Elmhurst Animal Care Center

They doubled the price of my dogs medicine when I went for a refill. They blamed it on the supplier which set off my BS sensor. Checked the internet and the price was half of what they tried to charge me so I had them write a prescription.
And the wanted my 90 year old dog to take a blood test before they would give her the medicine that she has taken ever since she was 6 months old. Does that make sense or are they just trolling for fees? I thought I saw a couple of Bankers walking out of there. So I think they are going after the money now with unnecessary tests and shots.

Great vets, awful customer service and hardly any communication (it seems) between the front desk and the actual vets. I’ve been double charged, over charged, been given the incorrect medication that necessitated another visit (not comp’d or apologized for)… Just not worth the hassle OR the price.
I’ll be going elsewhere with my dog from now on.

The veterinarians have always been pretty good. They do walk-​ins and you can usually get in and out pretty quickly.
The one thing I do not like about this place is their grooming service. You can drop off your dog first thing in the morning and they are never done until 6 – 7 hours later. If you have to make an appointment, I don’t understand why they can get the grooming done in 1 – 2 hours. Basically your pet is caged up all day. This is a regular occurrence as we’ve been here 6 – 7 times for grooming.
We will probably go back for vet service, but not grooming service.

I really liked this place when we first started going there. It was nice not to have an appointment for a vet. The groomers did a good job and everyone was very friendly.
If you don’t mind dropping your dog off 7 only to have him locked in a cage waiting for a grooming appointment 7 hours late, then this is the place for you. Not returning.

I adopted my 4 month-​old puppy from a local adoption agency in Wheaton and they suggested I use their partner clinic, Elmhurst Animal Care Center, for her first check-​up and take advantage of their offer for a free spay (offered to adopted puppies which the adoption fee partially covers). This was an obvious choice as it was convenient and would save us quite a bit of money.
Her first check up went seemingly well. She checked out just fine and was sent home with us. We informed the vet and the front desk staff that we would get her vaccinated at our previous vet where we have an established relationship with the vet for our other dog. We would come back for the spay once she was finished with vaccines. «No problem» the staff said.
Our puppy followed up less than 1 week later at our vet for a vaccine and also because I suspected ear mites due to a large amount of smelly black stuff in her ears. Well she definitely had ear mites. How did this not get caught during her check up earlier in the week? I watched the vet at Elmhurst Animal Care Center look into her ears! This irked me but not enough to pay close to $ 500 for a spay elsewhere.
I also called Elmhurst to have my puppies fecal results faxed to my vet. The front desk person gave me an attitude and wanted to only give a verbal result over the phone due to difficulty of faxing. I work in healthcare and know that written copies of medical records are of utmost importance.
A few weeks alter I called to schedule her spay. A note about the front desk staff there: I was consistently treated with indifference and placed on hold every time I called for no less than 7 minutes. Each time I called I was told «it looks like your dog has never seen us before». She was there for initial exam and fecal??? I was later informed I had to reschedule the spay as they were not spaying the day I had chosen. So I called back to reschedule and was asked if she had completed her vaccines. Yes, she had them at our other vet. I was then informed my dog did not qualify for the free spay due to not completing her vaccines at their clinic, not buying 1 year of heartworm prevention from them (I purchased online), not having de-​worming at their clinic, and had not met several other criteria. I double checked my paperwork and there it was in the fine print. My bad for not reading thoroughly; however, I had mentioned to several people that we were not using them for vaccines and this was the first mention verbally of the «criteria» of all the times I spoke to them! Now we will have to pay an additional $ 500 we were not prepared to spend to have her spayed.
Needless to say we are taking our business elsewhere and I would caution all other pet owners from using this animal clinic. Just read the other bad reviews; there appears to be poor continuity of treatment, poor customer service, poor communication, and a lack of proficiency of their vets. What a shame.

I’m surprised by all the bad reviews when I have had pretty decent experiences here each time. Granted I am boarding my dogs and not seeking their veterinary services, that may be the reason. Boarding wise, I return to this facility each time I’m out of town. I have 2 large dogs and they let them stay together. I get documentation of their daily allotted ‘playtime’ on my receipt which is a few times daily, something I really like to see for my animals I’m leaving for 5 nights. You also get a free bath w boarding! They’re open 7 days a week but I’ll warn you that lines are long of weekends so be patient with the staff. They also recently started a new text picture thing that I’m looking forward to receiving on my next trip away from my fur babies. I will be back Elmhurst. Sorry your vets have a bad wrap but your boarding is on point in my book!

Please take the time to read my previous review below. It appears that Elmhurst have not improved since it was written.
I’ve been taking my pets to Wheaton since the travesty that was our experience at Elmhurst, but the latest visit was not good news: Possibly cancer. Wheaton wanted us to go to their «sister hospital» Elmhurst for a CT scan to confirm diagnosis.
I called up to schedule the scan, and the phone was answered by a woman who sounded bored out of her mind. She asked me to drop my cat off between 8 and 9 tomorrow. I was confused… I explained to her that I didn’t want to just «drop off» my cat. She’s having breathing issues and whenever she gets stressed out it just exacerbates the problem (the CT scan will be dangerous enough because of her condition, never mind leaving her in an unfamiliar place for several hours). I wanted to come in with my cat at a scheduled time, get the CT scan done, and leave so that she didn’t have to stay there. I said that my concern was that I would show up at 8am, and they wouldn’t be able to get to the CT scan until, say, 2pm, meanwhile my cat is being exposed to a stressful environment. The woman said «oh, I don’t think they’d do that. I really don’t think so. Let me check with a doctor» and she put me on hold. When she came back she said «the doctor said that you’re going to have to wait a couple of hours anyways» implying I might as well just leave my cat there the whole day even though the scan takes about 15 minutes… absolutely no concern on her part with my cat’s fragile condition, nor any acknowledgement of such!
I understand that routine visits are first-​come, first-​serve… but you’re telling me there are no exceptions to this rule even in what can be a life-​or-​death situation? I can schedule no appointment whatsoever, and I’m supposed to just come in and hope they aren’t busy, that my cat won’t panic and start hyperventilating while we’re waiting for someone to help us?
I was already on the fence about coming back here after what happened, but that was several years ago, so I was willing to give it a chance. It’s really obvious, though, that the concern for their patients just isn’t there. Still.

Front desk is pretty disorganized. Long waits, but decent value with caring vets.

I’ve taken my dog here twice now, once for a flu shot, and the second time for an exam and the booster. My puppy has been in for one exam and round of vaccinations. I’ve been very satisfied with both, and will be driving the 40 minutes to an hour to get there from the North Side for all my vet needs from now on. I love that it’s walk-​in only, and the waits isn’t bad at all. They’re also open late and on weekends, which I appreciate. OH! DidI mention that they have free coffee, tea, and bottled water, and that the facility itself is lovely and clean! Plus, if you go when Magnificent Mutts is having a rescue event, you can meet great dogs and buy some treats from fun vendors.
My guy is very fearful of vets and in the past he has growled and tried to bite every single vet and tech we’ve ever seen – he was totally fine with the techs and Dr. Doemland, he even gave the Dr. kisses! This really says a lot about the «bedside» manner and kindness of the staff here. The people working the front desk have always been helpful as well.
Price-​wise: The first exam is free! And for vaccinations you do not have to have an exam as long as you have records that your pet has had one in the last year. This means you only pay for the vaccine. The cost for shots etc. is about the same price as the vet I was using in Chicago previously, and about as cheap as you are going to find without going to a pop-​up shot clinic at a pet store. I know people have complained about the «falsely» advertised free spay or neuter, but it states very clearly on the ad that you have to get your puppy’s vaccines, including all boosters, heart worm, and flea medication there to qualify, and this is all stuff that should be done anyway.
Care-​wise: My dog has chronic allergies, which lead to skin problems. Dr. Doemland is the third vet we’ve seen about his condition, and she was by far the most thorough. The clinic was busy, but she took the time to sit down with us and go over all of my dog’s history, possible treatments, etc.
I’ll be taking both my pups here from now on, and expect we will continue to have great experiences.
Regarding some of the bad review: It’s worth noting that most (not ALL) of the people here leaving bad reviews seem to have some really strange ideas about animal care. It’s also worth noting that you can call ahead to find out which day your preferred vet is in. I’ve been asked upon each visit which vet I would like to see. I would suggest at any vet that if you don’t want your dog to be subjected to other dogs in line or in the waiting area (because of sickness, fear of bites, etc.) you can always leave your pup in the car while you wait to check in and grab them once a room opens up. Pretty much any vet I’ve been to is fine with this.

Truly not impressed. I took my first cat to this place when he started suddenly urinating outside the litterbox and we found a stone in the urine. Also, he had kind of a bizarre smell to him, and that is unusual because he gets bathes. I saved the stone in a ziplock bag and brought him in. I was told he was fine, that she felt the stone was so large that she didn’t think it came from him. He dies a shortly after.
After a little while we got a new kitten. She had an accident at the breeder the week before we got her. They amputated her tail in a recliner. The breeder was not truthful with us and did not actually take our kitten to be seen by the vet. After a week she started to become lethargic and we had to take her to Golf Rose (highly recommend) where her back end was derided down to the muscle due the abscess that formed. I am a nurse experienced in wound care. I took her for follow ups at Elmhurst. They asked me to come back weekly. The second time I came the vet had no recommendations, I had to teach her what a silver dressing was and a petroleum dressing was. She took my kitten in the back to redress the wound, shortly she came back and told me that she didn’t know how to dress the wound and I clearly knew more about wounds than she. So I had to put the dressing back on and was basically given a pat on the back for the good work I did… then charged $ 50.00 for the visit. What exactly did I pay for? So needless to say I stopped going after that and healed the wound myself.
I also vaccinated my cat, buying the vaccines for $ 15 from the same supplier as vets use. I wrote down the vaccine lot numbers and expirations. Elmhurst refused to fix my kitten because I vaccinated my cat. I am a nurse! If I can vaccinate humans, I sure as hell can vaccinate a cat. I was even told that the «vet was unhappy» with me. Ridiculous.

This is an excellent place to take your pet. They’re quick and efficient with correspondence. All of the veterinarians that I’ve seen have been outstanding. I never have to wait longer than 10 minutes or so. I know my puppy is well taken care of.

After rushing my sick puppy here the girl at the counter told me it was my fault that she was sick and her stitches came out because she wasn’t wearing a plastic cone. She had gotten spayed and had a false pregnancy. The stitches would have pulled with a cone or not. I tried talking to another counter person who ignored me. I did see the vet that day because I was so worried about my puppy but I was so upset. It is not directly the fault of the vet but these ignorant people are the front staff. They are rude, disrespectful and I would never trust them again. They were also very expensive. If I could give them zero stars I would but I will never bring my dogs back here!

I used to take one of my dogs here but I had his files transferred to another animal hospital.
The appointments are by walk-​in ONLY, which makes it very difficult to be seen if you’re running on any kind of schedule. You never know how long you’ll be waiting or how busy they’re going to be on any given day.
They make you wait in line with your pet to check in before going to the waiting area, which puts your pet in close proximity to other pets he/​she does not know. On one occasion my dog was bitten rather badly by a large dog standing in line behind us, and despite my dog bleeding profusely the staff refused to move my dog to the front of the line to be seen immediately for his wound, did not offer to comp us in any way for our experience, and did not ask the owner of the dog who bit ours to leave.
There is no way to guarantee which doctor you’ll be seeing, which means there is almost no consistency in your pet’s care because they have to just go by whatever’s written in your pet’s records.
The overall attentiveness and level of care provided and offered by the doctors here isn’t of the same quality I’ve experienced elsewhere. I’d recommend taking your pet to a hospital that goes by appointment, and where you can request to see the same doctor each time to encourage more personalized and individualized care.

I came here last night after my 8 year old Chihuahua Mix Jazmyn got bit in the head by another dog. The bite was with enough pressure that her eye ball literally popped out of the socket. She also has two puncture wounds that had me covered in blood. Imagine my shock and anxiety?!
I rushed her to the clinic and ran in the door. Paula immediately let the doctors know there was an emergency and put me in a room. Dr Zebold came in and calmed me down and took my baby in the back to assess the situation. She came back in and explained to me that her injuries could be treated fairly easilly.
She then let me know what the cost would max out at including a surgery to remove the eye in the event that it couldn’t be saved. When I let her know that I didn’t have that much money, she then explained what they could do within my budget. I felt respected and not looked down upon for not having enough money. (other places have made me feel horrible) So she brought her back in the back, sedated her, popped her eye ball back in and stitched her eyelid shut.
Obviously I would’ve rather not had to go there under these circumstances but by far, from start to finish it was a great experience.

Hopefully we don’t have to spend too much time at the vet (who wants a sick and sad kitty!). I totally appreciated the staff being super friendly and having great hours and a full hospital for my kitty! The vet was super sweet and they handled him really well. Glad I found my vet!

If it was possible to give zero stars on Unilocal,I would. Just updating: 6 months after replying to them with the info they requested from me and they have sent no response whatsoever; let alone «fully addressed the situation». I am happy for the people that love this place, I really am. It is good to find a vet that you can trust. But based on all the REALLY detailed bad reviews here, you are rolling the dice with your pets’ lives when you bring them here.

I love all the doctors here at the hospital but there never seems to be enough help at the front desk. The wait time to check in is ridiculous!

Ever since I adopted my second dog Bailey I’ve been coming here. Now that I’ve adopted my third puppy (only two live with me… My 7 year old Shiba Inu lives with my mom) picking a vet was easy.
The staff is fantastic when answering questions and handling the dogs. Having a vet that is mainly walk ins is amazing because it helps me fit the puppy appointments into my schedule.
There is one male doctor that was very judgmental of the fact that I brought Bailey in a week late for her shots and kept asking me if I had bought her from a pet store or if I «really adopted her». It was frustrating to have someone be so rude but now I just make sure to request a different doctor.
Overall this place is fantastic and I recommend it to everyone willing to make the drive!

When I had talked to the doctor on the phone before I came he didn’t even think it was a big deal that my baby wasn’t eating. Turns out it was a big deal because she died the next day. So against his advice I brought her in. I mentioned that I was reading online that cat not eating could be signs of dental damage. «oh yeah, I forgot about
could be that too.» Ok Doogie Howser! How long you been practicing? WTF?
I brought my sick kitty there in an emergency situation. I was so surprised how fast I was taken care of. No waiting around.
We had blood tests done and someone was supposed to call me the next day. No one called. I had to call them twice when I got home from work to chase down the results. I finally got a hold of a Dr. who kept calling the results so bizarre. Like he had never seen it before. She had severe anemia. He kept telling me all the issues but never offered a solution. He told me I needed to find a place to take her that could do a blood transfusion but never offered a referral. WTF? Finally after 10 minutes of him telling how bizarre the situation was and offering me no comfort, advice, next steps or solutions I had to ask for a referral. Oh yeah he had a place… like it was no big deal. So this yahoo called ahead to the place he referred us and only asked if they had cat blood and didn’t give them a heads up (the other vet told me that must have been him who called). Seriously unprofessional
I gather someone called the referred hospital because I got a sympathy card..

I’m so sad to see this place get so many terrible reviews. I feel compelled to talk about my experiences– all positive.
We had taken our dogs here many years ago before it got the shiny new building and new owners and basically the old vet had tried very hard to gradually euthanize our dog rather than treat him and did not tell us. I’m happy to say that that evil bastard has nothing to do with this practice or it’s affiliates beyond that the location is the same. If you had gone here years ago, please reconsider. It has changed a great deal.
My first trip here was an Emergency visit after I was referred from the Wheaton Animal Hospital that my cat Homer’s condition (feline plugged penis syndrome) had come back and that they were recommending surgery. I was terrified because of my past experience at the location but found out that the old building and old doctor/​owner were gone… dead, I hope.
We rushed Homer there so he could (and this is very graphic) have his penis and a portion of his urethra removed so no more crystals could form in his bladder… and so he could have what was left of his urethra split and fashioned into a sort of kitty vagina. I know, it was insane and totally out of no where.
I want to address a common issue I see among patients who say they’re waiting a long time. I have never waited longer than 15 minutes… yes, it seems longer because it is so sterile but it’s a Dr’s office… it’s not going to be fun. And please keep in mind that you may be waiting longer because another animal has an emergency that could save it’s life… that was the case with Homer.
We brought him there, I paid the $ 700 down payment and he was prepped and in surgery in less than 40 minutes. When the surgery was over the Dr that operated called me and I also got a call from the front desk staff with updates. I was allowed to come in (even one time after closing hours because I couldn’t make it out of work in time) to visit him every day, sometimes multiple times a day. They let me bring in a new bed & blanket and basically make his crate comfortable for him while he recouped.
When we finally got to take him home he had a multitude of meds, one of which was IMPOSSIBLE to administer to the poor little guy so we ended up having to drive him back and forth every day so the vet could administer the treatment for us (at no extra cost). At one point one of his stitches ripped because Homer became an expert on how to take the cone off his head so he could hide and bite the stitches but the hospital got us right in and the doctor was incredibly thorough and caring. It was honestly like he was with his own cat.
At one point the head doctor made a joke that upset me about Homer being a girl… I’m not an emotional person but anything with animals really tugs at me. I mildly scolded him and we ended up not having to pay for his new meds that day-​SCORE! Oh, and there was another time when I needed to pick up his prescription food and the front desk girl repeatedly referred to Homer as «she» after the 5^th time I admittedly got grumpy and snapped at her that my cat was a boy but I got over it. Homer was actually put on file as a dog at our last vet’s office so I was no stranger to people mistaking his identity.
I really appreciate this office and I think they do a great job and have very friendly staff. Their hours are also open a bit later than most vets are so it really works with my schedule. They do have a lot of doctors and you’ll rarely see the same one twice but in my experience they were all well versed in Homer’s prior medical history and treatment. They saved my cats life and I am forever thankful.