Aspen Commons Animal Hospital

I have been so impressed with the quality of care that I have experienced at Aspen Commons. Owning pets of various shapes and sizes for nearly fifteen years, I have seen my fair share of veterinarians over time, some irresponsible, some mediocre, and some quite good. Aspen Commons showed me that sometimes veterinarians can be phenomenal. I showed up very late to my first appointment, an exam for a couple of eight-​week old kittens who I had received from my friends’ shed, filthy and ill-​kempt. The products of a intact, unvaccinated queen in a community overrun by feral cats, the kittens already suffered from diarrhea and upper respiratory issues. Despite my tardiness, Dr. James and his staff took an hour and a half to fawn over my kittens, assure me that they would come out healthy, and vaccinate them. My feral kittens hissed plenty, but everyone in the office still cuddled and played with them without regard to the puncture wounds and scratches that their claws surely inflicted. At the end of our visit, Dr. James treated the exam like a shelter exam, only charging me for the vaccines and sending me with well-​pet forms, outlining their physical condition in detail. A couple of weeks later I took one of the kittens in again when the cold that Dr. James asked me to keep an eye on began to worsen. After a full physical, Dr. James pressed a slide to Percy’s nose, looked at it under a microscope, determined the presence of white-​cells, gave me an antibiotic, and demonstrated exactly how to administer it without patronization. Percy quickly recovered. Yesterday, my brother and I took his geriatric beagle to Aspen Commons in the hopes that we could make him comfortable before his passing tomorrow. His quality of life has deteriorated to the point where we need to say goodbye. Not only did Dr. James prescribe pain medication, he and his vet tech, Paul, examined him thoroughly, taking the time to assess his physical condition overall. When Little Arrow had an accidental BM on the table, Paul tracked down baby wipes and cleaned him up without a word. Dr. James personally gave us ointment to soothe Little Arrow’s ear infection for his last few days, saying that he hated to put money into a situation like ours. When I asked for a referral for an in-​home euthanasia service, Dr. James volunteered to personally come to our house after Aspen Commons closes on Saturday. I am confident our Little Arrow will pass in peace. I am so thankful that Aspen Commons has taken such good care of all of our animals in the month and a half that I have depended on them. My only regret is that they won’t be around for the rest of my animal loving years.

Withholding medicine, these people have NO compassion, no mercy. I have been going to this vet for over a year. My cat has hyperthyroidism and needs her prescription for Methimazole refilled. Aspen Commons Animal Hospital said I have to make an appointment to get the prescription refilled. I explained that we could not afford to make an appointment right now, we simply do not have the money right now. The people at Aspen Commons Animal Hospital did not care.
I explained that we can barely afford the medicine, they do not care. I explained my cat will die without it, they do not care. I asked them for mercy, Aspen Commons Animal Hospital Refused to help.

Starting with Lorraine at the front desk, every bit of our visits are wonderful! All staff members are so gentle and loving towards my little dachshund. She always gets wonderful care. Even though I have moved up north, I still make the drive down for her visits, because I can’t imagine taking her anywhere else!

Dr. James was great with my doggie and I feel like I’ve finally found a Primary care Vet for her. I had to come here a couple of times, one because she wasn’t eating and they got me in asap, reasonably priced. I then decided to come back for some dental work, any pet owner knows dental work can get up there, but I priced them with the cheaper Vet and it was very comparable plus you’ll be actually seen by Doctor James, not just his tech. From beginning to end this vet is the place to go, quality and affordable care by a great staff and Doctor.

I cannot say enough good things about Aspen Commons. Dr. James and Dr. Bigbee are both excellent with my rambunctious lab puppy and my cantankerous elderly cat. The office staff are cordial. The entire staff even indulge my absurd questions and obsessive worries. I’ve had some traumatic events dealing with incompetent vets, so it is reassuring to have found a vet I can trust with my animals’ health and well-​being.

This place is awesome! My girlfriend and I had just gotten a new puppy and when we came in (very late in the day I might add) Dr Bigbee and her assistant spent as much time as needed answering all of our questions and playing with the puppy. They also treated him very well when we kenneled him for a couple days there and when we were on our way out of town, took our cat in for an emergency and got us in and out with no problems. The staff and Drs all all very kind and friendly and remember your pets names!

A couple of weeks ago I had an emergency situation with my dog Widget. Our vet couldn’t see her, so we took a chance and showed up at Aspen Commons at 5 pm on Friday. Dr. Bigbee was just walking out the door, but stayed just to take care of her. She was very kind and thorough. Throughout the visit, the entire staff was friendly and cheerful. Widget was given the medication she needed so she didn’t have to suffer over the weekend or endure an ER visit. I would’ve paid 3 times what they charged me, but their fees were very reasonable. Two weeks later, on our follow up visit, we found them just as welcoming and thorough. Dr. Bigbee took her time with us and gave me tons of great information. The fees were, again, very reasonable. I can’t recommend them highly enough, and will never take my pets anywhere else. What a great find!

I found Aspen Commons through Unilocal and Google. My dog Mocha had a fall and her ears were very sensitive and swollen. I knew I needed to get her seen during the July 4^th weekend. I called Saturday the 5^th, told the friendly receptionist what was happening, and was able to bring her in within 10 minutes. Mocha felt at home immediately and everyone (dogs and people) welcomed her warmly. Dr. Bigbee was great. As a new resident to Colorado, I needed to find a new vet who I could trust with my baby. I’ve found my new vet!

We originally went to Broadview Animal Clinic and were very dissatisfied with the service (just too busy to keep up I think). My friend recommended we come here and I have to say, I cannot be more glad we did!
Dr. James is phenomenal and loves all three of our animals. He offers realistic advice and genuinely loves animals (I think he has 6 dogs and 3 cats himself). Loraine at the front desk is the sweetest woman ever and every tech I have had the pleasure of dealing with has been wonderful.
Thank you from all of us!

I would just like to say, I was never the kind of person who liked taking my animals to the vet. In fact I can say I hated it more than my pets did. I recently adopted my first dog from the Denver Dumb Friends League, and was recommended to the Aspen commons because it was closer to my home. The staff is WONDERFUL! I have also taken one of my cats there when she got sick (she escaped off the balcony and picked up a nasty respiratory infection and ear mites. So I rushed her over (they are always sooo helpful about getting me in THAT day that I call) she was given some antibiotics and ear drops. They have good prices :) which is important to someone. I highly recommended them and I really enjoy visiting with them as well.

I’ve been going to Aspen Commons for 18 years — I mean forever. For regular care — they are not as high-​tech equipped as the emergency hospitals nearby, but let’s face it — those folks may have a rap sheet a foot long on your pet, but don’t know, nor give a rat’s bum, who YOU are.
I, on the other hand, have called Aspen Commons each ½ hour to see how the one I am entrusted with is responding, and they are so respectful they put the earpiece down before laughing. Blood work is worth every penny, helping Dr. James make the best judgment possible, and he is thorough, calling to tell me the results, knowing full well I won’t understand a word of what he is saying. Most importantly, I can sense from my pets’ demeanor that they feel safe with him, and I’ve confirmed that by reading their daily diaries.
I’ve read other reviews online about arriving for regular appointments and kept waiting. That has happened to me several times while Dr. James is dealing with an urgent situation. When your pet’s time comes, you’ll appreciate Dr. James’ unflinching efforts, unless Chris J’s shepherd (6÷9÷09) got the best of him.
Techs come in from Bel-​Rea Institute and many move on. There have been a couple over these years that could use some kennel-​side manners, and I’ve noticed they haven’t lasted long. But most have loved my kids, and saved themselves from tripping over me while I’ve sat by the cage for hours cheerleading my buddy to full health. For that I am extremely grateful, as is Dr. James’ workmen’s compensation carrier.
Recently, one elderly kitty didn’t recover, and everyone is heartfelt and appreciates the void left when you’ve lost your closest family member. We were so close my heart will never heal from missing her.
I had a terrible nightmare recently — that Dr. James was retiring! Eventually that will become a well-​deserved dream come true for him and, although he IS Aspen Commons, I hear Dr. Rucker working very hard to get those wingtips supple enough to step into Dr. James’ moccasins.
To all of you, Doctors, Lorraine, Jennifer, Heather, Wes, Ashleigh, Michael — really too many to name — thank you for giving your hearts and knowledge to us.
Mary Lynn, a.k.a The Kennel-​Whisperer.

I took my puppy there with his newly broken foot. They were awesome and priced well. I had to take him weekly to get his little cast/​splint replaced and they took care of him. He got extra attention and they were fantastic! I would definately go there again. My little dog is back to his old self