not Tidwell) for posting her name wrong. We had the surgery on July 26 and it went well. Ginger is recuperating nicely. Total bill was $ 444 plus $ 30 for antibiotic. This included anesthesia as well as pain and anitbiotic injections and overnight stay. Other vets would charge big $ for these additional services. Keep up the great work AVS!

I love AVS! This place has saved my cat’s live twice while also saving me considerable expenses.
Dr. Balkom is extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, and helpful. This is a vet clinic that provides services because they love animals, not just to make a buck. They are low cost which is great. I’ve been at other vets where I felt I was making a choice between what I could afford and what was in my cat’s best interest.
I can’t recommend them highly enough. Again, nothing fancy about the clinic itself, but if you want stellar care for your pets without the HUUUGGEE price tags of other clinics, AVS is perfect.

I miss this place! I lived in Baton Rouge for a year and I LOVED this place. It’s owned by a veterinarian named Dr. Craig, who runs the clinic more or less at-​cost. The visit itself was only $ 20 (3 years ago, though I’ve sent friends here since then and they’ve said the same). An annual check up and vaccinations for an adult cat cost me $ 80 total. I think for my dogs it was about $ 110 each. It’s not the brightest, cleanest, prettiest place, and it is on Greenwell Springs in a not-​so-​nice part of town, but if you need affordable, this is the place to be. People who go to vet school aren’t there for the money. In general, no matter how much you pay you’re going to get someone who REALLY cares about animals. I would prefer to pay less, on my minimal student budget! Also, if you need pet medications, just go next door to Greco’s Pet Supply. Super affordable.